Hand Signals for Conference Attendees

How many times have you found yourself listening to a paper at a conference, wishing you could somehow convey a message to the speaker without waiting for the question period? You don't necessarily want everyone else in the room to be privy to this message, but you want to make damn sure the speaker knows. We, too, have felt this frustration, and we now have found the solution.

While searching the web for information about sea kayak paddling techniques, we came to a web page labeled "Hand signals for sea kayakers" that listed all emergency and nonemergency signals one might need. For example, beckoning with your index finger means "Come here," while throwing air over your shoulder means "Ignore my last signal." As a service to our readers, we have generated a set of conference hand signals we hope will become a universal language. Please commit these to memory.