Here’s something light today. These make me laugh. They are dangling and misplaced modifiers from this site:

http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/CommonErrors_BestMod.html

The best misplaced and dangling modifiers of all time
Oozing slowly across the floor, Marvin watched the salad dressing.
Waiting for the Moonpie, the candy machine began to hum loudly.
Coming out of the market, the bananas fell on the pavement.
She handed out brownies to the children stored in Tupperware.
I smelled the oysters coming down the stairs for dinner.
I brushed my teeth after eating with Crest Toothpaste.
Grocery shopping at Big Star, the lettuce was fresh.
Driving like a maniac, the deer was hit and killed.
With his tail held high, my father led his prize poodle around the arena.
I saw the dead dog driving down the interstate.
Holding a bag of groceries, the roach flew out of the cabinet.
Emitting thick black smoke from the midsection, I realized something was wrong.
The girl was consoled by the nurse who had just taken an overdose of sleeping pills.
I saw an accident walking down the street.
Drinking beer at a bar, the car would not start.
Playing pool in the living room, the radio was turned on by Jim.
Frustrated by diagonal movement, the set was turned off.
Mrs. Daniel sews evening gowns just for special customers with sequins stitched on them.
Although exhausted and weary, the coach kept yelling, “Another lap!”
She carefully studied the Picasso hanging in the art gallery with her friend.
Having an automatic stick shift, Nancy bought the car.
Freshly painted, Jim left the room to dry.
He held the umbrella over Janet’s head that he got from Delta Airlines.
He wore a straw hat on his head, which was obviously too small.
After drinking too much, the toilet kept moving.

(1) Franklin Covey Style Guide, Franklin Covey, 1999

When considering how to interpret the real meaning of incongruent head gestures, pay attention to these factors.

Head movement: Some people actually move their head from side to side to indicate they’re in agreement with you. That’s contrary to what you expect to see. In most cases, when someone moves her head from side to side, she’s indicating that she is in disagreement. Prior to the official negotiation, verify the manner in which the other negotiator uses head gestures by asking him questions, or observe how he responds to questions from others, and the head gestures that are associated with his response. If you note a perceived incongruity between his words and head movement, pay attention to such gestures to determine if that individual has a quirk when it comes to displaying his demeanor in such situations.

Leading you to agreement: Some people will end a statement while moving their head up and down. That’s what we normally expect to see when someone is in agreement. By moving her head at the end of a statement in such a manner, subliminally, she’s attempting to lead you to agreeing with her pronouncement. Make sure you understand what her attempt is and determine if her actions match her words. In such situations, if you wish to be playful or display nonconformity, you might gesture your head in the opposite direction of hers. Then, observe her reaction. In some cases, she may stop her line of questioning to gain insight into what you’re conveying with your gestures. If she doesn’t do so, she may be subliminally indicating that she will attempt to overwhelm you and sway your thoughts to her opinion. In either case, be aware of the body language signals that are being exchanged and how there use is influencing the negotiation.

Note differences in head movement: The same head gesture could convey different thoughts in verbal versus nonverbal messages. Don’t assume there’s incongruence just because the head movement and the spoken word are not synchronized. The mental state of mind of the other negotiator may be such that she expresses herself subconsciously in such a manner. Verify the real meaning of her gestures before making assumptions.

You should always create a plan before entering into the negotiation. By including the observation of how someone uses her head gestures, you’ll put yourself in a better position to avoid defeat.

Greg Williams is the author of this guest post. He joined Pat Iyer on November 29 for a repeat of the successful webinar, Negotiations: Superpower Your Ability to Negotiate: How to Read Body Language Webinar. Watch the replay.

Synchronize body language to negotiate successfully
Your body language conveys your thoughts. That’s not a revelation. What may come as a revelation is the fact that you can assist in how you’re perceived through your body language by controlling the body language signals you emit. First, consider the image you wish to project and the role that your body language will play. Then determine how you will cast the role which you’ll play during the negotiation. In so doing, try implementing the following suggestions.

1. Set the stage: Assess what the proper body language should be for the situation in which you’ll be negotiating. Be sure to dress, speak, and display the appropriate mannerisms for that environment. If the negotiation is held in your environment, be sure it reflects the theme you’re projecting. That is to say, if you are trying to project the image of someone that lacks financial substance, as the result of trying to get a lower price, don’t negotiate while wearing a Rolex, or in a posh environment. Attire yourself in a more modest manner and have the negotiation in a less austere environment.

2. Stay on message: Determine what your most important position will be. Then, during the negotiation, if you wish to be perceived as being very focused, stay on point and align your body language to highlight that position. Regardless of the rebuttals you receive from the other negotiator, drive the focus of the negotiation back to your main point. Use body language – verbal and nonverbal communications – to assist in this effort. State your position and don’t move far from it, unless the other negotiator makes sufficient concessions.

3. During the negotiation: Apply the appropriate body language signals (facial, hand, feet, and other body language expressions) throughout the negotiation. Stern facial expressions, coupled with steepled hands (as in a church steeple) when conveying the degree that you believe your position has validity, will add to your power. Steepled hands will also subliminally cast you as an authority in the subject matter upon which you speak. Use softer gestures (smiling with hands open/apart) to express the signal that you might be open to modifying a segment of your position.

The more consistent you are about synchronizing your body language with your negotiation position, the more your position will be perceived as being important. Such perception will occur at a conscious and subliminal level within the other negotiator. If done appropriately, you’ll be in a better position from which to negotiate.

Greg Williams is the author of this post. He is known as The Master Negotiator. Sharpen your negotiation skills and ability to read body language by watching the replay of Greg Williams’ webinar on November 8: Superpower Your Ability to Negotiate: How to Read Body Language. Sign up here.

During negotiations, the body conveys hidden messages and thoughts that words do not express. If you’re astute, you’ll discern those thoughts and be able to detect feelings of the person with whom you’re negotiating. Some nonverbal signals (body language) are much easier to perceive than others. As an example, if you’re talking with someone and he turns and walks away from you, you know the conversation has concluded.

You might ask, depending upon the length of the conversation, at what point did he decide to exit? Did he mentally exit when he looked at the door? Was it the moment when one of his feet turned almost imperceptibly away from you? If you were aware of the moment at which the other negotiator’s intentions were displayed, you could have taken actions to keep him engaged, or at least acknowledged the fact that you recognized his boredom, or restlessness, thus gaining some form of appreciation for having done so.

There are many nonverbal signals conveyed in the course of a negotiation. To the degree you are aware of them, you can benefit by gaining insight into the other person’s thoughts. By being able to read nonverbal signals (body language) in negotiations and all realms of your life, you increase …

1. your ability to communicate,
2. your ability to influence other individuals,
3. the likelihood that you’ll be able to assist them in getting what they want, and
4. the chances you will get more of what you want.

Greg Williams is known as the Master Negotiator. Sharpen your negotiation skills and ability to read body language by watching the replay of Greg Williams’ webinar on November 8: Superpower Your Ability to Negotiate: How to Read Body Language. Sign up here.

What does disgust look like in a negotiation? In a negotiation, negativity, in the form of disgust, can be seen in the body language of the other negotiator, through the use of sighing, constantly looking away from the person speaking, checking the time via glances at his watch or a clock on the wall, and the fiddling of objects. Disgust in the form of negativity can also be displayed by the use of strong hand gestures (pounding table, stabbing/poking the air with a finger, etc.).

What to observe to detect real disgust in the form of negativity in a negotiation: to detect the genuineness of disgust, examine the other negotiator’s face for a wrinkling in his nose and his upper lip raised. This expression will only last for 1/25 of a second to 1 second. Thus, while the emotion will be fleeting, you can glimpse the sincerity of the other negotiator’s emotional state of mind, if you capture this signal.
How to combat negativity during a negotiation: regardless of whether the display of negativity is genuine, if it emerges at a crucial part of the negotiation, weigh the option of discussing your perception to seek validation of the emotion. “I sense you are negative about my proposal. Is that correct?” If such displays are made during noncritical points in the negotiation, consider ignoring them. Only speak about them if you wish to convey that you’re aware that something’s askew. Be careful not to fall prey to a position that’s not beneficial to your negotiation efforts.

Ways to alter false negativity displayed during a negotiation: depending upon the person with whom you’re negotiating and her demeanor, you may consider ignoring the signs of disgust she displays. In some cases, like a child, the more you inquire as to what is wrong with the person with whom you’re negotiating, as displayed by her behavior, the more you’ll be drawn into her control.
Observe micro expressions to be better equipped to defend against emotions displayed during a negotiation. Once you become adept at identifying genuine emotions, versus those that are presented for the purpose of diversion, you’ll compete at a higher level and be more successful when negotiating.

Greg Williams is known as the Master Negotiator. Sharpen your negotiation skills and ability to read body language by watching the replay of Greg Williams’ webinar on November 8: Superpower Your Ability to Negotiate: How to Read Body Language. Sign up here.

As you negotiate, using the above strategies, you’ll subliminally influence the other negotiator with your new found hidden skills. To insure that your future negotiations are influenced more positively, adhere to these strategies and utilize them to the point that they become effortless. You’ll revel in the soaring heights to which your negotiation effects will ascend. You’ll become a more dynamic negotiator, which will allow you to acquire more of that for which you negotiate.

Gain from Greg Williams’ expertise by watching a replay of a webinar: Superpower your ability to negotiate: how to read body language.

• If you’re astute at reading body language during a negotiation, you can pick up on nonverbal signals and detect a liar’s lie before he gets too deeply into it. In so doing, you will decrease the probability of being deceived.

• People lie because they’re seeking something they need at the time of the lie. In a negotiation, if you understand the need, you’ll understand the source of the lie. To assess the genuineness of disgust in your negotiation, note what has led to the display of the emotion and observe the signs that highlight the genuine emotion displayed through disgust.

• Consider mirroring negativity to stake out a position indicating you’re as repulsed as the other negotiator. Do so with caution, so as not to get into a one-upmanship with the other negotiator.

• Negativity begins in your mind, when negotiating, as in all phases of life. Give thought to the benefits of negative situations. You may surprise yourself by uncovering a diamond that first appeared to be coal.

• Display an even disposition when you negotiate and you’re beset by negativity. Don’t bemoan negativity to the degree that you allow it to take you off track. Never let them see you sweat.

• You reach major milestones by achieving small gains. Be persistent in your attempts to achieve the goal of your negotiation and don’t be dismayed by negativity.

• Stop anytime you encounter a negotiation situation that doesn’t appeal to you. Ask the other negotiator if he meant to take the position that made you anxious. If he says, “No”, you’ve defused the situation. If he maintains the point that created the anxiety, be prepared to take appropriate actions to thwart his position.

• Depending upon the negotiation characteristics of the other person, you may consider appealing to his sense of fairness. Be sure the other negotiator perceives fairness as a worthwhile value to possess, otherwise, this ploy will be ineffective.

• Choose with whom you negotiate and seek those who negotiate in a similar style as you to gain an advantage prior to entering into a negotiation, when possible.

• When you hear the word “manipulate”, remember there could be good implied. You enhance her life if you manipulate someone for her good.

• The way you present offers affects the perception of the offer.

Greg Williams is the guest author of this blog post. This material is used with permission from a forthcoming book on negotiation skills. He is the author of the”Negotiate: Afraid ‘Know’ More” and the author of a forthcoming book on negotiation and reading body language, with an emphasis on micro expressions. Reach Greg at GregWilliams@TheMasterNegotiator.com.

• Pay attention to what the other negotiator says, but pay more attention to his body language. Words can be used to manipulate, but the body never lies.

• Practice using head gestures to lead people to agree with you. Do so with friends and observe to what degree they agree with you. By doing so, you’ll gain insight into when to use your head gestures.

• You give others insight into your demeanor when negotiating. Therefore, always be aware of the demeanor you display.

• One can’t accurately brand a single gesture as a lie when reading body language. First, establish a baseline. To establish a baseline, observe the other negotiator’s gestures in a nonthreatening environment.

• Gauge by the body language of the other negotiator the value he may place on your offer.

• You can detect when lies are being told by being attentive when negotiating via the phone. It will usually occur in the form of a different rhythm in the other negotiator’s speech patterns.

• Micro expressions are actions not filtered by the mind. They give clues about the negotiator’s reactions.

• By being able to detect micro expressions, you’ll be able to sense when someone is in support or opposition of your position.

• Always observe the placement of someone’s hands when you negotiate. If you’re not sure of what you’re perceiving, look for a cluster (more than one gesture) of hand signals to give you additional insight.

• Pay close attention to how the other negotiator uses her hands from the moment you enter into an environment in which you’ll be negotiating. You’ll gain insight into what she’s thinking and the direction in which she’d like to take the negotiation.

• Give up a point when the other negotiators hands are open. Be wary when they’re closed. The other negotiator will not be in a giving mood, when his hands are closed. Don’t ask for anything you want that’s important during those times.

Greg Williams is the guest author of this blog post. This material is used with permission from a forthcoming book on negotiation skills. He is the author of the”Negotiate: Afraid ‘Know’ More” and the author of a forthcoming book on negotiation and reading body language, with an emphasis on micro expressions. Reach Greg at GregWilliams@TheMasterNegotiator.com.

• Don’t make “take it or leave it” offers when you have a power position in a negotiation. If you’re in a position of strength, you don’t have to flaunt it.

• It doesn’t cost anything to be nice. That’s especially true when you have a power position in a negotiation. By being magnanimous in such a situation, you create goodwill. If circumstances are reversed one day, you may gain from that goodwill.

• The ranges of emotions experienced in a negotiation are tied directly to how you answer and ask questions. Answer questions with this thought in mind.

• Negotiators experience a wide range of emotions prompted by the questions posed. In order to become a better negotiator, learn to use questions strategically.

• By posing and responding to questions strategically, you decrease the potential for defeat and improve your chances of reaching a successful outcome.

• Always remember that displaying anger can be a game changer when you negotiate. Once the other negotiator realizes that he’s caused you to become angry, he’s changed the game.

• Play it cool when angered during negotiations. As a commercial once said, “Don’t let them see you sweat.” Don’t let your anger show. People can sense anger before it is manifested. At the first moment you realize you’re becoming angry, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Try not to allow this display to be observed by the other negotiator.

• Always be aware of the need to control your emotions during a negotiation. A loss of control could cause you to think irrationally, and adopt actions that you might otherwise avoid.

• Your emotions will possess more credibility to the degree there’s congruity in your words and emotions.

• You may consider pointing out this observation if the other negotiator’s emotions are not aligned with his body language. Your attempt would be to get him to alter his facade.

• Anger serves the purpose of changing one’s demeanor. In a negotiation, you must maintain mental control of your environment. Don’t allow yourself to be manipulated by the false pretense of anger.

Greg Williams is the guest author of this blog post. This material is used with permission from a forthcoming book on negotiation skills. He is the author of the”Negotiate: Afraid ‘Know’ More” and the author of a forthcoming book on negotiation and reading body language, with an emphasis on micro expressions. Reach Greg at GregWilliams@TheMasterNegotiator.com.

The “Plan Do Study Act” model can be used in many types of businesses. Let’s apply it to misfiled documents. First, assemble a team to look at the problem. Include representative members- someone in a clerical role responsible for filing, an attorney, and a paralegal, for example. Look at the problem for several angles, consistently asking why a certain process is in place or a certain thing happens. This is called drilling down to get to the root of the problem. For example, one explanation for misfiling is that people don’t pay attention to last names. But deeper reflection may show that the way of indicating names is not clear; there may be insufficient time allotted to filing; the filing may be done by people who have not been trained, and so on.

Step 1: Brainstorm in the planning stage. Determine your objective of doing a pilot test of a change in the procedure. For example, your team may decide that it recommends a scanner on one administrative assistant’s desk so she can scan every document that comes in for a limited number of clients. State your objective of this test: to eliminate paper filing and the risk of mislaid papers. Make a prediction about what you think you’ll find from your test.

Step 2: Do the test. Try it out on a small scale, and document problems or unexpected findings. For example, you may determine your method of storing electronic files is confusing and inconsistent. We avoid this at Med League by giving every electronic file three levels of folders: The full name of the law firm, the full name of the attorney, and the full name of the patient. We don’t have trouble finding files since everything is consistent.

Step 3: Study the results. Look at the data, analyze it and compare it to what you predicted you’d find. What did you learn from the test? Did you find the scanning piled up? Did the scanner work well?

Step 4: Act. Refine the change. Perhaps you’ll decide to implement a plan of scanning all documents as they come in the law firm. You may need a larger server with more storage space, in addition to scanners. Decide a realistic plan for implementing the change, and plan the next test.

Careful examination of your processes will teach you what you need to change. Listening to everyone’s perspective and sharing the results of your test will result in a stronger solution.

Before Pat Iyer became president of Med League, she was a nursing quality improvement coordinator.