Joe Navarro - What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agents Guide to Speed-Reading People

What Every Body is Saying

An Ex-FBI Agents Guide to Speed-Reading People

Joe Navarro

FBI Special Agent (Ret.)

with Marvin Karlins, Ph.D.

To my grandmother, Adelina, whose withered
hands lovingly molded a child into a man.

JOE NAVARRO

To my wife, Edyth, who has blessed me with her love
and taught me what it means to be a caring human being.

MARVIN KARLINS

Contents

Marvin Karlins, Ph.D.

T he man sat stoically at one end of the table, carefully crafting his replies to the FBI agents inquiries. He wasnt considered a major suspect in the murder case. His alibi was believable and he sounded sincere, but the agent pressed on nevertheless. With the suspects consent, he was asked a series of questions about the murder weapon:

One of the weapons, the ice pick, had actually been used in the commission of the crime, but that information had been kept from the public. Thus, only the killer would know which object was the real murder weapon. As the FBI agent went down the list of weapons, he observed the suspect carefully. When the ice pick was mentioned, the mans eyelids came down hard and stayed down until the next weapon was named. The agent instantly understood the significance of the eyelid behavior he had witnessed, and from that moment forward the minor suspect became the primary person of interest in the investigation. He later confessed to the crime.

Chalk one up for Joe Navarro, a remarkable human being who, in addition to unmasking the ice-pick killer, is credited with catching scores of criminals, including master spies, in a distinguished twenty-five-year career with the FBI. How was he able to do this? If you asked him, he quietly would say, I owe it to being able to read people.

Joe, it turns out, has spent his entire professional life studying, refining, and applying the science of nonverbal communicationsfacial expressions, gestures, physical movements (kinesics), body distance (proxemics), touching (haptics), posture, even clothingto decipher what people are thinking, how they intend to act, and whether their pronouncements are true or false. This is not good news for criminals, terrorists, and spies, who, under his careful scrutiny, usually give off more than enough nonverbal body signals (tells) to make their thoughts and intentions transparent and detectable.

It is, however, very good news for you, the reader, because the very same nonverbal knowledge Joe relied on to become a master Spycatcher, human lie detector, and instructor at the FBI is what he will be sharing with you so you can better understand the feelings, thoughts, and intentions of those around you. As a renowned author and educator, Joe will teach you how to observe like an expert, detecting and deciphering the nonverbal behaviors of others so you can interact with them more successfully. For business or for pleasure, this knowledge will enrich and magnify your life.

Much of what Joe will be sharing with you in this book was not even recognized fifteen years ago by the scientific community. It is only through recent advances in brain-scan technology and neural imaging that scientists have been able to establish the validity of the behaviors Joe will be describing. Drawing from the latest discoveries in psychology, neurobiology, medicine, sociology, criminology, communication studies, and anthropologyplus his quarter century of experience using nonverbal behavior in his work as an FBI Special AgentJoe is uniquely qualified to help you succeed in your understanding of nonverbal communications. His expertise is recognized and sought worldwide. Besides being interviewed regularly on programs such as NBCs Today Show, CNN Headline News, Fox Cable News, and ABCs Good Morning America , he continues to conduct seminars on nonverbal communication for the FBI and the CIA, as well as for other members of the intelligence community. He is a consultant to the banking and insurance industries as well as to major law firms in the United States and abroad. Joe also teaches at Saint Leo University and at various medical schools throughout the United States, where his unique insights into nonverbal communication have found a receptive audience among many, including physicians desiring to assess patients with greater speed and accuracy. Joes combination of academic skills and occupational credentialscoupled with his masterful analysis of nonverbal communications in real-life, high-stakes situationshas placed him apart and in the forefront of nonverbal expertise, as you will discover in this book.

After working with Joe, attending his seminars, and putting his ideas to work in my own life, I firmly believe that the material in these pages represents a major advance in our understanding of all things nonverbal. I say this as a trained psychologist who got involved in this writing project because I was excited by Joes pioneering work in harnessing the scientific knowledge of nonverbal communications to achieve professional objectives and personal success.

I was also impressed by his reasoned, careful approach to the topic. For example, while observing nonverbals allows us to get an accurate read on many kinds of behavior, Joe warns us that using body language to detect deception is a particularly difficult and challenging task. This is a significant insightrarely recognized by laypeople or by the law enforcement communityand serves as a critical and poignant reminder to be very careful before you declare a person to be honest or dishonest based on his nonverbal behaviors.

Unlike many other books on nonverbal behavior, the information presented herein is based on scientific facts and field-tested findings rather than on personal opinion and armchair speculations. Further, the text highlights what other published works often ignore: the critical role played by the limbic system of the human brain in understanding and using nonverbal cues effectively.

The silent language of the body can be yours to master. Whether you are studying nonverbals because you want to get ahead in your job or simply want to get along better with friends and family, this book is designed for you. Gaining proficiency will require a careful examination of the chapters that follow, plus a commitment to spend some serious time and energy learning and applying Joes teachings in your daily routines.

Reading people successfullylearning, decoding, and utilizing nonverbal behavior to predict human actionsis a task well worth your attention, one that offers ample rewards for the effort expended. So plant your feet firmly on the floor, turn to the next page, and get ready to learn and watch for those all-important nonverbal behaviors that Joe will be teaching you. It wont be long before you discover, with just a glance, what every body is saying.

W hen I started writing the early drafts of this book, I realized that this project had been long in the making. It did not start with my interest in reading about nonverbal behavior, nor in pursuing it academically, nor in the FBI. Rather, in a real sense, it started with my family many years earlier.

I learned to read others primarily from the teachings of my parents, Albert and Mariana Lopez, and my grandmother, Adelina Paniagua Espino. Each in his or her own way taught me something different about the significance and power of nonverbal communications. From my mother, I learned that nonverbals are invaluable in dealing with others. A subtle behavior, she taught me, can avert an awkward situation or can make someone completely comfortablea skill she has performed effortlessly all of her life. From my father, I learned the power of expression; with one look he can communicate volumes with exquisite clarity. He is a man who commands respect, just by being. And from my grandmother, to whom I dedicate this book, I learned that small behaviors have great significance: a smile, a head tilt, a gentle touch at the right time can convey so much; it can even heal. These things they taught me every day, and in so doing, prepared me to observe more aptly the world around me. Their teachings as well as those of many others are found in these pages.