Theocratic Aid To Kingdom Publishers

Lesson 14

THE SPEAKING BODY

"Paul standing on the steps made a gesture to the people." Simon and others "beckoned unto their partners". The publican "would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner". (Acts 21:40; 19: 33; Goodspeed; Luke 5:7; 18:13) They were making gestures, making their bodies speak. "But gestures are not natural for me," you say? Yes, they are; it is unnatural, in fact, for you not to make them when speaking. Everyone uses them in daily conversation. Now use them in more formal speaking.

One asks, "What shall I do with my hands?" And as he asks that question, he makes a natural gesture with them, displaying them for the listener to see, as though their uselessness were apparent. The advice is, forget them. Let them hang down naturally, relaxed. Then they are there, available, when wanted for gesturing, and not tucked in some out-of-the-way pocket or locked behind the back. For the opening of the speech one does particularly well just letting the arms hang naturally. In this position the hands will be unhampered and free to flow naturally into gestures as the talk gets under way. As it gains momentum and one's feelings are worked up he will want to use gestures. His hands are there at his side, ready and waiting. Then use them for communication, but never for exhibition.

Gestures should never attract attention to the gesture. They will if they are studied in advance, if one is not

using his own gestures, the gestures which are natural with him and which he is using frequently and unconsciously in his everyday conversations. Gestures will attract attention to the speaker if they are too many, exaggerated, grandiose, or if diminutive and petty. And not only the hands should be used, but the entire body. At a place of transition in the talk, a movement of the body backward or forward a step or two serves a purpose. A nod of the head, a facial gesture, a slight shifting of the body weight to the fore or back, all of these are embraced by the term "gestures", and carry a meaning they alone can give.

Many absurd antics are still being taught in the name of gesture. Any gesture that is gotten out of a book is very likely to look it. The place to get it is out of oneself, out of one's inner impulses. That means out of the pressure of one's thoughts and emotions, out of his heart, out of his mind, out of his own interest in the subject, out of his earnest desire to inspire faith. Genuine gestures must be made on the spur of the instinct. Sincere gestures are merely an outward expression of inward conditions, just as smiles, laughter, waving good-bye, expressions of welcome, and other signs of feeling. No sincere person ever studies how to do such things, how to smile, how to laugh, how to embrace. It comes naturally, out of inner impulses, and this is not the result of studied and obeyed rules of expression. The same must be true of gestures. And many gestures are no more than facial expression. They are the best, when the listeners are near enough to catch them.

No two persons should be drilled to gesture in precisely the same fashion. It is an unnatural and ridiculous practice. There is certainly no sincerity in such senseless performances. One should use his own natural bodily expressions. The infinite variety of God's creation indicates that one should dare to be himself and not try to copy another. The only correct method of teaching gestures consists of freeing speakers from their restraint caused by self-consciousness and audience fear. The correct method is to urge

the student to let go, to forget self, to concentrate on the thoughts and not on the words, to put all his heart into the message; in short, to urge him to come out of his shell. Then he will feel like gesturing. He will do it spontaneously, naturally. And they will be fitting and effective. For this reason no fixed set of rules for gesturing can be prescribed, for everything in this matter depends on the personality of the individual. It depends on the subject matter, the speaker's enthusiasm, and the occasion.

However, a few limited suggestions may be useful (suggestions, mark you, not rules). Here in America, or in other Anglo-Saxon countries, use gestures with moderation. Do not gesticulate. Do not become emotional. We are ambassadors of The Theocracy, and this calls for a certain dignity (natural dignity, not the solemn or artificial dignity of the ministers of religion, nor the wild gesticulations of its sawdust-trail revivalists). The spoken word is to carry the burden of thought; the gestures merely lend a helping hand.

Do not repeat one gesture (facial or otherwise) until it becomes monotonous mannerism. Do not make short, jerky movements, either from the wrist or from the elbow. Avoid such self-conscious petty gestures. They belittle one's thoughts. Do not end gestures abruptly. For instance, if one is using his index finger to drive home his thought, hold the index finger in position until the thought is finished. The beginner usually starts out to make a right gesture, then he becomes afraid of himself. He thinks, "My naturalness is too daring"; and quickly he retreats. Time gestures with words. Do not gesture before or after the words. Avoid ill-timing. The gesture should accompany the point it is to emphasize. And it will if it springs spontaneously from within, propelled by the inner force of one's feelings.

If necessary, force gestures, and soon they will be coming unsought, spontaneously and, above all, unconsciously. Never mind just now, during this practice period, wheth-

er the gestures are beautiful or graceful. Let them be awkward at first; it does not matter at all. The main thing is to overcome timidity of using gestures. With practice timidity gives way to confidence, and confidence will bring with it naturalness, and naturalness will rout awkwardness. Such gestures will even quicken one's own feelings on the subject matter and thus enliven the entire presentation. The voice will take on more emphasis, the whole bearing and attitude will become more earnest, more emphatic. New ideas will often flash into mind. In eagerness to get the message across self is forgotten. The talk lives. And the audience lives with it.

The more one talks, the greater will become the impulse to use not only the voice as an instrument of expression, but also the rest of the body. Follow that inner urge to do the same in public speaking as in everyday conversation, namely, to make free use of the body to aid in conveying thoughts and emotions. Make the body and voice collaborate. Then the body will become more than merely the sound box for the voice: it will be a speaking body to the praise of Jehovah.