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Become a people magnet Is your organisation 'smiling'? Don't laugh - it could be the difference between a strong, respected brand image and one that potential employees and customers instinctively avoid. Allan Pease, an expert in body language and author of several best-selling books on the topic, says a corporate culture can be visible through the attitudes and actions of individual staff members of all levels. A negative culture can be deadly on the recruitment trail. That's why body language is so important for HR professionals in particular. "HR's business is people," he notes. "They need to be able to reach one person or a million." By improving communication skills and developing policies that incorporate Pease's suggestions, HR departments will enhance not only corporate culture but also help employee attraction and retention. Body language for organisations Pease says effective communication and positive body language is something that can also be learned by entire organisations. Indeed, it can be the difference between a successful corporate culture and one that stymies progress. "A company just consists of people, and a corporate culture just consists of those people's attitudes." Pease sees examples of different corporate personalities every day. He's convinced that positive attitudes and friendly demeanors among staff of all levels can have a significant correlation with business success. It creates a brand that people go out of their way to deal and engage with, he says. Getting an organisation to 'smile' is as simple - or as difficult - as getting all staff, from the CEO to the interns, to smile themselves. Pease says a person can tell if someone is smiling by the way they use their voice. They need to maintain the good cheer even on the phone. A smile puts energy into a conversation and means the participants are more likely to consider the organisation as one they want to be involved with. "[Smiling] is what open doors in the business world," he says. It's something his grandmother taught him when he was a small child. "People must feel relevant. If you make a person comfortable, they will be open to hearing what you have to say and more likely to help you." The power of compliments Energising the voice is just one way of improving communication in the work environment and making people feel important. But it's only one of many possible steps. The power of a simple compliment can bring even the most hardened personality around. Pease cites research that shows a pleasant, positive conversation can help endear a person to someone's cause. "When you pay someone a compliment, they remember you as taller, thinner and younger," he claims. "If you make them feel important they'll follow you wherever you want them to go." People react instinctively to body language and the states of mind that it expresses. Just as extending a positive demeanor can help win friends and influence, a sad, angry or stressed state of mind will almost always fail to impress. "People will avoid that organisation wherever they can," Pease warns. But changing a corporate culture in this way is much easier said than done. Pease has helped many organisations through the process but admits there is often an easier, if somewhat abrupt, way. "Get new staff," he says simply. And he's serious. "The reality is that the culture must become the important thing - not the people." Of course, not every organisation is able to conduct such a complete overhaul of its employees. The alternative is to hold some very intense training on people skills and body language. Changing someone's natural demeanor and body language is never easy. Changing the attitude and image of a whole group or company takes commitment and determination from everyone involved. The first lesson appears easy enough but Pease says it can often be the most confronting. He takes a group of people through a role-playing scenario, using typical business situations. A week later, he replays the video and asks participants to guess what their colleagues may have been thinking at particular moments. The results, he says, can be astounding. Some people come across as mean or sneaky, he say, and that can happen even when they are speaking positively - the body language speaks louder than words. Pease says it is an important lesson that highlights just how much people might need to change their demeanor. "It's quite entertaining and fun," he says. "But very powerful." Body language as the peacemaker Although HR spends quite a bit of time creating goals and, of course, achieving them, resolving conflicts is also a crucial responsibility. When a conflict arises in the office, Pease says HR needs to try and resolve it before it has a chance to escalate. Body language is, again, vitally important to help ensure a neutral and fair process. "Ensure that the meeting environment fosters communication between parties so that it is as productive as possible," he suggests. If you are in a meeting room, use a low round table so that no one can hide behind it or take a dominant and aggressive position. "Let the parties use chairs that swivel so that when people are feeling uptight, they can swivel and release negative energy." Once you have the environment organised to promote optimal communication, there are also issues that the participants need to consider. Pease says the following steps can help ensure any communication - even in a conflict situation - is positive, non-threatening and geared toward creating a resolution. Participants should:
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