Among the many adventures of being a handwriting analyst have come opportunities to do public presentations. Many have been business talks about personnel issues, conflict resolution in the workplace and especially building teams. Others have been lighter appearances on television allowing only a few minutes to cram a lot of information into the time slot. I enjoy doing them, whatever they are.
On TV the host can never resist handing me mystery handwriting samples of celebrities, despite my request to give me the writing beforehand. The last time I was on a program it was a nice interview. Then the surprise. They had used the makeup person's autograph book to get a couple of samples copied off. And then on camera I was given my first look at them. Smiling, I go with the flow.
One woman I described as extroverted and generous. Very expressive, with a tendency to say awfully nice things—a person who liked the limelight. She would shine at a party and if she put it on and you were invited you had better send her a thank-you card! It turned out to be Valerie Harper's writing. (Mary Tyler Moore's sidekick on her old show.) She writes large, right-slanted, moderate pressure, easy, relaxed look with a lot of generosity but might easily feel imposed upon. Very likeable person. Really put herself 'out there' with no inhibitions.
The second writing was also done by a woman who clearly wanted a voice but was logical, not particularly emotional, quite serious, even a tad shy, very creative, showing a way with words and probably could write well, meaning literary ability. That one surprised the host even more than the first because my description matched the person when he told the audience (and me) that it was Gloria Steinem's writing. Her writing was also large but had an upright slant, (cool and poised) somewhat illegible writing (thready look to it) and it had a number of indications about her ease with words. There was no showiness to her script. Several examples of guardedness in revealing herself. A private person.
Many times I have been part of promotions at stores. One business supply store in the city had a pen promotion and called me in to be a guest. It turned out that three different pen company reps brought their wares. Customers could choose to have a session with me after testing or purchasing various pens and also have me discuss their writing. I sat apart from the three at a separate table. At first, the three weren't friendly at all, just formal and polite. I figured they didn't know what to expect about handwriting analysis.
It was a two day event. They could hear the conversations with the business people who stopped to chat. An attorney talked with them for quite a while and then moved over my way. He really didn't like his work much. We talked about what his handwriting showed. He had quite a bent for writing, which he had never pursued until his recent painful divorce when he started journaling to work through the stress. He had a great imagination which he needed to use in a creative outlet so I suggested he seriously write something. He ended up buying a fountain pen from the Waterman rep.
The three men were a study in contrasts. The Waterman guy was the greeter to each person stopping by their table. He summed up what all of them were there for and really was a pleasant person. Very gracious and careful to be fair. He was a sales natural. The "top-of-the-line" rep. had me wondering how he made a living. He didn't seem to enjoy any of the day to say nothing of his work. Well, they starting packing up about 4:00 and then the Waterman guy and the other guy said almost in unison, "Okay, I'll give you some of my handwriting." (As if I had hinted? Not! :) Surprised? Yes, but I was glad to do them after watching the way they handled themselves.
The low-end guy continued to keep his distance so I collected the two writings and took them home. I did about two pages or so on each of them. The next morning they were pretty eager. Mr. Waterman sat right down and read his before he set up. Then we talked. The other man disappeared and then returned after a few minutes of privacy. He said, "Wow!" That day went really well because I got a formal introduction by each of them when a potential buyer tried out pens. "Please take a seat over there and have a talk with Elaine Ness, our certified handwriting analyst professional who is working with us today."
I guess they thought their short analyses were accurate because by the end of the day we were swapping cards and hoping we would get another chance to work together. The top-of-the-line rep offered me any pen I might want at cost (the pens were too bulky for my hand but that was very sweet of him) and the W guy just quietly pressed a box in my hand, which turned out to be a beautiful fountain pen I still use.
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