Board index › Coping in life › Social Skills and Making Friends

What Every Body is Saying

Page 1 of 1 [ 8 posts ] 

Previous topic | Next topic

Cai85
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 30 Apr 2013
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 34

30 May 2013, 12:02 pm

Has anyone else read What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro? I wanted to see what other people made of it. For those who don't know, it's a book on the basics of body language interpretation, something I've never been consciously good at in the past. Perhaps the most comforting part is the author treats the topic like it's a skill that can be learned, rather than innate.

I just got started on it a couple days ago and it feels like an entire world of knowledge I should have gained on my own but didn't has been dropped in my lap. Normally I don't reread things right after I read them the first time, but this is one of those cases where I seem to be doing just that for every chapter to make sure I understand it.



AgentPalpatine
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 9 Jun 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,881
Location: Near the Delaware River

30 May 2013, 12:50 pm

Cai85 wrote:
Has anyone else read What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro? I wanted to see what other people made of it. For those who don't know, it's a book on the basics of body language interpretation, something I've never been consciously good at in the past. Perhaps the most comforting part is the author treats the topic like it's a skill that can be learned, rather than innate.

I just got started on it a couple days ago and it feels like an entire world of knowledge I should have gained on my own but didn't has been dropped in my lap. Normally I don't reread things right after I read them the first time, but this is one of those cases where I seem to be doing just that for every chapter to make sure I understand it.


I read a chapter or two of one of Mr. Navarro's past works, it is interesting. Takes a great deal of study to put into practice, and situationally dependent.

Now, I did'nt read this book, but if it's as deep as what I read, there's no way that most people ever gain that level of knowledge on their own. There may be some individuals who catch that knowledge naturally, but I suspect it's rare.


_________________
Our first challenge is to create an entire economic infrastructure, from top to bottom, out of whole cloth.
-CEO Nwabudike Morgan, "The Centauri Monopoly"
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (Firaxis Games)


Cai85
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 30 Apr 2013
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 34

30 May 2013, 1:31 pm

I'm not becoming an instant expert by reading the book or anything, but just a couple chapters in and I have already started to observe some of the things that are being discussed in the book, such as people touching their face more often or the direction one's feet are pointing. It's stuff I just never thought about before, so while it is conditional and not perfect, it does feel like it's a wealth of knowledge that's immensely useful.

Also, AgentPalpatine: I love the Alpha Centauri signature. One of the greatest games ever made, in my opinion.



AgentPalpatine
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 9 Jun 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,881
Location: Near the Delaware River

30 May 2013, 1:40 pm

Cai85 wrote:
I'm not becoming an instant expert by reading the book or anything, but just a couple chapters in and I have already started to observe some of the things that are being discussed in the book, such as people touching their face more often or the direction one's feet are pointing. It's stuff I just never thought about before, so while it is conditional and not perfect, it does feel like it's a wealth of knowledge that's immensely useful.

Also, AgentPalpatine: I love the Alpha Centauri signature. One of the greatest games ever made, in my opinion.


Yes, It's one of the only Firaxis/Sid Meier games that has not been updated, unlike X-Com, which was'nt even one to begin with. The rights are tied up with another company at this time.

I was refering to your statement in the OP that you "feels like an entire world of knowledge I should have gained on my own but didn't has been dropped in my lap". The level of detail that Mr. Navarro uses in his (past) books is far deeper than most people learn without formal training.


_________________
Our first challenge is to create an entire economic infrastructure, from top to bottom, out of whole cloth.
-CEO Nwabudike Morgan, "The Centauri Monopoly"
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (Firaxis Games)


Knofskia
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 20 Jul 2012
Gender: Female
Posts: 552
Location: Michigan

30 May 2013, 4:02 pm

Because of my sensory/cognitive issues, I never learned this skill. But, because of my sensory/cognitive issues, I will never be able to use this skill. Instead, I am searching for a book about etiquette in general. I prefer classic hardcover books, if anyone knows of any. :D



auntblabby
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 115,217
Location: the island of defective toy santas

30 May 2013, 4:23 pm

the problem with learning any foreign language including body language which qualifies in my book as a foreign language, as it is not native to me] is that the native practitioners of such are "speaking" WAY too fast for me to recognize anything that they "say," including what they say with their bodies via gestures and postures.



Cai85
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 30 Apr 2013
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 34

30 May 2013, 4:43 pm

auntblabby wrote:
the problem with learning any foreign language including body language which qualifies in my book as a foreign language, as it is not native to me] is that the native practitioners of such are "speaking" WAY too fast for me to recognize anything that they "say," including what they say with their bodies via gestures and postures.


Maybe it is something of a foreign language (I have never done well with foreign languages myself, do better with written than verbal). That being said, what I do when I hear someone speak in that foreign language, especially in media, I try and pick out the little bits that I can. I figure it's the same with body language related matters: I can't expect to pick up everything instantly, but I can try and pick out small things, and over time try and add to my 'vocabulary.'

I'm thinking I might need to take a field trip to a restaurant or coffee shop soon to try and observe for a while so that I can try and put the new found knowledge to use.



auntblabby
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 115,217
Location: the island of defective toy santas

30 May 2013, 6:07 pm

the problem with piecemeal approach to body language, is it fails to take into account the fact that it is an organic [all of a piece] phenomenon where the gestures have to be part of a systemic whole, IOW you must use the gestures at the right time, for the right amount of time AND in the right order- otherwise it comes out as psychovisual gibberish.