How to use gestures to improve your communication

A dual code of words and gestures can help people remember better. | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

TAlthough most of us associate exceptional oratorical skills with passion, skill with words, and proper intonation, there is another aspect of effective communication that doesn’t get much attention. We can emphasize a point, raise doubts, inspire people to action and help them remember not only through words but also through our gestures. In an article in the online magazine psycheSusan Goldin-Meadow argues that gestures “contain and convey meaning” and can be used to improve our thinking and communication.

She emphasizes that gestures are about much more than just people waving their hands while chattering excitedly. The need to gesture may be innate, as blind children who have never seen other people use their hands when communicating also gesticulate when speaking. In one study, Goldin-Meadow and her colleagues found that participants were better at recalling vivid scenes, such as “a chicken scooting toward a police officer” or “a jogger bending over to touch his toes.” when they gestured while describing the scenes. One possible reason for this advantage is that a person has a dual code of words and gestures that helps them remember the scenes. Goldin-Meadow suggests that people could try gesturing while memorizing their shopping lists to see if this makes remembering easier.

Additionally, Goldin-Meadow and her colleagues have found evidence that gestures help children think mathematically. In one study, children were asked to explain their thinking behind a math problem using words and gestures, while another group had to use only verbal explanations. When students were given subsequent tasks, those who gestured while explaining performed better than the group who only used words. According to Goldin-Meadow, the former group “applied ideas represented in their previous gestures” while tackling the new math problems. When we are trying to learn a new concept, the author suggests that we not only explain it out loud to another person or even ourselves, but also gesture while speaking. It may surprise us to learn that new ideas can arise when we talk with our hands.

Concentration and understanding

Gesturing also leads to better understanding. Goldin-Meadow states that pointing to bullet points during a presentation helps the audience concentrate better. Using actions when speaking also promotes understanding, as gestures can help one understand meaning better. Additionally, gesturing comes “natural” to us when we allow ourselves to move our hands freely. Our actions automatically reflect the “temporal and semantic” intent of our speech when we let our hands speak for themselves.

Even though we gesture more often, we may also pay more attention to other people’s actions. Sometimes people may find it difficult to put their thoughts into words coherently. However, they can convey information with their hands if we make the effort to pay attention to this form of nonverbal communication. Goldin-Meadow points out that astute clinicians observe body language, including gestures, to find clues to their clients’ inner thoughts, which may or may not be expressed verbally.

Since much of our communication now takes place online, Goldin-Meadow suggests we continue to reap the benefits of gesturing even on video calls. By adjusting the position of our screens so that our hands are visible, we can also improve our online communication. Since we value the importance of body language in perception and communication, perhaps we can try to arrange more face-to-face meetings. One of the best ways to encourage our interlocutors to gesture is to use gestures ourselves. Because our mirror neurons tend to mimic the actions of the people we interact with, we may also benefit from using our hands and fingers to make our interactions more meaningful and memorable.

The author is the author of Zero Limits: Things Every 20-Year-Old Should Know and Blogs at www.arunasankaranarayanan.com.