The truth about Jimmy Hills’ chin: face-to-face body language
I often refer to a particular group of people who have influenced me more than any other. I have a close group of friends that I went to school with and we play soccer together and we remain best friends even though they all lead very different lives today. In school we called ourselves the A-Team and we still tend to refer to ourselves as that when we have meetings.
I spoke to one of them this week and we were laughing our heads off at something we used to do as kids at school. It wasn’t a trait unique to the A-Team, all the kids did it. What was this thing? Every time we didn’t believe anything someone had told us, we’d touch our chins and go, “Oooh, yeah…Jimmy Hill.”
This sounds crazy, doesn’t it? The man who used to present Match of the day on Saturday nights with the best football moments of the day was named Jimmy Hill. A former England and Fulham football player and had become the most famous pundit in the country. Unmistakably characterized by his sparse, pointed beard that he had on his chin. We’d rub our chins and imitate Jimmy Hill to show that we didn’t believe something we’d been told.
Especially since one of our friends used to tell us that his dad played for Manchester United, he was also a formula one racing driver and his older brother had won the world’s strongest man competition! “Oh yeah…Jimmy Hill…”
Jimmy Hill’s gesture wasn’t too far off the mark when it came to hand-to-face gestures to indicate deception or suspected deception. Hand-to-face gestures tell us a lot.
When I mention certain hand-to-cheek gestures and hand-to-chin gestures, these can also be noted and evaluated to gauge the temperature of the person’s attitude toward you and your presentation or communication. It can often tell you how well you’re doing with that communication.
Boredom can be seen in body language quite obviously. If the person is snoring loudly and yawning, then they either went to bed late or you may not be stimulating their brain as much as would be beneficial or desirable.
When any listener begins to use their hands to support their head, it is a sign that boredom may well have set in and is holding their head up to keep them from falling asleep. Often the degree of boredom of the listener is related to the extent to which the arm and hand support the head.
It usually begins with the chin supported by the thumb and then the fist as interest dissipates further. If the head is completely supported by the hands, this is usually the last sign of boredom.
Many people think that if a person continually taps their fingers or feet on the ground, they are also signs of boredom. In reality, they are more likely to show impatience. If you are talking to an individual or a group and their bored gestures are accompanied by continual impatient tapping, then it may be time to change tactics or walk away!
Assessment is shown with a closed hand resting on the chin or cheek, often with the index finger pointing up. When the person begins to lose interest but still wants to appear interested out of courtesy, the position will be altered so that the heel of the palm supports the head as boredom sets in.
When I have worked with company department or section heads, I often use this gesture to show that they are interested in what a manager is saying, even if they are being boring or boring. Unfortunately, however, as soon as the hand begins to support the head in any way, it gives away the game, and the director is likely to perceive the insincerity in this gesture.
Genuine interest is shown when the hand rests lightly on the cheek and is not used as a headrest. When the index finger points vertically towards the cheek and the thumb supports the chin, the listener has negative or critical thoughts about the speaker or the subject being communicated.
This gesture is often mistaken for a sign of interest, but the supporting thumb under the chin often tells the truth about critical attitude.
You may have seen Rodin’s “The Thinker” which showed a reflective and evaluative attitude. If not, you can google images online.
On any future occasion when you have the opportunity to present an idea to a group of people, watch them carefully as you give them your idea and you may notice that most will raise a hand to their face and use an appraising gesture. When you come to the end of your presentation and ask the group to give feedback, comments, or suggestions on your ideas, the evaluating gestures usually stop and a chin-stroking gesture begins. This chin bump is the signal that the listener is going through the decision-making process.
When you have asked the listeners for their decision and they start stroking their chins, their next gestures will indicate whether their decision is negative or positive. Your best strategy is to stay still and observe his next gestures, which will indicate the decision made. For example, if the chin movement is followed by crossed arms and legs and the person leans back in their chair, the answer is most likely “no.” This provides an early opportunity to resell the benefits before the other person verbalizes “no” and makes it more difficult to reach an agreement.
If after touching your chin he leans forward with open arms or takes your proposal or sample, you probably have a “yes” and can proceed as if you have an agreement.
Someone who wears glasses sometimes follows an appraising gesture by removing his glasses and bringing one arm from the frame to his mouth instead of using the movement of his chin in making his decision. Sometimes when a person puts their pen or finger to their mouth after asking for a decision, it is a sign that they are unsure and need reassurance. The object in the mouth allows that person to stop and not feel any urgency to give an immediate response.
Sometimes the boredom, appraisal, and decision-making gestures are combined, each showing different elements of the person’s attitude.
Hitting your head like Homer Simpson: Doh!
When you say a person is a “pain in the neck,” you’re referring to the ancient reaction of the tiny arrector pili muscles in the neck, often called “goosebumps,” trying to make your nonexistent skin Erice to make you seem more intimidating because you feel threatened or angry.
It’s the same creepy reaction an angry dog ​​has when confronted with another potentially hostile dog. This reaction causes the tingling sensation in the back of his neck that he experiences when he is frustrated or fearful. Usually he will rub his hand over the area to satisfy the sensation.
Suppose, for example, that you asked someone to do you a small favor and that they forgot to do it for you. When you ask them the result, they slap each other on the forehead (as Homer does) or on the back of the neck, as if they were symbolically hitting each other.
Although head slapping is used to communicate forgetfulness, it is important to note whether the forehead or neck is slapped. Patting each other on the forehead indicates that they are not intimidated by you by mentioning your forgetfulness. However, when they hit the back of the neck to satisfy the erector pillar muscles, it tells you that you’re literally a “pain in the neck” to mention. If the person hits his butt, then… 😉
Gaining the ability to interpret hand-to-face gestures accurately, as discussed last week and this week, takes time and observation. Of course, there are no hard and fast rules and each must be taken in context to get a good idea.
When a person uses any of the coping hand gestures I mentioned last week and this, it is reasonable to assume that a negative thought has entered the mind. The question is though, what is negative thinking? It can be doubt, deception, uncertainty, exaggeration, apprehension, or outright lying. True skill is the ability to interpret which negative is correct.