If you haven’t read Part 1 of our Delivery Series, make sure to check that out soon to learn about clear pronunciation, maintaining fluency, and delivery practice drills. Now, onto engagement and hand gestures!
Before we start, think about what your paradigm of an engaging extemp speech looks like. National Circuit Extemp/NSDA Final Rounds are generally representative of this – successful performers have evident tonal changes, clear shifts in expressions, and variable hand gestures.
Expressions and hand gestures are crucial in extemp – both as a fundamental and as a flourish. Having refined and controlled movements in extemp adds a layer of polish to your speech that can make the difference between a 2 and 1 in a late out-round. That’s because extemp hand gestures can be difficult to master, no matter where you are in your journey. More specifically, extempers who’ve been competing in the event for 2-3 years have already established a repository of hand gestures, gesture timing, and gesture frequency by habit. Thus, it can become even more difficult to break any bad habits present when it comes to physical gesturing. For new extempers, being cognizant of over-gesturing and under-gesturing can be a hard balance to strike, especially as they navigate the other “more crucial” elements of extemp, like delivery and analysis.
With this in mind, It’s no secret that extemp hand gestures can indeed get repetitive. Signposting in extemp is not a problem, but articulating every single claim with a hand gesture minimizes the impact of an extemper’s statements and gestures. If you’re worried that you may be using your hands too often in your speeches, here are some steps you can take to identify the issue:
- Video record a 30 minute prep, 7 minute delivery (competition-style) extemp speech.
- Have a parent or friend watch this speech as well, while you’re recording. Have them count the number of times per point where you have your hands up!
- Ask them for the numbers they counted, and whether they personally felt like you used too many gestures. Keep track of their reflections!
- Now, watch your video independently. Count the number of times you have your hands up per point, and if this number is consistent across all 3 points.
- Compare your observations to your audience observations. Are the numbers similar? Do you have similar takeaways as your audience?
- There’s no magic number for what’s “too much” when it comes to gestures, but more than 15 times per sub point would likely be considered over-gesturing. Think – if each of your 3 points is 90 seconds, hand gestures 15 times in a point would be an average of once every 6 seconds.
- If (by the numbers, and by audience perception) you feel that you are over-gesturing, consider whether each of your gestures is intentional. More specifically, when you watch your speech and see a hand gesture, ask yourself if you’re emphasizing a point, illustrating a concept, depicting a contrast, displaying motion, or signposting. If your gesture is achieving a purpose to help convey a message to the audience – it’s intentional, it should be kept.
- If your gestures seem too frequent, lack a clear purpose, seem redundant or repetitive – you’re likely over-gesturing and may need to work more on gesturing with intentionality.
Now, you’ve identified the problem. What can be done to avoid over-gesturing?
The only solution to problems in extemp – practice! Look no further than the following exercises you can use to become more intentional with when you use your hand gestures.
- Complete a 30 minute prep, 7 minute delivery extemp speech. When you deliver the speech, hold a medium-sized book in both your hands. This will add weight to your hand gestures (physically), so it feels awkward to lift your hands to emphasize a point. You’ll become more conscious about when to actually use your hands, and you can actively tell yourself to keep your hands at your sides unless it’s absolutely necessary to use them. Practice this drill 2-3 times a week based on how much you’re aiming to improve in a short time frame. Once you feel like you’ve mastered this exercise, record a normal 30 minute prep, 7 minute delivery extemp speech. Watch the video, count your hand gestures, pay attention to when your gesturing is intentional, and compare this to your “pre-exercise” observations. Hopefully, you notice a general decrease in hand gesturing, and a general increase in the amount of important ideas you emphasize.
- Complete a 30 minute prep, 7 minute delivery extemp speech. The goal is not textbook-perfect content, it’s about your presentation – so don’t worry too much about perfect analysis. Deliver your speech to a mirror and notice when you move your hands up to gesture. Try to identify when you use your hands to emphasize content that does not need to be emphasized. Are there locations in your speech where you instinctively gesture but it isn’t necessary? Do you use a specific type of hand gesture for certain words? These are questions you can ask yourself as you watch yourself deliver a speech. When the speech is live, it’s easier for you to notice and correct any habits you want to break – whether it be specific to hand gestures or not.
Happy practicing! Stay tuned for the final part of the Delivery Series where we talk about Tonal Variety.