Body Language

When you want to establish a sense of trust and honesty let your hands

remain visible. Otherwise, you may look like you’re hiding something. (For

more information on what hidden hands mean, go to the later section ‘Hiding

your hands’.)

You can also use open-hand gestures to connect with your listeners, helping

them to grasp an idea that you’re explaining or showing them that you value

their opinions:

Say that you want to plant a thought into someone’s mind without ver-

bally force-feeding the idea. Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle and

hold out both your hands side by side, as if you’re showing her the large

size of a fish you’ve caught. Then slowly beat your open hands rhythmi-

cally up and down and watch the light bulb turn on as the listener sees

the picture.

The next time you’re speaking and you want to hear what someone else

has to say, turn towards that person with your palm open and extended

in her direction. The gesture is as though you’re giving her a gift. By

handing her the chance to speak, she feels acknowledged and that

you’re interested in what she has to say.

142 Part III: The Trunk: Limbs and Roots

Saluting through time

Historians are uncertain about the origins of the

Hand Salute. It probably dates back to late

Roman times when assassinations were not

uncommon. If a citizen wanted to see a public

official he was required to approach with his

right hand raised to demonstrate that he didn’t

hold a weapon. A similar gesture developed for

armoured knights who raised their visors with

the right hand when meeting a fellow comrade.

The practice of offering a Hand Salute gradually

became a way of showing respect. In early

American history it wasn’t uncommon for a man

to remove his hat in greeting. By the 1820s, the

gesture was modified to simply touching the hat.

Traditionally, the British military saluted by

taking their hats off as a sign of respect. In the

early 1800s, the Coldstream Guards amended

that gesture. Because of the wear and tear on

the hats by constant removal and replacing the

soldiers were instructed to clap their hands to

their hats and bow as they passed by their

superiors. Other regiments quickly adopted this

procedure.

By the mid 19th century, the Army salute took

the form of an open hand, tightly closed fingers,

palm to the front, the gesture that remains

today.

The Naval salute is markedly different from the

‘Open Hand’ British Army salute, in that the palm

of the hand points downward towards the

shoulder. This gesture can be traced back to the

days of sailing ships, when the ship’s timber

was sealed with tar and pitch to protect it from

the seawater. To preserve their hands, officers

wore white gloves. As it was considered highly

undignified to show a dirty palm when saluting,

the hand was turned to a 90-degree angle.