Communication - so much going on
As I interviewed two people for an article today I marvelled at how much goes on when you're sitting across from someone, simply talking.
A lot of it is unconscious, of course. I guess most people don't even think about it. The only reason I do is that I realised I kind of think like a computer - where a conversation is a transfer of information, nothing more, nothing less.
In reality, none of us thinks like a computer. In every conversation, your mind is assessing:
- your environment
- the other person(s) - their intent, personality, and most importantly how much like us they are
- the body language, pauses, backtracks, and facial expressions of the other person
- what they're saying
Why am I mentioning this? In case there are other souls like me out there who, for some reason or another, suffer information overload during a simple conversation. The first step towards changing your overload reaction is being aware. And it's amazing what you can do when you're aware.
posted by Simon @ 12:17 pm
4 comments
4 Comments:
Good points here, Sy. They say women pick up on a lot more of the body language and unconscious stimuli than men. I wonder if I am incorrectly generalizing when I say we blokes don’t mind the computer quite as much, though in all cases it is best for those face-to-face meetings to take place.
I think you've got a good point there, Jack, about the gender preferences. I don't know that many women who love technology - it seems to be a man thing.
"In all cases it is best for those face-to-face meetings to take place."
Yes, although in my case when I'm doing stacks of interviews I prefer phone interviews - I can furiously take notes without bothering about eye contact!
True—good way to filter the information that you need. Were these job interviews, or interviews for a story?
At least the voice is a humanizing element.
Interviews for stories. I think a job interview would need to be in person.
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