# What to Do With Your Hands When Giving a Presentation

Rest your hands loosely at your sides or lightly touching at waist height, and move them only when a gesture matches what you're saying: showing size, a number, a direction or a contrast. Drop the habits that distract (pockets, clasping, fiddling with a pen). On video, keep gestures smaller and inside the camera frame, around chest height.

By the Speaking Coach team at Sodhera Intelligence. Updated 2026-10-22. Source: https://www.orecci.com/speaking-coach/guides/what-to-do-with-your-hands/

## Why hands feel awkward

When you're nervous, you suddenly notice your hands. In conversation, they move on their own and you never think about them. On stage, with attention on you, they feel heavy and odd, and you grab for something to do with them.

The goal isn't to choreograph gestures. It's to find a comfortable place for your hands to rest, and then let them move naturally when you have something to show.

## The neutral rest position

You need a "home" for your hands: somewhere comfortable to return to between gestures. Pick one of these:

| Position | How | Good for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Arms at your sides** | Loose, fingers relaxed, not stiff | Standing talks; looks calm once you're used to it |
| **Hands lightly touching at waist height** | Fingertips touching, or one hand loosely over the other, around your belly button | Most presentations; ready to gesture |
| **Holding a clicker or a card** | One hand at waist height, the other free | Slides or notes; gives one hand a job |
| **Resting on the table or lectern edge** | Lightly, not gripping | Seated meetings and lecterns |

Arms at your sides feels the strangest to most people and often looks the most relaxed to the audience. Try it in front of a mirror or on a recording: it almost always looks better than it feels.

## Gestures that match your words

A good gesture shows something the words are saying. If it doesn't match, it's just movement. These are the most useful types:

| Type | When | Example line and gesture |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Number** | Listing points | "There are three reasons." Hold up three fingers. |
| **Size** | Big, small, growing, shrinking | "The problem got bigger." Move hands apart. |
| **Direction or time** | Past, future, up, down | "Last year… next year." Your right hand, then your left, so time runs left to right as the audience sees it. |
| **Contrast** | This vs that | "On one side, cost. On the other, speed." One hand, then the other. |
| **Inclusion** | Us, everyone, together | "All of us in this room." Open palms, sweeping outward. |
| **Emphasis** | The key word | "This is the one thing to remember." One firm, small downward movement. |

A few principles:

- **Gesture above the waist.** Gestures below waist height look hesitant and are hard to see.
- **Open palms read as open.** Pointing a finger at people reads as accusing; use an open hand to indicate someone.
- **Hold the gesture for the whole phrase,** then return to home. Quick flicks look nervous.
- **Size matches the room.** In a big hall, gestures go wider. At a meeting table, keep them close to your body.

## Habits to drop

| Habit | What it signals | Instead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Hands in pockets** | Casual at best, uninterested at worst; also invites jingling keys | Hands at sides or at waist height |
| **Clasped tight in front (the "fig leaf")** | Defensive, nervous | Fingertips loosely touching higher up, at waist |
| **Arms crossed** | Closed, defensive | Arms at your sides |
| **Hands behind your back** | Formal, hiding something, or stiff | Bring them forward where people can see them |
| **Fiddling with a pen, ring or clicker** | Nerves | Put the pen down; hold the clicker still |
| **Constant chopping or waving** | Every word has a gesture, so none stands out | Rest between gestures |
| **Touching face or hair** | Nervous | Notice it on a recording, then rest hands at sides |
| **Gripping the lectern** | Holding on for dear life | Light touch, or step beside it |

You won't drop all of these at once. Record a two-minute run-through and watch it with the sound off. The habit you notice most is the one to work on. See [how to record yourself speaking](/speaking-coach/guides/record-yourself-speaking/).

## How it changes on video

On a video call or recorded presentation, the camera usually sees you from mid-chest up. That changes the rules.

- **Keep gestures inside the frame,** roughly between your chest and your chin. Gestures at waist height disappear.
- **Make them smaller and slower.** Big, fast gestures close to the camera look huge and can blur.
- **Don't fidget with things on the desk.** Mics pick up tapping and clicking that you won't notice.
- **Use your hands less overall.** Your face does more work on video; your voice and expression carry most of the meaning.
- **Sit back slightly from the camera** so a hand gesture doesn't fill the screen.

For the rest of video presenting, see [how to present online](/speaking-coach/guides/how-to-present-online/).

## A five-minute practice routine

1. **Find your home position.** Stand in front of a mirror and try each rest position. Pick the one that feels least strange.
2. **Mark your gestures.** In your notes, mark two or three places in your talk where a gesture fits: a number, a contrast, a size.
3. **Run it once standing.** Rest at home; use only your marked gestures.
4. **Record it.** Watch with the sound off. Do your hands distract, or support?
5. **Run it again,** letting other gestures come naturally. Most people find that once the rest position feels okay, natural gestures return on their own.

Hands are only one part of delivery. Pace and pauses matter as much: Speaking Coach's presentation practice lets you swipe through your slides as you talk, then shows your words per minute and long pauses afterwards.

## Questions people ask

### Where should I put my hands when presenting?

At your sides or loosely together at waist height, as a resting position. Move them when a gesture shows something you're saying, then return.

### Is it bad to talk with your hands a lot?

Not if the gestures match your words and you rest in between. It becomes distracting when every word has a gesture or the movements are repetitive.

### Is it okay to hold notes while presenting?

Yes. Small cards in one hand give that hand a job and look natural. Avoid large sheets of paper, which shake visibly if you're nervous.

### What do I do with my hands when sitting in a meeting?

Rest them on the table, lightly, in view. Gesture as you would in conversation, kept close to your body.

### Should I practice gestures in advance?

Plan two or three key ones, such as counting points or showing a contrast. Don't script every movement; it looks robotic.

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