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Hewlett-Packard Says CEO, Mark Hurd, Is Stepping Down Following A Sexual-Harassment Investigation

Years ago, when I was working on my doctorate, I gave my first paid speech on body language and gender differences. I realized that with all the women entering the workforce in equal positions with men there would be more sexual-harassment problems and began doing research on what would be my initial doctoral dissertation topic, "Romantic Relationships In The Work Place." I also started getting requests to do communication programs on preventing sexual-harassment issues.
When I see news items about sexual-harassment, I read them with great interest. Here is a story that I wish I had some video on to analyze the body language.

HP’s CEO Hurd quits after sexual-harassment probe
Executive filed false expense reports to cover up
HP CEO steps down. Justin Sullivan
Hewlett-Packard says CEO Mark Hurd is stepping down following a sexual-harassment probe.msnbc.com news services
updated 4 minutes ago
Share Print Font: +-PALO ALTO, Calif. — Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairman and CEO Mark Hurd has resigned after a sexual-harassment probe that found he violated company standards, the computer maker said Friday.

The investigation found that although there was no violation of HP's sexual harassment policy Hurd, 53, filed erroneous expense reports to cover up his "close personal relationship" with a marketing consultant hired by his office, HP general counsel Michael Holston said.

The investigation also found there were "numerous instances where the contractor received compensation and/or expense reimbursement where there was not a legitimate business purpose," Holston said in a conference call with analysts. He said the behavior reflected a "profound lack of judgment."

As a result Hurd, who is married, has stepped down from all his positions at the company, effective immediately, according to a news release issued after the stock market closed Friday.

"As the investigation progressed, I realized there were instances in which I did not live up to the standards and principles of trust, respect and integrity that I have espoused at HP and which have guided me throughout my career," Hurd said in a statement.

"This is a painful decision for me to make after five years at HP, but I believe it would be difficult for me to continue as an effective leader at HP and I believe this is the only decision the board and I could make at this time," he said.

Hurd and Robert Ryan, HP's lead independent board member, stressed that Hurd's departure has nothing to do with the company's financial health.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Gaze And Flirting

Quote in Mens Health

"Lost in her gaze "

If you find locking eyes with her a struggle, it might just be that you're feeling dominated, anxious or shy. When you do, you "look away as an attempt to regain control, disengage and limit how much information you take in," says John Dovidio, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Yale University. So the next time you two are alone, first make a conscious effort to rein in your addled emotions. If you're still struggling, take the advice of body language expert, Patti Wood, M.A., and split your attention among her mouth, eyes and cheek." This makes wondering eyes less obvious. And don't stop trying: University of Colorado researchers found that meeting her gaze makes you seem powerful.
Labels: Relationships

http://www.mens-health.com.my/2009_03_01_archive.html

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Beyonce's Body Language

Body-language expert, Patti Wood, weighs in on Beyonce's latest favorite pose and takes a trip down armpit memory lane.
By Lindsay Soll Feb 02, 2007
Lindsay Soll .
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Get the latest photos, news, and more. She may not have nabbed an Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls, but Beyoncé and her latest ubiquitous signature pose have been hard to miss on the red carpets. We asked body-language expert Patti Wood to weigh in on the singer-actress' stance and took a trip down armpit memory lane, where plenty of celebs have raised their hands ('cause they're sure?).

1. HANDS
''You have to be a pretty brave mama to be putting your hands on your head,'' Wood says. ''It's typically a male posture. It's called 'the cape and the crown,' [which says] 'I'm in charge, I'm royalty.'''

2. ELBOWS
''They make the head appear larger, saying, 'I'm bigger than anybody else.' Also, it's very aggressive because of the sharp edges. It's read by the subconscious as an attack stance.''

3. HIPS
''The provocative hip tilt is very Mae West. It means, 'Come here and have sex with me.'''

4. LEGS
''What she's doing is like a hula dancer!''

ANNA NICOLE SMITH 2005
A certain octogenarian magnet is clearly proud of her TrimSpa body (and her clear deodorant).

JULIETTE LEWIS 2006
Looks like the Catch and Release star is about to break into her own version of the chicken dance.

DIANA ROSS 1988
If this is how she says, ''I'm coming out,'' then we're scared to see ''Touch me in the morning.''

FRAN DRESCHER 1997
Even by Drescherian standards, this late-20th-century look is especially unfortunate.

Originally posted Feb 02, 2007
Published in issue #920 Feb 09, 2007
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http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20010715,00.html

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Celebrity Couples Body Language

One of my reads got picked up by People Magazine.

http://www.people.com/people/videos/0,,20408300,00.html

http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0,,1133580.html

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Job Interview Tips - Body Language And Interviewing

Patti Wood, body language expert, on how to ace the non-verbal part of the job interview.

Nonverbal communication often makes a bigger impression on an interviewer than what you say, says Patti Wood, a body-language expert based in Atlanta, who has worked with executives at many Fortune 500 companies. Here’s her advice on what you can do to improve your chances of making a great first impression.

The first 10 seconds are the most important: Most hiring decisions are made within the first ten seconds of the interview, sometimes before you even formally begin the conversation. We’re able to read up to 10,000 non-verbal cues in less than a minute. When we talk about getting a gut feeling about a person, what we’re really talking about is reading all those nonverbal cues really, really quickly. Many hiring decisions in interviews are based on reading those cues in an instinctual way.

The most common mistake: The mistake I see most takes place in those first essential moments. Sometimes you’re so focused on you (your nerves, how you look, etc.) that you’re not doing what you would do naturally, and that’s focus on the other person. Making contact and a connection with the interviewer should be uppermost in your mind rather than, how do I look? how do I seem?

That seems obvious until you think about how those first few moments unfold. What if you’re sitting and somebody comes out to greet you? Don’t do what most people do first: pick up all of your things. Leave your stuff where it is and stand up to greet your interviewer. Shake hands. Make eye contact. Connect with that person. Then, pick up your belongings and follow your interviewer into the office.

Know when to make eye contact: In typical conversation, you’re making eye contact about 60 percent of the time. But it’s also important to realize that it is normal to look away from time to time as you’re speaking because you’re accessing information in your brain. Really, the listener should be the one making eye contact. So make sure that when your interviewer is talking, you’re locked in.

If your interviewer loses interest: The interviewer may back away from you, break off eye contact, or stop giving you nonverbal feedback. If you’re sensing that something has shifted or changed, don’t freak out. Keep being yourself: listening, connecting and answering their questions. If it’s appropriate and fits your personality, you can even choose to be a bit feisty and say, “What can I do right now to convince you that I’d be the best person for this job?”

Women—Watch your voices: I typically tell women that they need to be sure that their voices stay strong until the end of the sentence. There’s a tendency for women’s voices to go up at the end of a sentence as if they’re asking a question instead of making a definitive statement. That makes you sound as if you don’t trust yourself and can leave a bad impression. You want to sound confident.

What to do with your hands: Ideally you want your hands visible. Don’t hide them under the table or between your legs. Keep your hands open and in view on the table or the arms of the chair—but don’t grip them for dear life. Or gesture. If you’re really nervous, you may want to briefly hold your own hand to comfort yourself. That’s actually very natural. But don’t keep your hands closed through the whole interview. When you close your hand the amount of tightness and the way the fingers curve show how you feel about the topic being discussed, the person you are with, and most of all how you are feeling.

Posture that communicates confidence: Use what I call “up” body language. It’s beautifully symbolic–you go up when you’re feeling up. Your gestures move up, your head comes up, your shoulders come up and back, and your step is upwards.

Before the interview, do fun things that make you feel good and positive instead of rehearsing the interview. Consider talking to a friend, watching something funny, or listening to great music that makes you sing in the car. Do things that would naturally make your body language go up.

The end matters too: Make sure your belongings are on the left side of your body so you can shake with your right hand. At the end you may shake hands more than once and that’s fine. You could shake your interviewer’s hand when you get up, at the door, or sometimes you’ll end up talking a little bit more and you’ll shake hands again. Make that seem like the most natural thing in the world, because every time you shake hands, you’re bonding, and that’s a good thing.

The end is very critical. Even if you feel like you didn’t do that well, you can still save it by closing strongly and confidently. Some people, when they feel they didn’t get it, they turn off. Instead, stay present and poised all the way to the end, because you still have a chance if you end strong.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://pattiwood.net/. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Celebrity Couples Body Language

Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner
Lautner's arched eyebrows show he's focused on Swift, according to body language expert, Patti Wood, who says the couple isn't in love but "in like." Still, he isn't totally giving himself to her. "He's withholding emotion," says Patti based on the actor's half-smile.

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebritynews/photos/fall-couples-who-will-last-2009411/sk/be


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://pattiwood.net/. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Body Language And Celebrity Couples

Body Language Reveals All
By ADAM STERNBERGH


Print

Each issue of US Weekly is chock-full of science. Yes, it's also chock-full of celebrities -- celebrities at premieres, celebrities nuzzling at after-parties, celebrities in sunglasses taking out the trash. But in US, and other star-tracking magazines like In Touch and Star, the photos of these celebrities now come accompanied with reams of analysis from experts in the science of body language.

In one typical issue of US this summer, Greg Cynaumon, a psychologist, analyzed a photo of Jennifer Lopez and her on-again-off-again fiance, Ben Afflack. And a few pages away, the body-language expert Patti Wood scrutinized a photo of Bob Guiney, the star of ''The Bachelor,'' whose hand was on his date's naked belly. (''Touching that spot,'' Wood noted, ''is usually a prelude to sex.'')

Wood, who is a consultant to both US and Cosmopolitan, says she ''reads'' photos by scouring them for ''body-language clusters'' and telltale physical ''cues,'' of which, she claims, there can be up to 10,000 exchanged during an interaction between two people.

For readers, these experts offer the promise, of hidden truths that the stars would not normally impart. As Janice Min, the editor of US, says: ''People think that with celebrities they're always getting spun. With these experts, they feel like the veil is lifted. And if the expert has a 'Dr.' in front of their name, it helps.''

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http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/magazine/14BODY.html

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://pattiwood.net/. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Robert Pattison And Kristen Stewarts' Body Language

Expert: Robert Pattinson Loves Kristen Stewart More Than She Loves Him. In Celebs by HollywoodLife.com , on Thursday, May 20, 2010, 12:42 PM (PDT)
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http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2010/06/26/robert-pattinson-kristen-stewart-photos-dating-relationship-tension-love-body-language-eclipse-premiere/

Based on these recent photo shoot snaps, body language experts explain that Robert Pattinson is head over heels for Kristen Stewart - and that she doesn't reciprocate his feelings as strongly!

Is Robert Pattinson more passionate about Kristen Stewart than she is about him? Not only has Kristen never confessed that she and Rob are actually together (he has!) but now, after studying shots of the Eclipse crew's recent photos shoot, body language experts say, "Rob, Kristen's just not as into you!"

Patti Wood body language expert agrees that Rob, 24, is more obvious about his feelings toward Kristen, 21, than she is to him.

"Rob has the hand in the pocket with the thumb out, that is a sexual position in men -the thumb goes towards the genital area. It says, ‘I am a man and want to be recognized for my dominate sexuality. I'm the alpha - this one's mine," Patti Wood explains to us. "He is doing a slight lean toward her but there is still a lot of space. Kristen is closed and neutral."

Fortunately, Rob's affections aren't totally one-sided. Although she's more subtle, Kristen's body language still shows she's very much into her leading man.

More Photos » .


"They are like a unit," Dr. Glass says. "They gravitate towards each other - he engulfs her hands and he absolutely beyond adores her. Completely adores and is taken by her."

What about that other guy in the photos? Taylor Lautner, 18, and Kristen were once self-proclaimed besties - but judging from these pictures, he feels like a third wheel.

"[Rob and Kristen] are more of a unit, while Taylor stands back,"

Adds Wood, "[Taylor] is not as comfortable. His chest is pulling out so it makes him seem outside of them."

Aww...poor Taylor! It must be hard to constantly be the odd man out. Third wheel syndrome sucks!

-Kirstin Benson, reporting by Jen Murray

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

How Do You Deal With Remote Media Interviews?

Another body language difficulty comes when you’re interviewed remotely and you are talking to a camera and forced to interact with it as if it was a person. That took me awhile to get use to and the bright lights in your eyes in those remote shoots will tend to make you blink. Prepare for those interviews as well so you can stay looking at the camera and smiling and nodding your head and leaning forward to it in response to the interviewer just as if it was a person. Story about Wrigley gum, Story about Pup-peroni.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

How Can You Be Aware Of Your Body Language And Insure You Are In Sync In A Media Interview?

Practice answering the questions out loud. Don’t just read them off your computer silently. Use your video device on your computer or phone to record your answers so you see and hear your responses and can self monitor. In my experience most journalists and producers have very short deadlines, sometimes only 4 or 5 minute deadlines before they have to move on to cover the next story, so you need to practice answering questions quickly for TV and Radio. You need to practice giving not only quick clear responses but also one sentence rather than a paragraph response. That is the part that I find is difficult for my media coaching clients. They want to explain their answers or add on to them and in a live broadcast there is not time for that. So if you haven’t practiced giving short answers you can get flustered as most hosts want to keep the pace of the show going and will interrupt you or jump in with a pithy comment if you don’t give them a high energy quick response. So practice responding to questions with one sentence and watch your mouth and eyes on the tape to make sure your expression and tone match the word message. Someone experts look to the host for feedback that they have done a good job or make a face if they feel they didn’t give a great answer or if they are interrupted. You need to make sure your face stays still or shows interest in the conversation when you finish speaking. I can’t tell you how many times I've seen a guests' face scrunch up after they finish talking.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

What's Your Advice For Getting Calm And Relaxed Before Public Speaking Or An Important Meeting?

One night when I was in Grad School I was nervously going over material for my first presentation to my body language professor. He was the expert in my chosen field and I kept imagining myself messing up, forgetting what I wanted to say and not being able to answer any of the professors' questions. My boyfriend, Michael, came in my office. He realized I was a nervous wreck, he said, “Patti, you know in college I sold books door to door in the summer and I was the top salesmen for the company. When I started, I imagined I was going to fail. I rehearsed my failure that I wouldn’t know what to say or not be able to answer questions, but I learned from my boss to visualize my success. Michael sat me down and had me visualize my presentation. I rehearsed my successful speech from start to finish, what I would do nonverbally, how I would stand, how brilliant I would sound, how the audience would smile and nod their heads, how brilliant I would be, how the professor would praise me and the audience would give a round of applause. From that day on, I have visualized my success the night before every single speech or TV interview. It makes an enormous difference in my confidence level. When I am traveling and giving a speech, I like to see the banquet room the night before so I can see myself and the audience in the actual room. When I am going on TV, I watch the show or ask the producer about the set where I will be sitting.


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

During A Meeting Or Media Interview, What Are Some Common Body Language Signs Of Discomfort Or Nervousness?

During a meeting or media interview, what are some common body language signs of discomfort or nervousness?
Closing off your body windows, self comfort cues, getting small.

What kind of body language exudes confidence and approachability in an interview or meeting? Prepare. Find out if you are going to be standing or sitting and if you’re sitting whether you will be on a stool, chair or sofa. Ideally you want your body to be relaxed and open. You want to show your confidence by taking up space, leaning backwards and forwards as the interview or meeting goes on rather than freezing or planting in one fixed pose.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

A Client Testimonial Letter

Here is a testimonial letter from a client after last weeks presentation to his group of CEO's.

Good morning Patti...

Thanks again for bringing value to my group...

You scored impressively from a tenured and tough grading group... here are their comments as taken from their evaluation forms:

Member Comments: … she is an expert … … good techniques … fully engaged the audience … awesome … great take home.

And based on your 7/8 presentation I am asking Super Scheduler by virtue of this email, to schedule you for my two other groups.

Bud
The world's largest CEO membership organization

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Julia Roberts On Aging

Julia Robert's on looking young. I have written quite a few posts on attractiveness and looking young and I have a program I give with a fellow speaker, Gail Geary, on "Always Looking Young", so I was so pleased at the wise words Julia Roberts shared on aging and beauty in this months Elle magazine. I love Elle's interviews and articles so it was particularly nice to have an interview with an actress over 40. Here is how other news sites quoted the article.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20012878-10391704.html

When it comes to Botox, Julia Roberts says the answer is "no."

And she's not much of a fan of cosmetic surgery either.

The 42-year-old actress told Elle magazine she thinks it's unfortunate that "we live in such a panicked, dysmorphic society where women don't even give themselves a chance to see what they'll look like as older persons."

That outlook seems to be a rare commodity in Hollywood. Actors over 40 who have had no work done are very rare, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

What They're Not Saying


Patti Wood, body language expert, looks behind the smiles and embrace of Al and Star for InTouch Weekly to discover what they are really saying.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/34851934/InTouch-StarAl

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://pattiwood.net/. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.