University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Body Language Secrets to Win More Negotiations
Book

Body Language Secrets to Win More Negotiations

How to Read Any Opponent and Get What You Want

Greg Williams
Career Press, 2016
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Greg Williams, an expert on negotiations, shows how to use body language as an arbitration tool. Because 90% of communication is nonverbal, an ability to read and interpret body language offers an advantage. When you detect a conflict between people’s words and movement or actions, trust their body language because, Williams teaches, the body doesn’t lie. He explains “microexpressions” and tells you how to identify psychological blocks, “triggers” and “hot buttons.” His instructions will help any negotiator and have particular relevance for women and others who may have difficulty negotiating salary demands. getAbstract recommends Williams’s insightful lesson in interpreting body language to anyone negotiating anything.

Summary

Nonverbal Communication

Pay attention to words and body language. If a person’s words contradict his or her body language, “believe” the body language, because “the body does not lie.”

For example, director of purchasing Sharma Modi’s skill in reading body language provided an edge in negotiating with vendor Bill Walters. When Walters asked Modi to invest in his products, Walters shifted in his seat and sweated. His hands trembled. He said he had “plenty of business,” but his body language said otherwise. Modi pitched a lowball offer, and Walters took it.

Head movements – and eye movements in particular – reveal a person’s thought processes. Looking to the left indicates recalling information. Looking up and left indicates a visual recall; looking straight to the left indicates an auditory recall; and looking down and left indicates recalling an internal conversation. Looking to the right indicates creation. Looking up and right indicates visual creation, while looking straight to the right indicates an auditory creation. Looking right and down indicates something kinesthetic, or linked to feelings.

Don’t automatically assume that a person with crossed...

About the Author

Greg Williams is a speaker and body language authority.

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