234 W H A T EVERY BODY IS SAYING
advice and within minutes located her destination. “Obviously,” she noted,
“I was looking for street signs six feet or more above the ground, not six
inches off the ground.... What was most incredible,” she added, “was
once I knew what to look for and where to look, the signs were obvious
and unmistakable. I had no trouble finding my way.”
This book is about signs, too. When it comes to human behavior,
there are basically two kinds of signs, verbal and nonverbal. All of us
have been taught to look for and identify the verbal signs. By analogy,
those are the ones that are located on poles, clearly visible as we drive
down the streets of a strange city. Then there are the nonverbal signs, the
ones that have always been there but that many of us have not learned to
spot because we haven’t been trained to look for and identify signs lo-
cated at ground level. What’s interesting is that once we learn to attend to
and read nonverbal signs, our reactions will mirror that of my friend.
“Once I knew what to look for and where to look, the signs were obvious
and unmistakable. I had no trouble finding my way.”
It is my hope that through an understanding of nonverbal behavior,
you will achieve a deeper, more meaningful view of the world around
you—able to hear and see the two languages, spoken and silent, that
combine to present the full, rich tapestry of human experience in all of its
delightful complexity. This is a goal well worth pursuing, and one that
with effort I know you can achieve. You now possess something power-
ful. You possess knowledge that will enrich your interpersonal relation-
ships for the rest of your life. Enjoy knowing what every body is saying,
for to that end I have dedicated myself and this book.
Joe Navarro
Ta mp a , F l o r i d a
USA