A

Term Paper
On

Body Language, Interview and Group

Discussion (GD)

Department of Civil Engineering

School of Engineering and Technology
Sharda University, Greater Noida

Submitted by:

Under supervision:

Mohammad Hossain Adeli

Dr. Brinda Chowdhary

Roll # 130107111
System ID # 2013016237

Copyright by Mohammad Hossain Adeli

Dont play with your hands or fiddle with your hair, this can be distracting and show nerves
and lack of confidence.
Try not to create defensive barriers between you and the interviewer such as crossed arms,
legs or a bag on your lap, you want to look open and honest
Maintain eye contact but dont stare so that it is uncomfortable. Remember if there are more
than two interviewers to shift your glance between both of them
Nodding and making Miming noises will show you are listening
Try to be natural and try to relax, nerves may make you defensive
Some tips for noticing your own body language
Body posture: this should be interested and relaxed, sit up straight with your back against
your chair; this will prevent you from sitting on the edge of your chair and appearing tense or
nervous. When asked a question by an interviewer, turn shoulders towards them, lean forward
slightly and tilt you head slightly. The copycat technique is said to be the most effective
technique of reading body language. If you adopt the same position as the interviewer, this
shows positive body language. Even better, if the interviewer adopts the same position as
you, this is regarded as positive.
Hands: hands can be difficult to place in an interview and can indicate feelings without
meaning too. Clenched hands can indicate that you are nervous and can appear defensive.
You can use hand gestures to your advantage, to demonstrate a point. However, do not use
them too much at the start as they can distract from what you are saying. Add them slowly
throughout the interview as you gain more confidence.
Dynamic movements: Dynamic movements can support what you are saying or give a
positive view of you in an interview. For example, nodding you head can support words,
questions and initiate more conversation by appearing agreeable. It is important to take your
cues from the interviewer, if the interviewer uses hands then you use your hands, but if they
keep their hands to themselves then it is best to keep your hand movements to a minimum.
Nervous gestures or habits: these need to be minimized or got rid of before an interview,
tapping feet, clicking of a pen, fidgeting with hair do not portray positive body signals to your
potential employer.
Your body language can indicate a lot about you without you being conscious of it. Observe
how you sit, gesture and converse with others in everyday situations and then you may be
able to recognize what signals you are sending out to potential employers.
Observe others and see if you can read into what they are feeling from their body language.
This is a good exercise as it gives you a different perspective on yourself and others.
Dont overly worry about appearing too nervous, most employers appreciate that interviews
can be daunting experiences. Concentrate on appearing alert, open and attentive. This will
boost your chance of making a good impression on an employer.

1.2. The Importance of Body Language

Body language is a part of communication that very few actually study yet it makes up most
of what we use to communicate and is generally much more accurate a judge of meaning than
are the words we use. Im going to share some reasons why body language is so important.
They say actions speak louder than words and sometimes we can communicate things even
without the aid of a single word. We can shrug our shoulders and, without a word, weve just
said, I dont know. We can raise our eyebrows and weve just said, Excuse me? Did I hear
you right? We can turn our hands over palms up in front of us to say, I dont know what
else to say. Thats all Ive got. And we can point to our nose to indicate that the other
persons got it right!
Some of the things we say with our bodies can help us reinforce why we are saying it.
Simply saying I dont know has got nothing on adding the following gestures. We can turn
our hands over face up in front of us as we raise our eyebrows and invert our smile while we
stick our bottom lip slightly out and look to the side. Now weve also made someone laugh
and perhaps taken a bit of the pressure off ourselves or the other person who was a bit
nervous about not knowing whatever it was we didnt know.
Further, paying attention to someones body language can help us discern when someone is
not telling us the whole truth and nothing but the truth. (An important communication skill
with your kids, right?) Here are a few signs that someone might be lying. Often a person who
is not telling the truth or all of the truth will not want to make eye contact for fear the eyes are
the windows to their lying souls. However, there are also other signs of lying. A person who
isnt telling the whole truth may clear their throat, stammer or change their pitch as if to try
and sway your attention away from their lie or in order to stall so they may have time to think
up a valid answer or plausible explanation. Additionally, foot tapping or bouncing, blushing,
putting their hand to their face, turning away or raising their shoulders may all be indicators
that they are uncomfortable with the conversation because they are not telling the truth. These
are just a few things that are important for every day communication.
Another important function of body language is to express our feelings about what we are
discussing. Body language can help us determine how someone feels about what they are
saying. For example, a person may tell her boss that she would be happy to take the account
but her body language might indicate that she is actually not at all happy about it. This can
be an important tidbit that can help a manager, and others in a leadership position, determine
who is the best person to handle this assignment. If her heart isnt in it, she may do an
adequate job when another employee might turn this small job into a lifelong client.
Body language may be the determining factor in a job interview. If the applicants body
language conveys that he is at ease with the subject matter and conveys confidence, he has a
higher probability of getting the job, especially in this tough job market. We talked earlier
about the fact that some body language is interpreted as being uncomfortable and out of
control. These are some of the same traits that make a job applicant appear less than
confident and comfortable as well.
In a friendship, ones body language can indicate that someone is paying attention or doesnt
really care about what the other person is saying. Leaning forward into the conversation
indicates that this person is interested in hearing what the other person is saying. Leaning
back would indicate that he was disinterested or felt himself superior. Leaning forward and
standing close while talking may indicate that someone is aggressively trying to persuade the
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other person or trying to dominate the conversation. Listening to someone while not making
eye contact indicates that you are not really paying attention, but are waiting for your chance
to speak. This gives your friend the feeling that you dont really care about them and what
they have to say and may cause them not to listen carefully to you when it is your turn to
speak in the conversation.
Studies show that 70% of our communication is achieved nonverbally and that it is far more
accurate than are the words we use. Therefore, it is imperative that we learn to use and
discern body language more effectively in order to become an effective communicator. By
understanding body language more effectively, we can decrease our chances of being
misunderstood, causing conflicts and increase our chances of being able to spot a liar,
maintain our friendships, hire and be hired. For many more reasons body language and
communication skills in general will help each of us immeasurably in our professional and
personal life.

1.3. Types of nonverbal communication and body language

There are many different types of nonverbal communication. Together, the following
nonverbal signals and cues communicate your interest and investment in others.

Facial expressions
The human face is extremely expressive, able to express countless emotions without saying a
word. And unlike some forms of nonverbal communication, facial expressions are universal.
The facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust are the same
across cultures.

Body movements and posture

Consider how your perceptions of people are affected by the way they sit, walk, stand up, or
hold their head. The way you move and carry yourself communicates a wealth of information
to the world. This type of nonverbal communication includes your posture, bearing, stance,
and subtle movements.

Gestures
Gestures are woven into the fabric of our daily lives. We wave, point, beckon, and use our
hands when were arguing or speaking animatedlyexpressing ourselves with gestures often
without thinking. However, the meaning of gestures can be very different across cultures and
regions, so its important to be careful to avoid misinterpretation.

Eye contact
Since the visual sense is dominant for most people, eye contact is an especially important
type of nonverbal communication. The way you look at someone can communicate many
things, including interest, affection, hostility, or attraction. Eye contact is also important in
maintaining the flow of conversation and for gauging the other persons response.
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