Politicians and managers - what they say without saying a word

I found Kopacz's article Nonverbal Communication as a Persuasion Tool: Current Status and Future Directions to be in quite interesting for two different, yet somehow interlinked reasons. The first reason is that when I began reading the article, and realized it dealt with politicians, I kept asking myself, "How does this relate to my work environment?" Secondly, I have always been fascinated with non-verbal communication and its meanings.

So, how do politicians relate to my work environment? As I continued reading the article, I began to draw a correlation between politicians and managers. A politician is looking for buy-in from his constituents just as a manager is looking for buy-in from his employees. A good politician and a good manager are both trying to advocate their policies, beliefs and procedures and to gain the support of either voters or workers.

Secondly, I was fascinated by the non-verbal communication habits of politicians that were discussed in the article and how it affects voter opinion. I've always been very interested in non-verbal communication, mainly because I often wonder the implications that my own non-verbal communication has on my listeners. I talk with my hands. If I were forced to sit on my hands, I'm not so sure I'd be able to get out one word. Even more prevalent than my hand gestures are my facial expressions. I've been told on more than one occassion that my facial expressions create who I am as a communicator and bring my language to life.

The article delved deeper into the meaning of non-verbal communication when Kopacz associated this silent language with the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion. The ELM theorizes that there are two different ways, or routes, to interpret information: the central route and the peripheral route (Kopacz, 6). The central route requires critical thinking and careful elaboration while the peripheral route is less critical and leads to quicker decisions (Hamilton, 336). I think it is appropriate to associate the central route with the persuasive appeal of logos and the peripheral route with pathos. The central route requires focusing on the logic of the argument (logos) and the peripheral route emphasizes the use of emotions (pathos) (Barrett, 8).

Non-verbal communication (facial expressions, clothing, appearance, etc.) will be interpreted using one of the aforementioned routes. The listener will either take the time to analyze the situation critically or he will respond more quickly based on how the non-verbals make him feel and the emotions they elicit. The listener's interpretation of the meaning of the non-verbal communication will depend upon the method he chooses to use.

The next time my manager is speaking to me, I'm going to pay extra close attention to his non-verbal communication and then I'm going to decide to interpret that communciation via the central route or the peripheral route. I've always enjoyed observing speakers' non-verbal communication, but now I can take it to a whole new level!





Barrett, D. (2008). Leadership communication (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Hamilton, C. (2005). Communicating for results: A guide for business and the professions (7th ed.). Belmont, California: Thomson Wadsworth.

Kopacz, M. (2006). Nonverbal communication as a persuasion tool: Current status and future directions. Rocky Mountain Communication Review, 3(1), 1-19.

What Motivates Me

What made me get out of bed this morning? Why did I decide to go to work? Sure, at the very basic level, I didn't want to get fired. If I got fired, I would have no income, and wouldn't be able to afford my much beloved wine or any of the other things and activities I truly enjoy. I suppose it could be said that my motivation not to get fired encouraged me to drag myself into work at 8am. There has to be other reasons, though, doesn't there?

I've always been a perfectionist, and I find pleasure in doing a job and doing a job well. On top of that, I feel compelled to succeed when others notice my hard work. I am driven by affiliation motivation, because I enjoy receiving compliments and praise (Shah, n.d.). Fortunately, I work for a manager who understands the importance of positive feedback. He also takes it upon himself to motivate his employees and to insure they are working in a positive environment.

In my personal life, I have always been driven by attitude motivation. I do things (such as earn my masters degree and buy my first home) just to say I've done them. My self-esteem is boosted just by knowing that I am capable of setting my mind to something and seeing it through to fruition. There is something very powerful about knowing you can accomplish (within reason) anything you set out to do.

Motivation drives each of us in different ways. However, the only important factor is that some form of motivation is present in our lives on a daily basis. Motivation helps to keep hopes and dreams alive.

Now, time for that wine...





Shah, K. & Shaw, P. (n.d.) Motivation. Retrieved February 26, 2009, from http://www.laynetworks.com/Motivation.html.

Listening - Nothing in Life is Easy!

I try to be a good listener. I really do! It just seems that most of the time, I'm more interested in the pattern on your tie or the raindrops falling on the window sill behind you. It depresses me to learn that "listening is the first language skill to be acquired." (Lu, 2005) Why then, since I've been developing my listening skills for over 26 years, am I not better at it?

I've been working on my listening skills for many years, especially since entering the work force. Even with all the attention I've given to listening it still does not surprise me that I am labeled as a passive listener by the Listening Style Inventory. My current job requires intensive multi-tasking and often does not lend well to becoming a better listener. It is not uncommon for me to be typing an email, talking on the phone, and trying to listen to a co-worker talk about a customer issue all at the same time.

Listening is, however, one of the most important parts of my job. I must listen to my customers to determine their needs. I must listen to my boss to decide which daily tasks need completed. I must listen to my co-workers to gather valuable information regarding our workflow. All of those individuals rely on my listening skills to get the job done and to get it done right. I was suprised to learn that listening is one of the most important components to communication and can affect the sender of the message (customers, boss and co-workers) just as much as the receiver.

Lu believes that our style of listening is often not a conscious choice but rather a habit that is formed through attitudes and beliefs. (2005) This explains why I have found it so challenging to improve my listening skills. Old habits die hard and are difficult to break. I never consciously chose to be a less than adequate listener. My passive listening style is a habit formed from my personality.

I will continue to try to improve my listening skills. I now realize that effective listening in the workplace can have a positive impact on multiple people. I want to become a better listener not only for myself but for others as well.






Lu, Jianying. (2005). The listening style inventory (LSI) as an instrument for improving listening skill. Sino-US English Teaching, 2 (5), 45-50.

Healthy Cooking - Getting Easier

I'm passionate about food, so it's only natural that I'm also passionate about cooking. Unfortunately, I recently went on a low calorie diet and discovered that cooking and dieting don't always go hand in hand. Many of my favorites include cheese, pasta, sour cream and other not so low-cal ingredients. Fortunately, I do love to try new recipes, so I've been branching out and have found there are many resources dedicated to healthy cooking. One of my favorites is http://www.allrecipes.com/. It includes a section on healthy cooking and displays the nutritional information alongside most of the recipes. In fact, right now, there is a spaghetti squash cooking in my oven as part of this recipe.

I enjoy sharing my low-calorie, healthy discoveries with others and hope to continue to stuff my recipe box full of nutritious options.