Pursing as a sign of disagreement ......................................................
Pursed lips, in which the lips are puckered in a rounded shape of disagree-
ment, connivance, or calculated thought, send a message of considered dis-
sent (see Figure 6-2). Pursed lips can show that someone’s thinking,
considering his next move, before he says or does anything. He’s holding his
thoughts in before letting them out.One of the signs of disagreement is pursed lips. If you’re at a dinner party and
your partner is about to spill the beans, a stern pursing of the lips pointed in
your partner’s direction should stop the flow.Because pursed lips give a sign of disagreement – and wrinkles the lips,
which is aging – you may want to avoid the gesture, unless you want to be
known as Old Prune Face.If you’re making a proposal or putting forward a suggestion, and your listener
meets your ideas with pursed lips, signalling mental resistance, ask him if he
disagrees before continuing your verbal argument. By clearing the air, you
make the other person better disposed to understand your position. Equally,
he’s going to be impressed with your intuitive grasp of his thinking process.Figure 6-2:
Pursed, or
‘prune lips’,
indicate
measured
thinking.96 Part II: Starting at the Top