Customer Reviews

You Can Read Anyone

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is yet another "buy-this-to-get-the-secrets" book aimed at corporate America, exploiting that mainstream desperate, competitive edge. But when examined closely, this book really doesn't give you any helpful tools to use in the social arena of reading others' sincerity; it is anecdotal, non-rational, and provides examples that are too narrow and templative to provide a deductive understanding of this concept. There are no photos at all, only insets of anecdotal fictions used to describe what the author says you should do. It amounts to an poser's list of conversational phrases and maneuvering tactics to bludgeon out responses from other people, and will just make you look like the confrontational equivalent of a Stephen Covey geek.

If you really want to learn how to perceive non-verbal stress, self-doubt, insecurity, etc., if you want to learn the *gestures* that exhibit these things, buy the book "What Every Body is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People." It is full of photos and it describes the underlying instincts causing all of them. Needless to say, it also has a more substantial and academic bibliography.

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"As the only one of its type, this program [or system outlined in this book] offers a complete, practical, easy-to-use system that you can use to measure a person's thoughts and feelings quickly, at any time."

The above quotation is found in the introduction of this fascinating book by Dr. David J. Lieberman, author and "internationally recognized leader" of human behavior and interpersonal relationships.

Be aware that the system in this book is not about reading someone based on their body language, their speech pattern, or how they dress. It is not about developing some mystical power such as telepathy. Instead, this book contains specific and proven psychological techniques that can be instantly applied to any person in almost any situation.

Is this system absolutely foolproof? Of course not. No system is. But you will gain a "statistical advantage" to reading a person by using the methods in this book.

The book itself is divided into two sections:

Section one (7 chapters) has techniques that will give you much insight into people, and will help you gain the advantage in practically every situation. Each chapter in this section is based on seven basic questions. These questions are as follows:

(1) Is this person hiding anything? (2) Does the person like or not like someone or something? (3) Is the person really confident or just attempting to play it cool? (4) How is a person really feeling? (5) Is the person really interested or are you just wasting your time? (6) Whose side is a person really on? (7) How safe, stable, and sane is a person...really?

Section two (8 chapters), my favorite section, actually goes beyond the basic techniques of section one thus giving you the ability to "peer into someone's mind to find out what [that person] is [really] thinking" and enables you to "understand a person better [than they] understand [themselves]."

Don't worry!! Lieberman gives plenty of real-world examples so you'll never be lost.

The system in this book allows you to gain much insight into a person's thinking and psyche without having to spend much time with that person. As Lieberman says,

"Once you become...familiar...with what to look for and what to listen to, your ability to read a person will become almost instinctual."

Finally, a fun feature of this book is that Lieberman provides an interesting quotation from others at the beginning of each chapter. Here are two of my favorites:

"Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy." (Comedian George Carlin)

"Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open." (E. G. Letterman)

In conclusion, besides giving you an effective way of reading people, this book, as well, will most certainly give you a better understanding of human nature and thus more insight into yourself!!!

(first published 2007; how to use this book; introduction; 2 sections or 15 chapters; conclusion; main narrative 180 pages; bibliography; about the author)

<<Stephen Pletko or "Uncle Stevie," London, Ontario, Canada>>

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You Can Read Anyone makes it on my top ten list of books of all time. This book could very well be called "human nature". You will learn the S.N.A.P. technique used by the FBI, U.S. Military and by professionals and governments in more than 25 countries.

This is not a fool proof method of reading someones mind....The methods work 90% of the time. There are techniques on lie detection, calculating someones interest, self esteem, and confidence. While reading this book you will also be able to evaluate yourself by putting your self in the shoes of characters used in the examples and with that, you will learn a lot about yourself. This book isn't directed to the community or even relationship management (although it does touch on the subject) however, you can still apply material from this book to your game. I will be reading this book at least few times because every page is so dense and there is no fluff or pointless information. 10/10

David J. Lieberman has a few other books that I will be reading and I'll post a review of those as well.

I have never reviewed a book before but I am so struck and disturbed by the cattiness and vindictiveness of Jen's "review" of a book, she admits to never reading,that I am writing my first one.
I am a lover of self help books. Name the big ones and I own it. I have read most of Lieberman's books and found them to be fast paced, insightful and easy to read. This book struck me as different because of the depth. The first part is cool techniques on how to read people and examples that make it usable and very relatable. I thought the part about how people use pronouns to distance themselves from events to be brilliant ( see page 34) Here is where I felt this book was different - the last couple of chapters were especially insightful and deep. It helped me to understand how self esteem colors the way we see the world. It helped me to understand what motivates people at the core and helped me to understand what motivates me. This is truly a OUTSTANDING book. One of the top 10 self help books that I have ever read.

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This book will open your eyes with a few techniques in non-verbal communication. The objective of the book is to keep you from being manipulated....But, the opposite is also true.

I use these techniques to insure that my non-verbal message is the same as my verbal. It has helped immensely in dealing with clients and potential clients.

I am giddy from this book. I think it's important to know exactly what you can do with these tools. So the entire table of contents is below with a asterick by my favorites! Also, a little about how the book works is added too. Not all of the technqiues are easy to use, but most are. Some admitingly go a little over my head, but my boss seems to have figured them out. Anyway, plenty here for even us average folks!

Section I

The Seven Basic Questions
Learn how to find out, quickly and easily,
what anyone is thinking and feeling in any
situation or circumstance.


Chapter 1: Is this Person Hiding Anything? | 15

Don't get the wool pulled over your eyes! The next time you
suspect someone is hiding something, use these techniques to
casually find out if anyone--kids, co-workers, employees, or
friends--is keeping something from you.

Chapter 2: Thumbs Up or Down:
Does He Like It or Not? | 29

When you can't figure out if a person has a favorable or unfavorable
impression of someone or something, employ these
strategies to learn what he is really thinking regardless of what
he says.

Chapter 3: Is She Confident or Just Trying to
Play It Cool? | 43

Want to know if the person sitting across the table from you
really has a full house? Is your top executive serious about quitting
if he doesn't get a raise? The next time you're in an interrogation,
negotiation, or just playing poker, use these
techniques to find out if your opponent is feeling good about
his chances or simply putting up a good front.



Chapter 4: How Are Things... Really? | 57

How did your co-worker's meeting go? Is your new neighbor's
girlfriend a keeper or on the way out? Is your employee truly
happy with his new assignment? These tactics will reveal to you
what someone is really feeling regardless of how tight-lipped he
is.

Chapter 5: Gauging Interest Levels: Is He Interested,
or Are You Wasting Your Time? | 69

Does your date like you or not? Does your co-worker really
want to help you with your project? Is your prospect really
interested in your product? Use these techniques to quickly
find out.

Chapter 6: Ally or Saboteur:
Whose Side Is She Really On? | 81

Is she for you or out to get you? If you think someone who
appears to be cooperating is really sabotaging your efforts,
follow this strategy to quickly find out whose side she's really
on.

Chapter 7: Emotional Profile: Learn How Safe,
Stable, and Sane a Person Is. | 95

Through casual observance or a two-minute conversation, you
can learn the warning signs of emotional instability and the
potential for violence. Gain the advantage of knowing what to
look for--in anyone--and what questions to ask to protect
you and your loved ones.



Section II

Blueprints to the Mind--

Understanding the Decision-making Process
Go beyond reading basic thoughts and feelings:
Learn how people think so you can profile anyone,
predict behavior, and understand a person better
than he understands himself.

Chapter 8: S.N.A.P. Is Not Based on Personality
Types | 109

Discover why human nature gives us a consistent and reliable
indication of thought, attitude, and behavior.

Chapter 9: The Primary Colors of Thought | 113

Learn how and why our thought and decision-making processes
are largely pre-programmed and can be predicted with
near pinpoint accuracy.

Chapter 10: How and Why We Think
What We Do | 121

An in-depth psychological exploration of the process of
thought and the role of the ego.

Chapter 11: The Impact of Self-Esteem:
The Big Six | 127

Understanding the powerful role of self-esteem in the decision-
making process and how it shapes our reality.



Chapter 12: Does He Have High Self-Esteem,

or Is He Just Pretending?

The Five Pitfalls | 139
Don't fall prey to the five most common mistakes when evaluating
a person's level of self-esteem! Learn the differences
between a person who likes himself (self-esteem) and a person
who is simply full of himself (big ego).

Chapter 13: The Self-Esteem Detector: Determining
A Person's Level of Self-Esteem | 145

Learn the fool-proof method to quickly and easily determine
how much self-esteem another person really has.

Chapter 14: Three-Type Profile | 149

Find out how to gauge anyone's general outlook on himself,
and on his life, based upon the three major profiles.

Chapter 15: The Art and Science of Profiling:
Real-World Examples | 157

Sharpen your skills and see how to apply your new understanding
of human nature with real-life examples.

Conclusion | 179
Bibliography | 181
About The Author | 183



How to Use the Book

Section I of this book shows you how to speed-read other
people to quickly determine their basic thoughts, feelings, and
emotions. The system works with any person, place, idea, or
situation. For example, in just minutes you can determine if
someone is interested or not, confident or scared, being
honest, or hiding something.

In this section, we focus on seven major questions you
may have regarding another's thoughts and intentions by
using an array of real-life examples to illustrate how the techniques
are easily applied. Each chapter in the book contains a
variety of observational and conversational techniques.

In some cases, you will not be able to directly engage the
person from whom you need information in conversation. In
these situations, you'll use a strategy that employs a variety of
signs and signals. At other times, you'll be able to interact with
the individual in question, so more sophisticated strategies
can be used.

Section II comes into play when there are situations in which
you will want greater insight. In this section, you will learn
how to build a near-perfect profile of anyone, how to tell what
someone is thinking or feeling, and how to predict what he or
she will do next.

For instance, by applying the techniques in Section I, you
will be able to tell if your date is interested in you. Then, you
can later do a complete profile if you want to know how he or
she will respond to anything you say or do. When negotiating,
you can quickly measure the other party's levels of honesty
and confidence.



But if you want to know how he will proceed, how to measure
his flexibility, or detect his hot buttons, you can use this
psychological strategy to quickly and discreetly build a complete
profile.

Using specific, real-world examples, you will learn how to
tell whether a juror will be hard or easy to sway, if a guilty suspect
will confess or stick to his story, or if a person will be forgiving
or unforgiving when he finds out an unpleasant truth.

This book will teach you how to get to the bottom of any
situation, keep from being taken advantage of, and get the
upper hand with anyone, anytime--often in five minutes or
less.

It's nice to read a book that actually delivers on its title. Especially one as grand as this one. You will find many of the techniques easy to use and extremely on target. I went to The Borgata casino and played a little poker. It was unreal to see people doing all the things that Lieberman says they do when they are bluffing. It wasn't so high stakes so maybe the pros won't be so easy to spot, but this was like shooting ducks in a barrel. Some of the book will take more time for me to figure out how to use becauase some techniques are a little complicated. But overal the book is a huge winner.

Like any book that looks to bring social psychology to a wider audience (than just social psychologists!) the author has to find a balance between the technical and the practical. In my opinion, Lieberman does an excellent job of making his expertise accessible.

Equally, there is no magic tool when it comes to reading other people, and the reader must work with the structures and concepts Lieberman provides and practice them.

The author's style is excellent, with a great balance of examples and explanation that quickly conveys his ideas.

An excellent read: the first of Lieberman's books that I've bought, but it won't be the last.

I'm a fiction writer and I have gleaned so much about human nature from this book. I'm doubtful it was the author's intent, but for writers who want to develop richer, more lively, robust, and genuine characters, this book is a MUST HAVE.

Because Dr. Lieberman explains the psychology of human nature, you are able to easily see nuances in different personality types and how different people would naturally behave and respond to various situations.

Off to my blog to let folks know about my discovery. Happy reading!

I've been in law enforcement for 17 years and teach techniques on interviewing and lie-detection. This book ranks as my #1 go-to guide and I suggest it for anyone who wants to learn how to read non-verbal behavior.

You Can Read Anyone is a cut above the other body language books, because Lieberman devotes a lot of the book to techniques that are far from the basics. You won't find any "If she crosses her arms, it means that she is guarded" stuff here. It's a lot smarter than that. A whole lot smarter.

I would have given it 4 stars, because some of the techniques are highly sophisticated, and while they are extremely accurate, not everyone is going to be able to learn how to do them. BUT, the it deserves a 10 star ranking.

There's so much here for anyone, at any level, particularly professionals.