Summary Cues
High signal

Context Over Content

The principle that the setting often matters more than the gesture itself.

Principle
Channel
High
Reliability
Advanced
Difficulty to Read
Example

Tears at a wedding and tears in a dispute carry entirely different meanings. The same visible sign changes its whole meaning once you know where and when it appears.

How to Read It

Always read a cue through the lens of the situation that surrounds it. Ask what the setting demands or explains before you decide what a gesture means.

A Word of Caution

Stripping a cue from its context is the surest way to misread it. A gesture studied in isolation tells you far less than the same gesture seen in its moment.