HOW FEET WAVE GOODBYE

When two people talk to each other, they normally speak toe to toe. If,

however, one of the individuals turns his feet slightly away or repeatedly

moves one foot in an outward direction (in an L formation with one foot

toward you and one away from you), you can be assured he wants to

take leave or wishes he were somewhere else. This type of foot behavior

is another example of an intention cue (Givens, 2005, 60–61). The person’s

torso may remain facing you out of social diligence, but the feet

may more honestly reflect the limbic brain’s need or desire to escape

(see figure 18).

Recently I was with a client who had spent almost five hours with me.

As we were parting for the evening, we reflected on what we had covered

that day. Even though our conversation was very collegial, I noticed that

my client was holding one leg at a right angle to his body, seemingly wanting

to take off on its own. At that point I said, “You really do have to leave

now, don’t you?” “Yes,” he admitted. “I am so sorry. I didn’t want to be

rude but I have to call London and I only have five minutes!” Here was a

case where my client’s language and most of his body revealed nothing

but positive feelings. His feet, however, were the most honest communicators,

and they clearly told me that as much as he wanted to stay, duty

was calling.

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