46 How to Sell Yourself
Most men and many
women consider this the
hand position of choice.
It’s almost guaranteed that
as soon as the photogra-
pher bellows, “Hold it,”
that’s where we go. Most
still photos we see of
people standing at official
gatherings feature the fig
leaf. Ironically, because
we’re all natural gesturers,
we wind up flicking fingers
to make a point. More
overt gesturers open and
close their palms in quick
succession and look like
they’re “flashing.”
- Hands thrust deep into
pockets. Unfortunately
this gesturer is flicking hid-
den fingers. We’ve all
heard the keys and the
change being flung around
and it becomes a joke.
- Hands behind the back.
It’s the hallmark of royalty
and military leaders,
people never accused of
having hugging personali-
ties.
- The female fig leaf. Arms
folded defiantly in front of
the chest. Most women
and many men favor this
position.
All four happen to be extremely
comfortable positions for us. Unfortunately, what’s comfortable to
us can look terribly uncomfortable and uptight to an audience.
Fig leaf: This position is named
“the fig leaf” by photographers.
Pockets: You’ve heard the keys
and change as the fingers gesture
in the pockets.
