I love the Novel SEVEN LOCKS. As a body language expert, I was particularly fascinated with the communities shunning of the main character and how it effected her.

The writing was wonderful. I wanted to savor every sentence. Recently I have been reading novels based in the old west and the Heroine has the same Moxie as the frontier women in the wonderful book, "These Is My Words." That I just lent to my friend Pat MacEnulty. Pat is a Novelist and has strong female leads in her work so I know she will love that book as well as SEVEN LOCKS.'
Goodness, I sound like an advertisement, but they are both good books. Here is the description of SEVEN LOCKS.
The Hudson River Valley, 1769: A man mysteriously disappears without a trace, abandoning his wife and children on their farm at the foot of the Catskill Mountains. At first many believe that his wife, who has the reputation of being a scold, has driven her husband away, but as the strange circumstances of his disappearance circulate, a darker story unfolds. And as the lines between myth and reality fade in the wilderness, and an American nation struggles to emerge, the lost man’s wife embarks on a desperate journey to find the means to ensure her family’s survival


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - 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. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Cell Phone Behavior from Body Language Expert

I work with Fortune 500 companies, consulting on their communication. I recommend several cultures norms for cell phone behavior. One is to try turning off and putting away the cell phone when sitting down and beginning a meeting.  So, for example, for Deloitte I recommended that all consultants begin the meeting with a statement such as, “This meeting with you is so important I am turning off my phone and putting it away.” And then actually putting the phone away off the table and out of reach, so they were not tempted to do what I call “hip checks” where they might rest the phone on their hip and gaze at it.  You can get more information about etiquette and research on cell phone use from my book SNAP Making the Most of First Impressions Body Language and Charisma. The last piece is how cell phone use affects the brain by laying down neural pathways to the ego centers of the brain so that we act and feel superior to those around us.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - 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. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Top Ten Things Not to do at a Business Social Event or Job Search Mixer

Top ten things not to do at a business social event or job search mixer.

Here are some things you know and some you may not know are rude.

                         

1.       Arrive late.

2.      Not offer to shake hands with someone who wants to shake yours. (My clients are saying they even have candidates refuse to shake hands in formal job interviews.)

3.      It seems obvious not to wear clothing that is inappropriate such as too revealing or too casual, but you may need to be reminded to think about your footwear.  Flip flops to a corporate headhunter cocktail hour are not appropriate.

4.      Walk up to two people who are engaged in deep conversation and interrupt without an apology. It is old school etiquette, but job candidates can be overly aggressive in their attempts to meet and greet. Assertive behavior is fine, rude behavior is not. An, “Excuse me am I interrupting?” at least.

5.      Cut in the line at the buffet or bar.

6.      Put too much food on your plate or take the last remaining favorite items such as the last three shrimp or last piece of cake if there are people in line behind you.

7.      Drink more than three glasses of anything alcoholic. I would prefer you not drink at all.

8.      Start eating before the host without being given permission.

9.       Wipe your face without a napkin or eat without a napkin.

10.   Leave without thanking the host, or at the very least, if it is a large event and the host is busy, waving at the host and mouthing the words thank you.

And a few more

11.     Make a loud intrusive entrance.  If you arrive late you should be especially unobtrusive and if you’re late arrival is obvious to all, apologize.

12.   Talk about your health problems, diet, your recent dates or your cat’s funny habits.  If someone else starts the conversation you can make one quick comment.

13.   Monopolize the conversation. If you are only hearing your voice. You are talking too much.

14.   If you are standing or sitting talking with someone or a group and leaving without a goodbye or excuse me such as, “ I enjoyed speaking with you can you excuse me I haven’t eaten and I would like to try that delicious looking  shrimp before they are all gone. This is old school etiquette again, but manners still mean something.  Do I need to say, don’t look at your smart phone?

 

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - 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. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

15 Christmas Presents from Children's Art Work and or Your Photos and or Your Recipies

1.       Make into lampshades for kids rooms by hot gluing on the OUTSIDE of a lampshade.

2.       Collage the artwork and or photos into placemat size, get a laminating kit or take the big artwork to Office Depot to make into placemats for the table.

3.       Put photos or artwork or recipe inside a special insulated cup, there is a company in Sarasota Florida that makes Tumbler insultated cups.

4.       Collage a hard cardboard box off birthday party photos and artwork for Birthday present box or Christmas photos and Christmas art for Christmas present.

5.       Take photos of kids, or family or group of friends while they are doing art or craft project or cooking something special. Coollage the photos along with artwork, craft project or recipe for what you make inside a frame or with the gift of the art or food.

6.       Make a cardboard Book Marker

7.       Wrap around pencils then cover with clear tape

8.       Take photos of the artwork and photo shop into elegant and fun frames, print out and use as gift to from cards.

9.       Make Photo, artwork or recipe into fabric  with kit from Michael’s Craft store and then sew onto the cuff of socks

10.   Do above and sew onto cuff of mittens or gloves

·         can get a clear smart phone case for an smart phone online or at a kiosk in the mall and put in photos and artwork. That gives you the option of rotating out photos and artwork.

·         If you are buying your sweetie and TV you can put a photo of you two or family photo on the remote and cover it the photo with clear contact paper or clear tape.

·         Know someone who loves bake goods or who is gluten free? Buy inexpensive reseal able clear floor sugar and or coffee containers from Big lots or Target (the plastic or glass kind with rubber seal and metal clip look and work best.) Take or glue photos, artwork and or recipe on outside, Put baking ingredients on the inside. ( There are gluten free baking mixes at most grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Home Goods and Wholefoods if you don’t want to make dry ingredients from scratch.

·         For a funny present buy a paper towel dispenser (My favorite is the fantastic one that you can one hand to break off a towel at time from Bed Bath and Beyond) and a six pack of paper towels.  Carefully take the cardboard rolls out of the paper towels. On a sheet of paper the length and width or the roll paste photos or artwork, Glue around the cardboard roll place back into paper towels. You now have a six pack full of surprises. As your gift recipient finishes a roll they find their unique gift hidden on the cardboard roll.  

·         Buy a business card case. On the inside cover place a family photo, cover with clear contact paper.  

 

 

1. Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - 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. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Quick, Easy and Clever Halloween Costumes

 

 

10 last minute Halloween costume ideas that are quick and easy to create from stuff you already have in the house

1. Strap a flashlight or two into a belt and wrap tight with duct tape then put on a sheet with big eye holes. It gives a whole new meaning to ghost.
2. Put your phone headset on your head. (One of the ones that goes over your head with the mike in front.) Put on oxford shirt and khakis and go around saying, "Please hold." And "how can I help you today?" To dress like tech support.
3. Put white powder in your hair or grey wig, and strap, sew or hot glue office supplies to your body, a stapler, notebook, pens, paperclips and post its to your clothes and say you're an old desktop computer.
4. If you're single, hot glue recipes and perhaps a measuring spoon and a whisk and such to an apron put it on over a white shirt and black pants say you're a chef looking for a food critic to cook for or that you're a future contestant for top chef and you would like to try out some recipes.
5. Go to the dollar store or grocery store and get tons of boxes of Cracker Jack. Hot glue them to a buttoned shirt, tell people you're the Cracker Jack surprise.
6. Carry an open newspaper and say you're the last subscriber to the daily paper. (Read the paper first as people will ask you what you've read)
7. Dress in all deep purples and carry or attach a dinner knife, a bag of white bread and jar of peanut butter. You are a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
8. Dress all in black (that can be fun) or brown attach or carry a coffee cup cream and sugar and say you're a cup of coffee.
9. Find all the birthday cards around the house, hot glue them to an outfit, along with birthday candles, a paper table cloth and an empty box of cake mix and say you're a birthday party.
10. Put a couch throw around your shoulders strap on a pillow from the sofa, a TV remote and some popcorn, and you're a couch potato.

And a few more

Look up conversation starters or questions to start conversations on the internet and print a ton of them, then cut them into strips, glue them on your clothes and you are a conversation starter. My book strapped to your waist is also a good opener.

Print out a ton of photos of all the things that interest you, your fav foods, and places to travel, people, books and famous people, tape them on. You're PINTREST (The website where you pin photos.)

Put on all black, a cap, mask, gloves and tennis shoes and take all your purses and hang them all over you to be a purse snatcher.

If you have dark hair and a big smile, put on a white shirt and white pants and red lipstick and carry a clip board and you’re Madge the Progressive Insurance girl. (Have a YouTube video of her commercial on your phone ready to play.)

If you’re a guy put on a business suit, make a table out of cardboard that you can fit around your waist or sit on the floor and have people gather around you in a circle and ask inane questions and you’re the AT&T guy in the cute commercial with the kids.

Take all the old ties from the closet pin and or wrap them around you. Swing by a Thai restaurant for some take out boxes, menus and chopsticks and you are Thai food.

 Dress up like a witch, but instead of a broom bring a Swiffer or little vacuum to be a modern day witch.

 Put on all your sports related clothing, hats, shoes etc. (please no Miley Cyrus foam finger) and go as a sports fan. You can even go as a fan.

I am going to dinner with friends on Halloween but, we are not dressing up. Instead we are going to play twenty questions and have each other guess what famous person we would dress up for.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - 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. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.