Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter
August/September 2006
| Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter August/September 2006 |
During the monthly chapter meeting on June 21, 2006, Alfred B. (Stan) Stansbury explained how the Stanislavsky method of acting and an awareness of non-verbal communication can make technical communicators more effective when they are being interviewed for jobs –- and in many other situations.
Alfred, who usually goes by the name Stan, developed this keen interest in acting because he once dreamed of being a star of stage, screen, and television. While pursuing this dream, he had many opportunities to be interviewed and to give his 30-second elevator speech. During this time, he learned things about interviewing that have served him well in his career as a technical communicator.
Many people think of a job interview as an arms length conversation for discussing their skills with a prospective employer. But, for Stan, it's more like going home to meet the relatives to see if you are worthy of becoming part of the family. He cited Jane Godall's study of what happens when a new chimpanzee tries to join a group. Females take their children and run, and males threaten the outsider to defend their territory.
Stan provided these "uncomfortable facts" about interviews with people who do not know you:
Many people spend all of their time preparing for the 8%. This presentation is about how to manage the other 92%. This is where acting comes in, as acting is the art of deliberately managing nonverbal communication. When done properly, acting can be very powerful at the subconscious level.
Relaxation is the sina qua non. You must be relaxed to use the techniques discussed in this article. Most people do well in situations when they are relaxed. But job interviews are stressful, and the free flow of words of can slow to a trickle as the nerves tense and the throat tightens. You should spend the evening before interview relaxing to create a blank canvas for the interviews.
The relaxation technique can be yoga, meditation, or anything else that works for you. It's important to practice relaxation techniques regularly before the next job interview. You need to learn how to relax in less stressful situations before you can relax in stressful ones.
For those who do not already have a favorite relaxation technique, Stan suggested a couple of techniques: the 123 - 321 method and centering yourself.
For the 123 - 321 method:
You can use this method anywhere -– even during a job interview -– and no one knows that you are doing it.
For centering yourself:
During this exercise, the body sways. While you are focused on centering the body, your mind is unable to focus on anxiety.
Stanislavsky's method is an acting technique that trains actors to create sense memories of an experience and relive it on command during any situation. For example, Marilyn Monroe spent hours practicing what it was like to be an orange. But for the STC presentation, Stan spent his time on sense memories more germane to job interviews.
Stan said that it is impossible to overemphasize the importance of sense memories. They enable actors to cry on command, and they can revolutionize job interviews. You can put the experience of having done your best in your pockets and carry that experience into a job interview. (An audience member commented that it can be disastrous to carry sense memories of failure into an interview.)
Stan had the audience members close their eyes, relax, and think about their proudest moment at work. Stan said, "Put furniture around it." Recall the situation as clearly as possible. Where were you? Were you standing up or sitting down? Whom did you tell? What kind of shoes were you wearing? Was it hot or cold? Focus on the moment of triumph, then "gift wrap that [memory] and take it to the next interview."
For the second exercise, Stan had the audience members close their eyes, relax, and focus on just being hired for your favorite job. Where were you when you learned that you were hired? How did you find the job? How did you feel? What were you wearing? Focus on the triumphant moment and gift wrap it.
The remainder of the presentation focused on more specific techniques for job interviews.
During the interview, be who you are. Always be genuine, positive, and truthful. Use the techniques discussed below in ways that are authentic to you. When you learn these skills, try them out and see if they stick. For example, once you learn how to ride a bicycle or practice yoga, the techniques become second nature.
People are territorial, and you must enter someone else's space to be interviewed. However, you are an invited guest in the interviewer's space, so there is no need to be small. Stan said, "Take up the room that you need to be you. But don't spread out because it's not your couch." As an example of spreading out, Stan cited an interviewee who thoroughly researched a company and told the award-winning content developers about the value and use of their technology. Notice how people around you are managing space, then do as they do.
Eye contact is critical. You must convince people that you are looking at them. If looking directly into the eyes bothers you, look at the space between the eyebrows (which appears the same as looking directly in the eyes from your interlocutor's point of view). If you find yourself looking down, look between your interlocutor's eyebrows.
Handshakes are inevitable for everyone except concert pianists and brain surgeons. You don't get points for good ones, but you lose points for bad ones. Learn to give a firm, healthy handshake that avoids the twin perils of the dead fish and the knuckle breaker. As an exercise, Stan had people walk around the room and practice handshakes on other people, so that people could evaluate their handshakes.
An audience member offered a suggestion for avoiding knuckle breakers. Push your hand all the way into the other person's hand, forming an interlocking V with the thumbs and index finger. This position minimizes the pressure the other person can exert.
Stan pointed out common nonverbal cues that broadcast anxiety. Avoid all of the following behaviors:
As a general rule, exhibit open gestures during an interview. Closed gestures indicate tenseness. However, do not follow mechanical rules for open gestures, as interviewees must do what works for them.
Be open when talking about things that are important. Show your palms and face. Do not put hands over the mouth or face. Holding hands together with interlaced fingers shows reflecting on thoughts. People tend to use closing gestures while thinking.
To the extent that the decorum is you, bring it with you. Incorporate open gestures in a way that is consistent with who you are. Decorum can interfere with openness, especially for people born soon after World War II. For example, women were taught to sit with their ankles together, and men were taught to cross their legs at the knees, as it was uncivilized to sit with your ankle perched on your knee.
You can increase your effectiveness by mirroring the interviewer's gestures and leading the gestures from closed to open. However, mirroring is tricky to pull off, as people do not like to have their gestures mimicked. If you can get away with mirroring, it is very powerful, but it can hurt you if done badly. To succeed, you must be relaxed and bring your sense memories to the interview.
You can use mirroring for psychological validation of the interviewer in the following situations:
When the interviewer closes down with crossed arms or legs, you can mirror the closed position, then try to lead the way back into mutual openness. After all, deals are made when everyone is open.
The voice of power has two qualities: a pitch slightly lower than normal and a slightly slower cadence. Two examples are Walter Cronkite and Edward Murrow. When at an interview, try to talk a little more slowly than normal. Anxiety causes the pitch of the voice to rise. For a warm-up exercise, say the following with alternating high and low pitches on each word: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight."
Silence is not deadly if you know how to use it. It can be powerful, especially when someone is trying to get you to take a low salary. When you are uncertain about how to answer a question, take a pause and something will come to you.
At times, you (as the interviewee) can go into an interview and take charge. For this technique to work, you need to read the situation skillfully to have a good sense of whether and when to take command.
During the question and answer period following the presentation, a variety of points came up.
Almost every technique in the article works in a phone interview. When Stan is being interviewed by phone, he wears a phone headset and sits in a chair or walks around the room as appropriate. The person on the other end of the phone call can sense whether you're wearing a tie.
During an interview, it's important to know when to stop talking. Don't be afraid of silence.
Watch out for interrupting others during job interviews due to nervousness, excitement, or fear of what someone else is about to say. But some interruptions can affirm the listener's interest in a long monolog, such as, "Tell me more," or "That's amazing."
Stan concluded the presentation with the following recommendations:
To learn more about acting and non-verbal communication, consult the following sources:
Marc Smircich is a technical communicator with over 15 years experience in documenting human resources and financial applications. He is the secretary and newsletter editor for the San Francisco Chapter STC.
Copyright © 2006 by the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter (www.stc-sf.org). This article may be reprinted in another STC publication under the provisions of the chapter's copyright policy.