Marc Salem

Mind reading

According to Salem, most of the people do not absorb the majority of information that is available to them in their day-to-day lives. This is especially true when people are involved in a game such as poker. No matter how good an opponent is, there will always be some leakage of information given off by the body. If there is an attempt to hold it in somewhere, it will escape somewhere else. The numerous interactions that go on around people often don’t even enter their field of understanding. Salem states that if we train ourselves to let them in and then correctly interpret the information that is available, we can gain a tremendous advantage in a situation.

There are three basic mind-tools needed in learning how to read people and detect deception. Observing means to closely watch for the visual ingredients of deception and learn how to recognize facial expression, body language and gestures. The second step is listening effectively for what normally goes unheard. It means a system for picking up vocal tones, sudden changes, unconscious sounds, word choices and silences should be developed. Lastly, the information has to be interpreted, meaning comparing current behavior to what has been seen and heard before. Finding inconsistency in an action is the challenge and the key. An inconsistency is often more significant than the action itself.

Summing it up, Salem is not a mind reader or a magician, but he is able to pay close attention to people's body language.

Kinesics

Salem also worked for four years directly with Ray Birdwhistell, the founder of kinesics who published a major work called 'Kinesics in Context', which is still considered the preeminent work on the subject of non-verbal communication. More recently, Salem has been using his skill as an expert in kinesics, commonly referred to as body language, and his uncanny understanding of the mental process to fascinate audiences around the world. Even though he spends a lot of time on the stage, he is also in great demand as a public speaker and continues to educate lawyers, politicians and public servants in the minute nuances of voice and movement that reveal our thoughts to those around us.

Education

Salem holds a Doctorate in Education from New York University and a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been on the faculty of NYU, UP, Manhattan College and Marymount Manhattan College. He was also a Director of Research at the Children’s Television Workshop for over nine years, studying the nature and development of the mental process.