Fundamentals of Nonverbal Behavior

Question: Discuss about the Fundamentals of Nonverbal Behavior. Answer: It starts even before a candidate say his/her first word in an interview. As the interviewer walks towards the candidate to shake his/her hands, an opinion has already being formed. And when a candidate sits waiting to spew out the answers to the questions they have prepared for, they are already being judged by their posture, appearance, smile, or their anxious looks. According to the study conducted by UCLA few years back reflected that the impact of performance of the candidate during the interview is based on 7% of the words that have been used, 38% on the quality of voice 55% on the non-verbal communication (Feldman Rim, 2001). Basically, nonverbal indicates: Controlling the communication flow, such as signalling to stop or start speaking. Defining relationship among the two individuals, such as shaking hands when entering or exiting the interview hall. Giving definite feedback. Supplementing verbal communication, like nodding the head when answering Yes. Conveying information about the emotional state of the candidate, like tapping the feet or too much blinking the eyes (anxiety nervousness) (DePaulo, 2002) There are different aspects which define nonverbal behaviour should be taken into consideration while giving interview: Kinetics or Body language A body moment comprises of gestures, posters, head hand moments, or the whole body movements. Body language establishes a dynamic part of communication as it strengthens what an applicant or candidate is trying to convey while sharing information about their attitudes emotions. Sometimes it may happen that body language of an individual may conflict with what he/she is trying to convey to the interviewer, which may lead the interviewer to reach at a wrong conclusion (Russo, 2005). Body language can be further categorized as: Adaptors: Gestures which fulfil a physical need. Like eating nails or scraping an itch while feeling anxious. Illustrators: Gestures which are complementing the verbal communications. Such as nodding the head when meaning yes, these types of signals strengthens what is being communicated. Illustrators vary from culture to culture. Looking into the eyes while stressing on a point shows the confidence interest level in America, whereas it is considered as rude in Asian countries. Regulators: Gestures which provide the feedback while having the conversation. They control, regulate maintain the flow of the speech. These gestures include, indicate the understanding by using the sounds like uh-huh when nodding the head. Emblems: Gestures which means the same as what is being said. Such as, the sign of V for victory Ok. But the interpretation of these gestures could be different from culture to culture. V could symbolize absolute offensive in Australia, whereas it means the number 2 in US. Affect displays: These facial expressions gestures shows the emotions of the person. These gestures are usually unintentional and might certainly conflict with what is being said. These gestures are like using silence to show displeasure or shaking when angry (Graham Heywood, 2005). Oculesics or Eye moments The magic of sight can break or make the chances of an applicant landing into a rewarding job prospects. There could an instant rejection of an applicant who is staring at the interviewer with a look of absolute terror on his/her face. The applicant intensity of the gaze, pupil dilation, frequency of glances blink rate can expose the hidden intent while facing the interview. Moments of eyes acts as a window into the soul of the person, have a penchant to reveal information unintentionally. In order to avoid awkwardness, it is best to focus at a point closer to the eyes of the interviewer (can be nose). Maintaining the eye contact with the interviewer denotes that interest, which is way of giving receiving the feedback. Eye moments nurtures the relationship, like a person a person avoids making the eye contact when they are not sure about the question asked by the interviewer, whereas maintain a positive eye contact when a person is sure eager to answer a question. Oculesics have a tendency to infer different emotions. Like, blinking the eyes in a situation of confusion. A stable gaze forms a bridge between listening speaking (Bull, 2003). Paralinguistic or Voice Modulation Paralanguage states to all those speech aspects that are directly not related to words. Voice modulation comprises tone, intonation, audibility level pitch of our baritone. A candidate while answering questions of the interviewer should always be aware of pausing between the words articulating the speed volume of the message that is being delivered. An interviewer can easily pick emphasis on certain words (Zipf, 2015). Proxemics or Personal space In the world of multicultural societies, it is very crucial to understand the thorough tones of personal space articulated in different ethnic groups. Violating a space of an individual can be extremely offensive absolutely open to misinterpretation. In Western society personal space is defined by four types of relationships which are internally divided into a far phase a close phase: Intimate (up to forty-five cm.): These distance expanses from touching to forty-five cm, conquering the intimate space of an individual without their permission can be very offensive. Personal (forty-five cm to 1.2 m): This is the most suitable distance for having a conversation. Within this boundary, handshake is done. It is quite easy to analyse see the body language of the other person at this distance. Social (1.2-3.6 m): This practice of personal space comes into role when a candidate is sitting for the interview; this is the normal distance for interpersonal business. Public (3.7-4.5 m): At this distance which is quire far, it is important to amplify non-verbal cues for effective communication (Searle, 2009). Chronemics or Study of time This language of time could be very technical to comprehend. Getting a hang of this study of time makes for decent ethics of interview promises well for you character in case a candidate is hired. The concept of time in preparation of an interview relates to interaction, willingness to wait, patience punctuality. The time-usage of an applicant can express whether he/she is appropriate for the job or not. Reaching the venue of the interview on time could be one of the simplest examples (Birdwhistell, 2009). Pointers to Impress It is quite simple to simple to talk about nonverbal behaviour but quite difficult to practice in real time. There are no tips that can be mugged up before attending the interview. These traits are inherent which could apparent themselves in any form on the interview day. However, to decrease anxiety gain some confidence, the below suggestions should be kept in mind while preparing for an interview: Dressing properly for the interview, polished shoes, business formals. Tone down the bling when it comes to makeup, jewellery particularly fragrance Smile while meeting the interviewer for the first time Pay attention to the details be attentive. Maintain proper eye contact with the interviewer Be confident Take proper care of words rhythms that you speak Listen attentively Keep emotions in check Thank interviewer for his time patience (Apple, Streeter Krauss, 2009). Hence, to conclude we can say that nonverbal communication is an essential part of an applicant profile and to attain a successful carrier it is important to develop these skills. References Apple, W., Streeter, L. A., Krauss, R. M. (2009). Effects of pitch and speech rate on personal attributions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 715- 727. Birdwhistell, R. L. (2007). Kinesics and context. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Bull, P. (2003). Body movement and interpersonal communication. London: Wiley. DePaulo, B. M. (2002). Nonverbal behavior and self-presentation. Psychological Review, 111, 203-243. Feldman, R. S., Rim, B. (2001). Fundamentals of nonverbal behavior. New York: Cambridge University Press, Graham, J. A., Heywood, S. (2005). The effects of elimination of hand gestures and of verbal codability on speech performance. 5, 185-189. Russo, N. F. (2005). Eye contact, interpersonal distance, and the equilibrium theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31, 497-502. Searle, J. R. (2009). Speech acts: An essay in the philosophy of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Zipf, G. K. (2015). The psychobiology of language. New York: Houghton-Mifflin