Rory is a secondary school chemistry teacher. Inevitably, at the end of lessons
a mess of test tubes, beakers, and other related items wait to be cleaned and
put away in their proper place. When he asks his students who’s responsible
for the mess, without fail they raise their shoulders, palms, and eyebrows as
they turn away from Rory, signalling their denial of any responsibility.
If you want to indicate that you want to remain neutral and uninvolved, raise
your hand to shoulder height with your palm facing outwards and slightly
shrug both shoulders.
Implying a submissive apology ........................................................
Because the elements in the shrug – hunched shoulders, open palms, raised
eye brows, and so on – are all submissive, the shrug is the perfect gesture to
use when offering an apology.
A man of few words and the grand gesture, John had been in a foul temper for
most of the day. Although Louise is usually quite patient and accepts her hus-
band’s moodiness, by late afternoon she was so frustrated that she burst into
tears. Realising that he’d been out-of-sorts and treating Louise unfairly, John
left the house, returning shortly with a large bouquet of tulips, Louise’s
favourite flowers. Offering them to her, he apologised without ever saying the
words, ‘I’m sorry’. The lift of his shoulders, his raised eyebrows, his slightly
turned down mouth, and his dropped head as he presented the flowers to
Louise conveyed his apology.
Although this exercise doesn’t convey emotion, mood, or attitude the shrug-
ging gesture may bring you some relief when you’re feeling tense or tired.
Raise your shoulders up towards your ears and tighten them as much as you
can. Hold that position for three–five seconds, and then release. Roll your
shoulders in circles both backwards and forwards to complete the tension
release. To avoid injuring yourself when doing this exercise, be careful not to
overdo the tightening.
Chapter 7: Take It From the Torso 123