Do I gesture too much?

In our workshops we are often asked about gestures. Our clients are afraid that they gesture "too much." In all our years of training, we have never seen anyone who gestures too broadly or too much. Most of us don't use enough gestures. We keep ourselves locked up with hands clasped in front, or in our pockets, or folded. Using large gestures is a fantastic addition to any presentation. Even gesturing online is helpful to keep energies up. 

When gesturing, stay relaxed and use your hands to convey your thoughts. You really don't need to think much about gesturing. Just let yourself be free, and a bit playful. Gestures become problems when we try to figure them out in advance and they are scripted and unnatural. Overusing a particular gesture should also be avoided. (Over the years SNL has poked fun at this issue when characters overdo the air quotes gesture.) 

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