Paul Luen, CEO of manufacturer Martek Marine, reveals what he learnt from The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease.
Over dinner in Copenhagen one balmy evening, a business acquaintance told me with a glint in his eyes about a book he had read that was helping him read between the lines when communicating with his wife. ‘Oh,’ he added, ‘it’s also helped me understand my colleagues and clients better and helped me build better and more successful relationships.’ As I waited for my flight back I was straight on to Amazon and my used copy (I am a Yorkshireman after all) was winging its way to me.
The Definitive Book Of Body Language is a thought provoking and entertaining read which helps reveal that what people say is often very different from what they think or feel. Dedicated to ‘all people who have good eyesight but who cannot see’, the book covers all aspects of non-verbal communication and explains in details what signals we can take from hand, arm, leg, and eye signals. There’s also a fascinating chapter on ‘courtship displays and attraction gestures’.
It’s a long read at nearly 400 pages and is one of those texts best consumed in small doses to enable you to practice observing the body language described in the book.
I find airports more fascinating than ever now, and when I’m not tapping away at my Blackberry or using a VPN connection to my server, you’ll see my scanning the room to decipher all the body language leakage of couples, families and businessmen, betraying their outer veneer to reveal their true emotions. Life will never be the same.
See also: How effective communication will win you more business
