This month Sustaining the Thinking Collaborative Journey is focusing on some of the micro-skills of presenting that are addressed in the Presenters Forum. The Forum is available to anyone wishing to become a more masterful presenter and to those wanting to become an Adaptive Schools or Cognitive CoachingSM trainer in association with Thinking Collaborative. This year’s Presenters Forum will be held in Lone Tree, Colorado, on September 18-21, 2017. Registration is available online at https://www.thinkingcollaborative.com/presenters-forum/

Presenters are often unaware of how their gestures can invite an audience or repel an audience. As you gesture during a presentation, staying close to the center of your body creates a more trustworthy presentation. Wezowski suggests imagining a box in front of your chest and belly and keeping your hand movements inside the box.

As you work with groups this week, practice this and perhaps even have someone collect video data for you to analyze later.

Source: Wezowski, K. Harvard Business Review. April 6, 2016.