Pockets or No Pockets?

This is going to make most speaking trainers roll their eyes in disagreement. So be it. I was always taught to keep my hands out of my pockets when I speak. I was taught this, and I’ve seen this taught, through videos, through online software and through the classroom. The teaching was that a speaker should never put their hands in their pockets when they speak. I have but one word for that theory, “Rubbish!” I was working for a large training organization that was adamant that my hands should never be in my pockets. I disagreed, so I went online to find evidence. As you can imagine, I found countless pictures of all the greatest speakers in the world with their hands in their pockets.

Here’s the thing about having your hands in your pockets. For many, it’s a protection mechanism. Many speakers will put their hands in their pockets, only because they don’t know what else to do with them. In those cases, it LOOKS like a protection mechanism and, therefore, distracts the audience from the speaker’s message. In those cases, I would agree; the hands shouldn’t be in the pockets. However, many speakers put their hands in their pockets, not because it’s a protection mechanism, but because it’s comfortable, and when done smoothly, it gives off an air of coolness and self-assuredness. Go online and search for pictures of great speakers such as Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, and Bill Clinton, and you’ll find pictures of each of them on the stage, with their hands in their pockets.

One thing to be aware of, however, is to make sure you have nothing in your pockets at the time. No change, no keys, no paper, or anything else. If you do have something in your pockets, you’ll likely start fiddling with it and THAT can provide an undesirable impression on your audience. There are two other things to note about using your pockets. Using only one hand is ordinarily best, and only for a short time.

Make sure the use of your pockets doesn’t hinder your gesturing. You need both hands to create the maximum impact with your gestures.

So, what’s the lesson? If it’s natural, and your pockets are empty, go ahead and use them, but with one hand only, and only for a short time.

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