Years ago body language expert Patti Wood was speaking in Orlando, Fla., in front of hundreds when, she recalled, "a speaker's nightmare occurred."

"I'm at front of the stage, in front of the podium," she said, "and about 15 minutes into my speech, I [tell] the audience 'your non-verbal communication is much more honest than your words.' But as I reach out my hand, the elastic on my half-slip breaks and my slip falls to the floor."

The next moment's silence is palpable, she recalled. "This is not part of the act and I'm standing in front of 500 people with my underwear at my feet."

"The audience just loses it," she said. "They are laughing hysterically at me and I am just absolutely humiliated."

But Ms. Wood -- who has been called "The Babe Ruth of Body Language," and who will appear at Penn State University Greater Allegheny in McKeesport on Sept. 25 -- still had 45 minutes left in that speech. What happened next embodies some of her core talents: Poise, the ability to improvise and the stability to recover.

"I take a moment to compose, then smile, step out of my slip and say to the audience: 'Freudian slip.' "

This time the audience roars with laughter with her, not at her.

Nothing quite so risque is guaranteed for Ms. Wood's McKeesport appearance, but her presentation -- called "Body Honesty," sponsored by Mon Yough Community Services --will surely provide insights into how human beings interact.

That is Ms. Wood's mission: To understand and explain how we communicate.

Known nationwide for analyzing celebrity body language and interplay, Ms. Wood, who lives in Florida, has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, People Magazine and Cosmopolitan. She appeared on "Live with Regis and Kelly" in July to discuss the implications of sleeping habits in intimate relationships.

She has bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as doctoral course work, in communications, and taught at Florida State University.

InTouch magazine utilized her services in March to insinuate that Angelina Jolie was more sexually attracted to her own brother than Brad Pitt.

And last January, Ms. Wood analyzed the presidential debates.

"Any eye contact lasting longer than three seconds becomes a physical attack," Ms. Wood told Inside Edition.

And when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama faced off, Mrs. Clinton's stare "quite literally ... said 'I hate you," Ms. Wood said.

Ms. Wood is a fan of "Inside the Actor's Studio," and she says Tom Hanks and Dustin Hoffman are -- off-screen -- perhaps the best storytellers alive today. But celebrity analyzing is not Ms. Wood's only calling. Her passion, she said, is "speaking to people who help people."

Hence she is right at home at the Mon Yough services presentation. The nonprofit organization is a rehabilitation center catering to people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities. Ms. Wood said there is "a special place in my heart for anyone involved in the health care industry.'

In McKeesport, Ms. Wood will talk about how to read non-verbal cues to elicit truth.

There's a phenomenon in nature, Ms. Wood said, called isopraxism and it is defined as "a pull towards the same energy." This is what humans do when they "warm up" to each other, she said, and it's exemplified in the way people jibe tones and give cues in conversation.

"When talking you give off up to 10,000 nonverbal cues per minute," she said.

"And if your intent is to make someone more comfortable, then you'll want to be aware of isopraxism and how it's best utilized."

Ms. Wood's September appearance is the first of two MYCS events focusing on the best ways to communicate and stay healthy. An Oct. 30 presentation features Meg Maly, who specializes in "The Therapeutic Value of Humor," a topic Ms. Wood herself has studied through improvisation classes and paying attention to comedians.

Laughter is the best medicine, Ms. Wood said.

"If I didn't [pay attention to comedians and improvisation]," she said, "who knows what I'd be doing now. My slip incident might well have been the end of my career."

The fee for each workshop is $85. For more and to register, call Debbie Pakler at 412-664-0100.

For more on Ms. Wood, visit www.pattiwood.net. For more on the Mon Yough Community Serivces visit www.mycs.org.