Sunday, October 28, 2012

Book Review: Body Language at Work - Peter Clayton: Read the siGns and maKe the righT moVes


Body Language at Work - Peter Clayton: ~~~Read the siGns and maKe the righT moVes~~~

Body Language at work – Peter Clayton GBP10.99
Read the signs and make the right moves
"I can't give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time."
  - Herbert Bayard SwopeThe Book and the stuff: The book is not too extraordinary. You may or may not read it depending on your choice, but as such does not deliver much on the subject. It is more generic and subjective in nature. Subjective is ok, these sort of books can never be objective, but most of the stuff you already know (and that usually happens in many management, communication and mannerism books where while reading you discover you know most of the stuff already! So precisely you don’t get anything extra out of it, or not much of value addition. No, don’t go by the words, have your own opinion, but the book is quite costly (around Rs. 950/-) published by Om Books International, printed and bound in China. The author is one of the renowned Behavior/ Management Trainer/Consultant in UK.
What is body language: Normal conversation speed is around 100-120 words per minute. In the same amount of time, the average person can “think” about 800 words. Body language is the outlet for this huge mass of unspoken thought and feeling.
Usual Stuff: Mostly it talks about body language at work. It also tells that if you have an intimacy with an office mate, and you speak a different body language or are closer outside office, it reflects into your office body language too. Basically in any conversation there are three zones – Outer Zone or the Business Zone, Middle Zone or the Personal Zone and Inner Zone or the Intimate Zone. Read in the book about their qualities. Further it talks about Positive and Negative Body Language during Handshakes, Presentations, Negotiations, Delivering Lectures, Office communications and after hours.
Unusal Stuff (Something different): The last three chapters are very different and most useful. First is “Men attracting women” that talk about – Stomach in Chest out, Holding the gaze, Preening, Ready to go, following her around etc. Second is “Women Attracting men” that talk about – Glancing sideways, Ambiguous gestures, Curtain Up, Looking over a shoulder, legs twined, legs crossed so a knee point, Mouth and lips, Crossing and uncrossing the legs. And the third is really exceptional and that is “International etiquette” that talks about all countries in the world and their behavior/customs. It tells where to meet people first time or other wise in what manner, what to do, what not to do
Some Tips:
Tip 1: If two persons meet a third person and this third person faces and talks to only one of the two persons, it denotes – the third person does not know him, third person does not want to talk to him, and/or third person does not feel comfortable with him.
Tip 2: If you are talking to a lady in personal zone of intimacy zone, while talking if she holds her bag or folder or file between you and her or keeps
 hands in her pocket, be ware, she is not interested to be in intimacy zone. Don’t invite problem.Many more important tips are there in the book.

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