“Your Body at Work: A Guide to Sight-reading the Body Language of Business, Bosses and Boardrooms,” by David Givens

Most of us, Givens says, are obsessed with words in the workplace. But while everyone pays attention to the words – in memos, in manuals, in the mouths of bosses – they are “not making observations of the things that are apparent all around them,” things like gestures, postures, clothing, hairstyles and other subtle clues.

You’ll find out:



• How a co-worker’s hands, much more than her words, tell you how she felt about your presentation

• Why gestures at a meeting are more memorable than words

• When a shrug of the shoulders can mean the difference between “job well done” and “job could be better”

• How to train a nosy boss to back off—without uttering a single word

• What your shoes and your hair may be saying about your commitment to the job

• Why you’ll find more smiley-face stickers in cubicles than in corner offices◦

“Your Body at Work: A Guide to Sight-reading the Body Language of Business, Bosses and Boardrooms,” by David Givens