The Definitive Book of Body Language

The 13 Most Common Gestures You'll See Daily

Head Down

shows disapproval

or dejection

head lifts or tilts, you can have a problem,

professional presenters and trainers are

often confronted by audiences who are

seated with their heads down and arms

folded on their chests.

Experienced conference speakers and

presenters will take action to involve their

audience and get participation before they

begin their presentation. This is intended to

get the audience's heads up and to get involvement. If the

speaker's tactic is successful, the audience's next head position

will be the Head Tilt.

The English have a peculiar greeting gesture called the Head

Twist, which involves putting the head down while simultane-

ously twisting the head to one side. This comes from medieval

times when men would doff their hat as a form of greeting;

this evolved into just dipping the head and touching the hat,

which, in modern times, is now the Head Twist, the salute or

simply tapping the forehead when meeting someone.

The Head Shrug

Raising the shoulders and pulling the head down between
them lets a person protect the vulnerable neck and throat from
injury. It's the cluster used when a person hears a loud bang
behind them or if they think something will fall on them.
When it's used in a personal or business context it implies a
submissive apology, which detracts from any encounter where
you are trying to appear confident.

When someone walks past others who are talking, admiring
a view or listening to a speaker, they pull their head down,
turn their shoulders in and try to appear smaller and less sig-
nificant. This is known as the Head Duck. It is also used by
subordinates approaching superiors, and reveals the status and
Power play between individuals.