Steepling: It May Not Send the Message You Want It to Send
As soon as I saw the picture of steepled hands, I thought of two people who use that particular hand gesture: Dr. Evil (from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) and Montgomery Burns (from The Simpsons). While I'm mostly having fun with this, I do believe it helps to be aware of these things. This gesture is not an unambiguous one.
My first thought matched E. Wunderli's as well. However, I made a conscious effort to try it during this past week while relaying a lesson. At first, I felt very un-natural as steeple-ing isn't something I've ever done. I felt awkward as I steepled, then paused for effect. I didn't see any puzzled or comical looks on my student's faces, but I suppose it will take some getting used to.
