The Secret Language of Business: How to Read Anyone in 3 Seconds or Less [Hardcover]

Kevin Hogan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 2008

The Secret Language of Business reveals the secrets of body language and nonverbal communication. Successful professionals need more than just good communication skills, you also need the ability to interpret the nonverbal signals that everyone displays. You’ll learn how to master and manipulate your own body language, read the body language of others, and influence people through your new skills and perception. No matter what business you’re in, this is a valuable guide to achieving more in life and business.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Doing business is a lot like playing poker; you make calculated risks and tough decisions based on the best information you have. In poker or business, it always helps to know what the other guy is thinking. Is he for real or full of it? Is he telling you the truth, or just telling you what you want to hear? Whether you're negotiating a deal with a client or collaborating on a project with a colleague, knowing what the other guy is thinking will always give you an edge.

In The Secret Language of Business, Kevin Hogan reveals the basics of body language and how it exposes and influences attitudes, actions, and outcomes. Everyone conveys information through body language, whether they know it or not. Interpreting body language isn't magic, but a science you can master. This practical guide is based on hard science, reputable sources, and real-world situations. Master the concepts you find inside, and you'll gain a big advantage in every aspect of your life—professional and personal.

Based on Hogan's twenty years of experience in communication, influence, and persuasion, The Secret Language of Business explains the key elements of body language and how they influence communication. It explores the meaning of what people wear and the symbols they surround themselves with and also details the importance of various contexts and environments in which communications take place. In addition to reading and analyzing the body language of others, Hogan will show you how to master and manipulate your own body language, regulating the information you reveal to others.

In order to be a truly successful professional, you need more than just communication skills; you also need the ability to interpret the nonverbal signals that we all display. The Secret Language of Business, for the first time, applies the little-known secrets of body language and nonverbal communication to the realm of business. If you're a manager, salesperson, negotiator, business owner, or any sort of professional who deals with other people on a regular basis, the skills and knowledge inside are invaluable tools for achieving success in business and in life.

From the Back Cover

Praise for The Secret Language of Business

"Hogan's book contains the secret every business leader needs to know. Great leaders don't just talk; they communicate. Through words, body language, and energy. I consider The Secret Language of Business a must-read for anyone looking to enhance their leadership and communication skills."
—Jon Gordon, international bestselling author of The Energy Bus

"We all sense that there is some extra-verbal communication going on under our noses, but also sense that we haven't quite cracked the code. This book does. If you want to understand the real communication of business (the one that's going on under the saccharine glaze of chit-chat) and then exploit it for your advantage, study this book from cover to cover."
—Mark Joyner, bestselling author of Simpleology

"Hogan has done it again. His earlier work, The Psychology of Persuasion, was so well researched with clarity and specific examples, I used it as a training manual for our sales and customer service staff. The information immediately improved in-house morale and company success. Now Hogan has tackled the world of body language and nonverbal communication, yours and that of every person you meet anywhere in the world. The usual enigma disappears and bonding grows as a direct result of the strategies taught in The Secret Language of Business. There's an 'a-ha!' moment in every chapter. And the author helps the reader learn and apply each strategy with worksheets throughout. Simply terrific!"
—Elsom Eldridge Jr., author of How to Position Yourself As the Obvious Expert

"The Secret Language of Business will not remain a secret for long! It is destined to become a classic for business readers and beyond. This comprehensive book flows with timely, accurate, and practical information. In Hogan style, it also entertains as it educates, making it a joy to read, whether you are seeking a solid introduction to nonverbal behavior or are an expert in the field."
—Mollie Marti, PhD, President of Performance Sciences, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470222891
• ISBN-13: 978-0470222898
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #645,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin Hogan is the author of nineteen books. He is best known for his international best selling book, The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking.

In the past decade he has become the Body Language Expert and Unconscious Influence Expert to ABC, Fox, The BBC, The New York Times, The New York Post and dozens of popular magazines like Forbes,Investors Business Daily, InTouch, First for Women, Success!, and Cosmopolitan. He has become the go-to resource for analyzing key White House figures.

Hogan has taught Persuasion and Influence at the University of St. Thomas Management Center and is a frequent media guest. Articles by and about him have appeared in Success!, Redbook, Office Pro,, Selling Power, Cosmopolitan, Maxim, Playboy and numerous other publications. He was recently featured in a half dozen magazines (including wProst) in Poland.

Kevin is a dynamic, well-known international public speaker, consultant and corporate trainer. He has trained persuasion, sales and marketing skills to leaders in the government of Poland, employees from Mutual of Omaha, Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks, Cargill, Pillsbury, Carlson Companies, Fortis Insurance, Great Clips, the State of Minnesota, 3M, The United States Postal Service and numerous other Fortune 500 companies. He recently spoke to The Inner Circle and at the Million Dollar Roundtable (MDRT) convention in Las Vegas.

His keynotes, seminars and workshops help companies sell, market and communicate more effectively. His cutting edge research into the mind and keen understanding of consumer behavior create a unique distillation of information never before released to the public.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ordinary, Undistinguished, May 11, 2008

By 

Michael J. Cushman "Key Change Institute" (Lakewood, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Language of Business: How to Read Anyone in 3 Seconds or Less (Hardcover)

KH writing style is clear. He gives interesting examples and even throws in humor, occasionally. What he also is good at is marketing and hype. Consider that the first 15 reviews are all 5 stars. All unbiased and unsolicited I am sure. Aren't you?

Reality: the book is barely over 200 pages. It is suppose to be about nonverbal language in business, but the chapter starting on page 155 is about parenting, and there's little else of value to follow. A book on nonverbal behavior is full of illustrations and pictures, right? Nope,
not this book. It is 100% words. A book about the power of nonverbal signals doesn't use a single nonverbal signal itself, except for the cover--big eye, wide pupil--to get you to buy. That is what is most important, right?

Not one footnote. Want to read the study yourself? Doubt the correctness of his generalizations? Too bad for you. The only reference in the entire book is to an article on his website; however, the content posted is about a different topic. Specifically, he makes this huge claim that he has "made hundreds of thousands of dollars" by just choosing to sit on the right hand side of right-handers, and then references an unrelated article. Hummmm.


Really believe all those 5 star reviews? Then buy this book.

If you want an alternative, I suggest Allen and Barbara
Pease's book, The Definitive Book of Body Language. It is full of illustrations and pictures, 400 pages, at the same price.

Best regards,
Michael

[...]

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Save Your Money In 3 Seconds Or Less, July 7, 2008

By 

Joe Karbo - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret Language of Business: How to Read Anyone in 3 Seconds or Less (Hardcover)

This book is very poorly written and contains only basic information on body language.

Not sure how anyone could possibly consider this to be a business book. The examples given are questionable and not backed by proof. I was very disappointed and should have paid attention to other reviews before spending time on this dud.

Save your money - in 3 seconds or less - and don't buy this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A little information, a lot of filler, April 18, 2010

By 

Jessica - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Secret Language of Business: How to Read Anyone in 3 Seconds or Less (Hardcover)

The first red flag for this book was in the introduction, where the author asks that the reader take it on faith whenever he claims there's a lot of research on a given subject. This request should be repulsive to any thinking person-- verifying the facts for myself is the only way I really ever know anything-- and the only way someone earns my trust is by consistently SHOWING that there are facts to support his claims.

There is tons of filler in this book. There's an intro to each chapter, which adds nothing, then at the end of the chapter, there's a conclusion, which restates exactly what the chapter said-- in exactly the same words. It implies that people are too stupid to retain what they read. There's also an end-of-chapter exercise, which is the same for every chapter, adds nothing to my understanding, and contributes to the high-school-textbook feeling of this book.

This book does not teach you to read people in 3 seconds or less-- it's just a catchy title. It contains the same basic body language information found in many other books. Worse, the writing is watery and, strangely, it contains a bunch of irrelevant, unsupported advice about parenting. An example of the watery filler that's spread liberally throughout this book: "As soon as parents get through the preteen phase, next up are the teen and young adult years. This is perhaps the most tumultuous time in a parent/child relationship and one that can go on for only a couple of years or extend out further over many years."

The most shocking thing about this book is its bibliography. It cites a bunch of the author's own books and a few other mainstream body language books (no journal articles). It's no wonder the author asked me to take the reserach on faith-- looks like he didn't bother to learn any of it.

There were a couple of interesting parts of this book. There were a few boxed facts that were interesting, and the author discussed a few of the most common cultural misunderstandings (ie, Asian people will nod as a sign that they're listening, which we misinterpret as agreement, and Latin Americans use much more physical contact in platonic relationships than Americans do, which can be very off-putting for us). These few pages of interesting information were definitely not worth the price I paid for the book-- I feel like I was robbed.