Have you ever been to a lecture and noticed how intellectual the speaker seemed? A lot of it may have had to do with his/her hand gestures, although you may not have picked up on that at the time.
Alice May Williams and Jasmine?Johnson did. They observed “the full complement” of these intellectual gestures whilst earning their MFAs at Goldsmiths College in London. So that we can all benefit from their “research,” they created a handy instructional website: The Glossary of Gestures for Critical Discussion.
From?Wired:
Maybe it was in a lecture in college. Maybe it was in a TED talk you watched recently. Someone is trying to explain some important historical connection, drawing up a grand theory of art or science or human progress, and there it is, as if by reflex: the hand lifts in front of them like an upturned claw, the fingers slowly turning an invisible dial. That’s ?The Dialectic,? one of the hand gestures you’ll need to master to become a genuine thought leader.
Throughout their courses, Williams and Johnson saw the gestures repeated so frequently that ?it became hard not to notice them spreading from academics to students and back again,? they explain?a sort of vicious cycle of performative thinking. The more they looked, the more they saw. Elaborate, double-handed gestures were typically reserved for the leading academics that visited as part of the program’s lecture series. ?The Dialectic? proved to be especially popular with all ranks of thinkers. It’s ?an unconscious twitch that says ?take me seriously,?? say Williams and Johnson.
A lot of this is (at least from me) tongue-in-cheek. However, you can of course apply these gestures as you wish to whatever situation you want. I think it would be fun to flummox conservatives, but then again, I have a weird sense of humor.
You can buy supplies to go with your newfound intellectual hand gestures at the Critical Gestures store.
Grip imaginary six centimetre object between thumb and forefinger. Rotate wrist ninety degrees, snapping into end position. Smoothly rotate back to start. Repeat up to three times depending on conviction.
Use when expressing a shift from one thing to another. Highly infectious.
Point hand towards your mouth, rock wrist back and forth. Incorporate more arm as you become more convinced by your own point. To engage larger audience, extend both arms outwards from body.
Use when making a cultural observation.
Bounce from side to side on imaginary hand trampolines. Repeat until academic muscle is exhausted.
Use when taking idea out of original context and placing it somewhere else.
Begin with both hands at right hand shoulder. Sweep across the top shelf of imaginary bookcase. When level with left shoulder, make sharp rotation of wrists and sweep across lower shelf.
Use when explaining hierarchies
Extend forefinger in a controlled but emphatic manner.
Use to direct everyone’s gaze towards a particular individual or object.
Slap dominant hand into non-dominant hand.
Use as a reinforcing gesture when critical opponent seems unresponsive.
Circle hand clockwise in a small but rapid motion towards the audience. Accelerate and repeat until idea unpacked.
Reach down towards imaginary pile of sand, pinch a small amount, lift with closed fingers and return to original position. Repeat upto 3 times. Optional extra; present idea to others in palm of hand.
Use only when seated in front of an audience.
Follow directions for ?The Dialectic? but with thumb and forefinger one centimeter apart. Bring hand toward eyes for closer inspection.
Use when unpicking specific detail, or when too self-conscious to use ?The Dialectic? gesture.
h/t Wired
Tiffany Willis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
