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January 23, 2014
Use Your Hands
We all know that our use of language and our vocabulary can be a powerful tool, but how many of us take into consideration...
...our hand gestures?
Yes, most people may not notice how we use our hands as we speak, but our hand gestures carry a lot of power as they accentuate what we are saying.
My students occasionally tell me that I use my hands a lot when I talk.
I know that I do, and it is because I want to be physically involved in my message. I know that no message is conveyed by words alone.
When I am teaching, I almost never sit down or even stand still.
Body language is a crucial aspect of communications. I encourage you to move and use your hands as you speak.
I guarantee that you message will be much more powerful and memorable - and certainly more enjoyable for you as well.
Take a look at this article on hand gestures that makes your audience perceive you as more intelligent than they first thought - http://www.wired.com/design/2014/01/use-hand-gestures-look-like-real-intellectual/?cid=17347304.
Take time to take delight in your discoveries and be sure to send me any language usages or historical nuances that interest you, and let me know what it is about language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.
Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.
Morf
P.S. I may be available for some short-term teaching gigs this spring or summer. Drop me a note at mmorf@mail.com.
Posted by mmorf at January 23, 2014 11:20 PM
