Especially in Business Meetings

Do you do it? This head tilting thing that makes you look like Scooby-Doo saying, rut-ro?

In my informal observational-survey, women are more prone to doing the headĀ tilt than men. Why?

Iā€™ve been aware of it in myself since high school. In too many pictures in the senior yearbook, there I am. My hair is draped over a shoulder, head tilted the other direction. Obviously, it took a long time to break the habit.

What Does the Head Tilt Mean

The Forbes article linked to above provides some answers. But letā€™s just talk here. What do you think the head tilt means? Spend the next week watching people. Tell me if you witness the head tilt more in men or women. Or if you arenā€™t seeing it the way I do. How many times do you feel yourself tilting one way or the other? During what types of conversations do you see the slight dip of the head to one side happening? 

Why Did I Start Head Tilting

I wonder if it was some Cher-attribute from her show with Sonny. Didnā€™t she impact any number of us young women growing up in the 70s into wanting long, shiny, straight hair? Isnā€™t that why Jackie had me iron her crazy curls from time to time? Hey, young women when I say ā€œiron,ā€ I mean IRON; not flat iron, but ironing-your-clothes-irons. Now thatā€™s some work. Pain was sleeping with that long hair of mine in a rubber-band on the top of my head with huge curlers on either side of my head so my hair would be straight. Maybe I had to tilt my head to make up for sleeping flat on my back all night long. What were we both thinking? Cher could have been responsible for the head tilt, too.

Watch Dogs

If you watch a dog study something quirky, sheā€™ll tilt her head one direction. Then maybe sheā€™ll tilt the other way. Your pooch is trying to decipher what sheā€™s seeing or assess why a human would do such a peculiar thing.

Murphy gives us his version of the head tilt.

For Yours Truly

In myself itā€™s a bit more complicated than simple being strange. I think I do it as a non-verbal bit of submission. As if Iā€™m backing down from a possible confrontation. Or trying to make myself appear less opinionated or strong-willed. I have a lot of opinions and stubbornness! 

Do I look that way to the person sitting across from me? Hmm, good question. Let me know what you think if I tilt when weā€™re talking.

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Read: Acceptable Business Communication

Read: Do you see the unseen?