Using Story-Telling to Communicate

Some of the best managers I have had in the workplace were authentic and told personal stories so that I could possibly relate to them better. You know that feeling of the first day on the job, you don't know what kind of manager you are going to get. There is that tension of who is going to break the ice first, and you for sure don't want to be the first one in fear if they do not give you the response you are looking for. I found an article on a website called Mind Tools: Business Story-Telling, using stories to inspire where it had some really good information on ideas of how to use stories as leaders to connect to your employees. Leaders can use a good, personal story to motivate and inspire their people. It is also a good opportunity for the manager to reveal flaws about themselves so that their people again can relate to them and not have to feel like they have to measure up to perfection. I think once the manager has broken that ice with their communication skills by telling personal stories it then opens up better lines of communication because for me I feel more comfortable around my leader.

Body Language in Interviews

Hello Followers! 

I had an experience with an interviewer once that left me stunned...clearly she didn't follow the do's and don'ts of body language. And this can apply for the one conducting the interview or the one interviewing. And she was the one interviewing me! Just to give you an idea here are some examples of her body language.

• She did not look me in the eyes. 
• She seemed uninterested in doing the interview.
• She answered her cell phone while in the room. 
• She did not handshake when she came into the room.  

Interviewers should be conscious of how they come across in the same ways, because we as candidates are watching them too! Monster.com has a good article called Body Language can Make or Break a Job Interview where the author gives good insight and uses real examples of interviews. Also CNN.com has an article called Body Language do's and don'ts for Interviews which gives good and bad examples of nonverbal communication.