Compared with the bulk of the rest of a sample of writing, a lonely little “i”-dot seems very insignificant.  Don’t you believe it!  “i”-dots reveal a great deal. 

Where are they placed?  What shape? How heavy is the pressure?  Are they all the same?  All these things have to be considered. 

First, let us look at WHERE the “i”-dot is placed, in relation to the rest of the letter “i.”  The closer it is to the top of the “i,” the more attention to detail is shown.   

The writing of an accountant or an engineer – two professions where attention to detail is crucial – will often show the “i”-dots just a fraction of a centimeter above the top of the stem.  This is extreme attention to detail.  In fact, it might be a “detail” you want to keep in mind when choosing your accountant!  On the other hand, for those of us less detail oriented, trying to work along side someone who is so precise can be quite infuriating! 

Conversely, the farther away the dot, the less attention to detail the writer pays.  In fact, as the “i”-dot flies higher and higher away from the stem, there is more and more imagination showing.  Details tend to be factual, so this high- flying dot, is leaving the realm of reality for that of fantasy. 

When it flies right off the page (ie when the “i”-dot is missing completely,) it becomes a lack of attention to, or missed, details, just as the writer missed the “i”-dot. (Look for missing “t”-bars as well.)  You may well find a writing sample where most of the “i”-dots are placed relatively close to the stem, but the occasional one is completely missing.  This is the person, who, when he considers the details worth his attention, will work very well with them, but when he considers he has come across an unimportant one, will just ignore it altogether. 

Missing some “i” dots?  You can start adding them to your writing and you’ll find you start noticing details more as well.  Or you can use an organizer tool to help you keep tabs on your life’s details.

An “i”-dot to the left of the stem indicates procrastination. When it is to the right shows eagerness to move on with whatever the details are.   

Next let us look at HOW the “i”-dots are written.  They come in various forms.   

What is taught in schools is the small, rounded dot.  This in mature writing is an indication of loyalty to ones beliefs.  It gives no indication as to what these beliefs are, or whether in the eyes of the “world”, they are right or wrong.  It merely indicates that once a belief is formed, the writer will remain loyal to it.  When teamed with lack of deceit (no loops in the circle letters “a”, “o”, “g”, “d”), loyalty becomes sincerity. 

Dots that are drawn in a circle, or any other drawn shape, show immaturity, and a desire for attention. Jayne Mansfield, movie star of old, dotted the “i” in her name with a heart shape!  It is very common to find drawn “i”-dots in the writing of teenage girls, and sometimes they may be embellished to form a happy face or some sort of “picture.”   

Light sweeping “i”-dots show enthusiasm, and are a good complement to the long sweeping t-bars that mean the same.  However, once these “i”-dots become more jabbing than sweeping, irritability is present.  When these jabbing dots go downwards towards the right, a more domineering, angry irritation is indicated, and often is accompanied by other jabbing strokes elsewhere in the writing. 

Lightweight, saucer shaped “i”-dots show the same as similar “t”-bars, namely a lightweight, or flippant approach.  A dot of any shape, which scarcely is visible, because of light pressure applied when writing, shows lack of energy and low vitality. 

When the “i”-dot is written as another short vertical line above the stem a quick, critical mind is indicated.  If it appears as a mini-L shape it shows that the writer is very observant, and if the mini-L is reversed (a mirror image) it is a sarcastic sense of humor. 

Where the writer has continued from the “i”-dot, without lifting his pen, onto the next letter, this is the speed and creativity of a quick and agile mind. 

So next time you pick up a sheet of handwriting, pay attention to the details - zero in on those dots. Dots tell a lot!