Greg Hartley on How to Increase the Power of your Message with Body Language

Greg Hartley on How to Increase the Power of your Message with Body Language

I am constantly searching for podcast and YouTube content to enjoy while I am out running or driving.  The ones I like most are about music and true crime. Through the latter interest I discovered the Behavior Panel, a YouTube channel that analyzes the behavior and responses of people (often serial killers or other criminals), to interviews and interrogations.

I found the videos fascinating and informative, especially when the four panelists set their sites on people from business and government.  While watching them analyze videos of Elizabeth Holmes, the former Theranos CEO and current convict, it occurred to me that the techniques they teach should be of great interest to our podcast and blogging audiences.

So, I reached out to Gregory Hartley, one of the more business-focused Behavior Panelists, to come on our PR, Done and Doner  podcast, and he graciously accepted.

Gregory is a renowned body language expert who has written ten books on the topic, and is often a commentator on TV. Gregory got his start as an army interrogator and instructor and brought the expertise to the business world, where he has been advising execs about the art of mastering and reading body language.

It was a wide ranging discussion which covered these topics:

• Myths and misperceptions (spoiler alert, there is no foolproof liar’s “tell”)
• How to increase the power of your message
• 5 kinds of body language to watch and improve
• Why Trump’s behavior is weird (and why Bill Clinton adapted his “illustrator” gestures)

Body language is an incredibly important and perhaps underappreciated component of communications.  Mastering it can you help you build trust and credibility, whether you are giving a presentation or are under the glare of an intense media interview.  Ignore it and you can come off looking and sounding weak and unconvincing.

I encourage you to check out the podcast and contact Gregory (here he is on LinkedIn) if you’d like to learn more

Thanks for reading. And thank you, Gregory, for sharing your insights