Some people clap more by clapping the fingers of one hand against the palm of the other. Do whatever feels most comfortable for you.
Stomping your feet is a common way of applauding at some camps and in some sporting events. It makes more of a thunderous rumble that can be quite intimidating and fun. Rapping your knuckles on the table after a lecture used to be common in some boarding schools, as opposed to clapping. To snap or not to snap? The cliché that beret-wearing hipsters snap at each other’s poems at jazzy cafes is a cliché based on an out-of-date 1940s stereotype. If you snap your fingers at a poetry reading, you’ll probably be the only one. It’s like yelling “Freebird” at a rock concert. [1] X Research source
Sometimes called “sparkling,” this is also used to agree or to support a speaker during meetings of consensus, Quaker meetings, or other events during which speaking out is not allowed.
Slow clapping can often mean a variety of things. Traditionally, a slow clap was considered a kind of heckle instead of a celebration, though now it’s considered a kind of winking or ironic celebration of something dramatic “epic. " You might slow clap your little brother after he finally cleans his bedroom, for instance.
Use the volume of people clapping around you to keep your volume at an appropriate level. Match your style of clapping to the rest of the crowd. Is it appropriate to clap after a soloist at church? After a good movie? After a solo during a concert? It’ll change in every situation. Go with what happens around you.
Points in athletic competition, or great plays are often rewarded with clapping and applause in many cultures. In others, overly dramatic displays of emotion are somewhat looked down on, but if people are clapping it’s probably a safe bet that you won’t be glared at. Most people clap after songs at a pop music concert of any kind, as well as when performers come to and leave the stage. At public speaking events, it’s common to welcome a speaker to the stage, and congratulate them at the end of a speech or performance. Depending on the occasion, it’s usually uncommon to clap in the middle of most performances, unless directed by the performer. Sometimes accompanying clapping might be requested, or to “Give a hand” to someone present. Follow instructions.
As long as you’re tactful, clapping with the beat is a common occurrence at many concerts.
Always thank an audience for any applause that you receive. It’s also common to prompt applause for other people present. If, for example, you’re giving a big speech and your thesis advisor is present, you might want to recognize her for applause.
Refer to the program for specific instructions regarding clapping, or wait to clap until you hear other people clapping to be sure. It used to be common in the age of Mozart for crowds to be more disruptive. Particularly moving passages would cause audiences to break into applause while the musicians were still playing. Many people attribute the newer attitude regarding applause to Wagner, who’s direction to avoid curtain calls for Parsifal is thought to have confused some concert-goers into thinking that absolute silence was essential. [2] X Research source
