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You have just seven seconds to make that first impression,
according to Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of Fox News
Channel and co-author of You Are the Message. Those
seven seconds may or may not include spoken words, but
they certainly include impressions from nonverbal communication.
So how can you put this information to work for you?
By becoming more aware of your own and others' nonverbal
behavior, you can help to improve your work environment
and career mobility.
Tomorrow, when you walk into your nursing unit, pretend
you are there for a first interview. What are your first
impressions about the people you work with every day?
Is this a place where you can do your best work? Does
the unit clerk greet you with a smile? Is your charge
nurse accessible to her staff?
Chances are that their body language will give you
all the clues you need to size up the environment and
more.
Whether on a conscious or subconscious level, communication
experts agree that most self-expression is conveyed
through nonverbal messages.
Social psychologist Albert Mehrabian found that 55
percent of a first impression is based on appearance
(dress, grooming, body language, etc.), 38 percent on
the way we sound (the tone and pitch of our voice, accent,
etc.) and just 7 percent on what we have to say.
Ask any nurse recruiter what they look for in job candidates
and "excellent communication skills" will
likely top the list. Most would agree that whether you
get the job could hinge on your body language-a critically
important aspect of how well you express yourself.
Behavioral clues
Karen DeLavan, senior recruiting consultant for Texas
Health Resources, looks to a candidate's face for behavioral
clues.
"Are they scowling or smiling? Watching how a
person behaves in the lobby when they don't know you're
looking is one way to determine whether this is someone
who is approachable to patients and their families,"
she said. "I look for a nice open look."
Although DeLavan said she does not rely exclusively
on nonverbal cues, they are a valuable part of her total
assessment.
Committed to fostering a positive hospital environment
for new grads, DeLavan uses the interview process to
measure their enthusiasm and excitement about the prospect
of learning all they can by becoming a practicing nurse.
For seasoned nurses, continuing excitement about the
profession and their role also can give clues to their
suitability for the position.
As senior deputy director of nursing services at San
Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp, Calif., Occeletta
Briggs, MA, RN, offers this advice: "Effective
communicators are in demand for positions in all areas
of nursing. In our hospital, we embrace the team concept
in providing patient care, so nurses are expected to
be good team players to meet the basic demands of the
job."
Briggs also measures a candidate's listening skills
during interviews and whether what is verbalized matches
their body language.
"When one of my staff tells me that someone is
not communicating with them, I tell them that is not
possible," she said. "People are always communicating
on some level, and nonverbal is a communications mainstay.
I also look at the distance one places between themselves
and another when interacting."
National placement recruiter Joel Nevins, MA, agrees
with the concept of honoring nonverbal cues. But as
president of the Sebastian, Fla.-based AmeriNurse, Nevins
initially interviews candidates by telephone. "As
a result, telephone etiquette-and thus verbal cues-are
most important at first," Nevins said.
Learning to communicate well on the telephone is also
a requisite on the unit, when talking to patients, families
and other health care professionals. With the volume
and variety of calls received there, developing this
skill is essential. The tone, inflection and volume
of voice will influence the way a person receives any
message.
For example, a cheery tone of voice is welcomed and
generally comes across as positive, while shouting or
speaking rapidly can block communication.
Nonverbal cues key
After the telephone interviews, Nevins said good recruiters
will prepare candidates extensively for the in-person
interview, during which nonverbal cues then become key
to landing the job.
Ashton Medina, MBA, RN, director of Medical Management
Resource Group, an affiliate of Discharge Resource Group,
a South San Francisco-based hiring firm, focuses on
the face of a potential candidate during the interview
process.
"When I interview someone, I look on them as a
client would. Are they on time, dressed appropriately,
ready for work with appropriate tools, paper and pencil?
Do they make eye contact and have a firm handshake?
And, as corny as it may be, a smile sets the stage for
pleasant interaction even if the information is less
than pleasant."
As licensed professionals accustomed to demonstrating
job performance skills, nurses do not hesitate to give
themselves high marks when evaluating their own technical
competencies.
But we stop short when it comes to taking a critical
look at our own communication style and body language.
Body language is universal: We all speak it. Still,
the importance of nonverbal behavior is often overlooked.
One area where this frequently occurs is that of transcultural
nursing. Paula LeVeck, Ph.D., RN, director of Wellness
Works!, developed and teaches the transcultural nursing
course at California State University, Stanislaus in
Turlock. The course stresses the importance of understanding
customs that might differ from one's own in order to
provide better nursing care. Gestures acceptable in
the United States, for example, may be offensive to
those from other cultures.
'Contact culture'
Understanding "contact cultures" (people who
interact at closer distances) and "noncontact cultures"
may help nurses honor cultural distinctions while providing
patient care.
Cultural anthropologist Edward Hall identified Arabs,
Latin Americans and southern Europeans as examples of
contact cultures, while noncontact cultures include
Asians, North Americans and northern Europeans.
LeVeck finds that the best tool in helping students
overcome barriers to effective communication is the
opportunity to watch themselves on videotape. She was
astonished when a friend pointed out her own distracting
habit of sniffing at the end of sentences when she made
an important point.
"Be sensitive to what is going on around you,"
said Carol Gunther, Ph.D., adjunct faculty member at
the University of San Francisco College of Professional
Studies.
Gunther, who frequently teaches communication classes
to nurses and other hospital staff, also suggests developing
an awareness of your own communication style and use
of body language to help identify your strong and weak
points, as well as ways to develop or change them.
Whether pursuing that dream job, or seeking harmony
and fulfillment in an existing work setting, an awareness
of both nonverbal and verbal messages will give you
an edge wherever you interact, and may be just the key
to jump-starting your career.
Contact Alicia Hugg at rosewind09@earthlink.net
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