I Know How You Clutched My Back Behind

1. I don't know what to do with my hands
2. Scientific discipline Facts About Mitt Gestures
3. How to Speak With Your Hands
4. xx Paw Gestures You Should Be Using and Their Significant
1. Listing
2. A tiny fleck
3. Mind up!
4. Clenched hand
5. Everything
6. Pocket-size, medium, big
7. Let me tell y'all
8. But a role
9. I am magnanimous
10. Growth
11. Y'all
12. Me
13. This and that
14. Come up together
15. I'm set
16. Information technology'southward just so
17. I'm not hiding anything
18. You listen to me
19. Terminate
20. We
5. 22 More than Pop Hand Gestures to Talk with Your Hands
1. I'm victorious
2. This is deep
3. Steepled fingers
4. Handgun steeple
5. Angela Merkel hands
6. Let'southward play ball
7. I'm pretty
8. I am important
9. Thumbs up
10. Fingers crossed
11. I'm innocent
12. I recognize you!
13. Trust me
14. The unmarried wave
15. The double wave
16. Rubbing easily together
17. The manus pocketbook
18. The money pincher
19. The sand compression
20. This is precise
21. Hands behind back
6. 12 Negative Hand Gestures to Avert
1. Please give information technology!
2. Hand holding arm
3. Thumbs downwardly
4. Listen to me… or else
5. Hand resting on table
6. Limp wrist
7. Manus shrug
8. The hand seat
9. My nails are yum
10. I'yard holy
11. Please, no!
12. I'm the boss
7. half dozen Other Hand-some Cues
1. Your mitt appearance
2. Intertwined hands
3. Hook 'em horns
4. Hey, there
5. Touch me, please
6. The handshake
8. Bonus: Consummate List
9. Practicing with Hand Gestures

This article is role of our torso linguistic communication guide. Click here for more than.

Do you know how to speak with your easily?

Holler and Beatie plant that gestures increase the value of our spoken message past 60%! The best, most charismatic speakers and influencers know the importance of using hand gestures.

Leaders use specific mitt gesture patterns.

Scientific discipline of People analyzed thousands of hours of TED Talks and establish one hit design: The most viral TED Talkers spoke with their words AND their easily.

Specifically, we analyzed the top and bottom TED Talks of all time, ranked according to their view count.

I don't know what to do with my easily

Non certain what to do with your easily? You are non lonely! Sometimes it tin can be awkward to talk with your hands in a natural way. My goal is to teach y'all purposeful hand gestures you can utilise naturally.

The least popular TED Talkers used an boilerplate of 272 hand gestures during the 18-minute talk.

The nearly popular TED Talkers used an average of 465 manus gestures—that'southward nearly double!

The TED research shocked us and brought upward tons of questions:

• Why are mitt gestures so important?
• What are the most popular paw gestures?
• How tin anybody use their paw gestures to go viral?

Nosotros broke downwardly all of the most pop TED Talks and major speeches from the last five decades and synthesized them into the top 20 paw gestures you can use. But first, some background + a fun video.

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Science Facts Almost Hand Gestures

• You're born to speak with your hands. Researchers have found that infants who use more manus gestures at 18 months old have greater linguistic communication abilities afterward on. Hand gestures speak to great intelligence. Check out this adorable babe using hand gestures to "Itsy Bitsy Spider":

• Manus gestures make people listen to you. Spencer Kelly, associate professor of psychology and codirector of the Center for Language and Brain at Colgate University, establish that gestures make people pay attention to the acoustics of speech. Kelly said, "Gestures are not merely add-ons to language—they may actually be a fundamental part of it."
• We can't assistance it. Mitt gestures come naturally to us. Spencer even found that blind people use hand gestures when speaking with other blind people.
• Gesturing helps you access memories. Using mitt gestures while you speak not only helps others remember what you lot say, information technology as well helps you speak more chop-chop and effectively!
• Nonverbal explanations help you understand more. One study institute that forcing children to gesture while they explained how to solve math problems actually helped them learn new problem-solving strategies.

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How to Speak With Your Hands

Before we go into the peak hand gestures you tin can use, let's talk about using your hands accordingly:

Utilise your hand gestures responsibly. Safe gesturing but please!

Stay in the box. I never want you lot to think in the box, but I do want y'all to gesture inside the box. Appropriate hand-speaking space is from the summit of your chest to the bottom of your waist. If yous go exterior this box, it'southward seen every bit distracting and out of control. Hither's the difference:

In that location is a spectrum. Hand gestures are cracking upward to a certain bespeak. I call this the Jazz Hands Spectrum:

Make your gestures purposeful. Just like you bullet signal a pitch or presentation, do the same with gestures. The best TED Talkers used their hands purposefully to explain of import points. Utilize the list beneath to guide y'all.

Know what you desire to say. If you have a big speech coming up, prepare your words; otherwise, your gestures can try to overcompensate. According to Elena Nicoladis, a researcher at the University of Alberta who studies manus gestures, people who have trouble finding the right words are more likely to speak with their hands.

The smoother, the better. Nosotros love fluid hand gestures. Jerky and robotic prepared moves are distracting. Practice speaking with your hands until it feels and looks natural.

Movie yourself. Film yourself chatting with someone on the phone. You might exist surprised what kinds of gestures you use—and how many you utilise—during the chat. Then, film your speeches and elevator pitch. Have a friend requite yous feedback on your gestures.

Be careful cross-culturally. Non all hand gestures are created equal! Here is a fun video on the meaning of manus gestures around the globe:

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20 Hand Gestures You Should Exist Using and Their Pregnant

After observing some of the best speakers and speeches in the globe, we have collected our favorites for yous to endeavor. We put together some clips of the most popular ones. Remember, recall about your verbal content, and match your hand gestures to what you are saying:

List

The easiest and most basic hand gesture is numerical. ANYTIME y'all say a number, do the respective gesture—this makes your number easier to remember for the listener, adds movement and warmth to your body language, and serves every bit a nonverbal anchor in the chat.

Anytime yous want to emphasize a modest point, like something that they shouldn't accept besides seriously or a pocket-size addition, show it! This is my favorite itty-fragmentary hand gesture.

This is a very potent gesture, and so use information technology with circumspection. It is a "lesser line" hand gesture or "mind here" movement. The sound and motion draws attending and lets people know: "What I am nearly to say is important!"

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Clenched hand

Someday you have a solid fist, shaking information technology at someone or punching it in the air, you are showing intensity. Use it alongside a VERY important point. Be careful when using this gesture with an irritated vox because information technology can come up off as anger!

Want to make a large, yard gesture? And then the "everything" gesture is your get-to. It is as if you are sweeping beyond all of the ideas to be inclusive.

Alternate: This tin can also be used to say y'all are wiping the slate clean or pushing something out of the mode.

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Modest, medium, large

This is a really piece of cake 1 and tin can be used to literally show someone what level something is. Yous can use this to bespeak how big or small something is or where someone stands. For instance, you lot can use the high version along with "It'south a pretty large deal" or the low version with "He'due south low man on the totem pole."

Alternate: You lot can also utilize this equally you talk virtually unlike stages, as an culling to listing. For case, you lot could say, "Nosotros start with your vision," (low level) "then move on to your structure," (medium level) and (most important level) "we end on your finished product."

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Permit me tell you

Pointing should be used with caution. Nosotros don't like to be pointed at because information technology can be seen every bit accusatory or invasive. Nevertheless, you tin point to go someone's attention or to literally make a point. For case, this gesture goes forth well with:

• "You know, I but remembered something of import."
• "This one's important."
• "Let me tell yous something."

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Merely a role

This gesture can be used to demonstrate a very specific part of an idea. When you are talking nigh an aspect of something, this gesture tin signal that it is split up.

Alternate: You lot tin can also utilize this gesture while turning your hand to indicate a change in perspective, along with "Information technology actually inverse my heed from ___ to ___."

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I am magnanimous

When you lot have both of your easily autonomously and palms facing toward the audition, information technology is a very godlike pose. Utilize it when making a grand gesture.

How to Use it:

Here are a few ways to implement these gestures:

• Get-go, try out 1 or 2 at a time. Too many at once is overwhelming.
• Second, I would use them on the phone start—where no one tin run into y'all—so you lot can practise and try without existence worried about how you look.

Whenever you move your hand or gesture upward, you indicate some kind of growth or increase. This tin can be used to indicate the expected growth, excitement, or direction where something is headed.

How to Utilize it: If yous are an entrepreneur, you accept to constantly show skyrocketing growth to investors. Often, this comes in the shape of a hockey stick chart—the one with a huge curve as time goes on. You tin can practice this with your hands while you are speaking in a mode to show (not tell) growth!

Whatsoever fourth dimension you lot gesture into someone else'due south space or personal area, you lot necktie them to your words. I like to do this with the open mitt or palm, instead of pointing, to be more formal. Pointing is very aggressive. You lot tin practice the "you" gesture to make someone feel included or to highlight that something you are talking about applies to the person you lot are speaking with. Information technology'southward a great attention grabber if someone's mind is wandering.

Special Note: Be sure to do this purposefully. I once was standing next to a woman who was overweight, and the man we were speaking with was talking almost fast food and kept gesturing at her. She started to back away! It was a subconscious (and incredibly offensive) gesture.

Anytime nosotros bring our hands in toward our heart or chest, we usually desire to indicate to ourself. I accept even heard sneaky speaking coaches tell candidates to betoken toward themselves when talking about anything positive… Use it carefully!

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This and that

Whenever you desire to dissever 2 different ideas or things, yous can use your easily to symbolically represent them. For example, I might say nosotros are totally different from them, using my left mitt when I say "we" and my right hand when I say "them." This is a great fashion to put distance betwixt two things.

Advanced: If you want to attempt something really advanced, you can use your hands to represent two different ideas. For example, if I were talking about Democrats and Republicans, I could use and raise my left hand when talking about Democratic ideas and actions and drag and emphasize with my right hand when talking near Republican ideology and actions. This is both captivating and easier for the audience.

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Come together

When you bring both of your hands together, it is a gesture of combining and is a great way to symbolically show 2 forces coming together as one. You tin can fifty-fifty mesh or fold your hands together to show complete togetherness.

This is a typical gesture used when speaking and shows you're set to go! You tin utilise it to capture the audience'southward attention. This is a bully gesture to utilize to garner silence right earlier you hook people into a great story.

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It's just so

You tin can utilize your palms vertically with a rigid slicing motion to demonstrate the need for precise measurement or to separate 2 things.

Alternate: This tin also exist used to demonstrate a tough stance on a point.

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I'one thousand non hiding anything

When your easily are at a 45-degree angle with the palms facing up, you are showing openness and honesty. It'due south similar you are saying that you are laying it all out on the table.

Alternate: When your palms confront upward with fingers spread, it ways you demand something.

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You mind to me

The palms-down position shows power and dominance—information technology's not very positive, but it is commanding. If you lot have a very potent directive or social club, y'all can employ it. Be careful not to use this gesture by default! Hands should be facing upward, out, or vertically when speaking. Always having them in the downward position is very dominant.

When you wink your palm at someone, you desire them to pause or stop. You can practice this while anyone is speaking, and they will almost instantly be repose (utilise in emergencies only!). I was with a CEO once, and he had the addiction of doing it to his employees when he was done listening. It was horribly offensive.

Alternate: You lot tin likewise practice this when asking a question—it'due south a universal attention grabber.

The terminal one can exist the nigh powerful. This gesture can be used whenever you are speaking in a grouping or to an audience. Yous open up your arms, as if you lot are wrapping the audience in a hug, making the "we" gesture. You tin can also do this when standing next to someone and actually placing your easily backside them as if to point "you lot are in my inner circle." It is a lovely "come together" gesture when used correctly.

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22 More Popular Hand Gestures to Talk with Your Hands

Want to aggrandize your hand-gesture knowledge? We've expanded this list to include even more mitt gestures! Starting with…

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I'm victorious

What it Ways: The 5 sign with 2 fingers can normally mean 4 things:

• the number ii
• victory
• "what's up"
• peace

And I know what you might be thinking…

"What almost the other matter? Yous know… that i pregnant?"

Alright, you got it—If you turn the palm facing yourself, it becomes a sexual insult. This is common in places like Slap-up Britain. PM Margaret Thatcher made this error and substantially said, "Spiral yous," to a crowd of people¹.

In other countries like Great Great britain (seriously, what'southward up with you and the V sign, Not bad Britain!?), it could mean a rather nasty phrase: "Up yours!" But nearly people utilise it for the "good" meanings. For instance, Winston Churchill made this famous as a sign for victory during WWIIⁱⁱ.

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This is deep

What information technology Means: The accordion-histrion hands looks like someone is… well, playing the squeeze box! Corking speakers tend to do this when discussing a subject field that has a lot of depth^one.

How to Use information technology: Do this when talking about a substantial topic. It mentally "primes" the reader that what you're proverb has deep meaning.

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Steepled fingers

This is i of Kevin O'Leary'southward (from Shark Tank) favorites. A steeple is when you lightly tap the tips of your fingers together. It is seen every bit a wise gesture, but don't overuse it. These days, everyone is trying it out.

What it Means: This hand gesture, also known as tented fingers, says, "I've got my sh*t together." Information technology'south called steepling because when done, it looks similar the hands are pointed like the top of a church steeple³.

Ray Birdwhistell, who studied trunk movements, found that confident, high-status people who don't use a lot of trunk gestures often steeple their hands to demonstrate a confident mental attitude. This includes people like lawyers, accountants, and investors.

According to the Behavior Panel, when there is a large infinite between your thumb and your index finger, this indicates conviction. The larger space, the more than confident y'all are.

Even more than interesting is how the steeple tin can modify during an interaction. Within milliseconds, the steeple can turn into a fingers-interlaced position and dorsum to a steeple, signaling the ebb and flow of assurance and doubt^three.People can also plow the steeple into prayer hands to attempt to appear more godlike^two.

Endeavor it! Try steepling right at present. How do you feel? You might not feel like the Incredible Hulk, only do y'all feel more than powerful? Steepling is one of the most powerful hand cues we accept to increase conviction and ability.

How to Use it: Want ability? Steeple to proceeds authority and assertiveness in shaky situations. This can hands exist done to inspire confidence in yourself and others during a coming together or interview. For example, when a prosecutor is steepling equally his witness testifies, the value of the testimony is enhanced considering the attorney is perceived every bit being confident of the witness's argument³.

Steepling is an like shooting fish in a barrel one for females, in item, since it is seen as assertive, not aggressive. Y'all might likewise discover your dominate do this move without even realizing its ability! However, try not to steeple in front end of others who desire say-so—this might lure you into an unwanted ability struggle.

Special Notation: I have institute that when I apply this gesture, information technology centers and calms me. I have not found any research to back this upwardly, simply when I do this, information technology's almost as if I feel more centered and have an easier time taking deep breaths. Information technology is similar to the prayer gesture. Anyone else experience this?

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Handgun steeple

You lot may come across all the fingers interlaced except the index fingers in what is known as a "handgun steeple" because it looks like a gun that'due south ready to shoot.

What it Means: The handgun steeple is a nonverbal "screw yous!" This type of steepling puts emphasis on what you're saying and is a more ambitious form of steepling that can be seen all over the news during political season⁴. It tin can also exist used to shoot someone's ideas down (yikes!).

How to Use information technology: Use it to say you mean business, like if you notice yourself on the bad-cop side of an interrogation. Never utilize it to establish a cooperative squad environment unless yous're aiming to be a dictator.

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Angela Merkel hands

Here'south a question you may exist request: What is Angela Merkel doing with her hands?

Or who the heck is Angela Merkel in the first identify? (She's the chancellor of Germany.)

This is known as the depression steeple, Angela Merkel'southward favorite gesture. It's like to a normal steeple except the easily are brought lower, around the belly surface area. It's more often used by women and when someone is listening rather than talking².

What it Means: The low steeple signals conviction, but it'due south non as powerful as the high steeple. I'll frequently run into women doing the low steeple when they feel in charge but are besides afraid to be too dominant. If you come across the low steeple, a person may be set in their stance well-nigh the topic being discussed.

How to Use it: Since you'll often see this cue from a listener, the key to deciphering if he or she is in agreement with yous is to expect at other positive or negative cues earlier and after the depression steeple. Positive cues tin include:

• open arms
• smile
• head nodding

These cues are a good sign they will say yes if y'all're negotiating a bargain or in a business organisation coming together. Negative gestures yous may see include:

• leg crossing
• looking abroad
• pursed lips

All these indicate they may disagree or say no.

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Permit's play ball

The basketball steeple is when the hands are in the steeple position in front of you, only there is a space between them similar you lot're holding an imaginary basketball.

What it Ways: This is a power gesture and is used when people want to get y'all on "their side." Yous'll often see this one during persuasive presentations from enthusiastic speakers who are confident in what they have to offer.

How to Employ it: This is the nearly powerful steeple to get others to begin to concur with and believe in yous⁴. It gives off a flair of likability while also maintaining ability, so use this one sparingly during your main arguments to win some serious credibility points.

This gesture includes all hand movements that aim to brand a person look better^five. These include:

• adjusting a tie
• repositioning a bracelet
• smoothing out wrinkles on a shirt
• fixing hair
• reapplying lipstick
• plucking eyebrows

What it Means: Preening shows we care enough to want to look our best. We'll often preen when we come across strangers, want to make a skilful impression, or before and during a large engagement to maximize our attraction.

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I am important

How to Utilize it: Preening may seem superficial at first, merely studies show it's a good thing: when attorneys do something so simple as pulling at their jacket every bit the jury enters the room, they are subconsciously perceived by jurors equally more likable⁵.

What information technology Means: This is a hand gesture done when sitting and indicates high conviction since the elbow is pointing upwards. It'due south besides high on the territoriality chart since it takes up infinite and tin exist used to invade others' personal boundariesⁱⁱⁱ.

How to Use information technology: Feeling dominant in a group and take something important to say? Plant your manus on your leg to testify others you hateful concern.

What it Means: If you're from the Western world, thumbs upward manifestly ways "good." Merely it can besides be used for many other situationⁱ, including:

• acknowledging a favor granted
• greeting someone
• requesting permission to carry out an action
• indicating understanding
• signaling to a waiter
• as a sexual insult

How to Use it: Equally a general rule, your thumbs should be showing if you want to portray confidence. Thumbs are a good indicator of agreement, and even powerful leaders will utilize their thumbs when gesturing:

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Fingers crossed

What it Means: The fingers-crossed gesture typically means expert luck and references the phrase "Keep your fingers crossed." Just did you know it actually originated as an ancient protective device of the Christian Church, equally a sign of the cross^half-dozen?

How to Use it: Cross your fingers to add a bit of luck—but it will probably piece of work just if you believe in it!

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I'g innocent

What it Means: This gesture is a very submissive, nonthreatening gesture that we beloved to run into. When we see others' palms, it tells us they are not brandishing weapons or concealing something potentially unsafe. We're also seen equally more credible and open when having open up palms considering information technology is more difficult to tell lies with our palms similar thisⁱⁱ.

Information technology's besides a common gesture used by street beggars, so utilize this one wisely if you lot want to appear favorable.

How to Use it: Use this when there's skepticism in the air or y'all're trying to unrattle a tense situation. This is to indicate to others to not experience threatened or take no pressure when you're vying to win a negotiation. When talking, you lot can too employ it equally a "mitt over" signal to let others know it'due south their turn to talk.

The Most Positive Gesture

In one experiment, viii lecturers were asked to employ three different manus gestures (palms up, finger pointing, and the fingertip-impact) during a serial of 10 minute talks to a range of audiences². The question was: How practise audiences feel nearly these gestures?

Lecturers who used more often than not palms up received 84% positive testimonials, 52% when they delivered the exact same presentation to another audience using palm-down, and only 28% were positive when they used finger pointing, with some participants even walking out during the lecture!

Participants besides recalled less of what the speaker said during the lecture with finger-pointing, and described them as aggressive, belligerent, and rude.

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I recognize you!

What it Means: Call back when Mom told the states, "Don't betoken at strangers"? Normally, pointing directly at someone IS a rude gesture.

Even so, when done in an enthusiastic oversupply, such as during performances, speeches, or parties, it tin signal that someone is pop and knows a lot of people, or they are genuinely happy to see people.

How to Apply it: Hither'southward a party trick if y'all're stuck talking to someone and want an like shooting fish in a barrel leave from a conversation: Point to the manner dorsum of the room, give a quick countenance flash, and pretend you recognize someone while moving toward the back. This works because crowd pointing can be used deceptively to give off an illusion of knowing someone or fifty-fifty of popularity. For example, Hillary Clinton is a chief at crowd pointing. Lookout man as she uses this gesture to boost her social value before giving her speech (timestamp 0:28):

TED2013. Long Beach, CA. Feb 25 – March 1, 2013. Photograph: Ryan Lash

What it Means: This gesture is typically used when addressing an audience as a speaker. It's authoritative but honest, since the palms will usually exist in an open position.

U.S. spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell using this gesture

Body Language skilful Greg Hartley mentions in a video that a witness is holding her illustrating easily in front end of her while describing a UFO event. This implies that she'south telling the truth since those who are lying unremarkably concur their hands to the side. Y'all can watch the full video beneath:

How to Employ it: Use this cue to emphasize a large betoken or address an important topic.

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The single wave

This is the standard hand wave used across the world.

What information technology Means: Hullo! I honey the wave. I employ it every time I greet someone considering it says, "friend, friend, friend!" Here's a fun fact: Did yous know that fiddler crabs wave their claws at females in order to attract them?

It works because waves are attractive and one of the best rapport-building openers you lot can use. It is too a submissive cue—on another animal note, arm waving is something bearded dragons do in the wild to signal to others they hateful them no harm and are not a threat.

Waving has been considered a role of the mating ritual every bit well, with females frequently arm waving back at males who head bob at them.

How to Use it: Want to make waves with a spark of dopamine? A great way is to moving ridge and get a wave back. I besides make sure to keep the webcam back during all my video calls and then people can see my wave!

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The double wave

What it Means: Everybody knows the single-manus wave. Add together in another paw and yous've got double the excitement!

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Rubbing hands together

What it Ways: This gesture is paw rubbing and indicates anticipation, thinking, or excitement for something that is going to happen. This is a Cracking indicator to see in business situations and screams "Gimme the goods!"

The speed of mitt rubbing actually mattersⁱⁱ.

• A fast rub means a person is expecting results to be in your benefit, not theirs.
• A slow rub means a person may feel stray or sneaky, with the results benefiting them and not you.

Here'south a scene in Shark Tank where you lot tin see Daymond John rubbing his hands in apprehension (timestamp 2:24):

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The hand handbag

The purse can exist formed when all fingertips come up together on one hand and the palm is turned upwards. It tin can also involve an up-and-down movement.

What it Means: Generally, this is used to show something is good. Often, the hand will "shell downwardly" while primal words are uttered.

The bag can also mean different things, depending on your location⁶.

• Greece and Turkey: "Practiced."
• Spain: "Lots of" something.
• Malta: Implies heavy sarcasm.
• Tunisia: Indicates caution, equally in to have things slowly.
• France and Kingdom of belgium: "I am afraid."
• Italy: "What's the affair, what'due south up?"

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The money pincher

This gesture is like to the purse, but involves rubbing the fingertips with the thumb. Imagine a coin being rubbed between the thumb and fingertips.

What it Means: If the purse means "good," the money pincher means "Woohoo! Money!"

How to Utilize it: You tin use this to indicate a skillful bargain; however, this gesture should generally be avoided by professionals considering it carries a negative, greedy connotation².

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The sand pinch

The tips of the index finger and thumb come up together, most as if pinching some grains of sand, with the palm facing downward.

Department of Health and Human being Services Secretary Michael Leavitt speaks while sand pinching.

What information technology Means: This gesture can even be an OK gesture, but most frequently it's used by speakers to make a point or explain something important. The Peases taught this to groups of speakers, politicians, and business leaders and measured audience reactions—those who listened to the speakers using this gesture described them every bit thoughtful, goal-oriented, and focused.

Alternatively, it can also hateful "perfect" in some parts of the earth⁶.

How to Use it: Sprinkle this gesture throughout your speeches to help drill downwards things for your audience to remember. Nib Clinton, known for his powerful trunk linguistic communication, often does this in his speeches to emphasize an important point:

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This is precise

What it Means: Other than… well, OK, the OK sign is frequently used by speakers as a precision cue to emphasize a signal while speaking^three.

How to Use it: You tin subtly use this to let others know you're comfortable and self-bodacious by resting your thumb and index finger lightly on your leg. This will unconsciously trigger in your conversation partner's mind that yous're actually feeling good⁴.

Y'all may too "catch" someone lying with this cue⁴—if a person says their competitor's sales are doing badly, but uses this precision cue, and so you tin can assume that they're actually doing well and catch him in a lie.

Don't apply this when traveling to the Mediterranean or other countries like Brazil, however, as information technology tin exist used equally a vulgar gesture and connotes an orificeⁱⁱⁱ.

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Hands behind back

If one mitt grabs the other arm's wrist backside the dorsum, this is a archetype "patrol hands" stance you might see from a security guard who is making routine patrols. It basically says, "I hateful business." The pose is also common in people who are pondering in a relaxed, observant mode, such as walking through a garden.

What it Means: This stance exudes authority, and coupled with the chest puffed out, displays high confidence.

The hands behind the dorsum is also viewed as a more formal or respectful gesture. It'southward a nonconfrontational gesture since the vulnerable front end of the body is exposed without the hands to protect information technology.

In the Peases' work with police enforcement officers, they plant that officers who don't wear firearms use this pose regularly while rocking back and forth on the balls of their feet. This lets them proceeds additional height and seem more authoritative.

Police who wear firearms, even so, seldom do this gesture and instead hang their arms to the side or tuck their thumbs into their belt. Simply can you guess why? Because having a firearm gives the officer sufficient ability, so the patrol mitt gesture isn't needed.

How to Use it: This is a great gesture to utilise under high-stress situations. It gives you more than confidence and authority when you need it the aboutⁱⁱ.

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12 Negative Paw Gestures to Avoid

What about negative hand gestures? Here are some negative gestures y'all might be using merely are unaware of. Keep these out of your handy speaking toolbox!

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Please give it!

Have you always seen someone ask—or even beg—for something?

What it Means: This gesture can be seen used past street beggars, flirtatious singles at night clubs, and even creeps.

The pregnant is universal: "Come up here!" The beckon is one of those gestures with many different variations:

The forefinger beckon:

The full-arm beckon (i.due east., "Come over hither, son!"):

The double-arm beckon:

The sideways-arm beckon:

The finger wave:

The provoker:

However, it tin can also be very deadly if y'all use it incorrect…

The Deadly Swimmers

One day, 2 northern European swimmers went on holiday in the Mediterraneans¹. Feeling audacious, they went across the tourist beach and found themselves budgeted a restricted military machine zone.

Unfortunately, this zone was protected past armed guards who spotted the swimmers. Immediately, the guards idea they were spies. They beckoned to come ashore.

The swimmers, after seeing this gesture, realized they were in a restricted zone and turned away to swim dorsum. Unfortunately, the guards saw them retreat, assumed they were actually spies trying to escape, and shot them with their rifles. Ouch.

So why did this happen? It turns out the guards used the Mediterranean beckon gesture, performed by taking the hand and sweeping downward with the palm facing DOWN.

Yet, the swimmers, not from this area, were used to the beckon gesture being performed with the palms UP. Seeing the guards apply the palm downwards version made them retrieve this meant "go back."

So depending on where yous are in the earth, the beckon can be different—the English and French oft keep their palms upwards, while Italians go along their palms downward. This rule can be applied to ALL hand gestures and body linguistic communication cues:

Cultural differences can literally hateful life or death (or, in near cases, a scrap of embarrassment), so be mindful when reading body linguistic communication.

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Mitt holding arm

Arm touching comes in many forms—massaging, scratching, or resting the hand on the arm.

What it Ways: Someday someone touches their arms, information technology might signal ane of the following:

• insecurity
• doubt
• anxiety
• stress
• uncertainty

When the arms are massaged, this cue is a self-pacifying gesture similar to the "cocky-hug." When it's combined with other gestures, you can exist more certain of what this cue can mean. Be sure to check out our arm body language guide to know more virtually arm gestures to look for:

Body Language Guide – Crossed Artillery and 17 More Cues to Know

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Thumbs down

What information technology Means: You lot may know that thumbs down means "bad" or "no good"—only did you know this was also the Roman gesture that could spell decease^vi.

Hither's how this came to be:

When a gladiator was defeated in gainsay in the arena, he was either spared or killed on the spot by the victor. Then who decided if he was spared or killed? The crowd of spectators.

If they wanted the loser to live, they would just brawl their fists outward. But if they wanted him dead… the crowd would indicate their thumbs to the contestants, which looked similar a thumbs down, in the gladiator's eyes, and signaled a sword thrust to end the loser's life.

How to Utilize it: By and large, you shouldn't use the thumbs down position unless you want to create negative rapport. Large leaders will rarely be seen using the thumbs down position during their talks, and it can often be seen every bit childish to do so.

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Listen to me… or else

How to Use it: Generally, you don't want to apply gestures with the palms downward if you're non in a position of power. Others may feel it'south an order and experience antagonistic toward you lot².However, people in authorization can easily use it to those below them since it's more than acceptable.

Simply be conscientious of using information technology besides much. Having your palms down is a very powerful gesture and is also associated with the Nazi salute.

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Hand resting on table

What it Ways: This is an affirmative display. If hands are lightly resting on the tabular array, this tin mean they are comfortable. But if they are pushing strongly down on the table, it'southward equally if they're affirmatively saying, "I didn't do information technology"⁵.

People who are lying tend to struggle to put their easily down confidently on the table. In fact, Navarro has never seen a liar successfully pull this off.

How to Utilize it: Place your hands on the table with your palm down and fingers spread wide. This makes you look more authentic. You lot can as well approximate honesty in others past checking their finger space!

A limp wrist is a wrist with no tension. You can effort it out now—put your forearm parallel to the footing at around belly area and but let your wrists loose.

What it Means: The limp wrist is used mostly by women. And if you're on a date, great! This is a expert sign of attraction. This is actually a display of weakness, like how a dog will tuck in its tail and permit it droop down. Women do this because information technology lets men feel similar they tin dominate them.

How to Use information technology: The limp wrist is corking if you desire to announced submissive when flirting, simply in business situations, this tin exist a bargain billow. Limp wrists can show you are as well weak. In fact, I was guilty of doing this early in my career. Here'due south a photo I institute that sums up what I looked like:

Notice how in the picture, the women are showing their hands simply blocking their torsos with their arms. Their wrists are as well limp. Even so, the man's hands are cached deep in his pockets, indicating a lack of confidence.

When the hands are out to the side and palms facing up, yous've got the manus shrug.

What it Means: This is a universal "what do you lot know?" or "I don't know" gesture. Studies show that nurses make greater use of the hand shrug gesture when lying, as if to relinquish any responsibility for their verbal statements⁶.

Watch this clip every bit Pecker Gates uses the mitt shrug when he wins on The Ellen DeGeneres Bear witness (timestamp 2:42):

How to Utilize it: The hand shrug isn't only for doubt. You can too use mitt shrugging with a single hand to indicate something is either good or bad. Body linguistic communication expert Hunt Hughes says that people volition tend to favor ane side—for case, their left side for something proficient and their right for something bad.

Yous can so get more than persuasive and build rapport past leaning and gesturing to their left while talking about your own product and leaning and gesturing to their right when talking about your competitor'southward.

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The manus seat

What information technology Means: Sitting on your hands is similar to shoving them deep down into your pockets. Y'all may see this gesture with kids and shy teenagers but rarely in the business world. This is a super closed-off gesture and should be avoided. Instead, show your hands and open them upwardly to make a good impression.

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My nails are yum

This gesture tin be done with either one or ii hands and is done with the fingers curled while the nails flick together⁵. Or they can merely exist chewed to death.

What it Ways: Picking at nails is a bad habit that I'thou guilty of. It's a pacifying gesture that'southward washed when people are feeling anxious or stressed. It also is a dead giveaway—you tin easily tell someone's a nail picker, even if they aren't actively picking, just past looking at their hands.

Pro Tip: Since I have lots of experience with this ane, I found one easy method to stop my nail picking—I wore a rubber band on my wrist. Every fourth dimension I defenseless myself bitter or picking my nails, I would snap downward on that ring! Did it injure? A bit. Did it piece of work? Heck yes!

Now I can say I've gotten rid of my blast picking for good… all thank you to a trivial rubber band!

If yous've ever prayed before, you know what this gesture looks similar. It's super common in religious settings but is as well used in interactions.

What information technology Ways: Demand to take a step down? Prayer hands is a natural humbling gesture that is used for forgiveness. Some cultures fifty-fifty use information technology as thank you, such every bit in the Japanese civilisation.

Thais will also use this with a slight bow, in a greeting known as the "wai." In this case, information technology's more respectful and even replaces the handshake.

Indians will too use prayer easily and say, "Namaste." Scout the adjacent clip, equally Donald Trump discusses doing the Namaste subsequently coming back from India:

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Please, no!

What it Ways: People clasp their hands when they've heard bad news or suddenly accept a idea that causes them fear. Generally, information technology's non a good sign to come across hands together, although information technology could besides just mean a person is cold.

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I'yard the boss

I'm the dominate, or catapulting, is when someone sticks their hands backside their head. They may likewise be leaning back in a chair with their legs splayed out.

What information technology Means: This is usually a sign of conviction, especially when the elbows are flared out with other open body language.

It tin can as well exist a sign of being overwhelmed, however, if the elbows are pointed forward and covering a downward-pointing caput.

How to Use it: Catapult to experience confident and in command. If you lot're the boss or manager, this may fifty-fifty come up naturally to you! If you're around superiors, though, catapulting is probably the last thing that will come naturally to y'all. That's because this pose makes you physically big and is by and large reserved for high-status individuals only.

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6 Other Hand-some Cues

OK, nosotros've got the positive and negative out of the way. These are the remainders that didn't quite fit in either:

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Your hand advent

Take a look at your hands. How do they shape up? Are they crude, shine, calloused, scarred? Are the fingernails clean? Practice you have a ring?

Indicators of the hands are everywhereⁱⁱⁱ.

• Rough, calloused hands are an indicator that you do manual labor or lifting.

• Scars might mean you piece of work on a farm, or they could exist from athletic wounds received on the playing field.
• If you typically stand with your easily at the side with the fingers curled, this may indicate prior war machine experience.
• Calluses on the fingertips are common in guitar players.
• Manicured, clean fingernails indicate a high level of conscientiousness, while ratty, dirty, or bitten nails point nervousness, insecurity, and high neuroticism.
• Long nails are an effeminate indicator on men.
• A ring can be symbolic of different things—matrimony, family lineage, schoolhouse affiliation, and group belonging, to name a few.

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Intertwined hands

How do yous hold hands? We only concord hands with those we are shut to, but there's a way to holding hands that you may not know about.

What information technology Means: Generally, simply clasping a person's hands is not as intimate as interlacing fingers with them⁵. This is considering interlaced fingers is more stimulating, as more than nerves in the easily make contact. You lot tin discover a couple's hand belongings as a general gauge of how shut or serious a partnership is.

Hand holding is besides very common amidst female person friends and even close male friends, especially in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.

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Hook 'em horns

The "hook 'em horns" sign is popular among students and staff at the University of Texas at Austin. This paw gesture was likewise used past President George W. Bush on Inauguration Day in 2005… but lilliputian did he know there would be international backlash around this.

What it Means: This "friendly" gesture is interpreted past many Latin American countries as telling someone that their spouse is cheating on them. Information technology's definitely non a good sign for presidents to use or if they're making a big public appearance in Latin America.

All the same, it tin also mean "I beloved you" if you lot perform it with the thumb outward¹.

What happens when someone touches us? Hopefully, it'due south non unwanted. If we like it, nosotros may fifty-fifty feel inclined to impact them dorsum in render.

What information technology Means: People touch others when they want social harmony. Other times, they may be seeking comfort or reassurance from you. Yous'll frequently see touching happen from a supervisor before an employee is fired or in a dating relationship when a breakup is well-nigh to occur⁵.

And according to scientific discipline, humans are wired to decode touch. We can literally experience emotions only by touch on alone:

• Sympathy is associated with stroking and patting.
• Anger is associated with hitting and squeezing.
• Disgust is associated with a pushing motility.
• Fear is associated with trembling.

How to Employ it: Just like the Ben Franklin outcome, where asking for a favor may net us a favor in return, touching someone may make them feel more inclined to touch us dorsum. I institute the best kind of bear upon is a light touch, lasting one second or less, on the upper arm area. This can assistance with flirting, being perceived equally more than friendly, or even help you in business meetings.

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Touch me, please

What it Means: When the desire to impact someone is transferred to an object (usually early on in the courtship process), y'all may notice your date stroking their arm or repeatedly sliding their fingers upwards and down a glass.

This is a subconscious flirting betoken and stress reliever. You may see this cue in starting time engagement couples who are dying to get information technology on! Pick up on the right flirting cues, and you may non even have to rely on luck.

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The handshake

The handshake is 1 of the most widely used hand gestures in the Due west during kickoff interactions and also one of the most important cues.

What it Means: Shaking hands is usually done between newly acquainted people and declines as the human relationship grows; old friends will milk shake hands less and less^six. However, information technology'south important to milk shake when coming together someone, every bit it is a great warmth builder.

When the handshake was eradicated with the introduction of the Hitler salute, for example, this signaled a willingness to follow the Nazi party's rules. This eventually wounded the sociability and connectedness amongst Germans of that era¹.

Shaking hands even originated way back in the Roman times, where 2 leaders would meet, greet, and fifty-fifty arm wrestle while continuing²! Pretty hard core, right?

The stronger leader would cease with their manus above the other's hand, known equally upper-hand position. You'll frequently run into this in business deals and famous politicians toda⁵.

Bush-league in the upper-hand position, with his other mitt on the back of Putin

Yous can even tell personality traits from a person'south style of shaking. A 2001 report by William Chaplin of the Academy of Alabama found that extroverts tended to use business firm handshakes, while shy neurotics didn't. Too, women open to new ideas used firm handshakes, while men used the aforementioned handshake whether they were open to new ideas or not.

Just exercise you know what'southward worse than no handshake at all? A bad one. A cold, clammy handshake tin can literally pause rapport in milliseconds.

How to Apply information technology: First off, if you're non the ane initiating handshakes, first doing it. The Peases conducted a report of 350 successful senior management executives (89% of whom were men) and institute that almost all managers initiated the handshake.

On top of that, 88% of men and only 31% of women used the dominant handshake position. Why? Because some women will give a soft handshake in some social contexts to imply submissiveness and highlight their femininity or imply that they can exist dominated.

But in business situations, this is not a good idea because men won't take them seriously.

To foreclose an diff balance of power, a good rule of thumb is to use the same tension and force in the handshake as you receive.

Older people generally crave less force per unit area, while higher-status individuals will set the tone for length and pressure level to apply. Y'all can even add a warm cover to the handshake. Ho-hum-move assay shows that even when shakers are nonembracers, there is a perceptible body-leaning toward each other—small, telltale intention movements of embracing⁶.

At present here's how to perform the perfect handshake in 7 steps:

1. Maintain good eye contact.
2. Grin, if appropriate.
3. Extend your arm with a slight bend at the elbow.
4. Point your hand downward as you move your fingers toward the other person'southward paw.
5. Clasp hands, with equal pressure level.
6. "Engulf" each other to release oxytocin.
7. Subsequently a 2nd or so, release.

But don't shake when it's unwanted. Salespeople learned early on on that a handshake when unannounced or uninvited can produce negative results, as the buyer might not want to welcome them and feel forced into a handshake².

So the solution? Use a head nod instead. Or look for the buyer to initiate a milk shake offset.

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Bonus: Complete Listing

Want a super consummate listing? Wikipedia has a surprisingly good listing of mitt gestures that might be helpful. Remember: this list is not curated, then use them prudently.

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Practicing with Hand Gestures

I hope that you lot got some not bad ideas for mitt gestures in this post. Want some extra practice? Picket the video below to practice everything you've learned in this article:

And make certain to never use these hand gestures in certain countries. Practice your positive gestures with:

• your elevator pitch
• your next presentation
• sharing your ideas

If you lot truly want to connect and understand people, they will think you and feel good nearly being with yous. This is all related to influence.

Sources:

i Knapp, Chiliad. Fifty., & Hall, J. A. (2014). Nonverbal communication in human being interaction. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. 2 Pease, A. (2017). The definitive book of torso linguistic communication: How to read others' attitudes by their gestures. London: Orion. three Navarro, J., & Karlins, M. (2015). What every Trunk is saying: An ex-FBI agent'southward guide to speed-reading people. New York, NY: Harper Collins. 4 Driver, J. & van Aalst, M (2011): You Say More Than Yous Think: The vii-day Plan for Using the New Torso Linguistic communication to Go what You Desire. New York 5 Navarro, J. (2018). The dictionary of body linguistic communication: A field guide to human behavior. New York, NY: William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins. half dozen Morris, D. (2012). Peoplewatching: The Desmond Morris Guide to Body Language. London: Vintage Digital.

Side Annotation: Equally much every bit possible we tried to use academic research or expert opinion for this principal torso language guide. Occasionally, when we could not detect research we include anecdotes that are helpful. As more research comes out on nonverbal behavior nosotros volition exist sure to add it!

This article is office of our body language guide. Click here for more than.

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Source: https://www.scienceofpeople.com/hand-gestures/