Considering Body Language: Hidden Communication
Many fields are interested in body language. Psychologists want to know about how bodies convey hidden truths. The best poker players in the world are experts in projecting and observing body language as are spy agents. Professional athletes are adept at reading body language as well. Public figures are interested in learning of how to leverage body language to become more engaging and effective in delivering speeches.On a biological level, people are interested in discovering how others perceive themselves.
Find one article about body language. Beyond summarizing the content of the source, you are also tasked with raising questions and analyzing the article. Consider the journal the article is published in or who sponsored the popular article. Consider the audiences the writers aimed to influence and why those audiences are targeted. Explore why the author conducted the study in a particular way. What does the article accomplish, and to what extent did the writer accomplish his or her goals? I want you to demonstrate rhetorical awareness!
Connect some aspect from of one of the articles to your own personal experiences. Does your experience reveal some nuance about claims regarding body language?
This posting is not a test of knowledge, but is a collective way to gather a large swath of information about a common area of interest. We all care about body language because it is a primary means of communication. There are no right or wrong answers for this posting. This also isn't meant to be published in The New Yorker. Deliver a bit of analysis, some summary, and make a connection to your own personal experiences. In other words, there are not penalties for being wrong here.
During class next time, we are going to explore this conversation about body language. We will look for gaps in the conversation, and we will think about ways that we might enter into the conversation.
Be sure to reference the sources you use at the bottom of your posting. For help with MLA, please follow this link to the Purdue Owl: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/
Bonus points will be awarded for anyone who uses a scholarly, peer reviewed article. Points will be deducted for those who fail to properly reference the source using MLA.
If you have any questions, please send me an email.
In March of 2014, The New York Times publishes an article titled, ‘At Airports, a Misplaced Trust in Body Language’. The premise of this article is about how the TSA spent around one billion dollars on the training of “behavioral detection officers”, in other words, people who look for abnormal body language and facial expressions that could potentially label someone as a possible terrorist. However, this issue surrounding this topic is, there is no evidence showing that this billion dollar project is doing any good. According to this article, research has shown that body language experts aren’t much, if any, better than the average citizen on detecting a liar. The question raised here is, was this money spent wisely if the TSA had a more accurate ‘random’ search method?
ReplyDeleteJohn Tireney, the author of this article, uses factual examples of how unreliable the reading of body language can be, when it is the only form of communication you receive from a person. The studies Tireney used showed that, at most, people can decipher whether someone is telling the truth or not 54% of the time, just above chance. What Tireney, and many experts, are trying to convey to the audience is that, both body Language and speech, go hand and hand. It is very easy to misinterpret body language when you don’t know the context in which it is being used. For example, we all have been in a situation where we have been tired, and our friends had mistaken it for us being sad or even angry.
With that being said, how has this new program, being solely based upon looks, contributing to the prejudice men and women face already due to their race, religion and social class? Furthermore, who do these agents know who to look at because, there are so many people going through an airport at once. This program makes it very easy, like the ‘random’ baggage searches, to let ones conditioned prejudice determine who should be analyzed. Although body language is very important, Tireney wants the reader to recognize that, it should not be the only factor used to judge a person’s character or motives.
work cited:
Tierney, John. "At Airports, a Misplaced Faith in Body Language." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNick Iturregui
ReplyDeleteJanuary 13, 2016
Professor Longhany
Body Language
The article I am summarizing is how body language can be tied in relationships to see how your partner might feel about you. There are two types of body language that determine this; the first is positive body language. Positive body language includes actions like leaning in towards the partner, partner playing with jewelry or stroking hair, prolonged eye contact, and arms open while negative will be things like feet pointed away from you, itching eyes, closed hands, frowning, rubbing back of neck, and turning the eyes to the side. Being aware of these two body languages in relationships can help you be more aware of how your partner is feeling. From this article, the question I would like to put out there is, “ Does this mean you will always know how your partner is feeling”? I don’t believe from body language alone you could tell how your partner is feeling all the time. I say this because in my last relationship I found it hard to figure out how my girlfriend was feeling sometimes, even though I would use body language to see if I can figure it out. Most of the time this didn’t work and ended up making the problem worse.
Nicholson, Jeremy. "Reading Basic Body Language for Dating and Persuasio Success." Psychology Today. N.p., 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Jan. 201
According to the article I read, Body-Speaks by Kris Rugsaken, body language or nonverbal communication is one of the key components to conversations held throughout the world. Rugsaken describes the differences in body language among different cultures and the difficulty of not offending a different culture by using what is acceptable by your own culture. The article has an overall neutral tone for covering a controversial and somewhat sensitive topic, but I think it is fitting due to the paper’s audience being other students. I found a reoccurring pattern used in the essay that compared and contrasted Western cultures and cultures from the East. Which calls me to ask this question; how did this gap between East and West form? To what extent has globalization blended cultural cues into a more “universal” body language? One of the most important pieces of information in the article was the study conducted by anthropologist Edward T. Hall (1959) where he concluded that there are over 700,000 different nonverbal gestures with attached meaning which emphasized the importance of body communication today. Rugsaken does well by accomplishing his goal of educating students and academic readers on the importance of body language with the use of studies, primary and secondary examples. I can personally relate to one of the provided examples of making the ‘O.K.’ sign using the thumb and index finger to form a circle in France which offended a small business owner without knowing that gesture meant ‘worthless’.
ReplyDeleteWork cited: Hall, E.T. (1959). Silent Language.New York: Doubleday & Co., Rugsaken, K. (2006). Body speaks: Body language around the world. Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web site
From my public speaking textbook I read a section called, “Nonverbal Communication: Making the Most of Your Delivery”. The book defines the term “nonverbal behavior” as “a wordless, but not silent, system of communication”, and it addresses how gestures, facial expressions and other types of body language impacts how other view you as a speaker. Our verbal behavior is affected by our nonverbal behavior as much as, if not more than, our nonverbal behavior is affected by our verbal behavior. If you were to say “Oh yeah that was great!” with a happy expression people will tend to believe you; however if your expression showed as more agitated then you might come off as more sarcastic.
ReplyDeleteBody Language is also described to be “continuous”, meaning that you can’t always distinctly define the way your body moves like you can with your words. Sometimes gestures have can have meaning, such as universal gestures like a thumbs up or putting your hands up to your throat to suggest choking, but it’s not like with sentences where every word has a meaning and the sentence can be broken down into nouns, pronouns and adjectives. You use your whole face to express happiness not just your smile, it is a continuous motion that involves the corners of your mouth, eyes, and eyebrows. These nonverbal behaviors are also very spontaneous, they occur mostly subconsciously and are natural. Considering this is a textbook for a speech class how can one modify their body language to enhance their speech? It is possible for someone to do so, but the book warns against trying to script gestures during a speech because if it looks unnatural the audience might take notice of this. However it is possible to train your body language while speaking, such as to control your fidgeting or distracting behavior. While taking my speech class I had to be aware of my body language so that I don’t sway side to side too much, it was considered distracting behavior to the audience.
Michael, Scott D and Brydon R. Steven. "Nonverbal Communication: Making the Most of Your Delivery." Between One and Many. 7th ed. USA: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 257+. Print.
Arielle Sarria
ReplyDeleteHanneke K. M. Meeren, Corné C. R. J. van Heijnsbergen, and Beatrice de Gelder conducted an experiment in 2005 investigating one’s reliance on body language versus facial expression. In order to test this, the experimenters used twenty participants and had them identify the emotion (fear or anger) expressed in several images. In some images, the body language and the facial expression were congruent (both expressing either anger or fear); in other cases, the body language and the facial expression were incongruent (the body language expressing fear and the facial expression showing anger, and vice versa). This experiment is interesting because it provides some insight as to how humans perceive one another. Does one trust their gut response to specific body language or does one depend on facial features?
Meeren, Heijnsbergen, and Gelder found that most participants answered the incongruent body images as the emotion expressed through the body language, showing that we infer other individuals’ emotions through their body language rather than the emotion expressed on the face. Using the congruent body images as a control allowed the researchers to know that the body language and facial expressions, when shown together, were easily recognizable. Knowing this, the researchers can create incongruent body images and be assured that they are testing what they are supposed to be testing.
The results found in this study, though useful in the psychology field, may seem irrelevant in daily life, but if one really tried to apply it to one’s life, he/she would find that we as individuals are judging and perceiving nearly every person we see. Without body language cues, it would be difficult to get a sense of another’s emotions.
Meeren, Hanneke K. M., Corne C. R. J. Van Heijnsbergen, and Beatrice
De Gelder. "Rapid Perceptual Integration of Facial Expression and
Emotional Body Language."PNAS. National Academy of Sciences, 16 Sept.
2005. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAccording to a small trial conducted by the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine, some doctors convey racial bias towards their patients through the use of body language. The experiment made use of 33 hospital-based medical experts from Allegheny County, PA., who were put into realistic situations in which black and white actors portrayed dying patients. The doctors were then scored on a point system in terms of their verbal and nonverbal communication towards their patients. The trial revealed that physicians tend to “give less compassionate nonverbal cues”, such as eye contact and body positioning, to their terminally ill black patients than they do for those who are white. This finding is said to be one of the reasons why black patients are more likely than their white counterparts, to request extraordinary life saving measures as a result of distrust in their physician. The research was funded by the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though this article may have been targeted towards physicians in general as an eye opener into how they may be unintentionally portraying themselves to their patients. Body language is a significant tool in building trust between people, and it is crucial that doctors be aware of both their verbal and nonverbal cues in order to promote a feeling of unity and partnership in sensitive situations rather than contributing to an ill advised decision in a time pressured, life-or-death situation. I also feel as though, should these findings become big news in the media, it could lead to a sense of anomie in a community between black and white citizens. Why does body language have such a major subconscious influence on the decisions we make?
Work Cited:
Alexander, Stewart C., Andrea M. Elliot, Craig A. Mescher, Deepika Mohan, “Racial Bias May Be Conveyed by Doctors’ Body Language.” University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences. University of Pittsburgh, 4 Jan. 2015. Web. 13 January 2016.
According to Joe Navarro from Psychology Today, he explains the factual evidence of the difficulty of detecting a lie from someone. Deception is a skilled task that many people claim to master noticing it, such as law enforcement, judiciary officials, and many others. However, there a plethora of studies that would be needed to be mastered before anyone could claim themselves to be a deception noticing expert. In the 1970's, Navarro began studying the subject of deception and how all the claims of certain body language represented an indication that an individual was trying to deceive one another. There are many more factors that go into deception using body language to designate whether or not someone is lying. Body language is relative to the individual and there is no scientific evidence that "looking down and then left" or "twitching their nose" is proof that someone is lying. The question I would prefer to raise is "how do you really know when someone is deceiving you"? People view body language differently, therefore certain signs of body language and infer various things all while depending on the situation that person is going through.
ReplyDeleteNavarro, Joe. "The Truth About Lie Detection." Psychology Today. N.p., 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 Jan. 2016
Amber Thomas
ReplyDeleteProfessor Longhany
Jan. 14, 2016
ENC 1102
According to Joe Navarro M.A., a former FBI Counterintelligence agent, body language is the root of all communication. In his article, “Body Language Basics,” Navarro writes about the origination of nonverbal communication dating back to over four million years ago. He tells how body language is used in a variety of ways such as in emergencies or to display our emotions and reactions to the things around us. Body language is basically a one way ticket to what our brain wants to say, whether our mouths agree with it or not. The part of the article that I found most interesting was this: “our bodies don't really have to do these behaviors and yet we evolved to demonstrate them for a reason: we are social animals that need to communicate both verbally and nonverbally.” To what extent is that really true? What about the people that are mute? Or paralyzed? I do agree with the idea that we are social animals but I have to question the thought that it is a requirement to communicate both verbally and nonverbally. The article is clearly focused on the psychological aspect of body language and Navarro does a very nice job of touching base with all that correlates. I can also relate with many things that I read. For example, he mentions how the direction of people’s feet often suggest that they are in a hurry or have somewhere to be. Think about that. When someone stops you in the student union to talk but you’re already late for class. What do you do? You typically stop for a moment to say hello but your body continues to move towards the door as the other person is speaking. After reading this article, I now see all that psychology and body language have in common. I also see that maybe I need to start working on my poker face.
Works Cited:
Navarro, Joe. “Body Language Basics.” Psychology Today. N.P. August 21, 2011. Web. January 14, 2016.
In the article that I read titled " The 4 ways you can use body language to influence success," the author Christian Jarett talks about four ways in which your body language can affect your success. The four ways are: the way one's posture is; considered the "Power Posture," avoiding hand-held devices, facial expression, and gesture. While reading each one it explains ways for someone to use these methods, when presenting a speech or presentation and even in a meeting. For the " Power Posture" it describes how opening up your body and filling space can increase one's confidence. In a study done at the Harvard Business School, showed that students who did this practice gave impressive speeches for job interviews. The author also describes how using hand-held devices can affect posture and thus behavior, when using something like a tablet you may hunch over and in return affect how your behavior is in things such as business calls. For facial expression the author says that you have to be mindful of it, he gives the example of having a frowning face while staring at a computer screen, can prolong that look and not give a good impression to others. But those who have smiles on their faces can help them feel positive. Along with facial expression there's also gestures, they are helpful in aiding our thought processes. People who use them when speaking are likely to have a flow in their process. While reading this article I analyzed it and had a few questions that came into mind such as, " does doing these methods truly aid in my success?" and " are there more than one source that can validate if these ways actual work." When analyzing the article it seems as though the author was addressing business people because, he says how theses methods can be helpful in situations like business meetings and speeches. The did accomplish his goal of reaching out to an audience and give them tools to use towards their success. I know personal back in high school whenever I needed to present a speech, I would stand with good posture and occasionally use gestures and movement to covey my message. These were tools that were taught to me that indicated what a speaker should look like or sound like. Work Citied: Jarett, Christian. "The 4 Ways You Can Use Body Language To Influence Success." 99u. 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
ReplyDeleteFrom the article I read, I found that body language can play a huge part in how people perceive you especially in the work setting. After finally getting a job interview all it can take is one bad handshake or not looking the employer in the eye and you could potentially not get the job. This shows how much body language matters during a job interview. In the article there was a survey conducted by Harris Poll and they asked 2,500 hiring managers what is the biggest body language mistake people make during a job interview. Some of the biggest body language mistakes are failing to make eye contact, failing to smile, playing with something on the table, and slouching in their chair. Doing these things in an interview send non-verbal cues to the employer such as uninterested, insecure etc. I believe that the targeted audience was job seekers, and the purpose was to provide these job seekers with information about using proper body language. The author Jacquelyn Smith, definitely achieved that goal by providing the results from a survey.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article I thought of a question, why does body language play such a crucial role during a job interview? Someone could have a perfect resume and all the credentials for the job but just because they give a poor handshake, or they do not look someone directly in the eye, they may not get the job. Some people get really nervous during job interviews and this can send bad body language because they are so nervous. For example, I have been through an interview process before and I was really nervous, I tried to display proper body language but I’m not actually sure if I was because I was more focused on answering the questions than my body language.
Smith, Jacquelyn. "The 10 Worst Body Language Mistakes Job Seekers Make." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 14 Jan. 2016. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
An article posted under the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin was written by three professors to explore the implications of reading suspects. In today’s society, law enforcement officers are tasked with the difficult work of determining whether someone is telling the truth utilizing witness statements, forensics, other hard evidence, and what researchers in the following article have labeled – behavioral anomalies. These anomalies, or body language, have a profound effect on an officer’s understanding of the intentions of a suspect. The article explored two categories of “validated behavioral indicators that are relevant to interrogations.” The first includes verbal cues that have been researched and proven to be equated with lying. The other category consists of nonverbal behaviors. According to the article, when people lie, conflicting thoughts occur which triggers many possible reactions that include facial expression, voice tone, gestures, body movement, and posture. When officers combine their understanding of both categories relative to their suspect, they increase their chances of coming to a credible conclusion of a suspect’s story.
ReplyDeleteGiven the language and location of this article, it would be wise to assume that it was written for someone who is either in law enforcement or thinking about pursuing it. The authors, having achieved great academic and professional success in their fields, seek to exploit how and why a suspect’s body language in accordance with verbal indicators, speaks more truthfully than mere words.
After reading this I thought about the times I had lied to people and wondered if they noticed anything different about my body language. More often than not, I lie when I play poker. Although, I never really thought about how people would decipher my body language. Maybe being more aware of my physical tendencies during poker could prove useful for me when trying to figure out if someone is lying about their cards.
Work Cited
Hwang, Hyisung C., David Matsumoto, and Lisa G. Skinner. “Reading People: Behavioral Anomalies and Investigative Interviewing.” The FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2014. Web. January 14, 2016.
Body Language
ReplyDeleteThe article “Effective Body Language for Organizational Success” written by Rane, D. B. talked about how body language is a form of nonverbal communication that is considered as a silent communicator within a workplace. Rane sees the use of effective body language will help with dealing with individuals and managing organization in any situations. The way you walk, talk, look, dress, and your posture plays a role into your body language. Body language can be use to communicate with individuals without using words as often. Having a frown on your face will tell others that something is upsetting you without you having to tell them that something is upsetting you. The audiences that the author is trying to reach with this article are organizations. The article provides useful tips on effective body language that are used within a workplace setting and organizations. There can be misinterpretations with individual’s body language, so being able to watch the body language carefully will help with solving issues within organizations or in a workplace. In one of the organizations that I’m a part of, the board members used the body language of individuals within the group to determine if the group as whole was fine. By noticing it they decided to have a meeting with the entire group and talk about an issues that people had and found a way to solve the problems before it got worse in the future of the organization. Evening though body language greatest disadvantage is the misinterpretation of it, it also has the advantage of complimenting the verbal/oral communication between individuals, which will help with the understanding of the different situations.
Works Cited
Rane, D. B. "Effective Body Language For Organizational Success."
IUP Journal Of Soft Skills 4.4 (2010): 17-26. Business Source Premier. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
A very interesting and mind driven group of editorials by Mind Tools wrote an intriguing article titled “ Body Language, Understanding Non-Verbal communication” where they go in depth of the several ways that could make one seem more confident and ways that could completely destroy personal events like a job interview, or even something very minimal such as lying. Mind Tools describes a situation in how to portray someone confidence. They state that when someone is standing tall with shoulders back, it signals a confident posture. Now, can we infer that all of those with such previously characterized vision of a “confident” person actually make them confident? Mind Tools reflect many more visual characteristics that may lead someone to think someone is confident such as eye contact, gestures with hands and arms, speech, and tone of voice. But as Mind Tools states “If you are about to enter into a situation where you are not as confident…you can adopt these “confidence” signs and signals to project confidence”, raising the question can body language be misleading? Mind Tools bring another example where many of us have exhibited at one point in our life, lying. Some of the typical lying signs are no eye contact, fingers in front of their mouth, and change in voice pitch. But as state by Mind Tools, “As with all non-verbal language, it's important to remember here that everyone's personal body language is slightly different. If you notice some of the typical non-verbal signs of lying, you shouldn't necessarily jump to conclusions, as many of these signals can be confused with the appearance of nervousness, meaning no body language can be a definite “answer”. Reading this article was very interesting and brought new light on how positive but also detrimental body language can be.
ReplyDeleteTools, Mind. "Mind Tools." Body Language: Understanding Non-Verbal Communication. Mind Tools. Web. 13 Jan. 2016. .
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ReplyDeleteBased on the article I read, Body Language: An Effective Communication Tool by Dipika Patel, body language is known to play a major role in communication today. The work of many researchers has shown that 55% of the communication we pass on to others is through body language. The perception of body language is known as kinesics. Body language is also referred to as nonverbal communication which is defined as the process of communicating with your body instead of or in addition to verbal language. Nonverbal communication can be divided into two categories: open body language and closed body language. Open body language, (unfolding your arms and opening your hands), can express to the people around us that we have no intention of harming them. Closed body language causes us to physically appear as though we are hiding something. As a result, people around us may feel unsafe. There are many different things that are considered as body language. These things include facial expressions, body posture, body gestures, touching, eye contact, head motion, silence, personal space, and appearance. All of these things can help people to see the attitude, emotion, level of interest, and etc. in the speaker. For example, a smile can show happiness and slouching and avoiding eye contact can show disinterest. The question I would like to raise here is to what extent can we really trust the body language given off by those around us? Since I was able to find an article that was easily able to tell me what body language portrays what meaning, I feel it would be easy for anyone to falsely express any body language to deceive those around them. There is many times where a person may ask someone if something is wrong and they can easily reply nothing with a smile. When should you trust your gut and when should you solely rely on someone’s body language?
ReplyDeleteWork Cited:Patel, Dipika. “Body Language: An Effective Communication Tool.” The IUP Journal of English Studies 9.2 (2014): 90-96. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
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ReplyDeleteIn the article “Body Language and Persuasion” by John Stefano, he discusses how many people are handicapped by inferior body language skills, or trying to actively control their body language which ends up coming off as artificial and robotic. I can personally relate to this because I am often trying to hide my nervous body language, such as rubbing my arms or holding my neck. As a result, I’ve noticed that I never really seem natural in a semi stressful situation that requires conversation. He also goes into detail about how a lawyer should persuade some jurors into taking his/her side. This article was published by the American Bar Association so it’s a no brainer that he is targeting lawyers and court peoples. He explains how some witnesses are very good liars, with their oral and bodily communication, and how a lawyer can figure out that they are lying. I think that the author accomplished his goals of discussing how a lawyer can analyze and reciprocate body language to his advantage in a legal argument. But what I want to further explore is how does body language affect the overall clarity and credibility of one’s argument. I find this interesting because a person with the wrong body language has the ability to make their arguments null, even if technically the argument is sound.
ReplyDeleteStefano, John. “Body Language and Persuasion”. Litigation 3.4 (1977): 31–55. Web...
In an article named Rapid Perceptual Integration of Facial Expression and Emotional Body Language they investigate how emotional body language influence the perception of facial expression. They would take photos and mismatch the emotions that are shown through a persons facial expression, and body language, in this particular experiment they used anger and fear. Once they had photos shopped the pictures they would show it to the participants and have them try to identify the emotion being showed. While they were judging the photos they recorded the subjects electroencephalogram signals. The testers hypothesized that the integration of artificial information from body language and its accompanying facial expression would be automatically processed through visual analysis of the individuals features or conscious deliberate evaluation. Once the testing was completed they came to the conclusion that the when the observers say a face that matched the body language an automatic evaluation takes place. So if body language directly correlates with facial expressions mixing and matching different types of emotions can be construed,
ReplyDeleteThis article is written for the most part for the people working in the same field to corroborate any previous statements said and studies done on the topic. The approach they used in the study was very objective in that they used machines and raw data to get accurate readings. By writing this article they were able to conclude that body language is a huge part in being able to differentiate between emotions in facial expressions and vise versa.
Meeren, Hanneke K. M., Corné C. R. J. Van Heijnsbergen, and Beatrice De Gelder. "Rapid Perceptual Integration of Facial Expression and Emotional Body Language." Rapid Perceptual Integration of Facial Expression and Emotional Body Language. N.p., 31 Oct. 2005. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAn article posted on Clearinghouse Academic Advising Resources of the NACADA Journal entitled “Body-speaks”, was written by Kris Rugsaken, the Advising Center Coordinator at Ball State University. He divulged into the importance of understanding body language, for cultural safety purposes. One example he used related to two Laotian men enjoying a singer at a bar in Los Angeles, when the men sat to enjoy the performance, they sat with their feet directly facing the stage. After the show, an argument in the parking lot erupted between the two men and the Asian performer, who was furious because of the disrespect the men showed by pointing their feet directly at her, her anger grew and she actually shot one of the men. Personally, I have never thought of body language in such an extreme manor, to the extent of causing such disrespect to another culture. In fact, through this article I learned more about different body parts and their significant differences in body language. Interestingly enough, using hands freely in communication in the United States is common, but in Middle Eastern cultures your right hand has higher significance, while your left hand is viewed as “dirty” and the use can be disrespectful. I think this article comes into a huge role into the lives of everyone, but especially those on college campuses. If you consider the amount of foreign exchange students each University enrolls each year, and how most professors and other students are completely unaware of appropriate and inappropriate body languages for other cultures. While I was in high school, we had multiple German exchange students come in to get their education. It was my first experience with those who grew up in another cultural environment outside of the United States. One students explained to me how they primarily point with their pinky finger, instead of their index finger. This is small on the scale of appropriate and inappropriate cultural differences, but even something as small as the finger you point with can be confusing. This author, to an extent, convinced me with the benefits of students learning different cultural non verbal communication techniques.
ReplyDeleteRugsaken, Kris. “Body Speaks: Body Language Around the World.” NACADA Clearinghouse Academic Advising Resources. 2006. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
Chad Simmons
ReplyDelete1/14/16
Professor Longhany
ENC 1102
Body Speaks
Body Speaks: body language around the world was a very intriguing and eye-opening article. This article was written by Kris Rugsaken for students to better understand the value of body language, especially across various cultures. Body language, in this article, is defined as any form of communication through a nonverbal channel. Prior to my own contrary beliefs, it is so much more than just facial expressions. It is how we dress, sit, look at others, listen, and so much more (Rugsaken). While body language isn’t necessarily an actual language, it is a critical form of communication worldwide. Subconsciously and consciously we all communicate through nonverbal signals. Edward T. Hall stated that in a typical conversation, roughly 65% of social meanings are conveyed through body language (Rugsaken). That statistic was astounding to me. Even more eye opening, however, is that according to Argyle (1978) humans have over 700,000 forms of body language (Rugsaken).
Another point Rugsaken talked about was how body language differs over different cultures. It would be interesting to see how so many different forms of nonverbal communications have formed in different cultures over time. Why does giving someone a thumbs up in America mean “good job” but it is taken as an inappropriate and offensive gesture? How has the meaning of such a simple form of nonverbal communication become so detached and different in various parts of the world? Rugsaken’s article not only opened my eyes to what body language really is, but it also made me poise many interesting questions about body language. Understanding and really paying more attention to people’s body language can really help avoid bad situations and can help people communicate more efficiently.
Rugsaken, Kris. "Body-speaks." Body-speaks. N.p., 2006. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
"The Importance of Interpreting Body Language." ALSINTL. N.p., Aug. 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
I read an article in The Guardian called “Actions speak louder…”. The article starts off with a story of someone named Mike who had a job interview. Mike was well-rehearsed and very qualified for the job. He was doing well in the interview until he noticed blood pouring out of his knuckles from knocking on the door. He fumbled for a tissue in his pocket while trying to continue to answer the question, but it was clear that the interviewer was not impressed. The author uses this story as an example of how critical body language is in job interviews. It does not matter how well you qualify for the job. Body language can ruin your chances. The article has a few very interesting facts about body language. For example, the author states that “…we each have a 'vocabulary' of about 138,000 non-verbal and visual cues, but we can only control 150-200 of them and we can only do that for about 15-20% of the time.” Because of this, it is very difficult to control our body language during interviews. The author also says that what you say only accounts for 7% of your credibility, while nonverbal cues account for 38% and visual cues account for 55%. While these are both very interesting facts, I wonder how these studies were done. They both seem like very difficult facts to prove. The article made some very good points and while I am convinced that body language is essential in job interviews, I find some of the evidence hard to believe. If the author explained how these studies were done, it would make his evidence stronger.
ReplyDelete"Actions Speak Louder..." The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web.
Thomas Ormerod of University of Sussex have mentioned in the article published by BBC, “The best (and worst) ways to spot a liar” one of his study where his team of highly trained security team officers in European airports we given the task to identify fake/fraud passengers. The officers were asked to interview passengers on their history and travel plans to find out the real story behind. Ormerod on the other hand, planted a good sample of people arriving at the airport and to the security with fake history and false identification. To be numbered, he said, every 1 out of 1000 arriving travels would be deceiving them. The highly qualified security team was asked to identify fraud travels through the general rule of body language and eye movements. The results however showed a little bit positive side on the chance of identifying fake travels which is a little more successful than just guessing. Referring to another study to support his results, Ormerod said that 50 out of 20,000 people managed to make correct judgement with more than 80% accuracy. In later years, to increase the effectiveness of his study of identifying fraud, he joined his colleague Coral Dando at the University of Wolverhampton to come up with need strategies to identifying who is lying and who is not. Understandings they have found throughout their previous research is than anyone can fake their body movement when they become successful at it and not everyone shares the same gestures. For example, when some people feel nervous they laugh instead of getting sweaty or showing any facial movement. So instead they started asking open questions, giving them the element of surprise, asking them to report the events backwards in time and etc. Asking such type of questions it is more noticeable if the person is giving verifiable details, if their confidence level is decreasing, if they are becoming more or less persuasive towards the interviewer and etc. The results shows that the techniques of using language rather than physical details is 20 times more likely to detect fake travelers than just depending on signs etc.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, looking from deferent perspectives like using the body and words itself definitely helps to distinguish the success rate of identifying frauds. But however, if is also possible for others to master in the techniques of getting their story together. Whenever these researchers and security agencies will come up with new techniques to identify fraud, they will learn how to cope with the new techniques. Even though, it is true that people learn from adaptiveness but people are more distinguishable through their words rather than their bodily movements as there are no universal sign of nervous. Everyone shows different expression for different feelings. I think the targeted audience were the general population who interests in lie detectors and the purpose of the article is to get the message across that nothing is fully perfect. Relations to personal experiences, I know when someone is lying when their stories don’t complete the picture and putting pressure on them increases their chances of making mistakes on small details. I think it’s more important to focus on the details of the statement rather than their body and facial recognition of behaviors.
Robson, David. "The Best (and Worst) Ways to Spot a Liar." BBC. BBC, 7 Sept. 2015. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
---Faiyaz Alam
Michael Moore
ReplyDeleteEnc 1102
On the topic of Body Language in job interviews I read two articles: "Using Body Language to Your Advantage During a Job Interview" and “How to speak body language during an interview”. These articles reviewed techniques in reading body language and how to use this to your advantage. They also go over one’s own personal body language during an interview and how it is important to be professional especially through body language, poster, and eye contact. In these articles they explain that body language is so important that it is common and a good strategy to practice control of your body language in mirrors before an interview. Other factors that come along with doing good in an interview is how one is dress and the confidence one approaches and interview with. There are plenty of factors that this article goes over. I believe this article is aimed at an audience of people who are searching for jobs and may have upcoming interviews, also to manager or anyone who may be hiring people. I chose to read about this topic because I can relate to it as I have recently had to complete a job search and also completely a few during high school. Body language definitely is an important part to performing well at a job interview and understanding this helped me to keep good composure and control my body language during interviews I’ve completed.
Torrey, Trust. "The GradPost at UC Santa Barbara - Career - Using Body Language to Your Advantage During a Job Interview." The GradPost at UC Santa Barbara - Career - Using Body Language to Your Advantage During a Job Interview. GRADDIV ACADEMIC PEER, 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
Johnson, Brian. "How to Speak Body Language during an Interview." How to Speak Body Language during an Interview. Ragan's PR Daily, 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
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ReplyDeleteTroy Harrison
ReplyDelete1/14/16
Joseph Longhany
ENC 1102
I have chosen an article from Monster.com that makes a very descriptive and intriguing argument about the effect of body language when it comes to job interviews. This article stood out to me because I am currently in the process of finding a job. The article was very helpful to me, as I was able to relate and compare myself to the theoretical scenarios described by the author. I was very interested to learn just how big of a role body language has when it comes to first impressions in a business setting.
This writing was unique because it provided a very detailed look into all aspects of the interview, from walking into the building to exiting the interview room. The author focused on very small details that I had previously never considered to be important in any way, such as mirroring the interviewer’s tempo as you follow them into the room as a way of showing that you would fit into the work environment. I have learned a lot about job interviews from experience, but this article really helped me to realize that perfecting even the slightest details in body language can “Make or Break a Job Interview.”
The author, Robert Ordona, set out to write an article to inform readers about the importance that very small details in body language can have a real impact on a potential employer’s first impression. I was expecting to read the usual, about sitting up straight and looking confident, but Mr. Ordona far exceeded my expectations when he emphasized the importance of other things, like displaying the front of your resume while waiting in the event that the receptionist was asked to give his or her impression of you to the interviewer. Displaying the front of your resume may make you seem more open, which in turn will make the receptionist more comfortable around you and more likely to form a good impression.
Works Cited
Ordona, Robert. "Effective Body Language in a Job Interview." Monster Career Advice. 14 Mar. 2015. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.