I'm not really good at reading people. If they're nice to me, then I usually think that they're a kind, caring, and good person. I guess this just proves how naive I can be. In an effort to become better at reading people, I picked up What Every Body Is Saying by Joe Navarro.
Mr. Navarro is an ex-FBI agent, who specializes in non-verbal communication, or body language. What I found the most fascinating about reading his book was that, there is no clear cut way to determine that someone is being deceitful, or if someone is a bad person. However, our bodies naturally do things that represent what we are feeling currently, whether we're stressed, genuinely happy, or uncomfortable. We then have to take these feelings and look at the situation a person is currently in, to determine what it actually means.
I found the book to be incredibly interesting, and have even picked up a few things by practicing on my co-workers. Like, when my friend was telling me about his ex-girlfriend and the current state of their relationship, he rubbed his neck, telling me he was uncomfortable. Now, whether he was uncomfortable with the question I had asked about their relationship, or simply the state of his relationship with a woman he cared about, I don't know. It's also been interesting picking up queues on how I stand or hold myself. There are times in the elevator at work, where I cross my feet as I wait to reach my floor, telling me that I'm comfortable with the stranger in the elevator. And, times when I'm talking to my co-worker/friend, and end up covering my suprasternal notch at my neck, with my feet in a wider stance, telling me that I'm feeling stressed, insecure, threatened, fearful, uncomfortable, or anxious, and ready to flee.
Joe Navarro is not only an author, he also does speaking events! And, I was fortunate enough to fine one on YouTube! It's a good one. :) And, a nice summary of what I learned in the book.
Mr. Navarro is an ex-FBI agent, who specializes in non-verbal communication, or body language. What I found the most fascinating about reading his book was that, there is no clear cut way to determine that someone is being deceitful, or if someone is a bad person. However, our bodies naturally do things that represent what we are feeling currently, whether we're stressed, genuinely happy, or uncomfortable. We then have to take these feelings and look at the situation a person is currently in, to determine what it actually means.
I found the book to be incredibly interesting, and have even picked up a few things by practicing on my co-workers. Like, when my friend was telling me about his ex-girlfriend and the current state of their relationship, he rubbed his neck, telling me he was uncomfortable. Now, whether he was uncomfortable with the question I had asked about their relationship, or simply the state of his relationship with a woman he cared about, I don't know. It's also been interesting picking up queues on how I stand or hold myself. There are times in the elevator at work, where I cross my feet as I wait to reach my floor, telling me that I'm comfortable with the stranger in the elevator. And, times when I'm talking to my co-worker/friend, and end up covering my suprasternal notch at my neck, with my feet in a wider stance, telling me that I'm feeling stressed, insecure, threatened, fearful, uncomfortable, or anxious, and ready to flee.
Joe Navarro is not only an author, he also does speaking events! And, I was fortunate enough to fine one on YouTube! It's a good one. :) And, a nice summary of what I learned in the book.
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