In this course, I will use body language videos to teach you everything you need to know about body language. Learn how to read body language and read the people around you while perfecting your own nonverbal communication.

Do you ever wish you could know what someone is thinking?

Body language is a great way to find out more about the person you are speaking with. Perhaps you also wish you could improve your own body language or wonder about what your nonverbal behavior is saying to the outside world. This body language course is based on scientifically backed research on the how to read people’s nonverbal behavior and improve your own.

Here are some topics the Secrets of Body Language course will cover:

• The Foundations of Body Language
• Nonverbal Communication and the Face
• Emotions and Body Language
• Human Lie Detection and Body Language

In celebration of the course’s launch, I’m offering up a limited time offer for the first 100 readers to enroll! Use the coupon code DedicatedReader for a 40% discount on the original price. Not too shabby, right?!

I’m looking forward to seeing how this goes, so don’t hesitate to let me know what you think!

And thank you in advance for your support and feedback!

What are you waiting for? Take the course now!

How to Get Someone to Tell You More:

Do Not Fill the Silence. Wait an extra beat after your subject finishes talking to make sure they do not have anything else to add. It is amazing how much liars will divulge in these moments.

Invade Their Personal Space: People get a bit rattled when you enter their personal space. Pull a chair closer, or take a step towards them. This makes them feel more transparent and will often encourage them to dig a little deeper.
*This is good if you are trying to get someone to divulge secret information.

Nod Your Head: Head nodding is a universal sign of agreement. Research shows that people will talk three to four times more than usual if the listener nods their head as the speaker talks. You can also do this when someone finishes speaking to get them to say more.

-When someone finishes speaking, stroke your chin (the body language for thinking)
-Nod your head three times to get them to keep talking. If they have anything they are holding back, this can unlock their thoughts by making you seem interested and agreeable.

How to Get Someone to Confess:

Change the Telling: 
This is one way to catch liars or get new information:
-Ask someone to draw their story
-Ask them to tell it backawards
-Ask them to start in the middle

Tell a Worse Version: Tell the subject a more damning version of what you think happened and see if they try to correct you. If they do, you get a confession. Let’s say you think your teenager took money out of your wallet. Start big by asking them if they took money and a credit card out of your wallet. Often times they will correct you and admit to the smaller crime.

Minimize the Significance: This is a classic technique used by TV show cops all the time. Empathize with the person you are speaking with and make the wrongdoing sound like no big deal. Often times the subject will latch on to this lenient line of thinking and either confess or give you a clue as to their thinking.

Vanessa Van Edwards is the author of  “Human Lie Detection and Body Language 101.”  She stopped by to show us to get people to tell us more….or even confess. 

You’ll find more great information from Vanessa on her Huffington Post blog and on her Science of People website.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow to the Today Show at around 8:15am for a segment I will be doing on Promposals–the new teen trend of asking people to Prom via YouTube and other such grand technology gestures.

Be sure to tune in!

Best,

Vanessa

It is very important for interviewees to not only think about the verbal answers they want to give in an interview, but also what their nonverbal answers are saying. Up to 93% of our communication is nonverbal–our body language, facial expressions and voice tone. So, have you thought about what your body language is saying when interviewing for your dream job?

Here are just a few tips for you to ace your interview using body language:

1. One Bag

Studies have shown that people who carry more than one thing–like a purse and a briefcase or a briefcase and a coat are perceived to be less organized and more forgetful. So, before going into an interview be sure to consolidate your bags, leave coats and extra things in the car and give your coat to the receptionist to hang so you do not have to carry it into the interview.

2. Check the Back of Your Shoes

The last thing your interviewer will see when you walk out the door is the back of your shoes. No need to go out and buy new shoes, but make sure the ones you have are polished and not too scuffed up–it shows you take care of yourself and pay attention to detail.

3. Smile Right

Women are told to smile when they are nervous, but studies show that the more people smile the lower their perceived intelligence. Also smiling over nerves gives off a disingenuous attitude because your smile is a cover up. So smile when you sit down, when you leave and when you are truly passionate about something, but do not smile just to hide your nerves.

4. Think About Your Physical Space

When women are nervous, they tend to take up as little space as possible–crossing their legs, tucking their arms into the chair, but this looks weak and lacks confidence in an interview. When men are nervous they try to claim space by spreading out their legs and draping arms over nearby chairs and couches. However, taking up a lot of space is seen as aggressive by female interviewers and competitive by male interviewers. So be careful about your physical space–be confident in your movements, don’t tuck in your legs or overly spread out. This makes you look collected and balanced.

5. Sit Right

The best way to sit in an interview is in slightly angled chairs. If you have the choice, try to sit at a slight angle because studies show that when chairs are directly across from each other there is less recall of what is said, more negative answers and more close-mindedness.

6. Start in the Parking Lot

Your interview actually starts in the parking lot. You never know who you might meet in the elevator or if the receptionist reports on what she sees in the waiting room. Get in the mentality of your interview the second you pull into the lot.

7. Read Your Interviewer As Well

Remember if you are interviewing, be sure to know when your interviewer is lying to you by reading their nonverbal behavior.

Don’t forget how important body language is in an interview–practice your nonverbal communication as well as your verbal answers. If you want to dig a little deeper into body language and human lie detection, check out my book: Human Lie Detection and Body Language 101

“Vanessa Van Edwards’ speech to our club of hundreds was a welcome break from the standard speech.  It was always engaging, at times uproariously funny and very informative.  As I looked at the audience, everyone was leaning forward and feeling each moment together. We all came away feeling more light-hearted and armed with insights about human behavior that we didn’t know at the beginning.  It was a treat to hear her speak!”

–Mike Pendergast, Business Development Consultant and Rotarian

Speaking Topics:

Human Lie Detection for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

We are told hundreds of lies each and every day. Is there a scientific way to know when people are lying to you? Can you become a human lie detector? New research shows that yes, we can detect lies from facial expressions, body language and voice tone. In this presentation, Vanessa Van Petten will share the latest research and tips on lie detection for business owners. In this presentation, Vanessa will give an overview of the four major areas business owners need for nonverbal skills:

• Negotiation
• Pitching Prospects and Clients
• Reading Your Audience
• Hiring and Inter-office Politics: How to Spot Lies During Interviews and with Colleagues

She will use case studies, videos and practical tips that can be applied immediately. Her company also works with brands and individuals to help them use social and emotional intelligence to improve website traffic, sales and branding.

“Vanessa’s presentation got rave reviews from my team. It is useful in so many ways and everyone on the team really enjoyed it. Her presentation style is so engaging and entertaining that I believe everyone in any job function will get something extremely useful out of it. “

–Monica Enand, Founder of Zapproved

“Vanessa is a dynamic and polished speaker. Everyone who joined her presentation on “Reading Your Audience” enjoyed her practical tips on gauging honesty and interest through non-verbal cues. Her photo and video examples brought the subject to life, and it was well-tailored to the group and time frame. We would definitely ask her back for more presentations.”

–Emily Ediger, Portland State University Business Accelerator

Body Language, Nonverbal Behavior and Lie Detection in Sales

In this lively presentation Vanessa Van Edwards will review the body language secrets for sales. She covers how to use nonverbal communication in negotiations, selling strategies and building relationships with clients. Here are a few of the topics she will cover:

• How to Tell When Your Clients Are Lying to You: We are told hundreds of lies each and every day. Is there a way to know when your clients, colleagues or employees are lying to you? New research shows that yes, we can detect lies from facial expressions, body language and voice tone.

• Relationship Building and Reading Your Prospects: Vanessa will teach the audience how to read the voice tone, body language and facial expressions of prospects so they can both pitch and address client needs in a more effective way.

• Nonverbal and Body Language Techniques in Business: In this part of the presentation Vanessa will share tips everyone needs to know for effectively communicating in business. For example she will discuss, how to use nonverbal skills in negotiation, how to address lies in emails and on the phone, the 5 biggest mistakes in sales and using body language to manage confrontations.

In this entertaining and informative presentation, Vanessa will share the latest research and tips on lie detection, nonverbal behavior and body language. She will use case studies, videos and practical tips that can be applied immediately.

FOR SPEAKING INQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT

manager@scienceofpeople.org

Vanessa Van Edwards on CNN:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Vanessa Van Edwards Media and Speaking Videos:

Do You Know What These Non-Verbal Cues Mean?

How to Know If Someone Is Attracted to You

How to Be People Smart

How to Tell When People Are Lying to You

Decoding Colors And How Color Affects Your Mood

Body Language from the Grammy’s Secrets Revealed

 Corporate speaker Portland, Oregon. Keynote speaker Portland, Oregon. Portland corporate speaker. Portland keynote speaker. Funny speaker for companies in portland, Oregon. Company retreat speaker portland. Sales speaker, portland, Oregon.

In a ten minute conversation you are likely to be lied to two to three times. You might not even realize how often the people in your life are being deceitful.

91% of people lie regularly at home and at work

It’s time you get the tools to better equip yourself. Human Lie Detection and Body Language 101 will teach you how to spot lies as well as uncover hidden emotions in the people you are interacting with.

Most importantly, it will help you have more honest interactions with the people in your life.

What is This Body Language Book About?

In Human Lie Detection and Body Language 101 you will learn:

• How to read body language
• How to be a human lie detector
• How to read people
• How to detect hidden emotions
• How to spot lies

This body language book is based on scientifically backed research on the how to read people’s nonverbal behavior.

Who Is This Book For?

Whether you are a business owner, parent, spouse, employee, human resources director, teacher or student, this book will change the way you interact with those around you. Here are all of the people that can benefit from this book on body language:

• Employers
• Public speakers
• Doctors
• Human Resources Directors
• Poker Players
• Actors
• Students
• Employees
• Parents
• Teachers
• Entrepreneurs

If you have ever interacted with another person, this book will be useful to you because our everyday interactions are filled with secret nonverbal cues just waiting to be uncovered.

What If It Doesn’t Come Naturally?

You do not have to be born with a natural inclination to read people. In fact, all people reading skills can be self-taught. Studies show that with beginner level training the average person can increase their accuracy at spotting deception from 54% to 90% accuracy.

Lying Myths:

Because this book is based in real science, it will debunk some popular myths about lying.

Lying Myth #1: If people look to the left, they are lying. If they look to the right they are telling the truth.

Although there is some science about eye direction, which we talk about in the book. It is not the most reliable form of lie detection. The book will show you more accurate (and easier) ways to spot lies.

Lying Myth #2: Liars can’t look you in the eyes.

On average, honest people will make eye contact during conversations about 60% of the time–way less than you thought, right? Liars actually look you in the eye more because they want to seei f you believe their lie or not.

Lying Myth #3: Emails and IM’s are filled with lies because it is easier to lie when people can’t see or hear you.

In the book, I will tell you which of the following have the most lies:

___Emails

___IM’s

___Phone conversations

___Face to Face interactions

I’ll give you a hint: Shockingly, we lie the MOST in phone conversations and the LEAST in emails.

Why Is Lie Detection Important?

It is important when we know we are being lied to because it can save us money, time and sometimes even our safety. This book can train you to get to the truth 80% to 90% of the time. That can save you money on a faulty house, from hiring a bad employee or making sure you know what is really going on with your child or significant other. Unfortunately, we are not good at detecting lies. We are only right about 54% of the time! That is a little better than a coin toss. We tend to assume the best in people and have a bias towards truth–”innocent until proven guilty.”

Interesting Facts About Lying

In Human Lie Detection and Body Language 101 I give a number of real life examples and tons of practical tips that you will be able to use immediately. For example, wouldn’t it have been great to have known when Lance Armstrong was lying?

Lance Armstrong Lies

In his recent Oprah interview, Lance Armstrong’s body language was off the charts with lies and inconsistencies. He constantly made the “contempt” microexpression, which you will learn about in the book and showed how he really felt about the interview. He also showed a dominant and aggressive body posture and seating position. His words said far less than in his body. You can learn how to decode these popular culture segments on TV and in real life.

Presidential Debate Body Language

If you watched the US Presidential Debates with Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama you might have wondered what their body language was saying. Why did Obama do so badly in the first debate, but was perceived as doing so much better in the second one? You could have watched the debates on mute and learned just as much about each candidate. In the first debate President Obama cowered while looking at his notes, which you will learn in the book is submissive body language. In the second debate he stood up much straighter and was sure to get the dominant handshake in the very beginning, setting a more positive tone.

If you find these cases fascinating and wish you could begin to unravel the mysteries of body language, then get your copy of Human Lie Detection and Body Language 101 now!   

When 2 p.m. rolls around I either need a truckload of coffee, which will inevitably give me a headache, a five-hour energy drink that will eventually give me the shakes, or a nap, which will most definitely leave me groggier than when I started.

So, when I read that researchers in Japan may have found a safer answer to productivity, I jumped on it.

Ready, set, puppy!

I’m going to use puppies to learn. Yes, you read that right. Japanese researchers found that images of kittens and puppies make people more productive.

Claim: Pictures of cute things improve participant’s attention and productivity

Could I convince my husband that watching Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl is essential for my workday? Or that my impulsive visits to LOLCats are actually productive, not a complete utter waste of life and brain power like I had once thought?

Just imagine the profound changes for college students everywhere; No more stolen ADD pills, no more topless tutoring and no more reading Cliffsnotes in lieu of reading a real book. Puppies could save learning!

Really, the puppy possibilities are endless. I needed to dig a little deeper.

I decided to start Operation Puppy as the latest installment ofHuman Test Tube, a column in which I take scientific research and see if it actually works in the real world. While the results are only occasionally successful, they are always hilarious.

So, could puppies really motivate in the real world? Operation Puppy involved recreating the lab experiment in a real life context.

Researchers asked participants to perform a task, then showed them pictures from the following groups:

1. Pleasant Foods
2. Neutral Objects
3. Adult Dogs and Cats
4. Kittens and Puppies

Read the rest of Operation Puppy on Vanessa’s Huffington Post Column!

In her excellent TEDTalk, “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are,” Cuddy briefly describes some high-power poses, but I would like to dig a little deeper into the body language and behavior of alphas.

An alpha is the individual in a community with the highest rank, most power or highest level of respect. Typically other community members exhibit deference towards the alpha and allow them preferential treatment or control.

Both male and female alpha’s have very specific body language and behavior. And, if you believe Cuddy’s prescription that behaving like an alpha will actually help you become an alpha, then you have to know exactly how to act.

Cuddy only gives us five high power poses in her presentation.

These are a great start, but some of them–especially putting your feet up on someone’s desk, might be a little too intimidating to start out with. So, here is a deeper review of alpha’s high-power body language and some subtle ways to get started:

1. Steepling

Steepling is when someone brings their hands up towards their chest or face and presses the tips of their fingers together. This is a gesture of confidence, self-assuredness and even superiority. This can easily be done to inspire confidence in yourself and others during a meeting or interview. This is an easy one for female alphas in particular since it is seen as assertive, not aggressive.

2. Smile Less

Contrary to popular belief, smiling is actually seen as a sign of submission. Submissive people tend to smile more at alphas to show they are agreeable and non-threatening to their power. Alphas in turn (think Clint Eastwood) smile much less because their power is enough to put people in line. Females in particular need to be careful not to over smile as it puts them in a submissive position. Dr. Nancy Henley found that women smile in 87 percent of social encounters, while men only smile 67 percent of the time.

3. Hands Behind Your Back

Another high-power position that you often see politicians do is when they put their hands behind their back and grab one wrist. The reason this can be powerful is that it exposes the most vulnerable part of the body–the groin for men and chest area for women. Only a supremely confident person will place their hands behind their back in that way. You often see principals or teachers do this as they walk up and down rows of student’s desks during tests.

Read the rest of the article on The Body Langauge of Alphas in my Huffington Post Column!

Here are a few red flags to look out for to make sure you’re not headed to an office with major issues:

1. Exaggeration

Liars sometimes try to cover up their deed with excessive adjective use. For example, you might ask an interviewer about the vacation policy. A truthful response might be, “Oh yes, we have a flexible vacation policy. You let us know what you need and the boss is most likely to approve it.” An exaggerated response might be, “Oh, our vacation policy is extremely flexible. You can practically take off as much time as you want.”

What to do if you suspect your interviewer of exaggeration? Keep asking specific questions so you’re not surprised by a policy down the line.

2. Common fibs

Be sure to check out this list of 9 Annoying Lies Job Interviewers Tell. Of course, the tricky part is that sometimes they’re telling the truth, but it’s not easy to tell the difference.

How to handle this? When these topics come up, be sure to pay extra attention and ask follow-up questions that dig deeper to make sure you’re getting all of the information.

Read the rest of the article on How to Tell If Your Interviewer Is Lying on Brazen Careerist!

Silly, right?

Maybe it isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds, considering that humans do it, too. While we simply don’t have the neck length to literally stick our heads in the sand, Hebrew University researchers Dan Galai and Dr. Orly Sade observed that people often deliberately look away from money problems–specifically, investing problems related to market fluctuations.

In a paper that they co-wrote, Galai and Dr. Sade have coined this the “Ostrich Effect.”

“The Ostrich Effect consists of two components,” explains Dr. Sade. “The first is the tendency of individuals to avoid unpleasant information, such as reading less negative financial news, and checking their savings accounts less often. The second is the effect that such behavior has on prices and activity in the financial markets.”

Of course, we’re not blaming anyone here–we know that money issues can be stressful and complex.

Case in point: These three common money stressors could inspire your very own version of the Ostrich Effect. But the good news is that you can tackle them … head on.

1. Steep Credit Card Statements

Opening a budget-busting monthly credit card statement can be both anxiety-provoking and stressful. Whether your payment is unusually high due to a recent vacation or a spontaneous purchase, it’s no surprise that we might have the urge to ignore the bill, pay the minimum and hope it will be better next month.

Although the study authors didn’t specifically investigate the impact of the Ostrich Effect on credit card statements or bills, Dr. Sade tells us that “being an ‘Ostrich’” obviously won’t make the problems disappear. To the contrary, she says, “The ignorance may lead to the further deterioration of a person’s total financial situation, such as an additional reduction in the individual’s credit score, which could have a long-term effect.”

How to Face It: Brittney Castro, Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and CEO of Financially Wise Women, advises people to master their cash flow. “Start by calculating your monthly net income (after-tax) and your monthly expenses,” she says. “Then, at the end of every month, review your total income and expenses to ensure that you’re not overspending and falling into credit card debt.”

One easy way to prevent credit card statement anxiety: Link your accounts to a tool like the Money Center, where you’ll be able to monitor your spending as it happens on a daily basis–instead of being surprised by your bill.

Read the rest of the article on The Ostrich Effect on LearnVest!