134 Part II: Getting Your Point Across

Figure 9-3 shows someone who’s receptive to the other party’s position in a
negotiation.

Figure 9-3:
This woman
is listening
to what you
have to say.

Just as you can gauge increasing acceptance to your ideas by watching body
language, you can also notice signs of increasing resistance to your ideas.
For example, if someone clutches the back of his neck with his palm, you can
interpret this gesture quite literally as, “This message is a pain in the neck.”
Here are some other gestures of resistance:

! Fidgeting nervously (cannot accept what is being said)

! Reducing eye contact (cannot accept what is being said)
! Placing hands behind one’s back (indicates an attempt to stay in
control of one’s own self — resisting the urge to act out verbally or
physically)
! Placing a hand over one’s mouth (may indicate an attempt to hold back
a negative comment)
! Locking ankles
! Gripping one’s arm or wrist
! Crossing the arms in front of the chest