How To Read Any Room

How to maximize your social intelligence.
Have you ever wondered what people are really thinking, beyond the words they say?
It’s estimated that 60-65% of communication is nonverbal (a.k.a. body language).
In other words, a secret conversation is happening right in front of you.
Former FBI agent Joe Navarro shows you how to master that conversation in his book What Every Body is Saying.

Give me 3 minutes, and I’ll show you how to read any room:

Reading body language is a superpower.

By mastering nonverbal cues, you can:

• Gauge emotions
• Identify unspoken concerns
• Respond more empathetically
• This heightened emotional intelligence boosts your influence, as people naturally gravitate towards those who understand them without words.

Whether in personal relationships or professional settings, your ability to ‘read the room’ is invaluable.

Ready to get started? Interpret body language in 4 steps…

Step 1: Calibrate baseline behavior

The key to reading body language?
Look for deviations in behavior that indicate comfort or discomfort.
The key word there is deviations—changes from their normal behavior.

So if you’re trying to read your boss’s body language, first calibrate their baseline nonverbal communication during a few interactions.

Start by observing the five core areas of body language (more on this in the next step).

Step 2: Look for comfort or discomfort

The essence of reading body language comes down to 5 key areas: Eyes, hands, lips, feet, and general posture.
Again, you want to look for signals of comfort or discomfort that deviate from their normal behavior.
Check the cheat sheet for telltale signals.
Step 3. Consider the context

I learned from performance coach Todd Herman that content is king and context is the kingdom.
The content of their body language matters. But even more so? The context.
If they’re crossing their arms, they might not be in a bad mood. They might just be cold.
Consider how the environment might be shaping their behavior.

Step 4: Identify signs of discomfort, label them, and check in

Identify: See someone covering their eyes with their hands?
Label + Check in: Say, “I could be wrong, but you look concerned. How are you feeling?”
Open-ended questions like “How are you feeling?” are often better than Yes or No questions like “Is everything okay? or “Are you upset?”

Your counterpart will be less defensive.

The 4-step framework to read body language:

1. Calibrate baseline behavior
2. Look for comfort or discomfort
3. Consider the context
4. Label discomfort and check in.
Once you become a student of human nature, life gets more interesting.