To be an effective observer you must know the following 10 Commands:

1. Be a competent observer of your environment.

   1. Observing in context is key to understanding nonverbal behavior.

2. Learn to recognize and decode nonverbal behaviors that are universal.

   1. Learn to recognize and decode idiosyncratic nonverbal behaviors.

3. When you interact with others, try to establish their baseline behaviors.

   1. Always try to watch people for multiple tells—behaviors that occur in clusters or in succession.

4. It’s important to look for changes in a person’s behavior that can signal changes in thoughts, emotions, interest, or intent.

   1. Learning to detect false or misleading nonverbal signals is also critical.

   2. Knowing how to distinguish between comfort and discomfort will help you to focus on the most important behaviors for decoding nonverbal communications.

10.When observing others, be subtle about it.