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Entrepreneurs and founders|When You Pitch an Idea, Gestures Matter More Than Words
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Entrepreneurs and founders

When You Pitch an Idea, Gestures Matter More Than Words

by Nicole Torres

From the Magazine (May–June 2019)
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Joep Cornelissen of Erasmus University and his team asked experienced investors to watch a video of an entrepreneur pitching a new device. He did four versions of the presentation: One used a lot of figurative language; one included frequent hand motions; one deployed both; and one used neither. People who saw the video with only the frequent gestures were on average 12% more interested in investing. The conclusion: When you pitch an idea, gestures matter more than words.

A version of this article appeared in the May–June 2019 issue of Harvard Business Review.
Read more on Entrepreneurs and founders or related topics Entrepreneurship, Presentation skills, Venture capital and Public speaking

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