Search This Blog

Not a Timid Soul

After I finish speaking I often have audience members come up and ask how they can speak with out fear. I share with them, that I have many tools that I use that I can teach them to reduce destructive fear, use constructive fear and ride the wave of excitement to enjoy speaking. The fear is there when you care, it inspired you to work hard, to do your very best, and then risk to go beyond the hardest thing you have ever done, go beyond what you think is your very best. To take a step and even dare to leap into the void and believe that you can fly. Here is a quote to inspire you and to continually inspire me.

Roosevelt on Sweat and Timid Souls
One of my absolute favorite quotes.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
~ Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
American statesman (26th US president: 1901-09)
from "Man in the Arena" Speech given April 23, 1910

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel

Photo-retouching against the law? Attractiveness

In the UK Photo shopping could become illegal. Conservative parliamentarian ValĂ©rie Boyer, asks, When writers take a news item or real event and considerably embellish it, they are required to alert readers by calling the work fiction, a novel or a story based on dramatized facts. Why should it be any different for photographs?”
She proposes, "...doctored photos meant for public distribution to carry the warning “Photograph retouched to modify the physical appearance of a person.” and that anyone violating the rule could be fined about $55,000. For more info and the really scary before and after Ralph Lauren Adds link http://ethicalstyle.com/tag/photo-retouching/

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel

Retouched photos, beauty and attractiveness

My friend Jim is a media lighting expert. He also retouches headshots and other still photos. He takes your photo and turns you into a work of art. I told his I wish he could follow me around all day magically retouching my image. But alas, he cannot. I put his retouch of my last head shot on blog entry, but I don’t use that version in my promotional material. I fear that a client or producer who saw the unlined face in the photo might see me show up for a speech or media interview and say, “Where’s Patti?”
The desire for perfect beauty, the ideal shape, smooth unwrinkled skin, make Photo retouching is derigor in print media. Just look at what they did to Madonna, Katie Corack and Demi More in these photos. http://gone-hollywood.com/tag/madonna/
The link takes you to some starteling photo retouching before and afters.
It’s unbelievable. This constant barrage of retouched photos create a standard of beauty that can't be reached by a anyone over the age or 14. In fact, I can even see teenage girls bringing these stars retouched photos into their plastic surgeons and saying, “Make me look like this.” Hummm, if I took Jim’s retouched photo of me to a plastic surgeon...? Excuse me why I warm up my printer. Below is another link.
http://ethicalstyle.com/tag/photo-retouching/


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel

Does a Wagging Tail Mean My Dog is Happy?

Does a wagging tail mean your dog is happy?

Dogs often wag their tales when they are anxious and stressed and they use a tale wag with other dogs t show they are submissive. Though most cartoon dogs wag there tail in happiness. Thinking a wagging tale on your dog always means it happy is the most common misconception you can have when reading your dog.

Just as there are many meaning for a human’ smile depending on its speed and how it’s given, there a many meanings for a dogs tail wag depending on its speed and the way it carried. There are over fifty different types of smiles in humans. We smile not only when we are happy but when we are feeling a multitude of other emotions as well. Dog’s tails also communicate many different things.
. Happy dog tail wags differ between breeds. Moreover, just as humans have different personalities and different smiles each dog has his own personality and different wags. So how do you know your dog is giving a happy tail wag?

A good first step is noticing when you dog have a reason to be happy and noticing his wag. How high it is held, the breath of its swing. Catching your dog in a happy moment will help you get what we call a "norm" for your dog. Also note breed and personalities difference first. Consider the general guidelines for reading a tail wag to see if your dog is truly happy, (I have step-by-step instructions for reading a real human smile on my website. www.Pattiwood.net

A Sincere happy smile makes you approachable. In human body language it says “I am friendly I am submissive." and "I respect you, and won’t hurt you.
A dog’s happy tail wag says, “I respect you I am submissive and know that you won’t hurt me.”
A happy sincere smile goes all the way up the face to cheeks the eyes and the brows moving like a wave
A dogs happy tail wag, involves not just the tail it typically also involves the rump that lowers and swings the hips with the tails swing.
A broad smile on a human face says I am friendly.
A broad tail wag says the same thing.
A narrow tight smile says, “Don’t bother me.”
Just as dog’s tail held high over the back with very narrow tight short side to side at high-speed tail movements say, “I'm stressed." or "Back off."

I think it is about time I go give Bo the wonder dog a little treat so I can see his truly happy wagging tail.

As the national spokesperson for Pup-Peroni, I am studying the similarities and differences between human body language and dog behavior.



Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel

Being a Body Language Expert, Article on Patti Wood in the AJC



Feature article on Patti Wood today in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Expert reads signs in gestures
Nonverbal cues can speak volumes.
Electronic interaction has hidden messages, Decatur woman says.
BYLINE: Chandra R. Thomas
For the AJC
DATE: December 30, 2009
PUBLICATION: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA)
EDITION: Main; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SECTION: Living
PAGE: D1

It seems there aren't many downsides to being a body language expert, but if Patti Wood had to choose one, what she'd say sounds a lot like a quote from the flick "The Sixth Sense." Instead of dead people, though, she laments, "I see everything!"

Decatur-based Wood doesn't have visions of corpses dancing in her head but, known in media circles as one of the world's top nonverbal communication experts, she does live in a space where every smile, gesture, handshake and even the way one stands speaks volumes about who people are and how they're feeling. It can be challenging sometimes tuning out the subconscious messages that most of us overlook every day.

"I believe everybody has the ability to read body language and nonverbal communication, but it takes time to learn how to pick it up," she says. "My friends always joke with me about 'revving up my superpowers."

The rest of the article can be found in today's Atlanta Journal Constitution. the link to AJC.com is here. http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=19741562
If you have any difficulty getting the article please feel free to email Patti
Patti@PattiWood.net If you like the article or want more info you can send and email to the AJC if you are in the web version of the article scroll down and put a note in the box.


Patti Wood
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel