Louder Than Words: Take Your Career from Average to Exceptional with the Hidden Power of Nonverbal Intelligence

This is a great book for anyone who has a job, wants a job -- or simply wants to understand how and why people interact. Well-written, informative, and fun to read, this book uses examples and even historical ancedotes to illustrate the importance of perception: how we see others and especially, how others see us. Some of this you will have heard before -- whose parents haven't talked about nice shoes and a firm handshake? -- but the authors make you realize that virtually everything communicates something about you. After reading this book, I find myself looking at people differently and having more of a sense of how people are looking at me.

Once again Joe Navarro's easy writing style conveys pearls of wisdom of how the most subtle of non-verbal signals that we are constantly transmitting are perceived by others. The book does recap some of the material from Joe's previous book (What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People) and then goes on to expand on them in various scenarios such as business meetings, job interviews etc. many of which are illuminated with examples garnered from Joe's own experience (e.g. his father driving past as hardware store because the windows are dirty - `If they don't take care of their windows - they're not going to take care of you'). The book has plenty of pointers on what to look for in non-verbal communication in others as well as how to enhance your own message using this hidden language. I've got at least three things from this book that I'm emailing to my CEO about how our company can be better perceived; changes of behaviours that are small, simple and inexpensive, but which could have a huge difference - thanks Joe!

I was stunned at how accessible and convincing this book was. It takes a lot of thought and work to make it seem so easy. The guy knows his stuff backwards and forwards and it is very easy to read (maybe thanks in part to the co-author). I find myself saying "oh, yeah, I always do that when I feel such and such a way." I expected not to find much of value but every page is full of real tips that are easy to absorb. And he is not worried about being politically correct. He gives specific advice that men and women each need to hear (men - clean your fingernails, for example, it matters). The book is geared to help you present your best self from your appearance, tone of your voice, posture, etc, whether applying for a job or just making a presentation. He uses a large amount of empirical data and personal anecdotes from his vast experience to convince you about the importance of presenting yourself properly. I was really impressed when he said, "sure its not fair to judge people on their appearance but life isn't fair". We all make judgments every second based on appearances whether we want to or not. So if you are ready to hear some straight talk and want to improve how you come off, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Let me reiterate that I found this book easy to read and absorb. I really think it will be of use to me. I can't remember another book on this topic that compares.

Joe Navarro never lets me down - I love his books on nonverbal communication and have learnt so much from him about reading others' body language to understand their intents and feelings better. I use this stuff everyday, and this new book - Louder than Words - has to be my favorite as it focuses specifically on business. Joe talks about how to use the power of nonverbal intelligence to put you on another level in the workplace. He shows how curbside appeal can ruin the impression your clients may have of you or your business in the blink of an eye. I also found his concept of "movement to action" thought-provoking - how simple acts can make such a difference. He even talks about what men and women should or shouldn't wear in the office if they want to be taken seriously. Louder than Words is full of practical, constructive tips, and the illustrations throughout help by showing the behavior being discussed. If you're in business - or even if you're not - this book should become your constant companion. It's also a must-read for anyone looking for a job.

I love this book for a quite a few reasons but to start with it starts out and sets up the explanation that everything counts, all of you interactions, your clothing, your attention to detail or lack of, and your interpersonal communications skills. In a noisy world with many choices some of yours are made without really understanding why, that also goes for your clients. I read just about every book that comes out on body language and this one is great and not just a rehash of the last one that came out a few months or years ago. In a very stimulated visual society we gravitate to symmetrical beautiful objects or people, and that is a lesson in itself. People also pick up on verbal communication skills just as much as looks, sloppy speaking or pronunciation will also lose a deal. Mirroring physically to gain comfort and rapport is just as important with verbal cues as it is for your vocal tones and words. The book does a great job of explaining how people will make their opinions based on your behaviors and that determines their buying decisions. The section on comfort vs. discomfort is discussed and explained and will give you an aha moment and give you some powerful insight on non verbal communication and is worth buying the book in itself. This book is very well written, thought out and in depth book, I wouldn't say that it is an easy read but more of an important anthology of non verbal communication you need to have in your library because of the knowledge you will gain. There are so many good things in this book that I am sure that reading a few times I could pick up some valuable tips that I passed over the first time. Buy some copies for you sales staff or anybody that talks to your clients. As you read this book you will question how many mistakes you make on a daily basis and find the fixes to change them for the better. So just how much money or clients have you lost in the past year, month or day? You will only know by reading and studying the book.