What Every BODY Is Saying

An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People

By: Joe Navarro, Marvin Karlins

Narrated by: Paul Costanzo

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

He says that's his best offer. Is it?

She says she agrees. Does she?

The interview went great - or did it?

He said he'd never do it again. But he did.

Listen to this book and send your nonverbal intelligence soaring. Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to "speed-read" people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. You'll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you. You will discover:

• The ancient survival instincts that drive body language
• Why the face is the least likely place to gauge a person's true feelings
• What thumbs, feet, and eyelids reveal about moods and motives
• The most powerful behaviors that reveal our confidence and true sentiments
• Simple nonverbals that instantly establish trust
• Simple nonverbals that instantly communicate authority

Filled with examples from Navarro's professional experience, this definitive book offers a powerful new way to navigate your world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2008 Joe Navarro (P)2011 HarperCollinsPublishers

trying to be interested

the example chosen are not realy practical......... sometime example are referng to a special person not to general use.

You only forget what you don't know.

What did you love best about What Every BODY Is Saying?

the fact that it was written by someone that experienced them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

the knwoledge itself

Have you listened to any of Paul Costanzo’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

OK.

Any additional comments?

I would very much prefer to listen to an audiobook that is being read by two people because at times it becomes too hard to concentrate.
I have 18 audiobooks, so I feel I know what it is like to listen to an entire audiobook, even if the language is clear as is this case, but...

Too many references to a pdf.

Great topic. The reader keeps you engaged but there were too many references to a pdf while listening to an audiobook.
Overall, I give it a 4 stars.

Great but slow

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, It is a great listen the content has me thinking and acting differently i am more vigilant of those around me. I wouldn't say i am better at reading people but it has made me more aware of my body reacts in certain situations and how to control those impulses.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was good. I really enjoyed the content of the book

Any additional comments?

It is very long and arduous listen but well worth the content. stick it out then maybe take a break from listening to books.

For anyone wanting to better understand others

I read another book on body language a year or two ago and was not impressed. Part of what it talked about was pretty obvious and other parts were too absolute. And, it was written almost like a list with explanations. This book was different. 

First some background--Joe Navarro is a former FBI agent (for 25 years) and an expert on body language. One of the things that made this book interesting was examples of crimes exposed by reading someone’s body language. 

Navarro doesn’t just describe certain gestures, he tells you why they are important and what the gestures come from. In other words, he talks about why some gestures are uncontrollable and what purpose they have served as defense mechanisms. Most gestures are related to our primal responses to danger--freeze, flight, and fight. 

While many books on body language put a lot of focus on the face and minute facial expressions, Navarro says that the face is the least reliable indicator because we have learned from childhood to control our facial expressions. As he notes, every child hears from parents, “Don’t look at me like that,” and “Don’t give me that look.” We learn to hide our feelings with our facial expressions very early. 

Instead he says that the most reliable gestures are in the feet and lower body. He says that it is a mistake that most police interrogation rooms put the suspect at a table where you can only look for other clues as to what movement is going on beneath the table. So, he goes from the feet, legs, torso, shoulders, arms, hands, and finally to the face. 

He also emphasizes that gestures are not absolute. Some gestures can mean different things in different contexts, with different people, and in different cultures. He states that you must start by observing a person’s gestures to get a baseline before watching for their response in more difficult situations. Maybe a person’s hand normally shakes or their feet are always moving. More important than reading the gestures is looking for changes in behaviors when the same topic comes up. 

He states that you should not depend on a single gesture, but should look for multiple gestures that occur together. And, he states that there is no gesture that indicates deception. There are many that indicate discomfort, but you have to follow through to determine where their discomfort comes from. He notes that many serious law enforcement mistakes come from jumping to conclusions of guilt and deception when there may be many other reasons for the person’s discomfort. 

But, reading body language is not just to try to detect indications of discomfort and deception. We use body language to indicate all kinds of emotions as well as to comfort others, pacify others, etc. 

After reading other books and articles about body language, my expectations for this book were not very high, but as I read it, I soon changed my mind. I’d recommend this for anyone who is interested in better understanding others.

I really like the ending!!

The content is informative and useful. I can use the info for practice. But I really like the analogy and ways forward in the last chapter.

Good with Some Reservations

Would you listen to What Every BODY Is Saying again? Why?

The information is good, but I found myself wondering if his science was good. He is obviously a person who believes strongly in the theory evolution and when he tries to use this theory to support the science of body language it lessens the credibility since evolution has so many holes in its theory. For me it was annoying and distracting.

Great content- horrible narrator

Loved the content. A lot of great information but it’s really, really hard to get past the Mr Roboto style of narration. Order the hard copy for this one unless you are R2D2.

Interesting topic, but no zip & a dry presentation

What did you like best about What Every BODY Is Saying? What did you like least?

The content was of great interest to me, because as a writer, I want to imbue my characters (especially the dodgy ones) with traits that 'ring true'. The in-depth information about 'happy feet' and other body 'tells' was very useful, especially since we tend to rely overmuch on the face and eyes.

What I did not like was the constant references to the author as FBI agent in a 'look at me' sort of way, without revealing anything about him as a human being. The stories he recounted were so single dimensional, they made being a high level law enforcement officer seem boring. More anecdotes and exciting events where he used his skills as a 'reader' of body language would have been helpful.

It annoyed me that I kept being referred to PDF images. He should have been able to describe the visuals accurately, so that I could 'see' them with his words. This is a 'talking book' - I don't carry documents with me when I'm riding my bike or working in the garden.

Has What Every BODY Is Saying turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator has a strong, pleasing voice, but the monotone delivery reinforced the lack of sparkle in the content. He sounded too much like Sgt. Friday from Dragnet. Good for a 30 minute TV show but not good for listening to for hours on end!

Do you think What Every BODY Is Saying needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Unless the author is going to increase the pace and layer in some complexity and excitement, no follow up is needed. There are so many other resources out there - the author needs to be able to leverage his experiences being an FBI agent to connect to the reader/listener and energize the story more effectively.

No Duh!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Though the author may be an indespensable part of crime prevention and investigation,
the book seems a little obvious to the average joe.

Did What Every BODY Is Saying inspire you to do anything?

No