Patti Wood Body Language Expert Blog

Model Emily Ratajkowski's Body Language, The way you hold things says a lot about you, Body Language Expert Patti Wood

Emily Ratajkowski's Body Language, Patti Wood

Images of Emily Ratajkowski have long been breaking the internet. Surely I'm not the only one who has headlines like "Emily Ratajkowski Writhes Around In Spaghetti In Her Underwear For 'LOVE's Advent Calendar" burned into my brain. Of course, part of Ratajkowski's appeal lies in the fact that she prompts her audience to examine the way she both does and doesn’t have ownership over depictions of her face and body, and challenges people to think about how often she — and other models — are exploited. Yesterday, EmRata once again sparked a conversation about a photo of herself. Only this time, it was because an Instagram shot of Ratajkowski holding her three-month-old baby made some people wonder: Has she ever picked up a child before?

In a carousel of photos posted to her Instagram yesterday, Ratajkowski is seen standing in a lovely outdoor locale, wearing a blue and orange string bikini. In the first picture, she stares intensely at the camera with big eyes and pouty lips. It's a pretty standard pose for Ratajkowski, except for one thing: She's clutching her baby under her right arm, which is sharply angled off to the side of her body. The next image is similar, but this time, the model is caught in a candid moment, swooping her hair out of her face as she continues to cling to the baby whose torso is still tucked up against her, his legs dangling in the air. In the third photo, EmRata readjusts, grabbing the baby's heretofore unsupported backside — which, by the way, is clad in swim trunks that match his mother's suit. (Cute!) Finally, after the repositioning, Ratajkowski and her child land in what appears to be a much less precarious pose for the last shot. Ratajkowski's right arm still looks a bit awkward, clamped tightly over the baby's shoulder, but his bottom half is no longer blowing freely in the beach breeze thanks to being supported by her left hand and arm.

EmRata's photos often generate a lot of comments, but these photos generated a lot of comments — so many, in fact, that she shut down comments on the post. It's no wonder, really, since most of the people talking about the photos online are being hypercritical, and questioning the way she has only one arm hooked around her baby, and pointing out that it certainly isn't how we most often see children being held. This is undeniably true; this carrying technique is more like how someone might carry a bag of groceries, maybe, or a pile of books. But even though it looks awkward, does that mean it's the wrong way to hold a kid?

Well, obviously a lot of people on the internet — including some of the very worst people on the internet — had an opinion about that. Always looking for ways to shame women, Piers Morgan took to Twitter yesterday and wrote, "That's not how you hold a baby @emrata - and your millions of followers shouldn't be encouraged to do the same. Happy to give you some tips if you need them." Another Twitter user wrote, "not to mom police but the way emily ratajkowski is holding her baby in that one picture is anxiety inducing." I'm not going to lie, the photos of Ratajkowski holding the baby also give me anxiety, but not because I'm worried she's going to drop the kid — I'm sure she's taking plenty good care of him ,and it’s not up to me to sign off on how she chooses to cradle her child. The reason the photo gives me anxiety is because the idea of holding a baby itself makes me clammy.

I've held maybe four babies in my life, and I don't think I've ever attempted to do it while standing up, because the risk seems far too great and the load far too large. Even holding a newborn baby seems like a handful — not a literal handful, mind you, because they're usually much bigger than most people's hands! Babies are often referred to as "bundles of joy," but they're also bundles of fragile body parts, super heavy heads, and weak necks. The few times I've handled a baby, I've either thought to myself or asked out loud "am I doing this right?" and even the answers don't provide clarity. "Hold her like you'd hold a football" is supposed to be good advice, but guess what? I've held even fewer footballs than babies so that means absolutely nothing to me. Eager to find out if my anxiety over holding babies and the judgment so many seem to have about how Ratajkowski was clutching her kid in those photos are warranted, I enlisted help from an expert. No, not Piers Morgan.

Ruby Sibal is a newborn care expert, new parent coach, founder and CEO of Beyond Baby Care, and co-founder and CEO Himba Agency Inc. According to her, we should try to always have a fully secure, supportive hold on both the upper and lower body of any baby we hold. "A three-month-old is not as fragile as a newborn but they get so strong, you can't underestimate the capacity of how quickly they develop their gross motor skills," she explains. "It may seem to look 'okay' [to only support part of the baby's body] for two seconds but once the baby starts to feel uncomfortable or when his attention gets caught on something he is very interested in, he can start to move his head, arch his back, or do some strong stretches and kick his legs." The potential for these sudden bursts of movement is why it's important to have a good handle on the baby's whole body.

Sibal points out that Ratajkowski seemed to be holding her baby tightly against her body and that the quick succession of photos likely indicates that she was adjusting to make sure he was supported. "She obviously was swift enough to hold him securely closer to her body and ensured that he is safe and won't accidentally slip," the baby care expert points out. Sibal also says she would never judge how the model is as a mother based on a few shots posted to Instagram: "I don't know her as a person. But she is a mother. And as a mother, she is the expert of her own baby."

Okay, so we now know the best way to hold a baby, but a question still remains: Why is EmRata always holding living things so strangely in photos? Shortly after the model posted the carousel of images to Instagram, one Twitter user wrote, "Why does she hold small helpless beings like a textbook?" alongside one of the pics of Ratajkowski holding her baby and another of her holding a small dog in an eerily similar way.

I went back through EmRata's Instagram history and found several other similar pics of her clutching creatures at her side with varying degrees of support. She's gripped her dog Colombo for photos more than once. She's shown off the underside of another unidentified dog as well as a baby sea turtle. She's pressed a sheep against her body. She's even held plants to her side. Her affinity for clasping live objects close to her seems to have started early, as evidenced by these childhood photos of her with a black cat.

It really is such a puzzling pattern that I felt I needed one more expert's insights. According to body language expert Patti Wood, author of SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma, these photos have little to do with what's being held. "The message is clear. The photos are about her. Whatever she is holding, be it flowers, puppies, or a baby, are mere 'artifacts,' accessories that send a nonverbal message about her personality and brand," she explains. "The flowers in front of her and surrounding her body and face are placed to say she is a beautiful flower. Her photos with dogs are to show, 'Hey, I am a loving caring dog owner.'"

Wood also has some thoughts about the way EmRata positions her own body in these photos. "She looks straight into the camera, and the dogs are not kept in loving rounded, supportive caresses. Her limbs are not relaxed around them. Her heart does not arch toward them; her torso doesn't lean in and surround." I'm glad I'm not the only one fixated on that strange arm-clench. From Wood's perspective, the main relationship these photos are about isn't between Ratajkowski and whatever she's holding. "Her focus in the photo is her relationship to the camera and her audience," she explains. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though, and actually makes a certain kind of sense as that is what Instagram as a platform is all about.

As Sibal says, "Let us not forget that she is a model. Perhaps she was just trying to get a good shot of her and her baby wearing the same swimsuit print — it’s super cute — and was confident that this hold would not hurt and would show most of the print."ll to say, does Emily Ratajkowski know how to hold things? She sure does — including the attention of her millions of followers.

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.

What to say when your feel your partner is ignoring you. By Patti Wood Body Language Expert and Professional Speaker

What to say when your feel your partner is ignoring you. By Patti Wood

I am an expert in nonverbal communication and suggest that you examine specific concrete behaviors to test if you are truly being ignored and request your partner change their behavior. If your feeling ignored, it works best to say something as soon as you see a pattern of behavior. Waiting The closer the conversation is to the behavior the more likely it is to change and if you wait you may end up with a long list of pent-up frustrations and your partner may be upset and or defensive because you waited. Think of specific behaviors such as their time on the phone and texting with you has changed? What’s a specific thing they do? Do they seem anxious to end phone conversations right away by rushing or sighing?

Do they not ask you questions when you share a story? Have they stopped saying anything supportive like, "that sounds great or that sounds bad?" Or have they stopped showing respectful facial expressions. Do they roll their eyes and or sigh?

I wrote a guideline so you can even write out what you want to say I call the ERASER method of changing behavior.

You begin by examining your partner's behavior. Is there a pattern to it? Look at it as a journalist would a news story. Stand away, look objectively, and ask yourself, ``What is the behavior?'' ``When does the behavior occur?'' ``Where does the behavior occur?'' and ``How often does the behavior occur?''

Exact Express your concerns in exact terms. Don't use generalizations like, ``Every time you...'' or ``You never...'' or ``You always...'' Also, don't guess at or express an opinion as to why they do what they do. For example, ``If you weren't so busy with , you would...''

Below are some examples of constructive ways to word your concerns:

``Five time in the past three weeks, you have been at least an hour late home.''

“The last three weeks when I start to share something about my day, you take out your phone, look away.”

“The last three weeks when I have sent you a loving text you have not responded.”

Sometimes you may ask for a response back from the person such as ``Is that accurate?''

STEP E Be Exact: Describe the ignoring behavior on paper, then answer the ``W'' questions noted above regarding the behavior.

Result After you've described the behavior, the partner may still not understand why they should change their behavior. You may need to give them a result, i.e., tell them what happens as a result of the behavior.

Examples:

``When you say you’re going to be home at 7 and you’re an hour late, I end up waiting to eat, sometimes the dinner is ruined and sometimes, after planning shopping and cooking I eat alone.

STEP R Know the result. As yourself, ``What is the concrete result of the offending behavior?''

Aware There are times when it's obvious from the steam escaping from your ears that your partner behavior is upsetting to you. Sometimes it is not so obvious. Clue them in. Notice what emotion their behavior arouses in you and communicate it to them.

Examples:

``When you are late, I feel anxious, worry and feel alone.”

Notice these statements are worded carefully. Absent are statements like, ``You made me angry.'' By using an ``I'' statement, you avoid arguments. No one can argue with an ``I'' statement. It's pretty difficult for someone to tell you how you do or don't feel about something. Your feelings are your feelings. There are times when this step is very significant.

STEP A Create awareness. When appropriate, state how you feel in response to their behavior.

Switch If you've ever tried to stop a habit, you know how difficult it can be. Something that can make it easier is to replace the old, negative habit with a new, positive habit. This technique makes a return to the old habit less likely. So, why not help the offending person out by giving them a new, less offensive behavior to switch to. Suggest an alternative behavior that would work for you and for them!

Examples:

``I would like to know you are coming home on dinner together at least three times a week for the next three weeks.”

STEP S Switch the behavior. Suggest and recommend the behavior you would like to see occurring in place of the current offensive behavior.

Evidence If you're concerned that the person may backslide into an old behavior, or it is critical that they do something a certain way, you may wish to add an evidence step to your script. Outline what will happen or stop happening as a result of the behavior modification. Support it with an expressed agreement as to what the change will look like.

Remember, you may want to open up some dialogue here and ask them what the evidence would look like.

STEP E Evidence—establish and agree on the behavior change.

Reward Think about what motivates your partner. Would it be helpful to give them a specific reward if they erase the old behavior and switch to a new one and pay more attention to you?

STEP R Reward good behavior.

After you've finished your script, look it over and make sure all the necessary steps are included. Edit out any generalizations or ambiguous terms like ``good'' or ``bad.'' When you talk to them it may help to preamble your conversation by telling them you are practicing a new method of communicating and solving problems. Then, do the most important part—deliver the communication! No communication—No result. Go for it and good luck!

Selecting a Match Maker and or Dating and Relationship Coach

I am a body language expert, author, professional speaker, and coach. Years ago, when I began doing executive coaching to million and billion-dollar business owners and C-suite executives, I realized that many times the single executive men said they wanted management coaching. Still, their more profound need was to learn how to select mates, learn how to safely and effectively flirt, and form deep, meaningful relationships.

As you might guess, wealthy, successful singles sometimes find themselves sought after by people that want their money and power, so I teach body language and other healthy communication cues to know someone is credible and authentic. I also find that men and women high on the Driver and Correctors on the DISC type indicator are often successful. However, they may have trouble with the gentle back and forth flow of flirting and being still and listening that is required to create intimacy, and I teach those behaviors as well. I also help them brainstorm places to go to meet future mates. I assign them tasks like joining a board on a nonprofit, volunteering for Habit for Humanity, volunteering to help as a greeter, or sign in person at a nonprofit or art event, taking an in-person class on their interest in a university evening education program.

I don't advertise that portion of my business as I like how my executive coaching naturally creates a safe place for clients to seek that part of my coaching.

I advise people looking for a matchmaker or dating coach to look for someone who can assess their strengths and needs, coach them, give them "homework" assignments, and guide them through the growth process required to have a healthy, loving relationship.

Expert on Gender Differences Patti Wood Book Recommendation.

A friend and I were talking today about physical appearance in the movie, A Promising Young Woman and  I thought about how tragic it is that young women today feel the pressure to be fully made up at looking perfect at all times. I didn’t wear make-up until I was in my 20s and then I only wore it on dates! 

I have been speaking and writing about gender differences and nonverbal communication for decades. This is a wonderful quote from a book I read years ago. To be born a woman has been to be born, within an allotted and confined space, into the keeping of men. The social presence of women has developed as a result of their ingenuity in living under such tutelage within such a limited space…She has to survey everything she is and everything she does because of how she appears to others, and ultimately how she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her life. Her own sense of being in herself is supplanted by a sense of being appreciated as herself by another. Here is the quote from the book I recommend. 

https://onartandaesthetics.com/2017/01/12/john-berger-on-male-and-female-presence-from-ways-of-seeing/amp/?fbclid=IwAR0SSiKxIj0rMFx1KK3_jfmQIOjx17dGZjz6w2EIuaXyEAcOeDOeXZwihJ4

What Makes Someone Look Like They Are Lying, Guilty and or Evil. The Body Language of Evil Eyebrows.

Notice the downward sloping of the inner eyebrow. Yes, that is controllable. That is something facial muscles can do in response to the suppression of the truth. If you don’t lie all the time you don’t have it! 

 I have a chapter on eye behavior in my book Success Signals. I talk about eyebrows a deception in my deception detection program and I discuss the research on eyebrow placement and malignant narcissism in my forthcoming book. I just happened to see a photo of him in a news story and when I looked up his name there were many more that showed the same characteristic. Body language of Chauvin during his murder trial. 

Police Defendant Dereck Chauvin's Body Language During his Trial for the Murder by Body Language Expert Patti Wood

Body language of Chauvin hearing his guilty verdict in this video https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-2402584/Jury-finds-Derek-Chauvin-guilty-killing-George-Floyd.html

The fear is clear in the tenseness of the lower eyelids and the way he is raising his upper eyelids the rapid eye movement is him processing the verdict as anyone would first in the emotional limbic brain and going over to the neocortex to the logical thinking brain to decide how to respond. The rapid movement shows his constant attempt to first feel fearful, understand what is being said, and stay calm over and over again. But mixed with the fear are also nonverbal indications of anger, see when his eyebrows lower slightly and are drawn together along with the lower eyelid tension so we see him glaring. I had enough baseline of his normal to detect his shift from fear to anger in these few moments. I would say he did not expect his behavior to have reached this judgment. Remember he had been reprimanded but not fired for similar behavior (kneeling on someone) before this and anyone would be fearful of guilty judgment.

Here’s the story about the moment he spoke to the court and the video itself.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9474599/Derek-Chauvin-trial-Defense-set-call-final-witnesses.html What is striking here is his very erect posture and bearing see how it seems that there is an invisible rod through his back and up through his neck. This is perfect professional posture and indicates he is very aware of his circumstances and surroundings. Also, notice this way he is holding the microphone down away from his face and his heart and instead over his torso with his fingers only lightly holding it with the tips of his fingers extended. He may have been coached to hold the mike in this relaxed unguarded way, but in any case, this placement and grip make it appear he is not tense. You do see The tell of his anxiety his clipped, tense, rapid replies. I coach people to be expert witnesses and to testify before congress and while lawyers tend to coach clients to give short responses, I coach them to breathe and give relaxed naturally voiced responses that are credible. Of course, he is responding to questions about understanding about not testifying but his paralanguage, that is voice tone, tempo, speaking rate, high voice, etc. and his focus on looking at his lawyer in a way that makes it look like he searching for approval that he is doing ok and making the right choice make him sound scared. The one "tell" that makes him look a bit smug is his chin placement. Chin placement is a key place to read for someone's level of confidence. Confidence is shown when the chin is held at the center. He holds his neck arched out at one point and throughout holds his chin up above “the centerline” showing he feels superior. I think that is telling because it's very hard to consciously control the chin placement when under stress, so it tends to go to its natural baseline of that person's normal.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-2399020/Video-Minneapolis-cop-Derek-Chauvin-invokes-Fifth-Amendment.html

The defence’s closing statement, where Chauvin took off his mask for the first prolonged period throughout the trial. We didn’t get to see much of him because the camera was focused on his attorney and insight on why the defence would have him take the mask off just for that section.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9488203/Derek-Chauvin-trial-Defense-argues-closing-statement-cops-actions-reasonable.html

https://twitter.com/CourtTV/status/1384559990665584640

I think the mask off was an attempt to have the jury read him and potentially see him be emotional. The background of court trials recently has been controversial in some legal trials they have delayed going forward for fear their defendant won’t be seen on zoom or under a mask as a human/innocent/real. It’s a big concern.

NOTE TAKING

Many of my clients, curious have asked me about his note-taking. It is standard practice for me to coach my executive and politician clients to “take notes” in court cases, testimony, debates and congressional hearing so they will stay focused and occupied, have something to do with their hands as hands often go to “Self Comfort Cues” and overall not be as nervous and NOT GIVE AS MANY TELLS” I give caveats to that advice however saying it's important at times to show respect, caring, and concern partiality.

These caveats were not coached and or shown by him. Because he was labeled as unfeeling and lacking emotion before the trial it was a mistake for him to do it so often. Here the lack of emotion during very painful testimony may have affected the jury’s impression of him negatively. And you have that chin up and often shoulders back as he is taking notes. He looks more natural and humane (that is humane, not human) when he is relaxed down in his chair here. The constant note-taking and the chin-up which can be seen even with a mask on may have been the reason some people labeled him as looking unfeeling or even labeling him as a sociopath. Every individual has their baseline normal behavior that I use to do a read and we have a standard of normal nonverbal behavior for situations. Because of the long horrific video, this was a trial that caused many people who say the video feel horrific pain and sympathy for the victim so the baseline of normal response for the defendant is expected to show a reflection of our normal even knowing that he feels and considers himself innocent. I know that lawyers may coach a client to show no emotion to make the victim look more guilty, but again we saw the video of the victim's agony so that standard lawyerly advice about how to comport yourself as the defendant in the courtroom could and in this case did backfire.

In regards to his constant notetaking, again there aren’t many videos of it because we only saw glimpses but having watched the trial I can say he was writing on his legal pad constantly, no matter who was on the witness stand or which attorney was speaking.

https://twitter.com/HLNTV/status/1382728587808215043

https://twitter.com/CourtTV/status/1382348828871958533

https://twitter.com/JuliaCourtTV/status/1384249332761731081

A Nonverbal Trick to Fall Asleep

I just read about this nonverbal trick to fall asleep.

Isn’t it frustrating when you can’t run off those racing thoughts and get to sleep?

You probably have experienced it, haven’t you?

You get in bed, pull up the blanket, flip off the light, take a deep breath…

And everything you’ve thought about, worried about during the day, worked on during the day, comes flooding back.

You can’t stop thinking about the things that you need to do tomorrow.

Your mind is overwhelmed with stresses, anxieties, the pandemic, and all the issues that are out of control.

Most people will tell you just to “Shut your mind off” and “Just stop thinking.”

But…

How do you do that?!

Well, this is how to flip the switch off on your racing brain.

Now, this technique might sound weird and unconventional but try and you’ll see how well it works.

Next time you get in bed, close your eyes and imagine as you are feeling different objects -- NOT see them, but feel without moving your hands.

Remember: The objects are moving - NOT your hands!

Feel their shapes.

Feel their textures.

Feel whether they are soft or hard on touch.

At first, it might take up to 15 minutes to concentrate your mind on this activity. Although, once you practice it daily you’ll be able to fall asleep in minutes!

Why does it work?

Basically, instead of trying to shut off all those racing thoughts in your mind, you simply refocus and concentrate on something that neither bores you nor interests you too much.

Tips for Performance Appraisals and Giving Effective Feedback to Employees.

I speak and write about performance appraisals and giving effective feedback tied to specific examples of behavior.

What do you find has been the best way to
conduct employee reviews and/or mid-year reviews while working
Remote? Don't wait for the employee review to give feedback. Tell employees as soon as you see the good and or bad behavior that you like or don't like and discuss how they can continue good behavior for specific rewards and stop bad behavior to avoid specific consequences. A performance review should be a Review of information they have already heard. It's in the description of the task that it is a review. Don't SAVE your feedback for when you have time or avoid sharing feedback because it's bad. A review shouldn't have any surprises.

What kinds of conversations should both parties prioritize discussing
together and why is it important to have these conversations?

They should have prep conversations answering questions like

Do you look forward to your performance evaluation?

Can you give me your job description and is it clear what your job description is?

Have you ever been given a performance review and been surprised with new information?

Have you ever been reviewed on something you didn't know was part of your job description.

Do you see the performance evaluation as an opportunity to to grow as an employee?

How can you set goals together

that allow strong performers to continue the great work? And if
someone is underperforming, how can you help get them back up to
speed?

Ask them arere you comfortable being told to go to a workshop or work with a coach or me as your manager to achieve a goal or change something rated low on performance evaluation and/or being rewarded and grow by getting coaching or training?

Why I think men are more comfortable than women offering personal data to brands. Expert in Gender Differences Patti Wood

A survey was to find out how comfortable people are sharing
their personal data to improve their customer experience in
various sectors. Across the board, we found men were more likely
than women to say they are 'extremely comfortable' sharing
personal data. For example, 36% of men said they're extremely
comfortable sharing personal data with a takeaway service,
compared to 19% of women, and 36% were extremely comfortable
sharing personal data with hotels, compared to just 18% of women.

As an expert in gender behavior to provide a

This is why I think men are more
comfortable than women offering personal data to brands.

As someone who has spoken and written about gender differences for decades, I believe one of the most basic differences is that males, starting when they are small boys tend to play move and express outwards. Think of boys running with toy airplanes and rocket ships and cars moving through space with the bodies, making loud noises. And females stereotypically as girls starting at about age 5 move less, take up less space as they play and make less noise as they play.

We know that people that have power of expand take up more space have more open body language while people with less power and status tend to contract, close off the entrances to their body with their limbs and overall take up less space. Less powerful people, historically woman would there for share less information/ make less noise/ close off more of themselves with strangers.

Called the “Gold Standard” of Body Language by the Washington Post and credited in the New York Times for bringing the topic to national attention Patti Wood, is a true expert. She creates high energy interactive programs, filled with humor, cutting edge information and valuable “Take Aways.” She is the author of nine books and she speaks and consults to Fortune 500 companies and associations. You see her on National TV shows like Good Morning America, CNN and FOX news, The History Channel and the Today Show. She is quoted every week in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, Bloomberg Business Week, Fortune, Good Housekeeping, and USA Today.

How to Improve Your Ability To Read People and Form Accurate First Impressions.

I teach my clients to improve their intuitive ability by noting body language and first impressions. For example, I share my “What is the first thing you notice when you meet somebody?” They partner with each other and share their answers. Remarkably, class after class, year after year, they say, : trustworthy, credible, authentic, honest, integrity. Our primitive limbic brain picks up on nonverbal cues that help us “read” people. We can improve that intuitive read by consciously noting what are read of someone is and attaching words to our read, “Safe” “Not sage” “Be careful” “Doesn’t seem authentic” and then when we finish interacting with them in a single interaction even writing down our read and checking back later to see if we were accurate. Research shows that Judges tend to be more accurate at telling someone is lying because they have an intuitive first impression and at the conclusion of the court case they have a check/finding on their read. I tell my audiences in my body language classes and my DiSC and Myers Briggs Communication Style training to implement a new step in entering their contacts into their phones and or other contact software. After the first meeting, phone or zoom call to put their own personal code words and or specific cues they noticed to state their first impression read and type of the person and then go back and see how accurate they are.

New Soft Skills To Consider When Hiring in the Post Covid 19 Employment World

I am an expert on Nonverbal Communication/First Impressions and Interviewing.

The transferrable soft
Skill in 5 words or less.

Make a Great First Impression "Above the Mask"

2. Why this skill is especially
Important & attractive during these turbulent times Being able to present as safe and friendly is essential to front line workers who serve customers.

An example of how a candidate demonstrated this to you during the
Job application process. I have my clients put on a mask even when they do Zoom/video platform job interviews if they are hiring front-line workers and asking the applicant to do the same. I have observed an applicant who did a great job at leaning forward, smiling above the mask, and matching and mirroring body language and paralanguage cues. (voice tone tempo etc.)

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First impression/Zoom Box Impression.
This is often the way that they will be communicating now. Do they have a Zoom Box impression that looks professional? Does it show they took time and care about their environments, such as not having a messy kitchen or distractions and noise in the background? Do they have the camera aimed correctly? Are they dressed and sitting professionally, and do they score possibility on the Four First Impression Factors of Credibility LIkeablity, Attractiveness, and Power. I have a chart of the factors that they should look for in a Zoom box impression so they can rate them on three point scale. If they like the candidate but they didn’t like their Zoom box impression the chart gives them a way to approach a conversation with them before they hire them to see if they can improve their impression.

Take Care,

Trump's Office and Desk, Body Language Expert Patti Wood analyzes Trump's Office and desk

Mr. Trump’s office at his home in the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, is, a monument to his presidency.

The former president is pictured sitting behind an imitation. replica of the Resolute Desk that most commanders-in-chief use in the Oval Office. Specifically, it's a $3,600 Telluride Wood Executive Desk from Hooker Furniture. His chair is highbacked and throne-like brought from his Trump Tower office in New York to the oval office and now it's here in his post-presidency office.

Placed on a side table beside a gilded lamp is a small brass statue of Trump himself. I don’t know anyone who has a statue of themselves in their office.

On the walls on either side of the shuttered doors are two framed photographs. One is an unremarkable picture of Air Force One flying over the White House; the other is of Marine One, with the president aboard, hovering in front of Mount Rushmore before he gave a speech there on 4 July 2020.

On the front right corner of Trump’s desk sits a plaque commemorating the wall he promised to build on the US-Mexico border. made from a piece of the wall at the southern border and was presented to Mr. Trump by US Border Patrol in 2019. Trump promised a “big beautiful wall” that covered the length of the border, approximately 2,000 miles of concrete wall on the US/Mexico border, He was practically elected on that pledge. In reality, only 80 miles of new wall were built during his time in office and some steel fencing.

On the wall are pictures showing Air Force One banking over the White House and Marine One, the president’s helicopter, flying past Mount Rushmore, which commemorates the most significant Presidents in America's first 150 years since independence.

Mr. Trump also has a number of military challenge coins which he brought from the Oval Office. The coins have been used as gifts to foreign dignitaries and American soldiers since Bill Clinton first did so when he was president in the 1990s.

Tucked behind a desk phone stands a bottle of Diet Coke, though Mr Trump is leading calls for a boycott of Coca-Cola following the company’s criticism of Georgia’s strict new electoral laws that threaten to disenfranchise many in the state. (it was once reported that he goes through 12 a day),

There was also some speculation from one Twitter user as to the location of the former president’s new office with the suggestion that it was in a hotel room at the Mar-a-Lago resort given the style of the carpet. The side tables are usually low and are similar to the nightstands in the luxury suites to be nightstands.

I noticed that instead of being on the desk facing towards them so he can see them and enjoy them he has dozen or so photographs on a table behind him, all lined up like as if they’re at a rally. There is his late father, Fred; his children, Eric, Ivanka and Don Jr in London; he and Barron in New York; his late mother, Mary, an oddly cropped headshot of his wife, Melania. I have analyzed and consulted on offices and I have never seen photos placed behind the desk like that. On a few occasions, an overflow of photos are on a side desk but still in view. Here they seem like a sign of status that he has a family.

Why Is Scent Important to Mate Selection?

Years ago I consulted with the producers of a reality TV show where people would select "Mate"  (This was before the bachelor and other shows became popular.) They used one of my ideas in their show and had the women smell the sweaty t-shirts of the guys to choose the best smelling guy for them to date. 

In my book SNAP Making the Most of First Impressions Body Language and Charisma, I share insights on the four first impression factors—credibility, Likeability, attractiveness, and power. I discuss the various aspects of attractiveness including smell and today I contributed to a magazine article on smell and attractiveness. 

Looking for the right smell in your future mate is so interesting because there is a scientific explanation for its importance—the right "scent" is wired to the limbic system. We want mates that would make good babies! 

The theory is that women are more attracted to the scent of men who have immune genes that differ from their own so that if they have children, the babies would be more protected from disease. Specifically, women sniff for men's Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) which is the group of genes that affect the immune system. 

So now you know one of the reasons you want your guy to smell good!   And if you are a gal who has ever asked for a T-shirt from your boyfriend now you know why, and yes I have done that!!!

Patti Wood

Patti Wood Body Language Expert Blog

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Why Is Scent Important to Mate Selection?

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