Non-verbal communication - getting it right
Featured in the Proactive Interviewee Skills training manual
By Beverley Williams
Category: Recruitment, Selection and Induction
Credit price: 4 download credits (Single user)
Many people prepare fully and conscientiously for interviews. They know all the facts, they prepare reports, they are able to offer informed opinions on a wide range of related issues and yet the interview itself does not go as well as it perhaps could have done. It is important to be aware of the impact of non-verbal communication; in particular, to understand how a verbal message that is incongruent with a non-verbal message will often be discounted in favour of the unspoken message. It is also crucial that interviewees are able to pick up on the non-verbal messages being given by the interviewer and respond appropriately. The organisation also benefits from having a workforce with enhanced communication skills that will be valuable in a wide range of situations. This training activity raises awareness of these issues and, by recording and examining the role-played interviews, gives participants the opportunity to learn more about their own non-verbal communication.
You begin the training activity by introducing the topic on non-verbal communication and then – immediately and powerfully – demonstrate the key points of the activity by communicating using incongruent verbal and non-verbal messages. After a brief discussion on the effects of incongruent messages, using research statistics to add emphasis, the participants take part in a verbal exercise to illustrate how the meaning of a sentence can be changed by laying emphasis on different words within it. Working in groups, the participants then identify the types of non-verbal communication they would like to demonstrate during an interview situation, and the types they would like to avoid. You then gain agreement that many people are unaware of the non-verbal messages they transmit and elicit ideas on how awareness levels could be raised. You run and record one or more role-plays and then facilitate constructive feedback, giving participants the opportunity to learn more about their own non-verbal communication. You close the training activity by taking key learning points from the participants before distributing a key learning points handout.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to introduce participants to the basic concept of non-verbal communication and explores its significance in the interview situation.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 10 |
| Typical Duration: | 02:25:00 |
| No of Pages: | 32 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use, as a foundation activity, by trainers with participants who will be interviewees in some form at some point. In practice, this will include almost everyone in an organisation, as the majority of people are coached, appraised or interviewed for internal positions during their careers. It is also suitable for those who interview others.
Download the training activity, Non-verbal communication - getting it right as featured in the Fenman training manual; Proactive Interviewee Skills