How i wrote the chapter on gestures for the book "how to raise a speaker"

When I began preparing the current issue of the magazine, another important project was underway in parallel – writing a book for parents and teachers, “How to Raise a Speaker.” This work is aimed at helping adults develop public speaking and effective communication skills in children. One of the first chapters of the book is devoted to body language and nonverbal communication.
Many years of experience teaching oratory to children have given me the opportunity to formulate an important conclusion: it is much easier for children to master the professional form of oratory compared to adults. 
This is due to the peculiarities of the formation of body language, which is a reflection of the mental state of the individual with all its characteristics – clamps, blocks, complexes and fears. In adolescence, this structure is still quite soft and easily amenable to formation. That is why early mastery of body language control skills creates the basis for achieving its naturalness and organicity in the future.
In working on the chapter, I focused on developing a practical methodology for educators. The teaching sequence I proposed first involves demonstrating which gestures to avoid: closed, overly emotional, and insecure. This builds children's understanding of the difference between effective and ineffective nonverbal communication.
The next stage I identified was mastering the first speaker position — the so-called “letter T” (straight shoulder girdle and spine, relaxed arms, straight legs, and gaze directed at the audience). This position becomes the starting point for further development of gestural techniques.

Systematization of functional gestures
In the process of writing the chapter, I paid particular attention to the classification of key groups of gestures that cover the main communicative functions:
•    Gestures of agreement – denial
•    Gestures to indicate scale (small – large)
•    Sequence and list gestures
•    Gestures to express the main thing - the unimportant thing
•    Pointing and suggesting gestures
In my methodology, I emphasize the importance of automating these groups of gestures, which over time gives the child the opportunity to use only expressive, meaningful, justified, and open gestures.

Comprehensive recommendations for parents
Concluding the chapter, I have developed a system of practical recommendations for parents, which include:
1.    Maintaining a balance between learning and naturalness: From formal gestures, one should gradually strive for more restrained, natural gestures that organically complement speech.
2.    Demonstrate effective body language during your own communication with the child, as children learn skills better by observing adults.
3.    Creating a favorable atmosphere, in which the child is not afraid to experiment and even make mistakes.
4.    Taking into account individuality: it is important not to impose a certain manner of gesturing, but to help find gestures that will be natural for her communication style.
The final stage of work on the chapter was the definition of guidelines that will help parents and educators evaluate the effectiveness of their work on the development of a child's nonverbal technique.

Red flags:
- Development of excessive gestures that distract from the content of the speech
- Neglecting to work with internal constraints and fears
Blue flags:
- Naturalness and organicity of gestures
- Harmony between the content of the speech and its non-verbal accompaniment
- Regular and systematic practice