Palm up vs Palm down gestures
Summary
- Palm up is a sign of openness and trust, and warmth
- Palm down is a sign of competence and dominance
Details
- palm up can help people to be more open
- palm down is for giving directions that do not require reply
References
Quotes
The palm up cue is a signal of openness and trust. It’s a high warmth cue, best used when trying to get people to be more collaborative and open. When I get to the question-and-answer part of my presentations, I always use the palm up gesture to invite questions.
The palm down cue is a signal of power and dominance. It is a high competence cue.
The palm down cue is best used when giving directives, commands, or instructions in situations that don’t call for questions or feedback. It is most often used by people in positions of power.