What Every BODY is Saying
He says that’s his best offer. Is it?
She says she agrees. Does she?
The interview went great—or did it?
He said he’d never do it again. But he did.
Read this book and send your nonverbal intelligence soaring. Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to “speed-read” people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. You’ll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you. You will discover:
- The ancient survival instincts that drive body language
- Why the face is the least likely place to gauge a person’s true feelings
- What thumbs, feet, and eyelids reveal about moods and motives
- The most powerful behaviors that reveal our confidence and true sentiments
- Simple nonverbals that instantly establish trust
- Simple nonverbals that instantly communicate authority
Filled with examples from Navarro’s professional experience, this definitive book offers a powerful new way to navigate your world.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A “Must Read” on body language and nonverbal communication
Want to learn and understand body language? If you do this book is a “must read”. While no book is perfect I liked everything about this one. The author is an expert, having developed his expertise working as a behavioral profiler for the FBI for 23 years. Book knowledge is cool, and the author has some, but nothing can substitute for actual in the field experience. In addition, the co-author of the book is a trained psychologist, which can only add some educational rigor to the books chops. In terms of expertise and experience in the subject this book has it all covered.
A body language book needs to be illustrated extensively. Let’s face it, it’s all about nonverbal communication so we need to get beyond the written word and communicate via visible means. The book has lots of photos, which is a good thing. This makes it much easier to understand and learn the body language gestures and signals the author is talking about.
The book is well laid out and organized, starting off with a generalized overview and then covering specific regions of the body (legs, torso, arms, hands, face) in depth and in sequence. I really liked this approach. Each chapter was well written, clear and entertaining, with the points driven home both by citing studies and using examples and stories from the authors’ career.
This is a “go to” book on reading and understanding people’s body language. In my opinion it is one of the best on the subject, especially as an introduction since it covers a lot of material. Highly recommended.
5 Stars What every body is saying, this is a great book
This is a great book, I’ve read Read’em and Reap a book Mr. Navarro wrote on poker tells/body language. That is another great book. Not only does Mr. Navarro have great experience from working as a profiler with the FBI, he has studied and learned from the best, including Paul Ekman, which the TV series, “Lie to Me” is based on. The book is easy to read, and you will start to see the things mentioned in the book going on all around you. You will be amazed at what you now see, but never noticed before. You will catch yourself doing many of the things listed in the book. Why? Because we all do them. I read books like this over and over, because it helps to practice and really learn it. Then go out and watch people. You will be amazed at what you start to notice and learn, and it is a lot of fun.
1 Stars Rather elementary
I was very disappointed with this book. Speed reading people? It was simplistic and if you think about it, common knowledge. I took speed reading people to mean apparently much more than what was presented. The book has a chapter on detecting deception - it elaborates on spotting nonverbal cues that someone is uncomfortable - thus, possibly lying. What is presented is simplistic and obvious. This book is disappointing and a waste of money. The only benefit I can see from it: it is ideal for someone who has had limited interaction with other people. For example, someone who has cut himself off from human contact from childhood into adulthood.
5 Stars Information so powerful, it is almost too good
I picked up this book because I had heard through some friends that Mr. Navarro’s work was highly regarded in many different circles and because I thought it would help my poker play. And while I haven’t really had a chance to test some of these “tells” at the card table, I have been able to take more notice of people’s body language at work and play, and I’ve become more conscious of my own body movements and its reflection of my thoughts and emotions at any given time. In fact, in a recent business meeting, I had the dubious pleasure of sending enough negative body language that one of our customers commented to me, “You’re taking a bad attitude,” before I’d even said a word. So, all I want to say, and all I think I need to say about this book is, the information is sound, accurate, universal and useful. It will make you better at deciphering people’s emotions and thoughts in a given situation, but it may make you so conscious of your own body language, that if you can’t control it and remember to send positive signals, you might just get yourself in trouble like I did.
5 Stars best book of its kind
Navarro’s experience in law enforcement, his clear and simple approach to presenting his material, and the excellent photographs of himself and (I assume) his daughter combine to make this book an outstanding contribution to decoding and interpreting body language of all types.
After a brief introduction to the topic, and the brain processes behind our actions and reactions, voluntary and involuntary, he launches right into the material, chapter by chapter, going from the legs, torso, arms, to head and face. Each movement is discussed, reasons and justifications for Navarro’s interpretations are given, and there is usually a photo of each position or move. It could not be made any more clear.
Navarro’s book is one I would recommend to anybody interested in this aspect of interpersonal relationships, from business to poker to courtship to friendship.
Filed under: Personal Development Book Reviews