24 BODY LANGUAGE SECRETS
speaker. But that is not the most significant
fact. Here it is—nonverbal signals have five
times the impact of verbal signals.
- Information that is retained was received by
the brain as follows: 85 percent by the eyes, 10
percent by the ears and 5 percent by touch, taste
and smell.
- When the verbal and the nonverbal parts of
the message are congruent, the listener believes
the message. If they are incongruent, usually the
speaker's words are saying yes, but his body is
saying no.
One thing to do is always dress for success as
explained two pages ago. How you are dressed gets
everything started off on the right, or wrong foot.
Yes, I believe that repetition is the key to learning.
Body Language Anecdote-Televised Liars As
the Watergate hearings were taking place in 1973, I
was completing my 3000 hour internship as a Mar-
riage, Family and Child Counselor with Nathaniel
Branden. Part of my responsibilities included
learning, then teaching body language to fellow in-
terns.
Some afternoons we'd watch the televised testi-
mony with sorrow and dread as our country's Presi-
dent was slowly, but steadily revealed as a crook. I
kept telling everyone John Mitchell, the Attorney
General, was lying on the witness stand. But nobody
believed, rather, wanted to believe, that America's
chief law enforcement officer would lie to the United
States Senate. No matter, I could feel it, as corny as
it sounds, deep in my bones.
One day, someone turned the volume down on the
television to answer the phone. We kept watching
the silent screen. With the sound off, we were all
able to notice that time after time, Mitchell would
touch his mouth or eye when responding, or close
What Is Body Language 25
his eyes while, or just as he finished, speaking.
After he did that about three times, the entire
group, especially me, screamed, "He's lying! He's
lying!"
Nixon avoided impeachment by resigning, but
Mitchell and many others went to prison.
Practice what you're learning. Spot liars on tele-
vision. But, it's not as easy nowadays, because jury
consultants who work for the defense as well as the
prosecution, coach, teach and rehearse witnesses to
keep their hands away from their face while on the
stand. However, if the witness can be put under
enough pressure, he will lose control and touch him-
self somewhere above the neck when he's lying.
On newscasts, see if you can catch liars. The easi-
est to nail are people who are not usually spokes-
persons, thus they have not been trained how to ap-
pear sincere and truthful. These include newly elect-
ed politicians, recently appointed bureaucrats,
street cops and grandstanding eye witnesses Turn
off the sound and refine your skills. Practice makes
perfect. Practice!
As Signs Of Interest, the next chapter, are sent
and received during the early stages of courtship,
then later when dating, heed this timeless wisdom
and advice no matter how trite it may sound:
Actions speak louder than words.
Believe what people do, not what they say.
NOTE 1
Many "radical" thinkers (I am one of them) believe that the
physical and chemical differences between male and female
brains, as well as body differences, explain most, if not all,
gender-specific talents and capabilities. We also believe that
these differences explain why women view courtship and
relationships from an entirely different universe than men.
See BRAIN WIRING in the Appendix.
