The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

DOMINANT TELLS
However, that's not always the case. When you talk to
Australians, for example, you'll notice that they frequently
make their declarative statements sound like questions by
ending with a rising intonation. This has the effect of
making their opinions appear less certain and less
contentious, which in turn reduces the chances of conflict.
However, in other respects Australians are becoming more
assertive - or rather, Australian women are. Comparisons
show that over the past five decades the pitch of women's
voices in Australia has got deeper. The voices of Australian
men and women are converging, and it's all because
women are abandoning their submissive tones and starting
to speak more like men. 26
Touching Tells
If you watch people at an office drinks party, you'll notice
that their position within the organization is often reflected
in whom they touch and who touches them. Most of the
touching that you'll see is between people who are at
roughly the same level in the organization. One person
pats his friend on the back, another rubs her colleague on
the arm, and yet another plants a playful punch on someone's
shoulder. All of these are 'horizontal' touches
because they're between notional equals. They're about
friendship, camaraderie or light-hearted provocation, and
they can be mutual or reciprocal - in other words, it's
quite acceptable for people of similar status to have their
arms around each other's shoulders, or for one of them to
Pat the other on the back and for that person to respond
with a similar gesture.
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