Hands and, in particular, arms. Odd isn’t it? They go about their daily routine not bothering you a jot but the moment you drag them up onto the stage they take on an awkwardness, shyness and general incapacity to function that is often very disconcerting.

So, what do we do with them? Short of lopping them off we have to have a strategy and it needs to be simple.

Three bits of advice on this topic:

- Depending on the formality of the occasion one hand in a pocket is not too casual a look for most speakers. If it has the benefit of getting one of the culprits out of the way then it’s fine, at least by me. Both hands in pockets is definitely not on, however. It looks just too laid back and louche for one thing. More importantly, however, it may well hinder your fluency as a speaker since words and gestures are inextricably linked. In fact the speaker who is properly ‘in the moment’ always gestures just fractionally ahead of the word he’s gesturing to support. The coached politician, by contrast, gestures momentarily afterwards. Subtle but important differences which we notice without always realising.

There are even theories that the gesture itself helps us to find the word we’re seeking. In conversation with one or more people, for example, a gesture will often prompt one of the listeners to suggest the word we’re seeking. There’s a lovely story about two friends on a bitterly cold day in Rusia walking and talking as they go. At least one of the friends talks, the other just nods and adds monosyllabic responses. When his friend questions his taciturn behaviour the other simply replies “I forgot my gloves”. Inhibiting indeed.

- Find gestures that are natural and don’t overdo them. No gesturing above the neckline, unless you’re deliberately going for a ‘high five’ – which is unlikely unless you’re on stage with an Apple executive. Whatever you do avoid whichever wind tunnel it is in which they train BBC outside broadcasters; they roll their hands forever towards us, in a perfectly mirrored but meaningless gesture, as if we’ll stop watching or listening if they don’t look over-animated.

- One very simple but effective tip for making your hands ‘disappear’ if they really are feeling awkward is to let your arms hang naturally by your sides and then put your thumb and middle finger together (that’s the longest one, for most of us). This simple act of self-touch is very powerful and can, in an instant, make our hands and arms feel far less awkward. Best of all, it’s almost certainly entirely unnoticed by your audience too, so no-one will spot a nervous ‘tell’, if indeed that’s what it amounted to.

Try it now. Stand up, let your arms hang loosely. Then just put your two thumbs and middle fingers together. Next time you’re up ‘on stage’ give it a go. And do let me know how it went.