On episode 83 of the Impact Makers podcast, I’m chatting with Derik Clark, a human resources leader and recently retired Army counterintelligence agent who has a passion for teaching others about the power of nonverbal communication.
Derik is a US Army veteran with 22 years of service, who specialized in counterintelligence investigations and intelligence informant operations. Through those responsibilities he became a subject matter expert in body language assessments and high stakes interviewing in threatening environments, and he’s taught those skills to thousands of US soldiers in both the official Army counterintelligence school, as well as in live environment military operations.
Derik founded Bodysights body language training to help leaders and organizations to notice key nonverbals during interviews, client interactions, investigations, performance reviews, and negotiations.
In our discussion, we chat about the importance of reading and understanding body language, and the impact it can have in various contexts, as well as how understanding these concepts can help leaders to foster stronger relationships, make better-informed decisions, and navigate complex interpersonal dynamics more effectively.
Topics Discussed In Today’s Episode:
- The power of nonverbal communication and its impact on human interactions.
- The limitations of relying solely on body language for determining truthfulness and the importance of considering other factors.
- How social distancing and the shift to more digital communication has impacted our ability to read body language and facial expressions, which helps us to perceive comfort levels and emotions.
- Why demonstrating empathy is the key to deepening connection, and encouraging open and honest discussions.
- The value of training to develop effective nonverbal observation skills and categorizing comfort levels.
- The importance of considering diverse factors like neurodivergence, cultural differences, upbringing, and personal trauma when assessing body language, especially in job interviews or other stressful situations.
- Enhancing hiring decisions, employee investigations, and communication skills through improved body language understanding.
- The practical applications of nonverbal communication in business contexts.
LISTEN TO IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 83
Listen on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts or Spotify