Activists : Members of the National Union of Students ( file picture ) have asked for jazz hands rather than clapping in case it caused anxiety . Young student union activists have asked other conference delegates to wave with 'jazz hands ' instead of clapping or cheering speakers in case it 'triggers anxiety ' among nervous members . Hundreds were asked to wave in silence because other people found 'whooping ' to be 'super inaccessible ' . The request was made at the National Union of Students ' annual Women 's Conference in Solihull , West Midlands , which started yesterday . NUS Women 's Campaign tweeted : 'Whooping is fun for some , but can be super inaccessible for others , so please try not to whoop ! Jazz hands work just as well . ' They then followed that with : 'Some delegates are requesting that we move to jazz hands rather than clapping , as it 's triggering anxiety . Please be mindful ! # nuswomen15 ' . Critics have said the messages had 'damaged feminism ' . Tara Hewitt tweeted : 'This damages real equality nothing from conference will make a difference today but `` jazz hands '' nonsense damaged feminism ' . Others lampooned the instructions online . @ JLat55 tweeted : 'Open palms can be triggering . Well , so can closed ones ... you should just ban any outward expression of approval . ' The suggestions got more ridiculous and ironic with @ BookGeek-T tweeting : ' @ nuswomcam @ Little-G2 hi , jazz hands can be triggering because of the quick movement of the hands . I vote blinking rapidly instead . Thanks ' . Despite the jokes the NUS has said that it is important that they are inclusive . Nona Buckley-Irvine , General secretary at the London School of Economics Students ' Union , said : 'Jazz hands are used throughout NUS in place of clapping as a way to show appreciation of someone 's point without interrupting or causing disturbance , as it can create anxiety . ' I 'm relatively new to this and it did feel odd at first , but once you 've used jazz hands a couple of times it becomes a genuinely nice way to show solidarity with a point and it does add to creating a more inclusive atmosphere . ' Practical example : This woman shows how jazz hands should be done - but NUS delegates were urged not to make any noise doing it . LSE SU women 's officer Gee Linford-Grayson added : 'As someone who is new to the NUS conference culture it surprised me at first , but actually within a few rounds of jazz hands applause it began to make a lot of sense , as loud clapping and whooping can be intimidating and distracting when you 're speaking on stage . 'Plus who does n't like jazz hands ? ! ' The annual event decides the female issues for the NUS to campaign on , and elects the campaign 's representatives . An NUS spokesperson said : 'The request was made by some delegates attending the conference . 'We strive to make NUS events accessible and enjoyable for all , so each request is considered . '
NUS asks for waving in silence because cheering is 'super inaccessible ' Union 's Women 's Campaign says it wants to see a ban on the word "boo"