Presentation Sleight-of-Hand

AHH, THE AGE-OLD QUESTION: "Where do I put my hands?" Ever heard it? Ever said it or thought it? It's not a stupid question, but it's not the most important thing to think about when you're getting up in front of an audience.
        The bigger question is: Do you have something to share with them that will get them at least interested, and perhaps even excited or inspired about what you have to say? If you've got that, all the rest is superfluous.
        Think about magicians. Not the grandiose ones, but the ones who excel at close-in work like card tricks and other sleight-of-hand. What makes them successful (beyond their patter and dexterity)? Misdirection. That's the key. They get you so absorbed in one part of their trick that you don't even see what else they're doing. It's amazing what you don't see when you're focused on one thing.
        Want a fun example? Play this video and count how many times the guys in white pass the basketball. (Be sure to press the green "play" button.) When you're done, play it again and watch the whole scene, not just the people in white. See anything different? (Even if you've seen this before, watch it again and focus only on the people in white. See how strong our brains are!)
        The point of all this is not to turn you into a slick showman. You can be very simple in your approach and still have great impact — IF you have really compelling content. If you don't, no amount of flash or dancing gorillas will help you.
        So rather than worry about where you should put your hands, just concentrate on getting them locked into your ideas. Do that and they won't care where you put your hands (and neither will you).