Although this book touches upon some history of gestures and
fun facts, it is not about all of the various gestures in the world,
their origins, cultural taboos, and so forth. It is also not a linguistic
study with scientifi c labels for various types of gestures. There is
much published in articles, books – online and in print – about the
polyvalence of gestures and body language. The primary focus of
this handbook is to offer students of visual-gestural communication (VGC), nonverbal communication, American Sign Language (ASL), sign language interpretation, and acting, a multitude of ways
to develop comfort, clarity, concision, and confi dence in expressing themselves when communicating nonverbally (without spoken or signed language); the same goes for offering ways to receive
information visually. The handbook also provides teachers of VGC,
ASL, nonverbal communication, and theatre, ideas and resources
for developing, expanding, enhancing, or modifying their courses.