Taking it on the Chin

It’s incredible how expressive the chin is.

There is a lot of attention paid to the mouth, the eyes, even the eyebrows, in terms of expressing emotion and detecting non-verbal clues to inner monologues.  Not much gets said or written about the chin. Yet time and again I find myself directing my client’s attention to the activity of their chin.

Chins pull your head left or right. They tuck into the neck or raise up, exposing the neck and thrusting out the jaw. A chin can jut, bounce and tremble and tighten.  These movements convey an array of emotions; hesitancy, aggressiveness, reluctance, anger, tentativeness, enthusiasm or skepticism.

Most of the time, people are completely unaware of what they are conveying with the tilt of their chin. They think they are communicating in a forthright or open manner, but they will listen to their counterpart with their chin tucked down and tilted left or right in a manner that says “I don’t like what you are saying” or “I don’t agree with what you are telling me.”

Perhaps they walk into a room with their shoulders relaxed and a big smile – they are portraying confidence they think – but one look at the chin will tell me if they are insecure (chin too high or tucked into the neck) or tentative (chin tilted down and towards one of the shoulders.)

These little clues, whether you are the one speaking or listening, have an effect on your counterpart. I have walked out of meetings thinking to myself – “well, their words said one thing, but their chin led me to believe they were skeptical or unwilling.”

The freedom to move the head and do what one will with the chin is an important option in the course of conversation and communication.  Congruence between emotional state and one’s physicality is important.  But if you are trying to facilitate open, productive, straightforward conversation but doing it with a tilt in your head, then there is a tilt in your thoughts.

The solution is to be aware of the level of your chin. You want it at a natural level, straight on to the other person, as much as possible. This shows openness, engagement, and a lack of defensiveness that will help facilitate healthy communication and demonstrate an easy confidence on your part; especially at times when meetings or conversation can easily devolve into conflict or tension.

And if you find your chin is tilted, tucked or too high – take stock. What is causing this? Are you skeptical of something that’s going on? Upset at what is being said? And is the tilt of your chin preventing your from dealing with something “head-on?”  And what effect is it having on the other person/people you are communicating with?

You may find, that by adjusting the level of your chin you can adjust your thoughts and create better communication.