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Non-verbal Signs That Say "I'm the Boss"
by
Tag Goulet
FabJob Inc. publishes
books, e-books, and CD-ROMs that can help you break into a "fab"
job. Visit www.FabJob.com
for information and career advice.
The man
in the photograph is leaning back in his chair, fingers laced
behind his head, one foot on his desk.
What do
you think he is communicating?” I ask a group of management
communications students. To many of the students, the man
appears casual and relaxed.
In
fact, he is communicating superiority. The foot on the
desk conveys ownership or territoriality.
If this
man is not the boss, he is someone his co-workers need to
watch out for, say Gerald I. Nierenberg and Henry H.
Calero, authors of the popular How to Read a Person Like a
Book.
Nierenberg and Calero studied the meaning of non-verbal
communication in business and found many gestures that appear
on the surface to be casual are in fact signs of dominance
and aggression.
Such
gestures also include straddling a chair or sitting with one
leg over the arm of a chair.
If this
seems far-fetched, you may want to ask yourself who appears
casual in your workplace.
Is it
the boss? A co-worker who seems to rub people the wrong way?
A junior employee who likes to challenge authority?
If a
junior employee uses such gestures it may be only when the
boss isn’t around. If the boss happens by, the employee may
“snap to attention”.
Notice
the non-verbal communication in your workplace, but don’t
assume from a single gesture that someone is communicating
dominance or aggression.
A
particular gesture may be a habit or may have an
entirely different meaning for the person making it.
Watch
for clusters (a group) of gestures that communicate a similar
message, and notice the circumstances in which they are used.
Does
someone adopt dominance gestures during a negotiation or in
the presence of certain people? If so, those gestures may be
more than just a habit.
Should
you use dominance gestures yourself? In a negotiation, such
gestures may help to convey that you are confident.
However, if you would not verbally challenge your boss or
someone else in a position of authority, you should not
challenge them non-verbally either unless you are prepared to
face the consequences.
FabJob Inc.
publishes books, e-books, and CD-ROMs that can help you break
into a "fab" job. Visit www.FabJob.com
for information and career advice.
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