Michelle
Coombs
Director at The Tech Leader Network
"The Unconscious Use of Hands and How They Add or Detract From Your Message"
"The Unconscious Use of Hands and How They Add or Detract From Your Message"
09 - 5:30 AM EDT/New York (See in local time)
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05//2025 5:30 AM
05//2025 05:50 AM
America/New_York
#WTGC2025
"The Unconscious Use of Hands and How They Add or Detract From Your Message"
#WTGC2025
"The Unconscious Use of Hands and How They Add or Detract From Your Message"
https://www.womentech.net/ringcentral
https://www.womentech.net/ringcentral
"The Unconscious Use of Hands and How They Add or Detract From Your Message"
"The Unconscious Use of Hands and How They Add or Detract From Your Message"
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Session: The Unconscious Use of Hands and How They Add or Detract From Your Message
Have you ever watched a video/presentation with the sound off and you think it is a standup comedy you are watching as people's arms are waving around, and then you turn the sound on to find out that actually, it is something quite serious? Or ever wondered why you don't get the outcome you expect to get when you are presenting?It might not be the words that are the problem.
It's estimated that 7% of communication is through words, 38% is the tone of voice and 55% is body language. So, as over half of the communication is picked up through body language, it is worth exploring what we are doing while we are talking, and the biggest contributing factor is our hands - how many times have you heard people say that they "talk with their hands"?
Unfortunately, we are often not taught the impact of our unconscious hand movements, so instead of coming across as authoritative in a meeting, we can appear to be pleading for acceptance instead, which as women in a mainly male-dominated environment can have a significant impact. We can also be putting people on edge or distracting people without intending to.
This session is aimed to educate people to be able to utilise their hands to reinforce their messages in board, management, team, or even client meetings.
We will talk about the 4 hand movements which could be unserving of your purpose, which you will need to either eliminate or use with purpose and we will also talk about the 1 hand movement which will really aid you in emphasising important points (including voice projection to really get your message hitting home).
Key Takeaways
- Four hand movements to limit in any presentation, one of which can blow your credability
- One hand movement to include to really emphasise your point
- Voice projection when presenting
Bio
Hey, I’m Michelle. I’m the Founder of The Tech Leader Network.After 20+ years heading up IT departments internationally, my mission is to improve the mental and emotional wellness of Tech professionals and to stop Tech leaders being setup for failure - whether that is where they are promoted and left to get on and struggle, or whether they are going through a crucial moment in time where they need to bounce ideas, get advice or even improve their own emotional intelligence levels.
I'm passionate about women in tech, which certainly helps, as I have a 13 year old daughter who wants to be a robotics designer and engineer!
Apart from that, I love technology, learning, innovation, coffee, Marvel movies, and anything that will make me laugh!
