Book Review by K.S. Loganathan
Henrik Fexeus is a Swedish mentalist and communication expert. In this book, he describes the art of connecting better with people in practical ways.
Mind reading is the art of gaining an understanding of other people’s mental processes by observing their physical reactions and features as they communicate with each other. Non-verbal communication, such as body language, eye movements, tempo of speech, subtle changes in the facial muscles etc.,is more pervasive than speech. Fexeus reminds us that true awareness often means seeing what others cannot articulate.
The basic rule of establishing rapport is to adapt to how the other person prefers to communicate. Matching and mirroring the other person in subtle ways, even synchronizing your breathing patterns, and agreeing with them initially are all useful. Paying attention to ‘trance words’, i.e words they use when speaking, and then using those words yourself, imitating the other person’s facial expressions and observing their eye movements and the tempo in their speech and body language are other ways to establish rapport.
Learning to recognize subtle changes in facial muscles helps to get an idea of the emotional state the person is heading into, and to deflect negative emotions when required.
The American edition is written in a chatty way, and it gives a toolbox with exercises for the reader to listen beneath words and to pick up the art of reading minds. It is a must-read for those who wish to communicate better with people and influence them .
pic from unsplash
