What their body language is saying

Excerpted from the Executive Report: 70 Ways to Hold Fewer, Shorter, But More Productive Meetings

One way to gauge the effectiveness of a meeting while it's taking place is by reading the body language of those around you. Here's what to look for:

• Open palms: Sincerity and openness.
• Leaning in toward the table: Interest, comfort.
• Leaning away from the table: Lack of interest or discomfort with what is being said.
• Nodding: For a man, this signals agreement. For a woman, it says, "I hear you; keep going." It's a woman's way of encouraging the speaker to continue.
• Crossed arms: Resistance, defensiveness.
• Gesturing with hands: Interest in the discussion.
• Hand to cheek: Thinking, evaluating.
• Clasped hands behind the back: Frustration.
• Clasped hands behind head: Superiority.
• Drumming the fingers: Restlessness.
• Holding fingers in steeple position: Forming a barrier between the individual and the rest of the group.
• Hand over mouth: Disapproval or withdrawal from the discussion.
• Tightly holding pen or pencil: Nervousness.

DIGGING DEEPER
One of the secrets of great managers is what they accomplish in meetings. Find out how to do a better job by reading the Executive Report: 70 Ways to Hold Fewer, Shorter, But More Productive Meetings

Comments

[gb]

thanks, but most of this behavior has already been noted for many years... (although i've never heard or seen the steeple thing except as a children's rhyme...)
the best thing for me, i quit going to all but a few meetings and focus my efforts on my job where it's needed... oh, and i'm reading your post with my hand on my chin but i'm a woman and i'm not nodding...
could we quit analizing each other and everything, wasting time and just go to work?

[Shellie Albright]

Crossed arms is simply more comfortable for many people, and means nothing.

Clasped hands behind head is also done for comfort when you have a neck problem.

Be careful of generalizing, you may be way off base!!

[mw]

Body language seems more about context, rather than isolated actions. Combined with tone of voice,physiology, etc., and personal characteristics to perhaps include Myers Briggs, DiSC, etc.
In seminars, I've had people actually tell me who were "larger" and had a rotund belly that in crossing their arms while seated, it provided a convenient shelf or a comfortable position - as another commenter noted. However same people, when understanding that it could undermine their intended message, said they became more cognizant of when they might choose such actions for congruency and message impact.

[Von Rod Limpot]

This is so right. I often do open palms.:D