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October 16, 2005
Importance of Gestures
Last night I went to UNH to see the comedian Dane Cook perform. While he was doing his stand up comedy, I was trying to pay attention to the gestures his was using not only with just his hands, but with his entire body. I realized that much of the appeal of his shows is due to his physical humor. He is always moving around and acting things out. His jokes would definitely be much less funny if he just stood still and told them. He used all sorts of gestures, but the prominent category of gestures he used were beats. At one point in his routine he even acknowledged his use of a beat, although he didn't use the word beat to describe his movement. When saying something important, he moved his arm up and down, almost like a chopping motion, and he referred to it by saying something along the lines of "When I move my hand like a hatchet you know I mean business..." It's amazing how much of a role gestures play in communication.
Posted by lcissullivan at October 16, 2005 10:48 PM
Comments
Brenna,
That is definitely very interesting, but makes a lot of sense. It also ties into what Nanette said about the professor getting a higher rating from his students when using gestures. I have begun to realize the significance of gestures in language. Yet, it still surprises me that I never noticed the effect it had on communication in general.
Posted by: Lauren Searls at October 17, 2005 10:36 PM