Body Language at Work
News of the world's largest experiment to investigate telepathy last week set staff tongues wagging. How wonderful it would be to know what Sandra in accounts really thinks of Susan in systems, and what's behind the faux niceness of Rachel at reception.
But while mind-reading is a skill we're unlikely to use in the office, the ability to read people's bodies is not so unfathomable. Understanding Body Language in a week, published this month by The Institute of Management, aims to show how body language in the workplace betrays your true attitudes, hints at what others really think and can help you become a more effective communicator.
The existence of a body language speaks for itself through the statistics. Less than 10% of the messages we communicate occur through our speech; a surprising 40% are conveyed by our tone of voice and 50% simply from our gestures. This is the claim of the book's authors, Geoff Ribbens and Richard Thompson, who say that "communication without body language would be like writing without punctuation."
Such an analogy may ring true for the bumbling fools among us, who can't get the gist of how to conduct a good office relationship with our peers. While Ribbens and Thompson argue that our ability to interpret others' behaviour is inherent, they acknowledge that not everyone knows how to use that 90% of unspoken communication for the best.
For the growing number of support staff, the art of body language is a talent worth nurturing. With technology liberating them from the more time-consuming chores, PAs and secretaries are able to pursue more social responsibilities - managing staff, attending meetings and handling clients. But to milk these social settings, their body language has to say "confident and capable" - otherwise they will amount to no more than wasted opportunities.
Judi James, business consultant and author of Body Talk: The Skills of Positive Image, offers some advice to the shy secretary. "In America, PAs will give out business cards as a matter of course, but if I suggest this in the UK it tends to provoke nervous laughter," she says. "People in support roles in this country are terrified that being assertive will be misinterpreted as arrogance, which it won't."
Recognising that the nation's confidence is somewhat lacking, an increasing number of British organisations are encouraging staff to learn how to use body language to communicate better.
"I don't like to portray body language as a bag of tricks, but in terms of marketing yourself more effectively at work, there are tips that make a massive amount of difference," says James. "Always enter offices and meeting rooms confidently, as if you're meant to be there. It's amazing how many people have difficulty going up to someone and confidently shaking their hand with just enough eye contact to make them realise you're worth speaking to. Once you've made that initial impact you can probably afford to let it drop a little during the meeting, but that first impression is really important. Always avoid tiptoeing into meetings looking apologetic and trying to be invisible. It looks awful and - although it isn't fair - people will probably question your credibility, however brilliant you might be at your job."
James cautions against being too reticent with our bodies. "If you have to approach a senior colleague at their desk, try to do so with as much purpose as possible. Many people find it very irritating to have someone lurking at their desk, timidly waiting to speak to them, and it can get your conversation off on the wrong foot. I think you can afford to move with a degree of authority without looking like the young pretender." It can also help to slightly mirror the other person's body language, although obviously it pays to judge this sensitively.
But let's not kid ourselves too much with all these career-furthering intentions. The really appealing thing about analysing body language is the idea of interpreting other people's behaviour. From now on, never believe a colleague who has a habit of rubbing his eyes or touching his nose. He is lying, according to the gospel of body language, and should not be trusted.
All of which doesn't bode well for poor unfortunates struck down with conjunctivitis or for those who can't resist fingering a snotty nose. The authors' get-out clause for this little discrepancy is to argue that "it is seldom one gesture or posture, but a combination of body signals that convey the clues. It is also important to put the body language in context."
So next time someone picks at their clothes while talking to you don't automatically assume - as the textbook has it - that they privately they disagree with you. They might be trying to remove traces of the morning's toothpaste from their lapel.