(Bk Business) Carol Kinsey Goman Ph.D.-The Nonverbal Advantage_ Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work -Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2008)

86 The Nonverbal Advantage
It is also interesting to note the equation of hand and
arm movement with energy. If you wanted to project more
enthusiasm and drive (say, in an interview), you could do
so by increased gesturing. On the other hand, over-gesturing
with flailing arms, especially when hands are raised above the
shoulders, can make you appear out of control, less believable,
and less powerful.
TRY THIS
Pay attention at the next company party you attend. Most
interaction at parties involves individuals who are standing and
holding drinks. This limits the number of hand gestures that
can be made. If you are listening to someone who is excited
about her topic, you’ll probably notice her putting down
the glass so that she can use her hands for emphasis. But if
another conversation is with someone just passing time, she
will gesture very little and hardly ever put down her glass.
Another phenomenon to observe in conversations is the gestural
echo. Watch a group of people talking and note how, when
one person uses a specific gesture, others will use it later.
Emblematic Gestures
Some gestures have an agreed-upon meaning to a group and
are consciously used instead of words. These are referred to as
emblematic gestures, and, like
the words they represent,
they’re processed in the left
hemisphere of the brain.
We learn emblematic
gestures at home, in school,
and in other social environments,
so they generally dif-
“That’s my performance
review?! Two thumbs up?!” fer from culture to culture.