Article Surfing Archive

Words of confidence can be heard when spoken, likewise words of confidencecan be read when written or documented. But can confidence be interpretedfrom the actions of a person?

Yes, it can. As a matter of fact, action has a higher degree ofconsistency compared to spoken or read materials regardless of the subjectinvolved. Whenever there is a cloud of doubt on the truthfulness of anissue under discussion, the language not spoken or read serves as theconfirmation of accuracy. This is the language of body movements orgestures. In this case, the issue is confidence.

Take these postures as indications of confidence:

A confident person is most likely to talk spontaneously, without secondthoughts on his mind, as can be seen from his eyes. The eyes are the gatesto a person's character. A confident person gives more frequent eyecontact than a non-confident individual. He can look at you straight everynow and then, at a longer time, and his eyes blink less (unless the personhas a habit of frequent blinking which you will notice beforehand).

A confident person talks with hands away from his face. He doesn't coverhis mouth (unless he has halitosis or unless the person he is talking tolooks or reminds him of something funny) or nose (unless he smellssomething offensive). He doesn't scratch his head (unless it's itchybecause of scalp disorders).

A person beaming with confidence of having achieved much stands erect andproud. He shows that he definitely knows where he is headed. A straightback with chin up shows confidence and even superiority.

One of the most reliable indications of a confident person can be seen bythe gesture of his hands. When each finger of a hand (in spread position)meets each equivalent finger of the other hand at the tips, it is a verysure sign of confidence. This gesture resembles the structure of a churchsteeple. This is the reason why this gesture is called steepling ortapering.

Some people openly show off this hand gesture when they are seated. Theyproudly show their steepling hands, indicating authority and showing theyare sure of what they are saying.

You may notice that when a boss and subordinate talks to each other, theboss is most likely the one doing the steepling. While seated in front ofa desk, the boss usually places his elbows on top of the desk with thesteepled hands almost on face level as if he is looking through a screen).

As for a woman, she usually rests her elbows on the armchair when seatedwith her steepled hands on her lap. If she is standing, the steepled handsare usually in the waist level.

In most of the gestures, especially when it comes to the steepled hands,it is important to know if the gesture you see from the other person istruly indicative of his true emotions or personality. Make sure you arenot being misled or deceived. This is especially true in dealing withpeople you hardly know and when sincerity plays an important role in thedeal. You can check this by looking for other clues that are congruent orrelated to the gesture he is exhibiting.