Communication Archives

The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior

Do you want to better understand nonverbal communication? Do you wish you could read people’s emotions using their body language? In The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior, retired FBI Special Agent Joe Navarro offers a reference guide that explains a wide breadth of body language cues. The guide is intended to create a foundation you can use to study and interpret nonverbal communication. Continue reading for an overview of this book that provides a broad introduction to body language.

Anchoring in Negotiation: Should You Make the First Offer?

What’s the anchoring effect in negotiation? Should you make the first offer? If so, what should it be? According to Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman’s book Negotiation Genius, the anchoring effect refers to the first piece of information offered in a negotiation. This point determines how the rest of the negotiation will go. Learn more about anchoring in negotiation below.

How to Talk About Your Problems: 4 Steps for Opening Up

How to Be Persuasive and Always Get What You Want

Do you have an issue that needs to be resolved? How should you prepare to talk about problems? Whether the problem is with yourself or others, preparing for the discussion is a great way to get organized. No matter who you’re talking to, Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott says you should clarify all the important details so you can contextualize and clearly explain the topic to others. Here are easy steps for talking about problems.

An Introduction to Body Language: 2 Tips to Understand Its Context

How confident are you that you can read body language accurately? Do you know how to read cues collectively or just individually? You can use many body language cues to reliably and consistently assess someone’s emotional state. But, retired FBI Special Agent Joe Navarro says that there are some contextual factors to consider before forming conclusions based on your observations. Read more to get an introduction to body language from Navarro by exploring two of his tips for assessing the context of cues.

Wired for Story by Lisa Cron: Book Overview & Takeaways

Why is it hard to explain what makes a story good? How does that impact our ability to write good stories? What can we do to overcome that difficulty and craft interesting narratives? In Wired for Story, Lisa Cron argues that our brains evolved to absorb information through stories. So, writers who want to create compelling narratives should write in a way that satisfies our brains’ expectations of story. Continue reading for an overview of this book that takes a fresh approach to story writing.

Logrolling in Negotiations: 3 Steps You Can Take to Create Value

What’s logrolling? How does it create value in a negotiation? Logrolling means trading negotiation items that both parties value. Understanding what each party cares about most is crucial to nailing down a deal. Continue reading to learn more about logrolling in negotiation.

How to Resolve Issues in a Small Group Discussion

Do you need to have an intimate conversation with a group of friends or a work team? How can you guide a small group discussion? One of Susan Scott’s conversation models in Fierce Conversations is intended to be used for intimate conversations with one or a few people. Its purpose is to find the root of an issue and surface effective and sustainable solutions by uncovering other peoples’ truths. To structure your small group discussion according to this model, take the following steps.

How to Tell if Someone Is Anxious Through Body Language

Can you tell when someone is anxious? Is sweating always a sign of stress? If you were able to detect when someone else is stressed out, imagine how helpful it would be to be able to adjust your own words and behavior accordingly. In The Dictionary of Body Language, retired FBI Special Agent Joe Navarro shares four common anxious body language cues. Keep reading to learn how to tell if someone is anxious by interpreting their body language.

Why Do People Like Stories? How Stories Appeal to the Brain

Why do people like stories? What answer can we find in the reason why storytelling developed in the first place? Stories aren’t just entertaining; they also satisfy a neurological need that humans evolved over millennia. That’s the view of Lisa Cron, who argues that our brains evolved to absorb important survival information through stories. Read more to understand why Cron urges writers to write in a way that satisfies our brains’ expectations of a story.

How to Prepare for a Negotiation So That You’re Ready for Anything

Do you have a big negotiation coming up? Do you feel ready? According to Negotiation Genius by Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman, the first step to effective negotiation is preparation. Before you enter a negotiation, you must have your negotiables ready and gather as much information as you can about the other party. Let’s look at how to prepare for a negotiation so that you’re ready for anything.