- Author & Educator
Joe Navarro can read you. An international expert in nonverbal communications, Joe dissects the body language of others, pinpointing stress indicators, deceptive tendencies and other natural reactions. For 28 years, he worked as an FBI agent and... More
Joe Navarro can read you. An international expert in nonverbal communications, Joe dissects the body language of others, pinpointing stress indicators, deceptive tendencies and other natural reactions. For 28 years, he worked as an FBI agent and supervisor. Today he lends his advice to a diverse group of people, from amateur poker players to corporate executives. Navarro is the author of four books, most recently What Every BODY is Saying. He has taught at the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, the University of Tampa, Saint Leo University and the National College of District Attorneys. In addition, he has served as a consultant to the Department of Energy, the State Department, the Institute for Defense Analyses and the National Security Division’s Behavioral Analysis Program. “Reading people is something you can use every waking minute of your day,” Navarro says. “It can contribute to your job performance and enrich your social life.”
Joe Navarro's Presentations
| PopTech 2008 | October 2008 |
Reading the Language of Nonverbal Communication: Former FBI agent Joe Navarro is a master of reading body language. For 25 years, he honed his skills working as a counter-intelligence special agent, where he learned that our physical actions are... More Reading the Language of Nonverbal Communication: Former FBI agent Joe Navarro is a master of reading body language. For 25 years, he honed his skills working as a counter-intelligence special agent, where he learned that our physical actions are often direct insights into what we are thinking. To get us thinking about what we all say without using words, he led the Pop!Tech crowd in a few gestures, pursing lips (negativity), “templing” one’s fingers (thinking), rubbing eyes (reluctance – such as when a friend asks you to help him move). These gestures are hard-coded, Navarro says. Even people who have been blind since birth rub their eyes when they are asked to do something they don’t really want to do. Non-verbal communication helps us assess danger and communicate our social status to others almost instantaneously. And it’s not just gestures, but colors, too. Research shows that blue is the color of confidence and pragmatism, which is why politicians so often stand in front of blue screens and backdrops. He mentioned the power of symbols both large and small, and critiqued photos of some current politicians to demonstrate the symbolism of rolled-up sleeves (Barack Obama) versus cufflinks (Joe Biden). Two-piece suits are preferred over three-piece in politics because they communicate a sense of openness. The power of humility and dignity in gestures is often underrated, says Navarro. Gandhi stood up to the British Empire in a loincloth; Argentine mothers faced down armies to save their children. No three-piece blue suit could have achieved that. |
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