Here are four tips you can use today to improve the way you use your hands:

• Use gestures. Don't be afraid to use your hands in the first place. The symplest fix for a stiff presentation is to pull your hands out of your pockets and use them. Don't keep your hands bound when you present. They want to be free.
• Use gestures sparingly. Now that I've told you to use gestures, be careful not to go overboard. Your gestures should be natural. If you try to imitate someone else, you'll look like a Saturday Night Live caricature of a bad politician. Avoid canned gestures. Don't think about what gestures to use. Your story will guide them.
• Use gestures at key moments. Save your most expansive gestures for key moments in the presentation. Reinforce your key messages with purposeful gestures... as long as it feels genuine to your personality and style.
• Keep your gestures within the power sphere. Picture your power sphere as a circle that runs from the top of your eyes, out to the tips of your outstretched hands, down to your belly button, and back up to your eyes again. Try to keep your gestures (and eye gaze) in this zone. Hands that hang below your navel lack energy and "confidence". Using complex gestures above the waist will give the audience a sense of confidence about you as a leader, help you communicate your thoughts more effortlessly, and enhance your overall presence.