Joe Navarro

Because many times we go into negotiations and the chief financial officer is there. Sometimes we go in there and your first assistant is always there also, but you also have an office counsel that is in attendance. What's their role? And what is my role? You know, something so simple as, what are you going to do? Look straight ahead the whole time your attorney is speaking?

Because many times we go into negotiations and the chief financial officer is there. Sometimes we go in there and your first assistant is always there also, but you also have an office counsel that is in attendance. What's their role? And what is my role? You know, something so simple as, what are you going to do? Look straight ahead the whole time your attorney is speaking?

Or are you going to look at him? Well, we know from the research that by looking at the person who's actually talking on your side, actually potentiates the gravity of what he's saying that at the most emphatic points when that attorney makes, and you did this earlier, you want to steeple because steeple is the most powerful gesture that we have to convey confidence.

Or are you going to look at him? Well, we know from the research that by looking at the person who's actually talking on your side, actually potentiates the gravity of what he's saying that at the most emphatic points when that attorney makes, and you did this earlier, you want to steeple because steeple is the most powerful gesture that we have to convey confidence.

Is this. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel did this a lot. You see Musk do this a lot. You see Steve Jobs used to. A lot of pictures of Steve Jobs doing that. But, you know, you reserve that for that point in time when you want to emphasize. And so the worst thing you can do is just to sit there dormant. And in fact, we have research done. And it's called the still face experiments.

Is this. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel did this a lot. You see Musk do this a lot. You see Steve Jobs used to. A lot of pictures of Steve Jobs doing that. But, you know, you reserve that for that point in time when you want to emphasize. And so the worst thing you can do is just to sit there dormant. And in fact, we have research done. And it's called the still face experiments.

And that is that the worst thing you can do is sit at a meeting and hold a still face. You're perceived as a threat. You are perceived as less trustworthy. You're perceived as insignificant. Corner of your mouths are down. Eye roll to the right, Stephen. That's how you're perceived. And that's what happens.

And that is that the worst thing you can do is sit at a meeting and hold a still face. You're perceived as a threat. You are perceived as less trustworthy. You're perceived as insignificant. Corner of your mouths are down. Eye roll to the right, Stephen. That's how you're perceived. And that's what happens.

The experiments, which were done first with babies, found that if you take a baby, and it's called the still face experiments, if you take a baby and you look away and look back and smile, the baby's content. You can do that several times. But on the last one, you turn around and you hold very still face. The babies become uncontrollable. They have fits. They're really troubled by that.

The experiments, which were done first with babies, found that if you take a baby, and it's called the still face experiments, if you take a baby and you look away and look back and smile, the baby's content. You can do that several times. But on the last one, you turn around and you hold very still face. The babies become uncontrollable. They have fits. They're really troubled by that.

So the experimenters said, well, yeah, but at what age does that leave us? So they decided to do it with adults. Adults do the same thing. If you and I are talking and we're exchanging faces, the worst thing I can do is then sit there You find it disconcerting. And what the brain perceives is a threat. And you lose trustworthiness.

So the experimenters said, well, yeah, but at what age does that leave us? So they decided to do it with adults. Adults do the same thing. If you and I are talking and we're exchanging faces, the worst thing I can do is then sit there You find it disconcerting. And what the brain perceives is a threat. And you lose trustworthiness.

Well, that's one way to look at it. I'm not sure that anybody knows the precise reason for it. But what we do understand is that the still face, which if you're in a virtual call, you want to nod, you want to tilt your head, you want to make different gestures. But the worst thing you can do is hold still.

Well, that's one way to look at it. I'm not sure that anybody knows the precise reason for it. But what we do understand is that the still face, which if you're in a virtual call, you want to nod, you want to tilt your head, you want to make different gestures. But the worst thing you can do is hold still.

And then in negotiations, when you're talking to the team and saying, look, when we're going in there... I don't want anybody to just sit there. I want expressions. And when someone is speaking, you're looking at them in the same way that the other side would do. But you have to plan.

And then in negotiations, when you're talking to the team and saying, look, when we're going in there... I don't want anybody to just sit there. I want expressions. And when someone is speaking, you're looking at them in the same way that the other side would do. But you have to plan.

Now, the other thing I find with negotiators, one thing I did in the FBI is I always planned my interviews in exquisite detail. Who would enter the room first? Who would say what? Where I would sit? Who gets offered water and when? Because I need to be in control. Who's going to say what? These are things people don't think about.

Now, the other thing I find with negotiators, one thing I did in the FBI is I always planned my interviews in exquisite detail. Who would enter the room first? Who would say what? Where I would sit? Who gets offered water and when? Because I need to be in control. Who's going to say what? These are things people don't think about.

But at the levels with the people that I deal with, you have to have a certain amount of advantage. You have to have a certain amount of psychological leverage to say, look, you may be the world's largest manufacturer of this, and I'm just starting out, but I am not down here.

But at the levels with the people that I deal with, you have to have a certain amount of advantage. You have to have a certain amount of psychological leverage to say, look, you may be the world's largest manufacturer of this, and I'm just starting out, but I am not down here.