LITERATURE REVIEW
Topic: An investigation on situation of HUST Technical students using hand gestures in English presentation.
Group 5: Bùi Thu Hằng, Đặng Thị Thu Thắm, Nguyễn Thị Hải Yến, Ong Thị Hằng
Nowadays, presentation skill recieves more and more attention not only in universities but also in companies and organizations. Many individuals and groups thoroughly studied on this field, especially on hand gestures. Although the literature covers a wide variety of such research, this review focuses on four major themes which emerge repeatedly throughout the literature reviewed. These themes are definition, classification, functions of hand gestures and mistakes while using hand gestures. Although the literature presents these themes in a variety of contexts, this study concentrates on the HUST Technical students.
Presentation is an important part in learning as well as in study. The writer defined presentation in “what is presentation?” on skillsyouneed.com website as means of communication which can be adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team. Dr. Steve Brooks defined it simpler in “love 2 speak” that presentation is the process of showing and explaining the content of a topic to an audience. In general, presentation shows what you want to talk about a topic or a study in public. In order to get a good presentation, presenters must have presentation skill. Dr. Steve Brooks also stated in his study about the definition of presentation skill that presentation skill is the ability to present a structured, prepared and speech-based means of communicating information, ideas, or arguments to a group of interested people in order to inform or persuade them.
Skillsyouneeed website showed key components of a presentation including context, presenter, audiences, messagesthatare delivered by the presenter to the audience through verbal and non-verbal communication, reaction, method, and impediments. According Lenny Laskowski (Elements Of An Effective Speech, 1997), there are six elements of an effective speech. They are being prepared, giving of yourself, staying relaxed, using natural humor, planning your body and hand positions, paying attention to all details. Both writers showed that non-verbal communication or body language is a vital element in speaking.
BBC article defined body language as the way in which our bodies communicate to our own or a character's attitudes; an audience or viewer can watch it to pick up on someone's age, emotions, status, or health. Adrian Furnham Ph.D defined it simply in “what is body language” article published on Jan 10, 2015 that body language is communication without words. On Components of Body Language article published on April 15, 2011, Alena Shadrach pointed out components of body language. It includes eye contact, facial expression, body movement, and personal space. She stressed in body movement part that hand gestures are very important. Hand gestures are very essential in a presentation.
Body language plays important roles in effective communication. From the past to present, there have been many value studied projects to prove significant roles of body language. In “Using body language in your presentation-the power of body language” which is published in 1999, the writer indicated “over half of human communication takes place on the nonverbal level through body language”. In addition, according to article the role of body language in presentation situation is so powerful, because the audience is like a mirror reflecting your emotions and feeling, when you present with relaxed, confident and smiling, your audience will also relax and feel confidence in you and always smile back at you. On the contrary, if you appear nervous of scowl, they will scowl back at you. Therefore, using body language such as hand gestures, postures or facial expression effectively is important.
Hand gestures are the most important function and difficult in body language. According to Kwan.C (2012) answered the question “Why are hand gestures important?” in the article Fast and easy to learn proper hand gestures when giving a presentation, he showed that “if your hand gestures are good, you’ll make your audience feel more comfortable because they can see that you are confident and in control”. Similarly, Weinschenk. S (2012) claimed “using hand gestures if you don’t use your hands at all that you may be perceived as indifference. Your audience may feel that you don’t care about what you are talking about”. In addition, Weinschenk noted that hand gestures take large part of using body language. The same point of views with both Kwan. C and Weinschenk about the important function of hand gestures, Whatley.P assumed hand gestures help to stress words and emotions, demonstrate verbal messages and even change verbal messages entirely. By the same token, in hand gestures speaking tips (2003) asserted that using hand gestures effectively will be able to assist you say more in less time. Moreover, the article affirmed the function of hand gestures while presenting is to emphasize, enhance and express the structure of your presentation, topic, emotions, attitudes and attraction of audiences. To prove function of hand gestures obviously in communication, Mitchell. O carried out experimental proof. His testing consists of three groups. During communicating process, “one group had both arms immobolised, the second group had one arm immobilised and the third group was free to gesture” (2008). With experiment of Mitchell, as a result, “restricting hand gestures makes it more difficult to find the right words” (2008). After all studied results of researchers, in summary, hand gestures play important role in communication in general and presentation in particular. They help your presentation to attract your audiences and simultaneously, your speech will convince audiences.
However, how to use hand gestures effectively? Indeed, it is not an easy usage because in using process, users meet with mistakes which make their presentation fail. Meikle. G (2014) offered basic mistake while presenting is that is to point at your audience. This popular mistake is deal with “10 hand gesture mistakes public speaker should avoid”, the mistake is called “the jab” That is “too much pointing is rarely received well by an audience. Whether it’s pointing directly at people, or jabbing into your hand”. Other mistakes when presenting is that they beware of gesturing too much or do not use hand gestures at all. This causes the audience to feel a frightful jumbler. According to Meikle.G, “if a speaker gestures with the same hand all the time, it looks odd and unnatural”. In addition, Whatley. P warns some mistakes specially position of hands. For example: putting them behind your back, in your pocket, in front of you. Bonanno. G has the same opinion with Whatley in indicating basic faults. Besides, he supplements other faults such as “fidgeting with your hands” or “folding your arm across your chest” (Bonanna. G, n.d.).
This research review’s purpose is to help the readers view the trends in composition studies and to understand different aspects posed by the research on hand gestures in presentation of the HUST Technical students. It is clear from the research reviewed that hand gestures are very important and more and more Technical students need to use them effectively in HUST. Along with this, it is also clear that the field of composition studies just in the benefits of hand gestures and how to use them appropriately, which includes many forms of hand gestures and what they speak for you in presentation. However, more research and testing are required to gain a better understanding of mistakes the HUST Technical students usually meet with in presentation. It is very critical because Technical students need to see the mistakes to avoid them. Conducting more studies on functions of hand gestures is also very important.