People use body language to connect and build trust. However, as communication increasingly takes place entirely behind a screen, traditional signs of body language are no longer visible. Or are they?

Responses to emails that you wait and wait for. Video calls filled with awkwardness, lack of connection, and teamwork. Confusing text messages. Contradictory punctuation marks that can mean anything. It is often difficult to understand other people's intentions even after years of daily contact. Consider how much more complex this seems in online communication, when there is a chance that the person on the other side of the screen is someone you've never met.

In The Ultimate Guide to Online Body Language, Erica Dhawan, known for her ideas on human collaboration and passionate about human communication, uses a combination of original research and imaginative storytelling to decode these new signs and signals that have replaced traditional body language across genders, generations, and cultures.

In real life, we may lean forward, cross our legs, smile, nod, and look the other person in the eye, wanting to show that we are listening and maintaining our interest. In the online world, however, we listen carefully when we read attentively. Through our writing, we show empathy. And a simple phone or video call is equivalent to a thousand emails.

The Ultimate Guide to Online Body Language will transform your everyday misunderstandings into a set of completely understandable rules designed to enhance your connections with others, regardless of the distance that separates you. Erica Dhawan explores a wide range of interactions—from large conference calls to daily emails, text messages, and personal messages online—and offers ideas as well as solutions for building trust and immediacy in an ever-changing world.