In this episode we break down the complex and confusing world of body language and nonverbal communication. We discover the easiest starting point for learning the basics you need to know to get started with reading and understanding body language and we dig into the specific tools and strategies you can start using right away to not only decode the body language of others, but also change your own body language to communicate what you want. We explore all this and much more with our guest Joe Navarro.

Joe Navarro was approached to join the FBI while working as a police officer at the age of 23. He spent the next 25 years at the FBI working as both an agent and a supervisor in the areas of counterintelligence and counterterrorism. Since retiring in 2003 Joe has written several best selling books on human behavior most recently The Dictionary of Body Language: A field Guide To What Every Body is Saying. His work is frequently featured on programs such as The Today Show, Fox News, Good Morning America, and more!How do we breakdown the maze of nonverbal communication and cues and use them to understand and influence others?Nonverbals are everything other than spoken communication - body language, clothes, cars, pens, accessories, etc You can use nonverbal cues to deeply understand other people, their behaviors and desires The most simple way to understand human body language is to break it down in to the basic categories of “comfort” and “discomfort”We are always transmitting, we’re always being examined, people are assessing us the minute we come into viewEasy signs of discomfort to spot and teach yourself to view:Eye touching / eye covering - a powerful phenomena that can even be seen in blind children Lip compression is a very good indicator that something is wrong - someone is struggling with something or worried about somethingJaw shifting - sign of struggle / difficultyNeck touching - welcome tend to touch the base of their neck with their finger, men tend to grab their necks or massage their necksVentilation behaviors - pulling on your shirt, lifting up your hair - shows difficulty or struggleIf you stand at an angle, people will listen to you for a longer period of timeTilting your head slightly to the side is one of the best ways to build rapport with peopleThe feet are the most honest part of the body - how you can read people’s feet to understand what they’re telling you When they’re something we don’t like our feet will immediately turn away from itThe limbic system in the brain - the “lizard brain” - is responsible for our survival and triggers many of these subconscious nonverbal reactionsTry this out at a meeting or cocktail party - pick out a behavior, observe it, and see if you can learn to watch for itIt’s very difficult to detect deception in someone’s body language - the story of the parking ticket All actors rehearse - it’s no different with the nonverbal personas you want to use to interact with peopleHomework: watch as people are reporting on the stock market on a good and bad day and watch their nonverbalsHomework: watch a TV show with the sound off and see if you can pick out what’s going on from just the nonverbal cuesHomework: 3 starting behaviors to look for Look for eye blocking/eye closureLook for lip compression & jaw shiftingLook for neck touching Notice when it happens, how it happens, what questions were asked, and how people answer - build that into your repitoirs and the expand your skills

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