What Everybody Is Saying – A MUST Read!

What Everybody Is Saying by Joe Navarro is an absolute must read.

So many people are so unaware of how people communicate non-verbally through body language.

Arm crossed, hands in pocket, do you know what it means when people do this?

Do you ever find yourself doing certain things with your arms, legs, or body whenever a situation changes?

You’re exhibiting a form of non-verbal behavior. We’d guess a large portion of the population doesn’t even realize how body language works?

Do you want to know how body language works?

Keep on reading to find out!

March 2, 2024 by Kazu Fujimoto

What Everybody Is Saying Summary

What everybody is saying is a book that largely describes body language and speed reading people.

This is useful in all areas of life, from family, to friends, to even in the work place.

We all communicate non-verbally through our body language.

If you’re reading this, try to develop some self awareness regarding your body language.

Do you tense up when certain things happen?

Do you cross your arms or cross your legs when you’re uncomfortable?

Maybe you rub the side of your arm or scratch your head.

What everybody is saying covers the reason we do this – it’s because our limbic system is being stimulated and we need to pacify somehow.

We pacify by giving ourselves external stimulus.

Some of the pacifications methods that we use are defense, such as crossing our arms.

Crossing our arms puts a literal shield between us and the perceived threat we’re exposed to.

Who is Joe Navarro

Joe Navarro is an Ex-FBI agent and the author of What Everybody is Saying.

He has been in countless situations where he had to interrogate suspects and used the methods in this book to determine whether they were truthful or not.

During many of the interrogations that he was talking about in the book, he looks for changes in behavior.

Through those changes, he was then able to find out whether one was truthful or not.

These methods that he presented in the book throughout these interrogations are what led to the successful closure of many of these open cases.

Why this book is critical for self development

It’s important for us as humans to understand how we communicate – written, verbal, and non-verbal.

Non-verbal especially, as people don’t realize that they communicate with their body language.

Smiles even – you can tell when someone is smiling and they’re actually happy vs. whether it’s a forced smile.

(Would you be able to tell if someone was smiling and whether it was a genuine smile or not?)

The key lies in looking at their eyes – there should be a raise or lift in the eyes when someone smiles.

The book provides many examples of everyday behavior that we may miss when we see it in others.

Understanding how others will communicate through means of non-verbal language will give you the potential to 10X the quality of your relationships.

Many people are unaware of body language as a concept, and as a result, they end up misunderstanding the other person. This might end up in miscommunication, fights, break ups, or even cutting off ties with family.

There’s nothing to gain by having negative relationships with your friends, colleagues, or family.

Pick up this book and learn how to understand body language emitted by others.

What Everybody Is Saying – My Review

The book has gotten me very self aware of body language, both regarding myself and others.

I actively notice when I’m uncomfortable and feel the need to put my hands in my pockets or cross my arms. I also notice that I like to do things to stimulate my limbic system such as chew gum to pacify myself.

The book has been able to make me notice when people do things such as cross their arms or their legs. It makes me re-evaluate some of the things I say and how I’ll present myself to people based on the feedback they give me.

I remember saying some things and immediately some people would start crossing their arms or legs. Other times, I remember walking in the room and some people would react the same way.

Start paying attention to how people’s behaviors change based on what you do.

See: 7 Tips on How to Build Communication Skills

Practical Applications of Understanding Body Language

Here are a few applications in which you should start looking at to understand body language.

• 1 on 1 meetings
• Team meetings at work
• Going out to dinner with friends
• Going on a date
• Zoom meetings (facial behaviors)
• Job interviews
• Presentations
• Speeches
• Small talk in the office
• Stepping over to someone’s cubicle

Learning how to read, understand, and interpret body language will make it so that you really understand what’s going on in these events.

Closing Thoughts

Now do you understand the importance of reading body language?

It has the power to strengthen your relationships and will increase your emotional intelligence.

If you’ve ever wondered why someone was doing something or couldn’t tell what someone was up to, you can use these body language reading methods to figure that out.

What everybody is saying by Joe Navarro is a must read.

I’ve read it about 5 years ago and I still use the principles that I’ve learned from it day to day.

If you don’t already, you should get into the habit of reading books – as they open up your lens to how you see the world. Having many lens to understand the world helps further your understanding of the world.

Audiobooks are a great way even to read books while you’re doing something else.

Just pick up an audiobook recording, listen to it, as you either go for a walk, cook, or do some cleaning.

As a result, this helps to connect with many others you normally wouldn’t.

There are many other benefits to having a very broad understanding.

Learn how to understand others better by reading body language.

You’ll start to see your relationships improve through a compounding effect as your focus on this more and more.