Last night while watching NBC Nightly News, they featured a story about people looking for work and a center that provides them with classes and coaching. One of the exercises that the job seekers were required to participate in involved being videoed while mock interviewed. Afterward, they were required to watch a playback of the video but with the sound turned down.
Why?
Well, if you’ve ever taking a public speaking class, you know that usually one of the assignments requires you to be taped speaking so you can see how you REALLY present yourself.
The same is true of the above story. While we may not always be aware of the visual cues we project, they may be speaking more loudly than we are in work situations. Watching the video with the sound off, participants learn which cues they are projecting and if they are in alignment with what they intended to project.
Sometimes our visual cues can be way off and we come across not what we intended but what the other person perceives. So being aware of how we present ourselves from someone else’s point of view can save a lot of confusion in the workplace and build respect along the way.
What You Can Do
Ask a confidant at work how they perceive the way you act. Are you nodding your head yes, when you actually mean no? Are you smiling when you deliver bad news? If so, try watching your cues in the workplace and notice the reactions.
