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Why do speakers at public events wave their hands around so much?
Chris Daniel,
Glan Conwy, Conwy, UK
It is said that the majority of our communication is non-verbal.
When a person is talking to a large group of people, whether in a lecture theatre, open-air event or on stage, the distance between the speaker and the audience means that gestures have to be proportionally bigger to convey meaning and emotion.
I find I do this when teaching. Wide, expressive arm movements, exaggerated body posture and pacing around the room that would be totally inappropriate in normal social gatherings feel…
