The Secret Language of Business: How to Read Anyone in 3 Seconds or Less

Chapter 10. Back Home with the Kids

Many people do not stop to consider the role of body language in parenting, but it is in fact integral to the parental role. Some nonverbal behaviors are exhibited by parents across many different cultures while others are unique and specific to particular cultures.

Parenting guidebooks focus a great deal on techniques and strategies for raising children, but I have yet to find one that incorporates information about body language and nonverbal behaviors as part of the parental tool kit. Remember that for the first two years or so of life, children communicate primarily through body language because they have not yet developed speech and language skills. Even after speech develops, a child communicates a great deal through body language, especially when parents make a point of paying attention to it.

In this chapter, my intent is not to replace other sources of parenting information; after all, I'm an expert on body language, not parenting. Rather, my goal is to extend the study and awareness of body language beyond the classroom and the workplace into the real-life situations people encounter on a regular basis. This kind of linkage between academic information and practical application is what I believe to be most valuable and is an underlying theme of this entire book.

As we move forward on this subject, I encourage you to take a fresh look at how your body language connects with your parenting activities (if you have children, of course). If ...