When you’re leading a meeting, teaching a class, or pitching an idea, you probably focus on what to say. But what you do with your hands can be just as important.
In a new study published in the Journal of Marketing Research, Luca Cascio Rizzo, assistant professor of marketing, along with Jonah Berger, professor of marketing at the Wharton School, and Mi Zhou, professor of information systems at the University of British Columbia, examined how hand gestures influence communication. Analyzing thousands of TED Talks and conducting controlled experiments, they found that the right kind of gestures—those that illustrate what a speaker says—make people appear clearer, more competent, and more persuasive.
“People often talk with their hands,” Cascio Rizzo explained. “But how they move matters more than we realize.”
Gestures do not merely add emphasis—they help translate ideas into visual form. When a speaker traces an upward curve to describe growth or shows distance with their hands, they create a mental image that helps the audience grasp abstract concepts. This visual reinforcement increases cognitive fluency—how easily information is processed—which in turn enhances perceptions of competence.
The researchers used AI-driven video analysis to identify and classify different types of hand movements in over 2,000 TED Talks. Speakers who relied more heavily on illustrators—gestures that depict what is being said—received significantly higher audience evaluations and engagement. Follow-up laboratory experiments confirmed the causal link: audiences consistently rated gesturing speakers as more competent and persuasive because they made the content easier to understand.
Importantly, not every hand movement has a positive effect. Gestures that simply highlight words or movements that do not carry meaning can distract from the message.
“The key is intentional motion,” Cascio Rizzo said. “Gestures should clarify, not clutter.”
This distinction underscores that effective communication is multimodal, combining words and movement in a coordinated system. When those channels align, the message feels seamless and credible.
The findings have practical implications for anyone whose success depends on clear communication. Whether presenting quarterly results, teaching a concept, or sharing a new strategy, speakers can enhance their impact by aligning hand movements with their message. In today’s environment—where communication often happens through video calls and digital platforms—gestures remain a powerful tool.
“In mediated settings, attention is limited,” Cascio Rizzo noted. “Gestures give structure to speech and make explanations easier to follow. That clarity can be the difference between being heard and being understood.”
