On Wednesday, we had the pleasure from hearing Dan Hudock. At the start of the lecture my expectations were low, but I was immediately hooked. Dan analyzed all of us from the start of the lecture. His engagement with the audience kept me on my toes. It wasn’t just the class assessing the lecturer, but it felt as if the lecturer was also assessing the students. It intrigued me significantly. It also made me substantially more aware of my body language. Dan addressed body language in his talk. It wasn’t just general advice but he got into specifics. Body language has always interested me but I didn’t know many of the specific subliminal messages associated with body movements. One concept that caught my attention was open vs. closed body language. In an interview, it is important to appear as open as possible with your feet planted flat, facing the person talking. I was always under the impression that closed body language gave someone the upper hand while open body language made someone appear vulnerable. This is not the truth. Someone who is confident will be spread out but not in an obnoxious manner. This concept of open vs. closed body language also applies to giving talks and presentations. Pointing is considered more closed and a face up palm gesture is considered open. Positive body language may seem optional, it’s simply a “nice to have” , but body language heavily contributes to others’ first impression of you. You will get further in connecting with others if you come across as open and positive rather than closed and demeaning. Prospects or potential bosses may not even be aware of what they liked about you, but they just had a “vibe”. This vibe is greatly attributed to your body language, tone, and mannerisms. Dan exemplified all of these techniques within his lecture and right off the bat, I liked him. When he later explained some of his tactics, it made sense why I had such a positive perception of him with little to no knowledge of his character. My experience listening to Dan reminded me that we are in control we are of how others’ perceive us to a great degree. It is important to curate others’ perception to the best of your ability in every sales interaction.
principera24