Body Language at Work
What people say is often very different from what they think. We’ve all learned that honesty is not always the best policy. Keeping your cards close to your chest is seen as the most basic workplace survival strategy. Is body language the chink in all our armour?
What really matters most to your boss – posture or performance? Body language specialists argue that the two are inter-related. If you come across as disorganised or lacking composure, your colleagues will dismiss your ideas and efforts.
Spot the difference
Laurel Herman, author of Managing Your Image In a Week, provides one-to-one body language consulting. She put her belief in body language theories to the test. When planning an important speech on the subject, she decided to give her audience a graphic demonstration. ‘When I was announced I scurried on to the stage and then began speaking in a high-pitched, squeaky, breathless voice, allowing my words to trip over themselves. As I spoke I maintained a hunched shoulder posture and gesticulated wildly. After a few sentences, I abruptly sat down to a horrified silence. The shock was palpable. Then I got up again, and standing quite upright, hands neatly by my side, addressed the audience in a calm, authoritative voice.’ From then on, her relationship with the audience was completely transformed: ‘They listened attentively to every word.’
Expert findings
This is backed by psychologist, Albert Mehrabian. He claims that it’s not what you say, but how you say it that really matters. In the 1960s he conducted extensive communication research and discovered that words account for a tiny seven percent of a message’s impact. The rest comes from non-verbal cues, such as voice tone and facial expression.
But in the real world of work how much does all this really matter? A growing number of workers use technology to communicate. Phone calls, faxes and emails don’t betray whether we're sitting up straight or lounging comfortably at our desks.
People who work from home are even more out of the picture. ‘There's a significant section of the workforce who don't need to consider their body language,’ says Kathryn Bullock, founder E-Womenforum.com. ‘They may still see some people but, on the whole, they can get on with their jobs, and get on with them very well, without ever having to think about how they look.
Many workers do have to deal with clients and colleagues on a face-to-face basis. Here body language plays a ‘massive role’, says Judi James, author of BodyTalk At Work: ‘Knowing how to give the right body language signals and knowing how to read those around you can actually boost your career.’ Judi explains the most common examples of bad body language:
Tightly crossed arms, high on the chest, looks defensive and uninterested
High-pitched, fast-paced voice may sound girly and lack authority
Rolling on your heels looks like you are insecure and childish
Lazing about on a chair appears arrogant and lazy
A shoulder shrug signals that you don’t believe what's been said, even if it was you that said it!
Playing with your hair implies an inner build-up of anxiety
Pulling your ear gives the impression you're struggling to reach a decision
Touching your face is a sign of nervousness or possibly even dishonesty
Stroking your neck can make you seem stressed or flirtatious
Wringing your hands shows concern
Fidgeting suggests worry
Foot tapping impatience
Pen drumming boredom
The sceptics
‘You’ve got to put it into perspective,’ says Gene Crozir from the Institute of Management. Nick Isle, from the Industrial Society agrees. ‘Body language is just one element of communication and communication itself is just one element of the skills required to succeed in today’s workplace.’ Both point out that the importance of body language can be overstated or simply misunderstood. ‘A lot of people don’t understand it and, even if they did, most don’t have time to analyse it properly. They’re too busy getting on with their jobs,’ says Crozir.
Is body language winning?
The Looking Good, Sounding Right: style counselling in the new economy report highlights that certain aspects of body language are becoming increasingly important in the growing service sector. The physical impression given by staff in this sector is becoming inextricably linked with brand awareness and success. The report suggests that looking and sounding the part may count more than one’s experience or ability.
Regards
Sujeet Kumar
Strategist: HR, Training & Development,
Oscar Murphy Life Strtaegist Pvt Ltd.
Bangalore: 560038
Cell No: 9342504365
From India, Pune
5What people say is often very different from what they think. We’ve all learned that honesty is not always the best policy. Keeping your cards close to your chest is seen as the most basic workplace survival strategy. Is body language the chink in all our armour?
What really matters most to your boss – posture or performance? Body language specialists argue that the two are inter-related. If you come across as disorganised or lacking composure, your colleagues will dismiss your ideas and efforts.
Spot the difference
Laurel Herman, author of Managing Your Image In a Week, provides one-to-one body language consulting. She put her belief in body language theories to the test. When planning an important speech on the subject, she decided to give her audience a graphic demonstration. ‘When I was announced I scurried on to the stage and then began speaking in a high-pitched, squeaky, breathless voice, allowing my words to trip over themselves. As I spoke I maintained a hunched shoulder posture and gesticulated wildly. After a few sentences, I abruptly sat down to a horrified silence. The shock was palpable. Then I got up again, and standing quite upright, hands neatly by my side, addressed the audience in a calm, authoritative voice.’ From then on, her relationship with the audience was completely transformed: ‘They listened attentively to every word.’
Expert findings
This is backed by psychologist, Albert Mehrabian. He claims that it’s not what you say, but how you say it that really matters. In the 1960s he conducted extensive communication research and discovered that words account for a tiny seven percent of a message’s impact. The rest comes from non-verbal cues, such as voice tone and facial expression.
But in the real world of work how much does all this really matter? A growing number of workers use technology to communicate. Phone calls, faxes and emails don’t betray whether we're sitting up straight or lounging comfortably at our desks.
People who work from home are even more out of the picture. ‘There's a significant section of the workforce who don't need to consider their body language,’ says Kathryn Bullock, founder E-Womenforum.com. ‘They may still see some people but, on the whole, they can get on with their jobs, and get on with them very well, without ever having to think about how they look.
Many workers do have to deal with clients and colleagues on a face-to-face basis. Here body language plays a ‘massive role’, says Judi James, author of BodyTalk At Work: ‘Knowing how to give the right body language signals and knowing how to read those around you can actually boost your career.’ Judi explains the most common examples of bad body language:
Tightly crossed arms, high on the chest, looks defensive and uninterested
High-pitched, fast-paced voice may sound girly and lack authority
Rolling on your heels looks like you are insecure and childish
Lazing about on a chair appears arrogant and lazy
A shoulder shrug signals that you don’t believe what's been said, even if it was you that said it!
Playing with your hair implies an inner build-up of anxiety
Pulling your ear gives the impression you're struggling to reach a decision
Touching your face is a sign of nervousness or possibly even dishonesty
Stroking your neck can make you seem stressed or flirtatious
Wringing your hands shows concern
Fidgeting suggests worry
Foot tapping impatience
Pen drumming boredom
The sceptics
‘You’ve got to put it into perspective,’ says Gene Crozir from the Institute of Management. Nick Isle, from the Industrial Society agrees. ‘Body language is just one element of communication and communication itself is just one element of the skills required to succeed in today’s workplace.’ Both point out that the importance of body language can be overstated or simply misunderstood. ‘A lot of people don’t understand it and, even if they did, most don’t have time to analyse it properly. They’re too busy getting on with their jobs,’ says Crozir.
Is body language winning?
The Looking Good, Sounding Right: style counselling in the new economy report highlights that certain aspects of body language are becoming increasingly important in the growing service sector. The physical impression given by staff in this sector is becoming inextricably linked with brand awareness and success. The report suggests that looking and sounding the part may count more than one’s experience or ability.
Regards
Sujeet Kumar
Strategist: HR, Training & Development,
Oscar Murphy Life Strtaegist Pvt Ltd.
Bangalore: 560038
Cell No: 9342504365
From India, Pune
Nice Article ... and nice LoT (line of thought) ....
I wanted to write about BODY LANGUAGE since quite some time ... never got the drive enough to initiate the discussion.
I have read quite many articles and a couple of books about Body Language and i am pretty well convinced of its indications / pointers towards reading people.
My concern was twards a specific area of application. I have heard several times (from myself too) that you should be careful about Body Language during your Interview.
My Question is :
Are recruiters / interviewers consciously looking out for Body Language Signal to judge a person .... ? ? ?
This question goes out to Interviewers and recruiters !!
Have YOU personally been consciously aware of the signals sent out by the Body Language of the candidate and made it a decision factor for selection ???
Hope to initiate a new LoT on this issue of BL !!
. . . shoOOonya . . .
From Switzerland, Geneva
I wanted to write about BODY LANGUAGE since quite some time ... never got the drive enough to initiate the discussion.
I have read quite many articles and a couple of books about Body Language and i am pretty well convinced of its indications / pointers towards reading people.
My concern was twards a specific area of application. I have heard several times (from myself too) that you should be careful about Body Language during your Interview.
My Question is :
Are recruiters / interviewers consciously looking out for Body Language Signal to judge a person .... ? ? ?
This question goes out to Interviewers and recruiters !!
Have YOU personally been consciously aware of the signals sent out by the Body Language of the candidate and made it a decision factor for selection ???
Hope to initiate a new LoT on this issue of BL !!
. . . shoOOonya . . .
From Switzerland, Geneva
I have a comment in particular relation to the main article ....
Well ... in these non-face-to-face forms of communiation ... the body language will eventually reflect in the VOICE or the choice of words ....
Ultimately the Mind reflects the state of 'mind and body' .... even if you are communoiating on phone ... ur vioce will reveal wether you are alert or just lazy-ing around. The choice of words in your email will give away your posture of relaxed / alert state.
These are my views ... any comments ?????
Agree ... Disagree ???
;-)
From Switzerland, Geneva
Well ... in these non-face-to-face forms of communiation ... the body language will eventually reflect in the VOICE or the choice of words ....
Ultimately the Mind reflects the state of 'mind and body' .... even if you are communoiating on phone ... ur vioce will reveal wether you are alert or just lazy-ing around. The choice of words in your email will give away your posture of relaxed / alert state.
These are my views ... any comments ?????
Agree ... Disagree ???
;-)
From Switzerland, Geneva
INMHO, at some level the interviewer is looking for body language cues, be it consciously or unconsciously. For eg the confidence of the candidate comes through in his body posture and tone of his/her voice. And that is indeed picked up by the interviewer.
And as far as picking up body language on the phone or thru email...i wud suggest it is possible. Why else wud there be trainers for TeleMarketing/ Call Center employees. The way they speak, the tone, the choice of words does influence the target audience one way or the other.
From India, New Delhi
And as far as picking up body language on the phone or thru email...i wud suggest it is possible. Why else wud there be trainers for TeleMarketing/ Call Center employees. The way they speak, the tone, the choice of words does influence the target audience one way or the other.
From India, New Delhi
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