Diplomacy: does it show in your signature?

Diplomacy - or lack of it - shows in writing in general, and will be just as obvious in a signature.

Natural diplomacy shows when the writing become increasingly smaller as the word, or line of writing goes on. But only if the writing also continues to be as legible at the end as it is at the start.

Signatures that start with a couple of letters you can read then disintegrate into a mess of squiggles, or just a long line, do not show diplomacy.

Another indication of diplomacy is the upper case M or N which gets smaller as it goes towards the right.

The absense of one trait does not mean the presence of it's opposite. So the absense of diplomacy does not mean tactless. There is a separate stroke that shows a lack of tact.

A lack of diplomacy, or bluntness, shows where there are no "lead in" strokes, where, when the pen is first put on the page, the writer gets right into the main part of the letter s/he is writing, without a curvy or straight line leading into it.

This is the person who is likely to put their foot in their mouth rather often.

So if the writer of the signature you are examining goes right into their name with no messing about, expect them to do the same with any topic they choose to discuss!

Good communication skills can help you in any area of life.

.

Honesty: in a signature or anywhere

Honesty is easy to spot in writing - so is dishonesty.

Of course, in handwriting analysis all things work together to make the whole personality just as it does in life, but there is one specific stroke that shows when you perhaps have to be more careful as to how much trust you put in what you are being told.

I have posted a Mini-Quiz on honesty, and although the example is not in a signature, it will show exactly the same in signatures.

Go to the mini-quiz and just scroll down the home page a very short way to find it.

.

Free Signature Analysis Quiz

I have written a free Signature Analysis Quiz for you.

Just sign up for free, and access the quiz to find out more about what your signature reveals.

(Great for analyzing the signatures on all your incoming Christmas, birthday or Valentine cards)

.

Is this writer Open or Secretive?

Here is how to tell if the signature writer will be open or secretive.

As you read this remember that the signature shows the "on show" person, and if different from the rest of the writing, it does not necessarily reflect the real, deep down individual.

A loop on the right side of any circle letter shows secretiveness.

Circle letters are lower case "a", "o", the circle part of "d" and "g."

Where there is a loop on the right side of any of these letters, secretiveness exists.

Lack of loops = lack of secretiveness.

Openness is present when the circle letters are "clean", meaning they have no loops or hooks at all.

If secretiveness appears in, say, the first name and not in the last name, this would indicate that this person may be secretive on a very personal level, but more open about family.

It goes without saying, that if there are no circle letters in a name, then secretiveness or openness can not be identified.

Find out all about Signatures.

.

Sensitivity to Criticism

Sensitivity to Criticism - how does it show in a signature?

The lower case "t" and "d" show sensitivity to criticism, and that goes for all writing, not just the signature.

Although the body of the writing is the "real" person and the signature the "on show" person, if sensitivity shows in the general writing, it will probably show in the signature as well.

If someone is genuinely sensitive to criticism, it is unlikely they will be able to dispel it in their public personna.

Of course, being sensitive to criticism and showing it are two different things. Here we are dealing only with feeling it.

Remembering that the first name is personal, the last name is family, it is interesting to see which shows more sensitivity, assuming both names have a "t" or a "d" in them.

The larger the loop the more the sensitivity to criticism.

Look for it. You'll be surprised what you find.

Find out all about signatures.

.

Legible vs illegible signature

What does a legible signature tell you (apart from the name of the writer) as opposed to an illegible signature?

Legible means the writer is interested in communicating, illegible means they are not.

If the body is legible, and the signature is not, then the writer considers it important the message be understood, but not anything about the writer.

If the whole things is illegible then no real communication has happened at all.

It is very unusual to find illegible script, followed by a legible signature but if it did occur, it would mean that the message the writer was sending was not important or for some reason they did not really want to send it or have it understood, but the identify of the writer was important.

Obviously, writing is a form of communication, and in communication being understood is of paramount importance. So in general, a legible script followed by a legible signature is the best communicaiton.

Find out all about signatures.

.

Obama's signature

Have you seen Obama's signature?

In the word "Obama" he writes the "b" to the long downstroke is encased in the capital "O".

This has a very significant meaning.

The last name is family (the first name is the individual).

Any covering or encasing in a form of protection.

So by writing the "b" partly encased in the "O", Obama is showing his strong protectionism for his family.

Find out all about signatures.

.

Large flourishing capitals on a signature

What does it mean when there are large flourishing capitals on a signature?

Large capitals are a sign of good self esteem ... until they become overly large. Then they become egotism.

So if the capitals are large, but within a reasonable proportion to the rest of the writing, good self esteem is shown.

If they are gigantic, and way out of proportion to the rest of the signature, then this is someone who is puffing themselves up unrealistically.

Find out more about signatures.

What to put in your signature

What to put in your signature! Is it best to write your full name? First and last names, plus middle initial? First initial and last name? Does which you do mean anything?

The less you write the less you are giving away in the way of information. When you write your first initial and last name only, you are giving away the bare minimum of information you can give in your signature, and for that reason it usually denotes a more formal approach.

Of course, if you write you signature 100 times a day, you probably want it to be as short as possible, so here we are considering what you would write if you only write your signature a few times a day, or less.

The first name written out in full followed by the last name shows someone who is more friendly and open. First name, middle initial and last name can be an indication of a bit more "show". It creates some importance the more names and initials you can put down.

However if you're name is John Smith, you might want to include your middle initial for purely practical reasons of identification, since there are probably few more John Smiths out there.

Women who use their maiden surname plus their husbands are showing independence in that they didn't give up their own name. Women who retain their maiden name alone are showing even more independence.

So, yes, what you put in your signature is significant. Consider how you want to come across as you sign your name next time.

Find out more about signatures.

Distance between the signature and the body of the writing

The distance between the signature and the body of the writing shows how connected the writer is, or is not, with the content of the rest of the writing.

A signature close to the end, say, of a letter indicates the writer really believes and is connected to what he or she has just written.

The signature well distanced from the body of the writing, mean the writer is trying to distance himself/ herself from what they have just written.

It doesn't mean it was necessarily a lie (although it could be) but it means they are uncomfortable in some way with what is in the letter.

A "normal" signature should be the same distance below the last line of writing and each line in the body is below the one above.

Check out the distance. It can give great insights.

Play the Signature Analysis Game with your friends.

.

Signatures: Size does matter.

Is your signature smaller than your writing? The same size? Or larger?

A signature smaller than the rest of the writing is someone who is hiding away, who doesn't want to be noticed. Why appear "smaller" or less noticeable than you really are? False modesty could be one reason, or someone who has some reason to want to brush by without attracting attention.

Signature larger than the writing is the opposite. This person wants to be noticed. They are presenting themselves as larger than life. They want attention and recognition. It may be part of the job - a salesman, a politician etc. Or it may just be a cry for attention.

The signature of the most genuine person is the one who's signature and writing look the same. Here I am, they say, like me or not, this is who I am, like me or not.

If you write your signature differently from your writing, take time to consider why you do this. There may be a good reason, or you may discover something about yourself you hadn't previously thought of.

Play the Signature Party Game with your friends.

.

Readers' Question: What does a circle for an i-dot mean?

We've all seen it, I'm sure: the i-dot that's drawn as a circle, or some other shape.

It is commonest amongst teenage girls, but can be found in the writing of either sex of any age.

A circle is the commonest, but other shapes also appear.

For example, actress, the late Jayne Mansfield (mother of "Law and Order" star Mariska Hargitay) used to put a heart shape for her i-dot.

So what does it mean?

Well, any drawn shape for an i-dot is a demand for attention. It says "notice me, I'm unique."

Some people may draw their i-dots in all their writing, some may only do it in the signature.

When it only appears in the signature, it indicates that this need for attention is part of their public image, and not necessarily part of their private personality.

Learn more about signatures.

.

Do you put your signature left, right or center?

Current business writing style has you putting your signature at the left margin of the page. But when you write a personal note, this is not a requirement. Left to your own choice, where do you place your signature?

If you stick to putting it on the left, it means you are sticking to the past, to tradition and feel safe just staying within the "norm."

Is your signature in the centre of the page? This means you like to know what is going on around you. Whether or not you like to be the center of attention will show in other ways. The centered signature just means you like to be very aware of what's what.

A signature over to the right is written by someone who is eager to get into the future. They have left the past behind and are zooming off to see what the world has to offer now and in the days, months, years to come.

For more on Signatures check out the Signature Analysis Workbook, and for great party fun, check out the Signature Party Game.

Why did her last name droop downwards?

When giving some "instant readings" at the end of a presentation, I came across the signature of a woman who's first name was on an even keel - it was written on an even horizontal. But her last name was distinctly downhill in direction.

I told her she seemed to be doing not too badly on a personal level, but on the family level something appeared to be making her unhappy or even depressed.

Her answer was that her husband of 26 years had died a year ago.

She was now herself back and doing not too badly, but the remaining sadness about her husband was represented in the downhill, or depressed direction of her married name.

Downhill writing always means discouragement through to depression. Look carefully where it appears because that can be telling as to what is causing the problem.

For more on Signatures check out the Signature Analysis Workbook, and for great party fun, check out the Signature Party Game.

The all important space

Nothing-ness is important. A space is nothing. It is where you write nothing. And it is very important.

I just noticed the signature of a friend of mine who is going through a divorce. She signs her first name, her maiden name followed by her husband's name. She uses this name for business.

Previously all three names were evenly spaced out. Now her first name and her maiden name are close together, and her last name (her married name) has a larger gap between them.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist (or a graphologist) to work out that this means she is distancing herself from her husband.

If there are only 2 names, first and last, the spacing can be checked against the rest of the writing.

If the individual uses their own name, is not married etc, then the second, family name represents their family in general. Times of stress within families can show in an increase of this space.

For more on Signatures check out the Signature Analysis Workbook, and for great party fun, check out the Signature Party Game.

A very important line - the Underscore

I am often asked why some people underline their signatures and others don't, and what is the significance of an underscore.

Done "right", the underscore is a great trait to have. However, not all underscores are great!

A single line under the name, going from left to right is great. It is the trait of self reliance. This writer will not lean on any one else, and is less likely therefore to blame others for any misfortunes that may befall him.

A good, firm, long underscore is best.

Any ornate, squiggly or fancy underline loses it's power, and may mean any of several things, depending upon it's shape and style: none of them as good as the single underscore.

An underline that is high enough to score out part of the name, is also not positive.

So, yes, do underline your signature. But also make sure it's just that single, direct line that says "I'm going places."

For more on Signatures check out the Signature Analysis Workbook, and for great party fun, check out the Signature Party Game.

Readers Questions: What does a period at the end of a signature mean?

Angie from Florida wrote asking me what it means when someone puts a period at the end of their signature.

It means "I have spoken, that is it, end of story."

Now you know. I have spoken, that is it, end of story. Fiona.

For more on Signatures check out the Signature Analysis Workbook, and for great party fun, check out the Signature Party Game.

What's new? Use your signature to play!

You've used your signature in many ways.

To sign letters. To sign credit cards. To sign official documents and contracts. To sign checks.

But have you ever used it to play a game?

Now you can!

The new "Signature Party Game" has everyone at the party signing their name, and then playing a game that involves discovering what personality traits are shown in it .... and in the signatures of everyone else at the party!

It's all light hearted and fun. If one of your guests is an axe murderer, you'll have to find out the hard way - the game focuses on positive and fun traits, getting everyone involved and getting to know each other better.

Great fun for a crowd who already know each other well.

A super ice breaker game for those who are new or newish to each other.

Just sign your names, follow the game step by step instructions, have an entertaining and enlightening event!

If you'd like to see a few of the things you can tell from a signature, take the free signature analysis quiz.

Forgery - is my signature an easy target?

The number of times I have heard people comment that they have an indecipherable mess for a signature "so that it's harder to forge."

And it's quite wrong! The more illegible your signature, the easier it is for a forger to get away with it.

Who checks whether a signature is real or fake? Often bank tellers, or store clerks.

Are they experts in handwriting? No.

What are they looking for? Similarities of differences.

Which is easier to check out: recognizable letters that you can follow each one and check if they are made exactly the same way, or whirls and lines intersecting each other all over the place in a jumbled confusion?

Recognizable letters are easier to follow. Anyone can check out if the A is made the same as another A, or the tail on a g is done the same in both signatures.

An incoherent mixture of lines is much more difficult, it at all similar, to identify exactly.

Don't believe me? Try is and see.

Get a friend to write their signature, and also to make an illegible set of squiggles instead of a signature. You try to copy each one as best you can. Then ask another friend to tell you which is the forgery - the legible signature you copied or the set of squiggles you copied.

Both ofcourse are forgeries, but it will be much easier for the 3rd person to identify the legible imposter - provided you seriously made a good attempt to copy both versions exactly.

So make your signature legible. It's safer.

For more on Signatures check out the Signature Analysis Workbook, and for great party fun, check out the Signature Party Game.

Signatures, signatures, signatures - what's special about how you write your name

How you write your name is very significant. It is, if anything, more significant than how you write the rest of your writing. It gives different information about you than your other writing does.

So what's does it matter whether the writing is in the signature or elsewhere? What difference does it make?

The body of your writing - in other words, all your writing that is not part of the signature - tells about the person are at heart. This is the real you.

Your signature is your "on show" personality. It is the face you show the world.

If the two are the same, then you are a "what you see is what you get" type of person. If they are different, then the difference has to be analyzed to see in what way your public personality is different from your private one.

Some people have an understandable reason to put on a show. They are in a "show business" such as actors and musicians, also politicians at all levels and anyone who's work or life has them constantly in the public eye.

This can also apply to people who's work requires them to be very outgoing and make many personal connections, when in reality they are quiet and retiring.

These people often develop a signature that fits who they want the world to see them as.

For the rest of us, it's generally better to just be ourselves. To let others see who we are and take us or leave us, based on that.

So the first thing to look at in a signatures is whether it is the same or different than your other writing.

For more on signatures, visit www.potentiality.biz where you will find a free "Analyze Your Signature Quiz" and where the "Signature Analysis Workbook" is also available.