The Body Language Project

I’ve mentioned my interest in body language before.  It helped back when I was a teacher to know how I was being received.  Nothing very advanced; I read basic signs as to whether they liked what I said, understood it, or wanted me to shut up.  After months of observation, I also got to know when I was being lied to, which was not a goal I’d set for myself or even considered, but was useful nonetheless.  I’ve since found that a good portion of the books written on body language is about spotting liars, often written by those who’ve worked in law enforcement.

I don’t teach anymore and I’m not going into a career where that kind of training will matter, but I’ve kept studying body language for entirely personal reasons.  I find people-watching at restaurants, parks, and waiting in line for anything a fun hobby, and it has also been extraordinarily helpful in certain social situations, such as knowing when friends are feeling distracted, bored, or worried.

I’ve read around a dozen books, several articles on the Internet, and a Ted talk on this subject; some are better than others, but overall, I’ve found that they all say roughly the same thing.  No surprise; human behavior doesn’t change.  The only thing you can change in teaching the subject of body language is your presentation.

I recommended The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease a few months ago, and as book publications go, I still find it the most comprehensive, readable, and entertaining of any I’ve read.  But if you don’t want to pay for a copy and your library doesn’t have it, let me suggest a new discovery I’ve made: www.bodylanguageproject.com.

Body Language Project.com is an encyclopedia of body language terms, two e-books on the subject (one of which is completely free), articles on the subject, a guide on how to read body language, and more.  It’s a really fun site to explore and I learned new stuff exploring it.  It’s my firm belief that any knowledge you can gain to improve yourself is a treasure, and when it’s being offered for free, all the better.