Hand gestures on video has become a hot topic.
In this article, I shared the main reasons using hand gestures can feel awkward…and also some reasons behind why developing a hand gesture vocabulary is so compelling.
Another reason is highlighted by Christina Brady, CRO at Sales Assembly in this post on LinkedIn.
It’s easy for our hands to ‘creep’ – our hands look for our phone, they look to click on some tabs, check out email etc. When we are doing other things and appear distracted on video, the other person can easily think we simply don’t care about what they have to say…or their time.
One way to ensure your audience knows you are listening and fully present, is to show them your hands. As Brady says:
“Verbal and non verbal cues that say “you have my attention” are more important than ever. When your hands are in the frame, they can’t be slacking. They can’t be replying to an email or searching the web.”
So we asked Dr. Abbie Marono to share a bit more detail around this nonverbal, and how we can start to think about conveying trustworthiness, and active listening via hand gestures on video.
Video requires a refined approach to nonverbal communication.
We must be even more aware of what our audience might be experiencing on video, and do everything within our power to ensure the minutes on video are not wasted.
Incorporating hand gestures thoughtfully is one new skill to consider – your Sidekick can help remind you during calls too:)