Most of you have probably touched a bobble head doll, perhaps even given the head a tap or two to watch it move sideways and up and down.
When it comes to face-to-face networking – Don’t be a bobble head!
You may consciously or unconsciously move your head up and down to concur with others and back and forth to show a difference in opinion. A little of this is okay; a lot of it lessens your power as a communicator. It can also encourage the other person to go on and on causing you to eventually interrupt to get a turn to speak.
Head movement is related to status. Higher status people move their heads less. I witnessed this in my corporate days when working with vice presidents of Fortune 500 companies. It‘s as if they don’t want you to know whether they agree or disagree until they speak.
So if you want to appear more powerful and also have an opportunity to speak more frequently, i.e., keep your interactions dialogues not monologs, don’t be a bobble head. Be more stoic. Share what you are thinking through your words and keep head movements to a minimum.