Hand and Thumb Gesturespositive gestures during the presentation, such as open palms,
leaning forward, head up, nodding and so on. Let's say that
towards the end of your presentation the other person begins
to Steeple.
If the Steeple follows a series of other positive gestures
and appears when you show the other person the solution
to his problem, it's likely you've been given the go-ahead
to 'ask for the order'. On the other hand, if the Steeple
gesture follows a series of negative gestures such as arm
folding, leg crossing, looking away and hand-to-face gestures,
he may be confident that he won't say 'yes' or that he can
get rid of you. In both these cases the Steeple registers confi-
dence, but one has positive results and the other negative
consequences. The gestures preceding the Steeple are the
key to the outcome.
Summary
Your hands are always in front of you, revealing your emotions
and attitudes. Many body language gestures can be difficult to
learn but hand gestures can be practised and rehearsed to a
point where you can have fairly good control over where your
hands are and what they are doing. When you learn to read
hand gestures you'll look more confident, feel more successful
and win more chess games.
The Face Platter -
Presenting her face
for a man to admireThe Face Platter
This is not a negative gesture - it's a posi-
tive one used in courtship. It's used mainly
by women and by gay men who want to
attract a man's attention. A woman will
place one hand on top of the other and
present her face to a man as if it was on a
platter for him to admire.