Body language

Conclusion

My hope for this book is that it will open your eyes to the world around you, to help you understand and appreciate others through this unspoken language we call nonverbals. But reading about it is only the first step. Now comes the more interesting part: looking for and testing what you have learned. By verifying these observations on your own, "in the field," every day, you will develop your own skill set for decoding human behavior. The more you study and verify, the easier it becomes, and you will come to immediately notice signs others miss.

We humans are all in the people business. To be attuned to others is to care. Leadership is all about understanding and communicating, and body language is a key piece of that. Effective leaders listen and transmit on two channels: the verbal and the nonverbal. And even though our world is becoming increasingly digitized and depersonalized, face-to-face contact is still extraordinarily important in building relationships, establishing trust and rapport, understanding others, and relating empathetically. Technology has its uses-it helped me write this book-but it has limitations when it comes to selecting a best friend or someone to spend your life with. The nonverbal we give, and those we notice in others, matter significantly.

Of course, no book can encompass all of human behavior. Others will focus on different behaviors and contribute to our knowledge beyond my scope-perhaps one day it will be you. It has been my intent always to share my knowledge and experiences with others, and doing so has brought me great happiness. I hope you also will share with others what you've learned about body language and nonverbal communication. May your life be as enriched as mine has been, learning about why we do the things we do. It has been an interesting ride. Thank you for sharing it with me.