Cues

January 17, 2022
“Every day I meet brilliant, creative, strategic thinkers held back, unwittingly, by their cues,” writes behavior researcher Van Edwards (Captivate) in this practical guide to communicating with subtle signals. Aiming to help readers communicate “authentically and assertively” in the workplace, Van Edwards draws on hundreds of studies to convincingly decode over 40 social cues in four categories: nonverbal, vocal, verbal, and imagery. For each category, she demonstrates how to balance “warm cues” (ones that signal likability, such as mirroring a partner’s body language) and “competent cues” (which signal capability, such as “steepling” one’s hands during conversation). Combined, warm and competent cues make one come across as charismatic, she writes. Vocal cues include projecting and using a low pitch; the words “connect, collaborate, happy, both, and together” make for strong verbal cues; and for imagery, she cites research showing that one should not use the Arial font if they’re going for laughs, as people don’t find it funny. In a crowded field, Van Edwards’s survey stands out thanks to its abundance of resources: there are handy charts, interactive exercises (one instructs readers to record themselves lying and then to analyze their cues), and a glossary of “charismatic words.” Readers looking to up their influence will find these tactics worth a look. Agent: David Fugate, LaunchBooks Literary.