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The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

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THE BOOK OF TELLS<br />

'negative back-channel signals'. <strong>The</strong>se are the discouraging<br />

signals that people use when they're in the listener role -<br />

things like puzzled expressions, gaze aversion, and preparatory<br />

speech movements. Listeners use these signals to<br />

indicate that the speaker isn't making sense, that they don't<br />

agree, and that they'd like to take over the speaker role as<br />

soon as possible. <strong>The</strong>y are the opposite <strong>of</strong> 'back-channel<br />

signals'. Back-channel signals are the encouraging signals -<br />

such as nods and 'uh-huh' sounds - that listeners produce<br />

when they want to show the speaker that they understand<br />

and agree with what he or she is saying, and that they have<br />

no intention <strong>of</strong> taking over the speaker role in the conversation.<br />

When George W. Bush is being asked awkward<br />

questions, he <strong>of</strong>ten resorts to 'negative back-channel' in<br />

order to throw the interviewer <strong>of</strong>f balance. He does this by<br />

looking around, by smiling artificially, and by giving the<br />

impression that he's about to start speaking. Negative backchannel<br />

can certainly help politicians to keep difficult<br />

interviewers at bay. After all, it's what interviewers use when<br />

they want to give politicians a tough time.<br />

Because politics relies so heavily on appearances it<br />

appeals to people who are fascinated by human<br />

behaviour. So does its reliance on subterfuge and<br />

pretence. Because politicians spend so much time pretending<br />

to be something they're not, there's a much greater<br />

chance that they will inadvertently reveal their true feelings,<br />

or their real intentions, in what they do. <strong>The</strong> high<br />

drama <strong>of</strong> politics, the way that politicians abandon their<br />

colleagues, cut secret deals, switch allegiances, create<br />

smokescreens, cover their backsides, deflect blame and<br />

take credit where it's not due - all these things make the<br />

appearance <strong>of</strong> tells all the more likely.<br />

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