What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People

What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide To Speed-Reading People (Chinese Edition) [Joe Navarro, Marvin Karlins] on leondumoulin.nl *FREE*.
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It was clear, when he started to talk about how to dress, that he was diving into a territory he wasn't familiar with and ended up sounding silly. Also consider that although you may deliberately want to use your attire to send a signal to one person or a group of people at a specific time and place, you may have to pass a lot of other people who are not as receptive to your message along the way! Why talk about it in the book at all? It felt like the author was simply trying to fill up the book space. Although on the cover the author's arms are wide open, shoulders down, head to the side, feet are directed at the one looking at the cover, and it gives you the vibe that you are welcome to have a friendly chat with him, his ankle is on his knee.

This made me think that although he wants to look like he is confidant, relaxed and open, the ankle on the knee indicates that he is creating a protective barrier between him and a reader. He is an Ex-FBI. He should be confidant with what he's putting out to the world. I can't help but think that after all the "secrets" he revealed, tips that he gave on how to read people, he himself, subconsciously chose a picture to be used on the book cover, which revealed him being insecure about his own work?

It gave me "I really hope you like it" sort of vibe. That made me wonder how good of FBI agent he was. If his book cover is anything to go by Mar 19, Lolly K Dandeneau rated it really liked it. This was informative, much like other 'non-verbal intelligence books are. What I particularly enjoyed about Joe Navarro's teaching is that the body language itself is not enough to assume a particular emotion.

A lot of other books will say, for example, that if you shake your foot a lot you're nervous. But some people are foot shakers or just nervous by nature. With such people they are likely to either shake more violently or simply stop when nervous. So you see, while body language is telling This was informative, much like other 'non-verbal intelligence books are. So you see, while body language is telling you must also add other important clues up to come to a conclusion.

You can't say all people who have a stern look are stern. Some people get nervous anyway when being accused of lying and may exhibit nervous actions. His book is one of the best when it comes to this subject. Sure, not everyone would be easy to read but since reading this book I have been noticing more what certain body language is saying, and honestly it tends to run on the side of true. It's almost laughable how easy the majority of us are to read. Aug 10, Narges Salmanizadeh rated it it was amazing.

Let me tell you something, even though this book is such a great eye opening book for having more successful conversations with ppl whom you don't know, it can take away your peace. The way this book push you to concentrate more on the body language of people than their speech is somehow fluster. But its great it's worth it and im gonna use it a lot in my life. Jun 26, Ali rated it it was ok Shelves: Dec 14, Sean rated it liked it. It would be really, really hard to get me to give a book like this more than three stars, because what I want from it isn't what most readers want.

It's got more citations than I'd have expected, so that's good. But very rarely does the author say " In that regard, I've enjoyed the book a great deal. Great tips and overall a very interesting read. What I like most is the author's attempt to explain the whys for all the little tidbits he's mentioning here. Aug 15, Robyn Blaber rated it really liked it Shelves: When I picked up this book I was quite full of scepticism. I know how hard it is to detect deception and I expected that this book was going to tell me 50 ways to spot a liar from various tells.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author had a good grounding of the science behind body language and tons of field work unlike the TSA, who with 15 minutes of training, can spot a terrorist just by looking at them. What the book does do is give you dozens and dozens of clues as to how a perso When I picked up this book I was quite full of scepticism.

What the book does do is give you dozens and dozens of clues as to how a person is feeling at any given time. If what they are saying does not match their body language, this can be a tip that the person is being deceptive. Usually, all we can discover from these clues is that the person being observed is enduring stress, or happiness, fear, or some other emotion that might be missing from verbal communication. What the book doesn't tell you is that to really make use of the information, one would have to read, re-read, study and practice with the book for a very long time to make the best use of this information.

Since reading it, I've watched for some clues mentioned in the book in my personal relationships and found that Overall, I give the book high marks due to the professional nature of the writing and the admission that lie detection is in fact nearly impossible despite non-verbal clues and that might indicate the possibility of deception. For my own purposes, I think I'll re-read this book in a few months to bolster what I have learned.

I imagine that understanding these non-verbal gestures could go a long way to aiding my personal communications for the rest of my life. Feb 09, Nikki Sex rated it it was amazing. This is an excellent must read if you're an author. I recommend the hard copy vs ereader however, because you get pictures in the actual book.

This book illustrates what people do with their body when they are afraid, nervous, happy Insightful read if that kind of thing interests you, but particularly useful as an author to describe a scene. May 18, Sebah Al-Ali rated it really liked it Shelves: Be a competent observer of your environment. By this logic, we can use these behaviors to interpret what the brain is choosing to communicate externally.

Jun 23, Patrick rated it liked it. To explain why this book wasn't really what I was hoping for, it would help to explain what I was hoping for: I am mildly autistic, and I have difficulty picking up on nonverbal social cues, particularly in informal environments like casual conversation, friendship, and dating.

So I've been looking for resources on identifying nonverbal behaviors in these sorts of circumstances: Is he interested in what I'm saying, or bored and faking a smile? Is she attracted to me, or just being polite? Do the To explain why this book wasn't really what I was hoping for, it would help to explain what I was hoping for: Do they want to be my friends, or would they rather be somewhere else right now? Navarro's book is not that, unfortunately.

He is a former FBI interrogator, and so his perspective on nonverbal behavior is focused around issues of dominance and submission, territory, anxiety, deception. And I have no doubt that the information is accurate and tremendously useful in interrogations. It would also be useful in other conflict scenarios, like court cases and Congressional hearings.

It has certain applications in job interviews and business meetings. But when it comes to dating, which is really what I was looking for, there's virtually nothing. Just a few tidbits here and there about what confidence looks like, how to tell a genuine smile from a fake one. These tidbits aren't useless, but nor are they what I really need—which is to understand what exactly I've been missing and misunderstanding in one-on-one contact for years.

It would also have been helpful to learn how to control these signals better, because I know that one of the symptoms of depression is that you tend to send out subconscious rejection signals to everyone around you. I'm sure I am doing this without being aware of it, and I would like to stop—but while Navarro talks about recognizing the signals, he doesn't talk about controlling them, and for the most part seems to think that control is difficult or impossible.

This leaves me feeling, well, a little sad. May 11, Christopher Ryan rated it liked it. Every activist, counter-cultural figure, and free-thinker should read this book, if only to know how organizations like the FBI operate. There is a lot of very intuitive stuff in here, which Navarro will help you recognize, and a lot of it is useful -- but it also implies a lot of stereotyping and generalization. Which is funny, since my instinct was defensiveness every time I came across a picture of Navarro in his baggy suit and cold, piercing eyes.

Even more so when I looked at the pictures o Every activist, counter-cultural figure, and free-thinker should read this book, if only to know how organizations like the FBI operate. Even more so when I looked at the pictures of the female model, who should never have been included in this book. Every pose is ridiculous, every expression is like she's mugging. She exaggerates everything so much that it conveys nothing. Still, there's a good deal to glean from this book, both in how to conduct oneself in a formal, conservative setting, as well as how to read people in social atmospheres.

Once you start reading this, you'll adopt a somewhat overwhelming self-awareness, as well as a tendency to study the people around you. December Pacifying behaviors are not indicators of lying. Mouth movements and hand movements. July - Reread the book, so much information.

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My take away this time is that I will start focusing on one body part at a time. I am also more aware of self soothing behavior in myself and others. March - Awesome, so interesting. I am going to have to review this over and over again. This book should easily help me get all of my poker losses back! If she keeps playing with her hair it means she fancies you. If they cross their arms it means they don't. Everyone is familiar with the concept of body language as expressed by simplistic, quasi-scientific rules such as these. One of the things I liked most about Navarro's book is that it eschews basic X means Y type formulations and attempts to locate the art of reading body language in a broader, richer context that any matter relating to the highly complex matter of human psychology clearly If she keeps playing with her hair it means she fancies you.

One of the things I liked most about Navarro's book is that it eschews basic X means Y type formulations and attempts to locate the art of reading body language in a broader, richer context that any matter relating to the highly complex matter of human psychology clearly deserves. Navarro himself was an FBI expert on reading body language, using his skills in the field and latterly to teach agents and law enforcement officers about the subject. Interestingly, he links the early development of his skills to his experience as a child; he was the son of an immigrant family who spoke no English.

In this environment, he says, you quickly learn a lot about body language! Navarro appears decidedly well versed in the academic literature of his field, the text is well referenced and the list of further reading is extensive. Throughout one has a sense of a man immersed in his chosen profession. Before we move through a survey of the different types of 'language' each part the body may be 'speaking' it is worthwhile to highlight a few general points Navarro is a pains to make plain.

He counsels a cautious, reasoned approach. First, scientific research in the field is conclusive: There is no 'Pinocchio Effect' akin to the statements made in the first two sentences. Even the most skilled professional can only hope for a success rate of c. Inevitably, this will cause some people to cry foul.

Here I see considerable similarities to the fund management industry; is it all just luck? I suppose know one truly knows but I am prepared to accept there is skill in both. One thing is certain, neither are sciences! Given this background, Navarro suggests we must begin by observing what a persons normal, comfortable behaviour looks like; establishing a control.

A large part of this is asking neutral questions, in a neutral tone whilst using neutral body language yourself. Also, sufficient time must be left between questions to allow for full observation. This is probably a lot harder than it might initially seem. One of the things that made me feel that there might be some truth to the claims made in this book was the fact that I began to notice that I was exhibiting some of the traits identified in exactly the kind of situations described without realising it!

Once a 'control' of normal behaviour has been established we might move on to ask harder questions or broach more uncomfortable topics thus contrasting comfortable body behaviour with uncomfortable body behaviour. Alongside this, one should try to notice if there is synchrony between verbal and non-verbal behaviour. For example, if a person is saying they really like someone but all their body language is saying the polar opposite.

One should also pay close attention to the grouping of signs given the inherent uncertainty in interpretation. Lastly, one must pay close attention to emphasis. When someone is making a strongly declarative statement to which they should be passionately committed, like "you have to believe me I didn't do it", you should look for a similarly emphatic display from the body.

The main point here though, to me, is "there is no single behaviour that is indicative of deception"! Now, what sort of things can we look for: Isopraxism, or mirroring behaviour, is a very strong sign of comfort as is leaning in or angling of the torso towards your conversational partner. This can be displayed as a lack of movement, direction of eyes downward, shoulders hunched up, head down like the person is trying to hide.

A Beginner’s Guide To Body Language & Nonverbal Communication with Joe Navarro

Flight is rarely physical with humans today and is usually expressed as blocking like putting one's hands over one's face, closing eyes, rubbing eyes, placing something in one's lap or in front of themselves, leaning away, turning feet to the exit or placing one's heel down with the toes up like they're about to start a race. Fight, again, is rarely physical, but is the process of turning fear to rage and limits the ability to think clearly. Associated physical behaviour may be puffing out one's chest, making oneself bigger, invading other's space and using verbal abuse When feeling uncomfortable, stressed or insecure about a question or topic of discussion people will often use pacifying movements to offset these feelings.

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Examples include touching, especially the neck but can be face and legs too, or stroking, rubbing cheeks and lips from the inside with the tongue, exhaling slowly with puffed out cheeks, chewing gum faster, smoking more. Men prefer to touch the face or neck, which contains a nerve for slowing the heart rate, whereas women prefer to play with jewellery, clothing, arms, hair. People telling the truth have no need to beg. Abused children often freeze in an attempt of go unnoticed and avoid abuse.

When people are doing something they shouldn't like stealing they also tend to restrict arm movement and look around a lot more than usual. Arms behind one's back is a sign that you perceive yourself to be higher status than those around you. It is saying, don't touch me or come near me!

Cupping is a higher confidence hand position. Pointing of the thumbs upwards, when grabbing lapels or collars, is a high confidence sign as is sticking hands in pockets with thumbs sticking out. Equally disappearance of thumbs and hiding them is a low confidence behaviour Interlacing of fingers tends to be a low confidence behaviour unless the thumbs point upwards Thumbs in belt loops with fingers pointing down is called genital framing and is a high confidence display of sexual virility Interlocking fingers accompanied by rubbing or wringing is a high stress indicator FACE Unpleasant or negative emotions cause tension and result in clenched jaw, flared nostrils, fixed eyes, rigid, un-tilting head position, pursed lips and disappearing or squinting eyes, quivering lips, furrow lines on the forehead.

Positive emotions tend to elicit the opposite Dilated pupils are associated with positive emotions and surprise whereas constricted pupils are usually associated with negative emotions as the eyes are trying to bring things into sharper focus because of a perceived danger or unpleasantness Raised eyebrows are a gravity defying behaviour associated with confidence and happiness whereas lowered brows are associated with negative thoughts Hands in front of the eyes, touching the eyes or delayed opening and tight clenching shut are all associated with blocking negative or unwelcome thoughts People look away to clarify thoughts without the distraction of a person's face so this is neutral An increase in the rate at which we blink is associated with stress Looking askance conveys scepticism about the topic under discussion or the veracity of what is being said Fake smiling doesn't involve the eyes and usually the mouth moves sideways rather than upwards.

A real smile usually involves upward movement of the mouth as well as broadening and involves the eyes Increasingly disappearing lips indicate stress or disagreement especially so when the corners point downwards Puckered lips show disagreement and consideration of alternatives Sneers indicate an attitude of, 'I know more than you do' and a disrespect for the knowledge or assessment of the other person Lip licking is a pacifying behaviour. Sticking one's tongue out between the teeth with no contact with the lips can mean a variety of things like, 'I got caught', 'I screwed up', 'I'm naughty' and 'I got away with something'.

It is usually displayed briefly. Nail biting is an insecure pacifying behaviour Faces associated with bad tastes or unpleasant food like mini snarls and nose crinkles indicate displeasure and can be very fleetingly displayed Holding one's chin and nose high shows positivity and vice versa Having completed this brief survey of some of the main points, Navarro also suggests that if the signs are mixed then one should always side with the negative indicator as negative feelings are expressed more strongly than positive.

He also suggests that if one has trouble interpreting a certain behaviour then a useful approach is to do it oneself and see how it makes you feel. Overall, I found this a useful and considered introduction to the subject. In places the style is quite overbearingly that of a person who idealises law enforcement, "that'll be the last time he tries something like that" etc. One less forgivable aspect of the text, to my mind, is the infuriating habit of placing exemplary stories in shaded boxes and separating them from the text.

If the example is illuminating then it deserves to be in the text proper, if not it deserves to be omitted. It's unclear when the reader should interrupt a sentence to read them, as they sometimes appear, or whether we should wait until the end of the book to review them as a distinct collection of narratives!

To me, it represents wrongheaded editing and confronts the reader with a jarring reading experience.

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Otherwise, it was an interesting read with a couple of stylistic shortcomings. Oct 24, Nsiku Banda rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Politicians, job-seekers, scholars and just about anyone really! Recommended to Nsiku by: No one i just thought it would be a good read. This exciting book opens your eyes to the very things of body language you know about.

The pictorial representations makes it easy to read even not-so avid readers could just take a couple of days or so to complete the entire book. Yet, in the end you feel as though you have achieved and understood the non-verbal behaviour with a better view of the world around you - able to see most of what we take for granted in everyday life. In the book, Navarro demonstrates several types of body languages in This exciting book opens your eyes to the very things of body language you know about. In the book, Navarro demonstrates several types of body languages in pictorial format and then correlates those postures with real-life FBI past experience making his arguments even more convincing.

He conveniently highlights his life experiences as an FBI agent in distinctive boxes over many pages bringing the tapestry of human experience in all of its delightful complexity as he puts it himself. Despite the fact that this book is well recognised in many circles, it is worth noting that some issues discussed are complex due to the fuzzy nature of the topics and lacks proper scientific evidence. However, I give Navarro credit for admitting to this and extra credit for the plethora of bibliography!

However, what is good about this book is that you realise that there is nothing new about body language. All what he says you already know about - it's the way he puts it that makes it interesting! In fact, most of what he explains is common knowledge that anyone at some point in life might have come across consciously or sub-consciously. Navarro splits the non-verbal behaviours into two categories on the basis of human-consciousness - those controlled by the neocortex [conscious] and the limbic part of our brain [sub-conscious].

Most of Navarro's illustrations in this book are based around the limbic part of the brain, which has no control of the human brain. I guess that is why Navarro chose to focus his arguments on this basis because it gives him the flexibility to stretch his arguments as much as he like with no right or wrong answers. So, find out for yourself if this man with a distinguished twenty-five year career with the FBI is what he claims to be? One thing for sure is that this book will put you on the spot-light to be more aware of your surroundings than ever before.

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If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Learn more about Amazon Prime. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. What Every Body Is Saying: Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. I thought some of the negative reviews were a bit critical of this book. This book lays a solid foundation to reading non verbal actions or "tells". I've read several other books on this subject and thought this was a solid read and I was very happy with my purchase.

There is no single book offered that will turn you into an expert over night. It is important to realize that reading people is a skill. You don't become great at it over night or an expert right after reading the book. Just like any other skill, you have to practice and work at it.

You develop the skill of paying attention and picking up on the little things.


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Once you are able to do that, you then have to determine what all of those things mean. I'm a single male, small business owner and avid poker player. Being able to read people can be very useful in dating, business and at the poker table. One thing that is very interesting is that some actions or "tells" are very common and seem to always mean the same thing.

Other actions or "tells" are unique to each person. What may mean one thing for one person, may actually mean the opposite when done by another person.


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The "magic" of being able to read people is being able to determine what those actions mean for individual people. Sometimes it's not an action at all but it is what people DON'T say or do that can paint you the entire picture. In my business, I use my ability to read people to determine whether or not they are being truthful or are uncomfortable with something.

If I see them acting in a certain way that makes me believe they are uncomfortable, I go out of my way to explain things to them so that they might be more comfortable with the situation or outcome. This book should be a dating book as well. I can't stand dating. Not many people are very up front and honest about how they feel about another person, especially on a first date. I am not kidding you when I say that there are more non-verbal "tells" on a first date than in any other situation!

What Every BODY is Saying

If you want to know if a woman likes you or not, pay attention to her actions throughout the date. I'm not an expert, but I think I can figure it out in 10 minutes or less! This book really is a big help with poker tells. It's helped me make some extraordinary calls and folds. Several times I've stunned the entire table and the dealers with my reads. Just a few things off of the top of my head are, people who've made very strong hands will often tilt their heads while betting or thinking of betting, hold their hands together-touching only at the finger tips, bounce one leg like crazy happy feet , slide their chips into the pot very slowly or gently or give off a genuine smile.

People who have hit the flop also tend to look away right away if they notice they've hit their card s. Normally people who hit the flop do not stare at the flop. People who are on drawing hands tend to call bets very quickly, seeming to give it no thought what-so-ever. People who have a poor hand or are on a bluff often force a smile there is a difference if you pay attention! They are trying to scare you or force you out of the pot. After reading this book, my poker reads went through the roof. I think it is because I was paying attention and putting more effort into it.

I noticed another player at my home game would sometimes slide his chips into the pot without saying a word when he was all in. He keeps his chips in a big messy pile throughout the game. But sometimes he would actually take the time to count his chips and stack them neatly into the pot when he moved all in. He takes his time counting his chips and then announces the value amount to the table.

When he counts them, he is bluffing. He wants his stack to be known in hopes of scaring off the other opponents.