BODY LANGUAGE IN THE WORKPLACE

INSIDE OUT

talk big. He scored over 90. But I just can't summon up the

courage to take the kind of chance that might change my life.

What can I do?"

What we can all do if we're afraid of risking is to start small.

Most people learn the art of risking as children. If they succeed

in their first risks, they go on to bigger and better ones. If they

don't succeed, if they're knocked down again and again, they

grow fearful of trying and end up as timid starters.

EASY RISKS
If you are a timid starter, you have to make up for all those
early failures. You can do it by starting with an easy risk, a
meaningless risk. Use the telephone to avoid any face-to-face
confrontation and the possibility of being overawed by someone
else's manipulative subtext.
Try bucking the bureaucracy. For example, call the phone com-
pany about a mischarged call, or the utility company, or even a
credit card outfit. Let yourself get angry, and if you wish, hang
up on them. You'll feel a little tickle of power.
What have you accomplished? Well, for one thing you've gotten
your feelings out. You've expressed a subtext of hostility or anger
and you've survived. That's something!

FACE-TO-FACE RISKS

Now you're prepared for a face-to-face confrontation. Try it with
a stranger in a situation that isn't important. Risk an argument
with a shopkeeper or a waiter in a restaurant. Demand a better