Body Language and Interviews

BODY LANGUAGE AND INTERVIEWS

Gill Hicks

gill.hicks @penna.com,

07946 857009

Body Language and Interviews © Positive Potential Ltd

Body Language The Basics

We are all experts at reading body language -and yes, that includes you assuming you would not want to accept an offer of employment unless you had met your employer first. When we need to discuss anything of importance, we will always seek to have the discussion face to face - even if it is someone we know well. Why? Because we are picking up volumes of information non verbally - through body language - in fact different

research indicates we are picking up anywhere between 2 -	9	times	the
amount of information through body language than we are	through		the
spoken word. What undisputedly is the case is that if the spoken		word	and

the	body	language	are	inconsistent, we	will always	believe the body
language.		Imagine	you are talking to somebody who says they are very
open	to your suggestions			and ideas. Yet this	person has	a clenched jaw, is

turning slightly away from you and has their arms folded. Are you likely to believe what they are saying? Of course not.

The strange thing however is that many of us believe we have the advantage of looking through a two way mirror - we are picking up, and believing, mountains of information about the other person from their body

language,	whilst believing they must surely only take account of what we
say. Not	true!

So let's not forget that the interviewer is picking up, and believing, huge amounts of information about you too, through your body language. Many people think they don't know anything much about body language, but the reality is that there is a world of communication going on when we are in

face to	face encounters with others, yet it happens way beyond our
conscious	awareness.

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How The Brain Works

In simplistic terms, there are two parts of our brain - the conscious and subconscious. The real powerhouse is the subconscious, (where we read body language) yet the subconscious contains no logical processing power. The subconscious makes vast and rapid decisions for us in a nano second, e.g." Have I got time to cross the road before the bus comes?" Answer "Yes, if I walk quickly". What is quickly? How do we know the speed of the bus, the distance to cross, our speed of walking quickly or slowly? A huge calculation, yet we trust our lives based on the decisions taken by the subconscious. The decision as to whether to employ somebody or not is in most cases taken in the same part of the brain - we sometimes call it the 'gut feeling'. The conscious part of the brain is tiny compared to the subconscious. If this whole page represents the brain, the conscious, logical part of the brain could be represented by this Yes, a full stop! The remainder is the subconscious. The conscious brain, the part able to process information logically, the part that needs our concentration, is thought to be able to process 3 - 5 bits of information at one time, whilst the subconscious is thought to be able to process around 2,000,000! The decision about who to offer the job to is not always logical!

The Brain and Filters

Because the two parts of the brain have such different capacities for processing information, information is first passed through the subconscious brain. Anything experienced previously passes through a filter - 4 can put this in a box' and is accepted as being true. We see a TV in the corner of a sitting room, we just see a TV - no question. If somebody tells you it is really a coffee filter, you doubt it because you have seen a number of TVs and a number of coffee filters. You will need a lot of persuasion - and a demonstration - before you will accept it as a coffee filter.

The same holds true with interviews. Often the 2 second process is 'Ah, this looks like the one' or T h i s is going to be a waste of time'. In other words, when we meet people for the first time, we have a tendency to put them in

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'boxes', just like we do when we see a TV set. When I run Image and Impact workshops, I start by asking the delegates to pair up and answer 4 questions about me. What sort of home do I live in, what sort of car do I drive - and the colour, which newspaper do I choose to read, name a key hobby or interest. Delegates are asked to try and reach a consensus of opinion and write down the agreed answer, or if they feel quite different

things, to note the two			different answers.	Results	are	always very
interesting!	The really interesting result that			comes out is when delegates
cannot reach	consensus	- 'I	think your car is blue, but he thinks it is silver',
'I think you	read The	Times, but she thinks		you read	The	Independent'.

Such trivial, unimportant questions, yet such is the power of their filters and the belief that the filters are accurate, that they will not agree to change their minds over the possibility of the colour of my car! The interviewer's brain will in most cases act very much the same way when they see a candidate. Depending on the role, if the instant filter says 'this candidate looks confident, enthusiastic, energised, successful, personable, honest, has a 'can do' attitude, will fit into the culture well, etc. e t c ' the chances are the interviewer's filter will be primed to hear confirmation of their feelings.

Filters and I n t e r v i e w s

I have long been interested in the interview filter. I used to believe that it only existed amongst line managers, that H.R. professionals were trained to ignore the 'gut feelings', to concentrate only on logic - who was the most experienced and capable to fulfil the role. My experience is that this is not always the case.

I asked an HR Department how they decided on candidates, how they made their decisions. They told me they had a 'horns and halo' filter - as soon as they saw the candidate, it was a yes or no. Another HR professional said she always conducted her interviews at a Starbucks over the road, but had

already made her decision before they had crossed		the	road.	These	are only
a couple of examples from	my personal research,	but	my	findings	seem to
be support by the following	research:

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Dr. Frank Bernieri, Assoc. Professor of Psychology, University of Toledo, 2000.

A video experiment was conducted with two trained professionals job interviewing 98 candidates. The first 15 seconds of the interviews, covering the applicant knocking on the door, entering, shaking the hand of the interviewer, and sitting were shown to 'a series' of people off the street. The observers 'significantly predicted' the outcome of the interview ... "the strength of the correlation was extraordinary".

He observed: The first impression process happens beyond awareness ...

without any conscious reason. When they (people) form a belief ... they will biasedly look for - and see - things that prove they are correct. On top of that, people don't notice and are unreceptive to evidence that doesn't confirm their belief. The first impression becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy - w e hear w h a t w e expect t o hear.

The 'Position' and лТпе Person'

Break down the word 'interview' and it becomes 'inter' 'view', i.e. 'between views'. This is what an interview is - it is not an interrogation!

There are two main parts to us at work - 'the person' and 'the position'. You have been invited to the interview because according to your C.V., you fulfil 'the position' criteria, i.e. you have the appropriate background / experience to function in the role (assuming you have not lied on your C.V. - and please do not!). So the interview is arranged to check out you haven't lied and to meet 'the person'.

The right 'person' for the role is crucial. Imagine 2 candidates who have 5 years sales experience at the same firm . One is 'top salesman' the other is at the bottom range of results, but the differentiation is not clear on the c.v. Both candidates are interviewed. The interviewer is certainly likely to ask about results, but prior to that they will be 'filtering' for the right person. They are likely to be filtering for the person who has attitudes of confidence, enthusiasm, energy, ambition, good communication skills and more. 5 years of experience and a dull, controlled, boring persona is unlikely to be the successful sales candidate. For your 'person' to come through, it is essential for you to assume an attentive, interested, yet relaxed persona.

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So, your 'position' fulfils the criteria - now at interview is the time to bring your 'person' to the front and your non verbal messages can either reinforce your verbal messages, can negate them or can enhance / supersede them .

I n t e r v i e ws

Your body language may well make or break your interview. Positive body language and you greatly increase your options of being offered the job,

negative body language	and it is unlikely you will be offered the post,	no
' m a t t e r how able you are.	Competency based interviews, very junior jobs,	or

roles that involve very little interpersonal involvement or a very high degree of technical skills e.g. I.T. programmers, might be exceptions.

Why Is Body Language So Important?

Our feelings and body language are inextricably linked - our feelings affect

our	body	language and our	body language affects our feelings. This is why
we	read	so much into body	language. Body language 'tells all' because in all

but the most accomplished conmen,	it	reveals what we are really thinking.
It is relatively easy to 'speak a lie';	it	is very difficult to fake body language,

i.e. To think one thing whilst showing something different with your body language. So I strongly suggest you never lie at the interview since your body language will almost certainly give you away! Instead list any areas

that you	dread	being	asked	and find a positive way to answer that is
truthful.	E.g.	You	detested the fact that your		last manager	was a
micromanager and you			dread	being asked what you	thought of him.	You

could honestly reply that he kept a very 'tight ship' and ensured the department always worked efficiently.

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Although it is difficult to fake body language (i.e. feel one thing and show another more positive set of feelings), it is possible to use our bodies to influence our feelings towards greater feelings of confidence. It is far easier to change our bodies from negative to positive body language and as a result improve our feelings than it is to just suddenly 'feel more confident'. You will find it is much harder to feel insecure or negative when your body language is positive.

Check Your Body Language In a Mirror

Usually when we look in the mirror it is to check whether our clothes are ordered, how our hair is today. Instead check out your body language when you are standing and when you are seated, and when you are just looking at body language, you will see what the rest of the world sees.

When I look in the mirror, what am I looking for?

•	Start with	posture. Notice your 'at rest' position and now watch as you
	imagine a thread pulling you up from the back of your head as tall as
	you can go. Good posture will suggest energy and a high level of
	confidence. If you see a big difference between the 'at rest' position
	and the 'tall' position,		you would be advised to seek professional help
	to work towards maintaining good posture for life.			An	Alexander
	Technique trainer is the best, but Pilates, Yoga, and			Martial	Arts will
	help too.
•	Shoulders	down and	back with chest open, feel	your	shoulders

widening. Taking up as much physical space by feeling your shoulders go as wide as you can, will make you feel and appear more confident.

•Hands and arms open, uncrossed. The more open your hands,

particularly with one or both palms partly or fully visible, the more open minded you will appear to be. Notice the closer you bring your

hands together,	right up to crossing your arms, the more closed
minded you will	appear - and feel.

• Feet firmly grounded on the floor, weight evenly balanced. Whilst seated, do have at least one foot firmly on the floor slightly in front of

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you. If you tuck your feet under the chair, you will appear as though you are keen to get away from 'the enemy'!

• Lean slightly towards the reflection. When we are really interested in a topic, our bodies will naturally lean towards the other person.

• Chin up, horizontal to the floor. If your chin is lower than horizontal, you are likely to appear lacking in confidence or rather meek, too high

and	you	will be seen to be 'looking down			your nose' at the other
person, in other words arrogant.			Notice	when you feel 'down' what
your	chin	is doing - the chances are it will			be	lower than	normal -
hence the expression 'keep your chin up'.				It is		difficult to	feel down
once you		have corrected your chin	level.

•Good eye contact. A good level of eye contact suggests honesty and straightforwardness.

•Smile (genuine!)

Notice the change in your feelings and in what you see		in	the mirror.	Try
the	opposite to the above and notice what you see and	feel	internally.	Try
the	positive recipe a second time - you might be	astonished at		the

differences you see and feel.

Breathing

Your breathing happens at a subconscious level, yet it is very helpful to bring it to the conscious from time to time. When we are really relaxed, the breathing is slow and deep. When we are stressed, the breathing becomes fast and shallow. Stress situations result in short, shallow breathing, with emphasis on the in breath and this results in a production of adrenalin.

Adrenalin	in turn		induces short rapid	breathing.	In other	words, we get
stuck in	a cycle.		A small quantity	of adrenalin	is helpful;	it gives extra
energy, getting		us 'keyed up' for top performance. Too much adrenalin
however	can be	crippling - it cuts off		the conscious, logical processing part

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of the brain leaving the victim in a 'fight or flight' mode, unable to answer questions they really know the answer to. It is the slow out breath that produces chemicals of calmness.

Practice deep breathing by exhaling fully through the mouth . Inhale through the nose for the count of 4, concentrating on taking the breath as deeply into the belly as possible and ensuring the shoulders do not rise. Hold the breath for the count of 4, and then exhale through the mouth for the count of 8. Practice regularly in bed prior to going to sleep, and take a couple of good deep out breaths prior to going into the interview. Deep controlled breathing will have a huge positive impact on your feelings of relaxation and confidence, on your body language and in turn on your voice. Remember, it is the out breath that produces the chemicals of calmness, and it is this you

need to concentrate on.	Believe me; the in breath will happen
automatically!

Body Language and Interviews © Positive Potential Ltd

Visualisation

Visualisation is a very powerful tool, utilised by all successful sports players in order to reach peak performance. It can also be used to improve performance at interview. Back to how the brain works:

How The Brain Works - Part II

We already know the major part of the brain, the subconscious, contains no logical processing power. What goes in is what comes out. Taking our previous example of crossing the road, we are able to make a decision as to whether it is safe or not to cross depending on how many vehicles we have seen approaching - over a life time. ( I t is thought that a child cannot safely make the decision on whether it is safe to cross the road until they are about 12 years of age - until they have processed sufficient data.) If you allow the brain to repeat images of how difficult the interview might be, the questions you might dread, on not being successful, your brain will compute that an interview is a potentially dangerous situation, adrenalin will be released in unhelpful quantities, the breathing will become shallow and the effect is to virtually cut off the conscious brain leaving all energy to the life preserving 'flight or fight' mechanism, i.e. you will not be able to think logically and rationally and will find it difficult to answer many questions. Instead, spend plenty of time rehearsing a successful interview scenario

It is important to rehearse the successful outcome regularly in your mind. When we do something once, it creates a neurological pathway to the brain. Each subsequent time and the neurological pathway becomes deeper and deeper until it is an automatic response. Just like the smell of fresh baked bread makes us produce saliva and feel hungry, the word interview can be associated with an event that is something to look forward to, an opportunity to learn about the needs of the organisation, an opportunity to create a strong rapport with a professional in your industry. The deeper your existing neurological pathway is primed to think the interview is

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