August Read/2

Title: What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People

Author: Joe Navarro

Subjects: Body Language; Nonverbal Communication

Dewey Call Number: 153.69 N322W 2008

Summary: At the back of the book, it states: Read this book and you will discover the following: The ancient survival instincts that drive body language. Why the face is the least likely place to gauge a person’s true feelings. What thumbs, feet, and eyelids reveal about moods and motives. The most powerful behaviors that reveal our confidence and true sentiments. Simple nonverbals that instantly establish trust and communicate authority. Overall, the author explains how to “speed-read” people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. Useful terms you might have interest: Duchenne Smile, Limbic Brain, Nonverbal Behaviors

My Read: Do you ever wonder why certain people would earn your friendship and trust right away at your very first encounter? Or do you ever blame yourself for misread certain people and find yourself a victim of cunning deception? Though technology seems to dominate the twenty-first century allowing people to “meet” and “connect” in the cyberspace, a virtual world sprawling of hidden or unknown identities, we, human beings with flesh and blood loaded with plenty and variety of emotions, feelings, and sentiments are still in need of in-person interactions. Body language, aka nonverbal behaviors, is a universal language coming from survival skills without obvious barrier like any spoken languages. To able to well communicate by nonverbal language is a skill worth acquiring, learning, and practicing.

     There are two things I personally discover helpful and interesting. One is the recognition and appreciation of the gravity-defying behaviors of arms, face, and legs/feet. They are implication of positive feelings of people demonstrating such gestures. As the author points out that the most honest part of our body is the feet. People who are positive and excited would bounce their foot back and forth revealing their hidden joy and excitement though they might be able to conceal this from being seen on their face. Another helpful tip I gain from reading this book is to correct my own body language. Books and people repeatedly state the importance of positive thinking. But how? We might be able to turn around the table by correcting our own body language. So, look at the mirror and see what you see. Do you see your thumb showing instead of hidden in the pocket when you place your hands in your pant pocket? If not, correct it and see how it makes you feel.

     At the back of the book, it says “You’ll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you. INFLUENCE is everyone, everyday, and everywhere!!!

August Read/1

Title: Flash Foresight: How to See the Invisible and Do the Impossible

Author: Daniel Burrus

Subjects: Success in Business; Decision Making

Dewey Call Number: 658.409 B972F 2011

Summary: "Wouldn't it be amazing if you could predict the future—and be right?" writes Burrus. Like a good story teller, the author starts each chapter with a true event to lead the readers to the primary points supporting the featured chapter title. To further prove his point, "You can: all you have to do is leave out the parts you could be wrong about! And the amazing thing is, when you know where to look, there's more than enough you can be right about to make all the difference,” on page 24 through page 26, there are lists of the author’s successful predictions in the past.

     In the author’s eye, flash foresight is simply about using one’s eyes to look at things in a different way (Introduction p12). In the book, the author lists seven mental processes for the readers to follow, exercise, and practice. They are: Start with certainty, Anticipation, Transform, Take your biggest problem-and skip it, Go opposite, Redefine and reinvent, and Direct your future.

My Read: As I peruse the book, process 4/Skip the problem and 5/Go opposite strike a sound chord on me though the first process/Start with certainty is also a good way to make a presentation awesome and inspiring. Skip the problem: I like the author’s method facing a problem: peeling the onion. It’s the same description and method I have been used as I try to persuade someone or make a point. Both mental processes remind me of checking blind spots and avoiding tunnel vision. Application of “Go opposite” encourages and inspires a person to have positive thinking. Crisis consists of two elements: pending danger and promising opportunity. Which do you see and choose?

     One good way to exercise the positive thinking is to carry a coin with you. Whenever you are facing with or overwhelmed by dilemma, frustrating situations or nightmarish issues, pick up your coin and look at both sides. Which sides do you want to choose and work on it, the head or the tail? The selecting process itself would get rid of the heaviness from your heart/mind and lead you to the positive path. Solutions are there behind the back of your head. All you have to do is to look at the right direction and be creative with vivid imagination. 

     Practice, practice, and practice!!!

    

     

First Meeting/Aug 29, 2012

     As I promised, the first meeting of the WOW Reading Club is held in the auditorium at the library on August 29, 2012 at 12 pm. There are three of us. Unfortunately, Ruby, my first recruit, didn't show up due to misunderstanding of the date. Luckily, a day later, being one of my regulars, Ruby came to the library today. She thankfully accepted my gifts of a notebook and  a pen. Briefly, we discussed the agenda and set up the date for our next meeting. The second meeting will be held in the library on September 26, 2012 at 12 pm, another Wednesday.
     The purpose and goal of this reading club are 1) to build up a person's reading habit, 2) to improve a person's learned language skills. Based upon expected achievement, members agree to compose and submit a brief summary to share what they learn from reading. According to each individual's reading level, every member of the reading club picked their choices from the library after the dismiss of the meeting. Points and elements for the summary are roughly listed on the agenda. In addition, lists of suggested reading and tools are available at the end of the paper.
     There are four of us to initiate this tryout reading club. They are: Ruby who is an assistant teacher at one of the local Chinese schools, Fiona who recently got herself a position at a bank, Nancy is a housekeeper, and I, Mei-Wan, is the librarian. Together, we would like to encourage each other to further self-educate ourselves. The public library is a storage of treasure. By the help of learned language, we are going to be treasure hunters diligently, systematically, and consciously to discover more wisdom of our fellow human beings, to dig up essence of human souls, and to enlighten our own life.
     It's important to have the right mind-set I reminded all members as we closed the meeting. Reading is to embrace ourselves in the world of books, not simply make progress at English, the learned second language. To enjoy is the key to turn ourselves to the correct and needed mind-set. To be able to read a joy and gift given by our parents for they sent us to schools for formal education. 
    Don't wait. Let's READ!!