People can become very hung up about how to stand and how to gesture. My advice is be yourself. Don’t put on an act, or try to be someone you are not, jsut be yourself. If you are someone who talks with their hands in normal conversation then do not worry, carry on talking with your hands. A word of warning, try to avoid small repetitive movements, as these can become irritating and distracting.
As you are effectively on stage when you are presenting, whether or not there is a physical platform, it pays to be dramatic. By being dramatic and over emphasising your actions they will be conveyed better to a larger audience.
By the way, even if you are presenting to a small audience of only 2 or 3 people, I would always recommend standing up to give a presentation. It will carry far more weight than if you give the same presentation sitting down.
Presentation Training and Coaching is available from the author of this blog. Please visit my presentation training website.
Give me a day and I’ll change your presentations, forever
Graham Young
A to Z of Business Presentations 