I-dot in your signature

If you have an i dot in your signature, give some thought to what it will say about you. Remember that all the usual rules of handwriting analysis apply, but they are magnified and personalized by being in your signature. Of course, i-dots only appear in lower case i, so if you have a capital I in your name, the guidelines below do not apply to that.

- a drawn or "creative" i-dot suggests that you need to stand out as being different. This is a very common stroke to find the writing of teenage girls.

- a jabbed, short, straight line for an i dot is someone who is feeling rather restless or even irritated, or perhaps just in always in a hurry.

- no i-dot, where there is a lower case i is someone who does not pay due attention to detail.

- an i-dot which then continues as the lead in stroke for the next letter, shows intelligence and creativity.

- an i dot meticullously close to the top of the lower case i is a writer who takes meticulous care of the smaller details. Good for accountants, engineers etc, but can be a problem in more people centered work.

And lastly, a lower case i, with or without a dot, used in place of a capital I (at the beginning of a name, or as a middle initial) shows either genuine underestimation of self, or trying to project an image of extreme modesty. The rest of the writing will show which it is. It is most likely to be an image the writer is trying to give.

So although the i-dot is small and often unobtrusive, it carries true meaning as to the character of the writer. So if you have an i-dot in your signature, give some thought as to how you want to be seen.

Read a free article on the i-dots in handwriting...

More on Signatures...

Sign your name with confidence

Just as people can tell if you are confident by meeting you, they can also tell if you are confident from looking at your signature. Often without any handwriting analysis training, too!

But the nice thing about confidence is that it is one of the "fake it till you make it" traits. You can make yourself feel and look, and write, with confidence at least over the short span, even if you don't feel very confident most of the time.

Let's say you are going to put your signature to an important document and you want to show confidence. It could be the cover letter as you apply for that all important job.

Get the letter all typed, printed out and ready for your signature.

Now sit back, relax, close you eyes, and think confidence. Tell yourself how confident you are. Visual the results of you being confident, of your confidence being rewarded (in this scenario it would be getting the job). Keep visualizing and thinking confidence, and when you feel you have achieved it, open your eyes and write your name, without taking time to allow your doubts to return. Write your name thinking how proud you are to be you, to be the possessor of all the great traits and abilities that you have.

This should make your signature more confident in general.

One of the ways confidence shows in a signature is when it is slightly larger than the rest of the writing - but not too big, that would indicate arrogance.

So sign with confidence. And then having seen what difference there is in your confident signature over previous versions, keep doing the confident one from now on. Soon it will be part of you.

More on signature analysis...

Signature Analysis: writing high flying, long tails on your name

What does it mean when the tail on your first name goes way high above the rest of the lower case letter? If this only occurs in that name alone it means it’s very personal. If it occurs elsewhere too, it means it’s a more general trait evident most of the time.


That high flying end stroke is a cry for attention. It’s like waving your arm in the air saying “notice me, notice me.” Put more diplomatically is shows that you like recognition when you believe you deserve it.

Either way, you want to be noticed.

For more on analyzing signatures...

Try the Free Signature Analysis Quiz at www.potentiality.biz

Should you develop a Power Signature?

I am sometimes asked how to develop a "Power Signature", one that contains all the "good" traits you want to have, and will, subconsiously or consciously, impress all who see it.

It is important to remember that you signature only shows the person you want others to see you as.

So if you are content with a power signature only, it means you are content to put on a show to impress others, but are not really concerned with who you really are!

Much better to start developing the traits you want in ALL of your writing, including your signature.

When both are the same, it's a "what you see is what you get" scenario. Much better than "this is what I want you to see, but I'm really much different" that comes with a signature made to look good, while the real person remains with it's flaws.

That is not to say I think everyone needs to change their writing. I don't.

But if you are unhappy with who you are, or who you appear to others to be (which unless you are putting on a show, is the same thing), it's time to take action on the whole person, not just the shop-front!

Grapho-therapy, or Grapho-coaching takes you through this process of changing your writing slowly and effectively. It takes 21 days to break a habit, and even longer to put one of your own choosing in it's place.

Change doesn't happen overnight, so whether you use your handwriting to affect change, or some other method, you have to be patient.

So if you are unhappy with who you are in any area of your life, you can take the steps to change it.

But please, take the time to work on the real you - don't waste time putting up a false front, which is what a "power signature" on otherwise "unpowerful" writing would be.

For more on how to change your writing to change your life...

For more on Signatures...

Understand others better by seeing their signature

It's amazing how quickly you can get to know about another person just by looking at their signature. It can be extrememly helpful. It can be very enlightening. And it can be fun!

For that reason I've just published my "Signature Analysis Workbook" in soft cover. Up until now it has only been available in E-book form, but I've given in to requests of potential readers, and have just released the soft cover edition.

It covers everything you can think of that can be found in a signature.

It can be found at www.potentiality.bizSignatureAnalysisWorkbook.htm

Writing your Signature in another language

I recently received a question from a reader asking if it was legal to sign one's name in another language.

My answer to that is that I have no idea, and I suppose it would depend on what you were signing and in what country you were at that time.

However, it did give thought to the idea of a signature in another language and how that works for handwriting analysis.

Since the purpose of the signature is to tell the reader who is writing, a signature that is legible to the reader is the best idea. But what if you come from, say, China and you would very much like to continue using your Chinese script signature.

That is fine. But if it's a document for English speaking readers, I would suggest you sign your signature in your native language first, then immediately below sign the English version of your signature.

If you have 2 names - one in your native language and have adopted another in English, then sign the name appropriate to each language (ie your Chinese name in Chinese, your English name in English)

How does this connect with handwriting analysis?
Your English signature will still analyze just like anyone else's signature, provided you are fluid enough in English script that your writing doesn't look awkward and as if it's an effort to remember each stroke.

And once you become familiar with graphology, your knowledge of another script will allow you to also analyze that script in the same way.

But in the meantime, as you "create" your English language signature, take some time to ensure it includes as many positive traits as possible ... because one it becomes second nature to you to write this name this way, these traits are the ones that you will be showing the world.

Need more help in finding what traits mean what in a signature? Find it here.

Obama's signature

This month's People Potentiality Newsletter, coming out on February 1st. 2009, gives an analysis of President Barack Obama's signature.

To sign up for the newsletter go to:
http://www.potentiality.biz/signup.htm
If you read this after February 1st., contact me and I will give you a link to the article.

For more on analyzing signatures check out the Signature Analysis Workbook.

Elaborate signature

When you find an extremely elaborate signature, where the body of the writing is not so overdone, you have found a writer who desperately wants attention.

If the individual is in show business, it may be that they need this to further their career, or it may be that they got into show business in the first place because of the need for recognition and attention.

But no matter who the person, or what the cause, a signature that seems designed just for display is someone who is saying "notice me."

If the writing, either in the signature or not, also has long tails on the ends of words, that swing upwards, ending above the height of the lower case letters, this is even more of a cry for attention.

Many people have these long, upward swinging final strokes and they enjoy recognition when they feel they have earned it. However when you couple it with a deliberately attention grabbing signature, you have someone who is demanding that you pay undue attention to them whether or not they have done something warranting approval.
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Changing your signature

If you feel like changing your signature and carefully creating a new one for yourself, do so.

How will that affect who you come across as in signature analysis?

Well, obviously that depends on what changes you make, but for you to be comfortable with your new signature, it will have to be compatible with who you are.

So it may look different to you, but analyze out the same. This is perfectly possible, and not at all uncommon.

Or you may have outgrown your previous signature. We all change as we go through life, and if you have changed in some way and your previous signature just doesn't feel right any more, then by all means create something that feels good.

If it comes easily to you after a bit of practice (to undo the habit of your old signature) and feels good, it means it reflects who you are now, so go for it.

Of course, if you change your signature noticeably, it is best to notify your bank and anywhere else where they compare signatures, but from the graphology perspective, it's OK to do anytime it feels right.

But I was taught to write this way...

We were all taught to write at one time. We were taught a particular style, depending on where we were living. We copied from books and from the teacher's writing, trying our best to make our writing look the same.

Fine. But what age were you then?

Do you still do everything else as you had to do it then?

No, of course you don't.

You have taken over your own life, kept what fitted, and discarded or changed the rest.

And so it is with your writing.

If you still have strokes in your writing the same as you were taught as a child, you have them because they fit who you are as a a person. The ones that didn't fit, you have changed.

Remember, you are not looking at the style of writing, but at the specific strokes within the writing.

I have often been told by people that they still write this way because they were taught to do it this way. And yet, upon looking at their writing, I have yet to find an adult who writes exactly in any way taught in schools.

So don't just think "I was taught" and instead look deeper. Look at each individual stroke, and find out what really ticks inside you. The only person who genuinely writes exactly like your teacher is your teacher.

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My signature changes

But my signature changes, you say.

Well, yes, we are not machines, and just as your behavior will change somewhat depending on your mood and situation, so will your writing.

Just as if I took a photo of you today and another of you tomorrow - they wouldn't be identical, but they would both still be recognizable as you.

So it is with your signature. Core personality traits will always remain the same, but your mood, your level of expression, the time and care given to the writing will all change how your signature looks.

But remember, when you are analyzing writing, you are not looking at the writing style, you are looking at strokes within the writing, and these will more or less stay the same.

If for example, your signature slants more to the right one day and more upright another, it just means that on the day you right slanted it you were feeling more outgoing, more emotionally responsive than on the day you wrote it upright.

It doesn't mean you weren't you on either of these days, it was just a different situation.

So don't worry if your signature, or any of your writing, is not the same all the time. This is known as being human!

For more on signatures check out the Signature Analysis Workbook.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.