The Secret Language of Business: How to Read Anyone in 3 Seconds or Less

Chapter 11. Using The Secret Language of Business

So far in this book I've talked quite a bit about practical applications body language and nonverbal behaviors, mostly in terms of how to recognize nonverbal cues in different situations and just a touch on how to adapt your own body language to those situations. In this chapter I'll focus solely on how to actively use body language to your benefit in various circumstances.

Active use of body language is just one way to improve your overall communication skills, but it comes with some extra responsibility. Most other people do not have the same knowledge or awareness you are developing through this book, so you in essence have a communication advantage. It is important to use that advantage appropriately and not to take advantage of another person. I'll discuss this in more detail in the last section of the chapter.

Body Language in the Real World

By this point, I hope you have a clear understanding of perhaps the most important underlying truth about body language—it affects everything we say, do, think, and feel. Most of the time this influence is unconscious and automatic so you probably have no idea it is even occurring.

Even with the knowledge gained here, you have only just begun to scratch the surface of the power of body language. It is deeply ingrained in the human experience and some might argue it actually defines the human experience. Philosophical discussions aside, body language is an inescapable part of the real world ...