How do you read people in negotiations or conversations?
Have you ever wondered whether someone is really connecting with you?
What shows you someone is ready to leave a negotiation?
I interviewed David M. Schneer, Ph.D., the founder and CEO of The Merrill Institute for Nonverbal Intelligence—a body language certification and training organization founded in 2016. He is also the co-founder of Merrill Research.
According to David, signs of engagement include, but are not limited to:
🔎 A smile
🔎 Head tilt
🔎 Chin grasp (but watch the video to see the differences)
🔎 Engaged eyes and/or hands
🔎 Torso leaning in
🔎 Feet pointed to you
David also discussed how to determine if people aren’t connecting with you. Signs of disengagement include, but are not limited to:
🔎 Social/fake smile
🔎 Head titled back
🔎 Looking askance
🔎 Lint picking
🔎 Facial micro expressions of: disgust, contempt, sadness, fear, or surprise
This video gives more detail on reading the different signs.
Here are a few questions to my friends who are body language experts including my fellow negotiating guru, Greg Williams, CSP, lie detection expert, Traci Brown, CSP, silent advantage consultant, Robin Barnhart, and expert in the science of influence, Melinda Marcus, M.A., CSP
Does David’s information ring true?
Anything else you would add to determine if someone is connecting with you or not in a negotiation or high-stakes conversation?