However, people taking the information you find in nonfiction self-improvement books and fictionalizing it isn’t very common considering how fun and useful it is. Take for example, The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease. This is a nonfiction book — one of which I highly recommend. But what if the information were presented in a completely fictional short story? Let’s say one about a woman who is an expert in body language, trying to break into the business field. Take, for example, the passage below:

Within a few minutes, it was clear the first table I set my gaze upon was unworthy. All of the men were either touching their cufflinks (watches, ties, etc.), drinking with both hands, or had their arms crossed over their chests. These men were nervous and uncomfortable. These were not top business men. Attention quickly shifted to another table. This group had potential. Without hearing a thing, based solely on their movements, I could tell that one was American, another German, and the final Italian. These men’s chests were not hidden in fear and their smiles were genuine — you could see the wrinkles around their eyes. It was with these men I would make my move. After a few words with the bartender, I kept my back straight and walked over to the group.**

Through this paragraph, we learned that frequently touching possessions one is wearing, drinking with two hands instead of one, and crossing arms over one’s chest can be signs of a person being nervous or uncomfortable. With enough expertise, someone can tell where a person is from based only on the body language they display. Also, one way to discover if a smile is genuine is to look for wrinkles around the eyes. The real research results are displayed, but the story itself is one of fiction. This type of story would be ideal for somebody who wanted to learn about body language, but feared the word nonfiction, had a stigma against any sort of self-improvement book, or simply wanted to see the information in amusing action.

I plan to read many nonfiction books and fictionalize the ones I find to be outstanding as a personal way to internalize the new knowledge. In the future, I hope to see more stories which do the same. Whether for permanent pleasure, or as a transitional genre before beginning to read quality nonfiction, this can only lead to more informed readers. That statement is not fiction.

For the full short story, click below:

The Body in Business -Full version

Please don’t forget to hit the recommend button (that cute, little heart)!

For more like this you can also hit the follow button.