Power of Gestures and Gestures of Power

Adish Jain00111502713

Gestures : What are they?

As GOOGLE defines it: a movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to

express an idea or meaning. As MERRIAM-WEBSTER defines it:

a movement of your body that shows or emphasizes an idea or a feeling.

Power of Gestures

Effective speakers understand the power of gestures. Good gestures can add emphasis to an important point. They can be used to help explain a complicated concept. They can turn a speech into drama.

Gestures help the audience visualize the different concepts about the topic being described.

Some examples of gestures and their meanings Touch

Communicates warmth, familiarity and fondness. Touching with only your fingertips means less fondness, maybe even some discomfort. Palms up

Open palms usually have a positive effect on people. It’s effective in making amends or closing a sale.

Palms downDownward palms with straightened fingers indicate a sense of authority,

even dominance or defiance. Steepling

This is a display of confidence and self-assurance.  Finger Pointing

Pointing a finger at a person while speaking is an authoritative gesture. People do this when imposing themselves.

Gestures of POWER

Power and dominance-submission are two key dimensions of relationships, especially close relationships in which parties rely on one another to achieve their goals and as such it is important to be able to identify indicators of dominance.

Powerful figures, world leaders, perform gestures sometimes deliberately, but also unconsciously and it is here that we, the observers, can glimpse something of the mental character of the leaders.

If our world leaders were to mis-communicate – gesture(of dominance), through the mechanism of mimicry, could improve the chances of achieving some degree of mind-merging.

Some examples of gestures of displaying power, authority, dominance Eye contact

Continued eye contact, usually without blinking, coupled with the firm handshake further cements dominance.

Facial ExpressionsThe face highlights many features of dominance including frowning,

pursing the lip and holding the head still when listening and talking.

The handshakeThe dominant individual will firmly place their hand on top with their

palm facing down. Typically, the grip will be firm and sustained until the alpha male chooses to break it. A sustained handshake shows a level of control over the other person.

Thank You for your precious time.