Do you know what nonverbal language is? Even if you can’t define it, you speak it every day through your postures, gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice, and you must constantly read these same signals from others. In fact, nonverbal messages can carry up to 90% of the meaning of human interaction and contribute significantly to social, academic, and professional success.

Yet even though we recognize the importance of nonverbal communication, we have generally left the teaching of this essential language to chance. Now parents and teachers can help children develop nonverbal skills so that they will be able to communicate more effectively and to interact with others more successfully.

In Teaching Your Child the Language of Social Success, clinical psychologists Marshall Duke and Stephen Nowicki and educator Elixabeth Martin describe and explain the methods and rules of nonverbal communication. Together they have created an easy-to-use guide which offers definitions and techniques for assessing a child’s strengths and weaknesses in this unspoken realm, as well as case studies, illustrations, and exercises for teaching or improving nonverbal skills at home or in the classroom.