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

Should be more suscint. Great tips though, very applicable

This was incredibly book, I learnt so so much. I now know I've been doing this for years and my hubby tells me I read too much into situations. But he isn't observant so doesn't see the subtle cues that I do. I've put the book in the loo so when he forgets his book he will read it cause I'm hoping to conform him. :-) seriously if u want to learn more about people buy this book as its definitely a skill worth learning:-)

This book is really good and helpful!!

This is one of those books which is quite hard to rate. But here we go.Target AudienceThis is a beginners' book. So if you are already a whiz at reading body language, or you are a psychology graduate, this is not the book for you. It's the pop-science/pop-psychology version, aimed at the ordinary man-in-the-street who wants to know about more about the subject, to be better able to read friends, family, colleagues, and so on. If you want something more complex than that - if you want a high-level textbook or an academic thesis - this is not the book for you.On the other hand, if you are an ordinary person wanting to know a bit more about body language, this is a good place to start.Equally, I think this would be a good book for writers who want to write realistic body language - there's a difference between being able to read body language instinctively, and having it laid out exactly what you're looking at, and the types of things people do when they're comfortable/not comfortable, so that you can then reproduce it.The StyleNavarro might have interesting information to impart, but his delivery tends to be a little flat. This is not the kind of narrative non-fiction pop-science book that pulls you along with the sheer sparkiness of the prose. Get used to that, suck it up, and read the information. This is the boiled cauliflower of prose: good for you, but bland.The ContentUnlike some reviewers, I am not naturally gifted with a brilliant ability to interpret other people's body language. Nor am I a psychology graduate. However, the content seemed to me to be accurate. When I replay what I've seen in my head, it matches up with what Navarro is saying. Furthermore, Navarro is very clear that body language tends to indicate comfort/discomfort - what that means is something you have to interpret in context. There is no 'tell' that will infallibly indicate when someone is lying.The ConclusionFour stars for content, provided you're in the right target audience. Delivery could have been better, but not everything in life is fun and exciting. A useful book for those who want to know a little more on the subject for general-purpose use.

They say that a large proportion of our communication is done via body language (It was around 70-80% I believe)... so it's pretty obvious that with those wanting to achieve mastery over social interactions - that body language is a high priority on their list.Sadly, a lot of materials have taken advantage of this demand and leapt onto the bandwagon - providing over the top, exagerrated and unrealistic claims... so every self-proclaimed "Body Language Expert" will give you hard-and-fast rules about each and every hand movement, and exactly what they say. So if a man crosses his arms, it means that he is uncomfortable because the decor if his immediate location contains colours that remind him of his 3rd aunt's house who had a big dog that bit him when he was 10... oh, and if he blinks quickly too, it means that there were 2 dogs. Rarely does the consideration "is he cold?" spring to mind.Fortunately, Joe Navarro is realistic in his explanations. As an Ex-FBI, it could have been tempting for him to make out like he was the lie-detector king and sell you a ton of 'tells' about what people do when they lie... but he doesn't. He holds the realistic idea that you can never tell a liar - Only if they develop discomfort. His ideas are tried, tested and very thorough. There's a lot to learn in this book, particularly for beginners. The layout is nicely structured for dipping back into for reference and is packed with a ton of well-presented images (No ridiculous hand-drawn pictures). But don't think of this as an oracle, or an encyclopedia - but more a study aid / instruction manual.Unfortunately, because it is one of the few realistic books out there - it dwarfs in comparison to other titles, as it lacks the over-the-top claims that adorn their pages. A lot of the examples are probably 'obvious', for the simple reason they're the only ones that are most reliable. A lot of readers come here expecting a manual for every little flinch and motion - which, I'm afraid, is impossible (or unreliable)... the level of explanation on body language can only go so far, because there's so many factors that come into play. For example; is a woman facing you a sign of interest? On one hand, yes... but what if she's interested yet shy about it? She'd face away then. She might not be interested, but feels comfortable enough that she will still face you...The only 'reliable' tell you can generally find is a person's state of comfort - which, fortunately, Joe explains in brilliant detail here.The only real downside is that, coming from an FBI background, a lot of his examples are FBI/crime/interrogation-based. Don't get me wrong - his ideas still apply to social/business situaitons... but be aware that you might need to do a small bit of legwork in applying the principles to your field. He's given you the raw materials - all you need to do is ask "ok - so how could this body language pop up in my field?" - The 'tells' will still be the same, but when and how they appear might change.So overall, it's an excellent, down-to-earth book that you can keep leaping back into for references and reminders as you hone your new skills

Gift so unsure of quality