Become aware of your gestures and mannerisms and adjust them appropriately.
– O. C. Edwards
Somehow our usual mannerisms seem to become more pronounced when we put ourselves in front of others to speak. Maybe it’s nerves, or the extra effort we’re making to get our point across. Maybe it’s because there’s little else going on in the room to distract the audience, so everything we’re doing is the focus of attention. I’ve had any number of presenters in training sessions who don’t realize that their weight-shifting, pocket change-jingling, throat-clearing or hair-smoothing are even taking place, let alone taking attention from their messages. When they see videorecordings of their presentations, they hardly recognize themselves. I don’t really do that . . . do I?
Dharma speakers have a couple of advantages when it comes to mannerisms and gestures. Often, we’re sitting down. While that presents its own challenges regarding energy level and audience connection, it does prevent us from pacing and weight-shifting. The hokkai-join (meditation mudra) is a natural rest position for the hands, so we don’t have to worry about what to do with them when we’re not gesturing. Sitting this way can help to calm any anxiety or control extra energy.
Ask a friend to pay attention to the one or two gestures or mannerisms you make most frequently during your talk. Are you constantly adjusting your robes? Slashing the air wildly with your hands? Lining up your notes pages? Nodding your head? See if you can get these under control. Often they’re just habits that serve as outlets for anxious energy.
There are several kinds of gestures that arise naturally when we’re communicating orally. Each can add meaning and interest to a dharma talk when used effectively.
Emphatic gestures highlight key ideas and demonstrate how you feel about your topic. They are subjective and arise genuinely as a sort of period or exclamation point in your talk. Without them, you will seem unnaturally stiff and you won’t be able to draw the sangha into the emotional content of your talk. An emphatic gesture might be a downward chopping motion or other downward hand movement in coordination with a key sentence. (Note that this is not the same as the emphatic gestures used in Tibetan debate.)
Descriptive gestures are objective and help the audience visualize the point you’re making by creating a picture, showing size, shape or position. Holding your hand out flat at a distance from the floor indicates relative height. Moving your hands up or down shows something rising or falling.
Locative gestures show place or direction of motion. A pointed finger or a sweep of the hand quite directly illustrates a particular place. Drawing a path in the air can indicate movement through time and space.
Transitional gestures draw listeners from one section or idea of your talk to the next, and can help visually reinforce the structure you set up in your introduction. Counting on your fingers, you can indicate a series of points you will make or summarize the key ideas you’ve discussed.
You don’t need to use all of these in every talk. Just make sure that whatever gestures you do use are not repetitive and distracting. Try for some variety, and don’t forget to match your facial expression to your message. Be serious where your message is serious, but don’t look grim. Smile where appropriate, even in a subtle way, in order to maintain rapport with the audience. The dharma is lively and interesting, even when working with it in our lives is a challenge. Encourage the sangha to dedicate itself to practice, and give it courage and confidence that the effort is worthwhile.
