Introduction 13
he’d look up without expression, nod, and say in a true mono-
tone, “’s all right.” Anyone who didn’t know him would have as-
sumed he was about to throw up. Had he been forced to write his
opinion on paper, he’d probably have written, “I really enjoyed
the meal.” On the page it’s hard to misread that sentence, but
spoken without enthusiasm, without inflection, without animation,
it can sound like just the opposite.
Everything you do sends a signal to the audience. The way you
look at me, the way you use your hands, the way you stand or sit,
the inflection in your voice, all cause me to reach certain conclu-
sions about you. This book is about the signals you send, how you
send them, and how your listener receives them.