Customer Reviews

Body Language For Dummies

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been on a body language kick ever since Lie to Me came out. I just finished reading The Definitive Guide to Body Language and making my way through Body Language for Dummies. I also have What Every Body is Saying and Telling Lies on the way. That said, Body Language for Dummies is really just a reworded version of the Definitive Guide to Body Language, with a whole mess of unnecessary anecdotes and "examples" that are worded for a pre-teen (ex: Joe and Jane meet at her house, but Joe's crossed arms and crossed legs clearly indicated that Jane was unwelcome. So Jane left.) The substantive examples are all taken from The Definitive Guide to Body Language, such as Princess Diane's looks, JFK and Nixon prior to the debate, and nearly every item - particularly the examples of other scientists and sociologists - were nearly copy and pasted into this book and reworded for the "Dummies" style we're all familiar with (if you read a lot of these as I do). It was so blatant that I actually looked at the copyright dates to see who lifted material from whom. The content, then, is pretty good, but you have to sift through many paragraphs of "Anecdotes" (as called in the book) that are unnecessary and provide no value. If you've already read The Definitive Guide to Body Language, save your money on this book; it is the same thing. If you haven't, I'd recommend that over this. The only upside to this is that I planned on reading that book again to pick up things I may have forgotten and with this, I don't have to. I'll review the others when I receive and finish them.

I was hoping for insight. I was hoping for some new and interesting information. My hopes were for naught.

The author clearly has NO idea how to write for anyone other than a UK audience.

`John lives in London but his girlfriend lives in Manchester, you can imagine the fuss...'

No, actually I can't.

`Mark was acting like a pageboy...'

Acting like a what?

`Prince Charles fiddled with the cuff-links given to him by the Duchess of Cornwall...'

...and?

The author also seems to think that everyone but her has never left their house. Most of what she writes about is so painfully obvious to, um..., EVERYONE, it's difficult to read the book and not just skim through it.

Yep, frown means sad, laugh means happy, thanks for wasting my time.

There are some interesting bits here and there, but they are difficult to glean.

Thanks to the author, the ever so subtle messages we send with our body language, may be implied but now can be intended!!! This study provides many ah-ha! moments as well as identifing in either social/family or business context how these body signals are read by others and how we can learn new body language emitting more positive energy as well as translate this language into our daily observations enabling better communication and understanding. Really fabulous, deeply insightful and very very fun!!!! Great gift for anyone.

To the naysayers who say this book is terrible because it's for beginners or people who don't know much about body language.. that's why it's part of the "For DUMMIES" series of books. In all for Dummies book, the author assumes that you basically know nothing about the said topic. If you are looking for an advanced workshop on body language, or have 5 other body language books that you have already read, why would you think a For Dummies would bring something new to the table? Don't fault a novice manual for being exactly what it says it is.

If you do know things about body language however it is still useful because it re-highlights the big ticket items. Eye contact for example. Most people know that eye contact is good, but I know lots and lots of people who have terrible eye contact. Reading this book impresses upon these types of people who know it is good, but don't do it, why to do it, and how to do it comfortably, because they often don't because they are uncomfortable with it. This book includes techniques for how to become comfortable with it, that are tested and work. And it does this for other big ticket items too, like how to stand to be more confident or have people more receptive to what you are saying.

I was horrible with my body language. I often stood with my arms crossed while not looking people in the eye. I chalked it up to being shy or thought crossing my arms all the time just felt comfortable. Well reading this made me realize it was comfortable because really it made me feel secure, but had the effect of blocking conversation, putting a shield between myself and the person I was talking to. Reading this book made me realize all the things I was doing wrong, and prompted me to buy about 20 other books on the subject, from Neuro Linguistic Programming, to books focusing only on eye contact. I am still reading them. I am much better with my body language now, it has made me almost instantly more confident. People like me more, love me actually, my posture has improved, my self image has improved.. I could go on and on about how important body language is, and how approachable this book it to someone who wasn't fortunate to have perfect body language as an intuitively learned skill.

This book opened a new world to me.

This book arrived on time and in condition as described... I am very happy with this transaction...would order from them again...

Great beginner book with a wealth of information that should be well known to some already and to some not. The Definitive Book of Body Language is almost the same book so dont buy both if you are going to dive farther into this field!

i was expecting something from this book, but at the end i was satisfied with it..... great book in all..

Good introduction to Body Language. Easy to maneuver round so one can start and stop anywhere. Makes you want to read more about this very interesting subject.

The writer clearly knows her stuff! From the broadest of gestures to the most subtle stances, the body language of the people you come in contact with will be well understood. It is an excellent resource for improving your own personal body language so as to convey precisely what you want to say. An absolute must read for anyone who makes presentations or who simply wants to be more aware of themselves and what their body is saying.

What a triumph...this book tells it all! Easy to read, and easy to understand. Enlightening. I can use this new-found knowledge in both personal and business situations.