Midterm exam

Submitted by:

Laja Shakya

Section A

Roll number: 18786

Kathmandu University School of Management

Pichhe Tole, Gwarko, Kathmandu

Submitted to:

Rachana Negi ma’am

Faculty of Interpersonal Communication

Bachelors of Business Administration

2nd December, 2020

Case 1: Analyze the case with cited example using your understanding of non- verbal
communication and active listening.

Answer.

Synopsis: This case provides us knowledge about what aspects we need to consider while
preparing ourselves to make a great impression as well as it shows the way we should maintain
ourselves during the interview.

Analysis

As stated in the case, knowledge of nonverbal communication and active listening is very
important for the candidates going for an interview rather than just knowing the answers. What
the candidates should know and learn about nonverbal communication is that it includes body
language, voice tone and appearances, which are judged way quicker. So, while going for an
interview, the candidates should most importantly, work on their appearance. For example, the
case here, does not only inform about what the candidates should do during an interview, but
also informs about how they should prepare their appearances before going for an interview just
to get the right first impression, which too, is very impactful in an interview. For example, they
should make sure they are dressed properly from top to bottom and look presentable and
professional. They should make sure they smell good, they are polite to receptionist, walk
confidently to greet the interviewer, make eye contact, smile and offer a handshake.

All these examples show how the candidates can create a good first impression on the
interviewers. And all these come under appearance, which is a vital part nonverbal
communication. So, they should seriously take care of their appearances. Now, what we should
understand here is that a nonverbal action can have different meanings. For example, it is said
that you should keep your feet on the floor and your hands positioned naturally. If you constantly
move your hands, it can mean a lot of things like, you may be nervous or you are creating
distraction so that you don’t seem nervous. Further, nonverbal signals do work in group like the
facial expression, the gestures, your voice, all work together in a group and not one after another.
In an interview as well, when you are listening, you lean forward a bit and nod, look straight in
the eye and smile a bit. So, all the nonverbal actions work in group.

Moving on to the types of nonverbal communication, Kinesics can also be related with this case.
Kinesics is a type where communication is done through body movement. It can send
information about personality, interest, responsiveness and emotional stress. During the
interview, the candidates must not lose their expression of joy. The case also says that while
meeting the interviewers, greeting them, during the interview, and wrapping up the interview,
you should have a pleasant smiling expression. Showing anger, fear, sadness or disgust during an
interview does not provide a positive impact.

Further, under Kinesics, we have eyes, which says that the movement of the eyes can
indicate whether a person is thinking in past, future or present.  Neurolinguistic Psychology
(NLP) Research show that 90%of people look up for visual accessing, look down for linguistic
accessing, look left for past experience, look right for future perceptions and look straight for
Present-tense thinking. So, the candidate should look straight to the person who is speaking, and
into the eyes to show your interest and focus. For example, the case includes, ‘maintain eye
contact in a natural way. Just don’t stare fixedly at your interviewer’. So, as you answer certain
questions, make eye contact with all the interviewers so it becomes more productive.

Further, talking about the gestures, like the posture, walk, hand movement, body shifts and nods,
we can link them to kinesics gesture. Giving gestures is very important as it makes you look
smart and professional. For example, in the case it is said that you should sit up straight and
avoid slouching. When someone is speaking to you, lean in towards them slightly and nod and
smile when you understand.
Kinesics gesture also includes regulators and illustrators. Regulators are the nonverbal acts that
maintain and control back and forth nature of speaking and listening between two or more
people. For example, nodding your head and smiling as they speak to let them know that you
understood them. Also, leaning forward to let them know that you are actively listening.
Whereas illustrators are the aaccompanying speech that are used to aid in the description of what
is being said. As given in the case, this includes thanking your interviewer politely for their time,
shaking her/his hand professionally and smiling while leaving the interview room.

Another type of nonverbal communication is proxemics which means space distance. The case
says to shake your hands first with the interviewer while entering and leaving the room. The
distance between them should be 18 inches, and this is included in intimate space distance under
proxemics. Also, while listening to the interviewer, you can lean in towards them slightly but
you should not invade your interviewer’s personal space. This comes under personal space
distance, and the distance should be maintained from 18 inches to 4 feet.

Moreover, paravocalics means communication by means of the nonverbal elements of speech. It

includes silence or making nonverbal vocal sounds which is highly unprofessional and it clearly
shows that you cannot handle tough situations. It can also mean you are very uncomfortable
during the interview. Silence can mean hesitation to speak or going blank while you answer or
just a pause. A pause can actually be good for the candidates as the case shows, ‘Listen carefully
to the entire question and pause to think before answering. The anxiety and discomfort that
candidates often feel during an interview make them avoid any moments of silence.’
This further includes the pitch, rate as in how fast you talk, stress level and your volume, which
will show how nervous you are or how interested you are. So, its better to take a small pause, get
ready with your answers and reply in a normal tone, at normal rate, normal volume so that you
look confident and smart.

The case also shows that sometimes, an interview can be ruined due to environmental factors.
For example, it said that you must smell good for a good first impression. Its true, but here
considers smell overload. To smell nice, you might apply a deodorant, but you should not apply
so much that it overpowers you.

Listening is also a very important factor during the interviews. It includes understanding
information with involvement from mind and body. It requires conscious efforts, concentration
and interest. For example, given in the case itself, it's important to listen critically to everything
that is said or asked during an interview. Hear with your ears – and your eyes, and your brain.
Listen to your interviewer’s tone of voice and keep a close eye on his or her facial expressions
and body language to get the full picture. active process. While actively listening, the listener
should give signs of listening like nodding head, smiling, slightly leaning forward and straight
eye contact.
The candidates should also try to avoid noise and virtual distractions while listening to the
interviewer. For example, noise can be any external barrier, like the sound of equipment running,
phones ringing, or other people having conversations. You should not be distracted by them or
should take care of them beforehand. Visual distractions include any kind of distraction inside
the interview room which will take your focus away from the interview. It can be as simple as
the scene outside a window or the goings-on just beyond the glass walls of a nearby office. As
given in the case, ‘many of our daily conversations are interrupted and ultimately degraded by a
whirlwind of external distractions. In a job interview, you can’t afford to let anything take your
eyes off the prize.’ So, you should be focused well in the interview.