Listener Signals (Detecting Disagreement)

Slow and prolonged blinking

Stress indicators are not only useful in the speaker, but also in the listener.

If you are speaking and notice that your listener begins to blink, but keeps his or her eyes closed for longer than normal (a second or two), this is a negative signal.

This indicates that the person does not necessarily agree with you or, worse, thinks you are lying.

It is an unconscious attempt to "block" you, to create a visual barrier to stop seeing you while you are talking.

It is a signal for you to stop and check for understanding or agreement.

Listener covering his mouth (Opinion Repression)

Similarly, if you are speaking and your listener covers his or her mouth, the meaning is different from when the speaker does so. In this case, the listener is blocking his or her own words.

This gesture has two likely meanings: either the person thinks you are being insincere and is holding back from shouting "that's a lie!" or they disagree with you and are suppressing their impulse to contradict or interrupt you.

In either case, this is a signal to stop talking and ask an open-ended question, such as "What do you think about that?" or "Do you seem to have any questions?" to give him a chance to voice that pent-up objection.

Summary

Stress indicators are also useful in the listener. If you notice that your listener blinks, but keeps hi