Glossary

Contempt

A quick one-sided tightening at the corner of the mouth. It can mean someone looks down on what was just said.

Contempt is the one expression worth knowing in a meeting: one corner of the mouth tightens and lifts, often for a fraction of a second, while the rest of the face stays still. Unlike anger it is lopsided, and it says “I think less of this” rather than “I am fighting this”. The course treats it as a prompt to ask a question, not to react: surface the objection while it is still small.

From the lesson

Clusters, not single cues

Read clusters, not single cues. One crossed arm means nothing; the room might be cold. Crossed arms plus a turned torso plus a neck rub, right after you made your offer, means something. Research on faces suggests some expressions are recognised across many cultures. The one to watch for in meetings is contempt: a tightening of one corner of the mouth.

Day 19 · Reading the Room: How to read body language in a meeting (and the 93% myth)

Where it comes up

Day 19 · Reading the Room: How to read body language in a meeting (and the 93% myth)

Related terms

PacifiersSmall self-soothing touches: rubbing your neck, touching your face, tugging your collar. People tend to read them as nerves.
BaselineHow someone looks and sounds when they’re relaxed. You can only notice a change if you know their normal.
ClustersSeveral signals at once, like crossed arms plus a turned body plus a neck rub. One signal on its own means little.
PaceHow fast you speak, in words per minute. Around 140 to 160 is easy to follow; slow down for the key points.

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