Influencing Others In Business Environments Essay -- essays research p

Influencing Others in Business EnvironmentsThroughout human civilization, the art of sell ideas or products hasbeen a cornerstone of society. Some hatful have live masters at this art,yielding themselves and their companies large amounts of profit. Why is it thatsome people ar better at this than others? This paper will take a look at thevarious aspects of nonverbal communication in merchandising (or influencing others tobuy) and in job interviews by examining in detail the various aspects ofproximics, haptics, somatogenic attractiveness, and other nonverbal cues thatinfluence people to say yes.Artifacts and local purlieu     Several studies have presented evidence in support of the theory that" fertilisation for success" affects ones ability to influence other people. Onestudy anchor that people dressed in suits versus people dressed in everyday or work-class clothes actually affects a subjects likelihood of respondent aquestion correctly. In t his study, a person dressed in a suit had a 77% percentchance of acquiring money returned to them, while those dressed casually or inworking outfits had a 38% chance (Bickman, 1971). This study suggests that apersons status affects how hygienic they are received by the person they are tryingto influence, and thence their likelihood of being able to influence them intobuying an idea or product.     Seating arrangements can affect ones ability to influence others.Seating arrangements that are closer to one a nonher have a greater heart and soul andlead to a less hostile environment than when people are seated opposite of oneanother (Sommer, 1967). Sommer found that when a descent is of acompetitive nature (i.e. bargaining situations such as promote contractagreements) there is a preference for this style of seating because it "reflectsa desire to obtain information about ones competitor." Another study suggested measure tables help to "increase inf ormality and feelings of closeness incomparision to square or rectangular tables" (Sommer, 1965). Dawson (1986)suggested having the members of the negotiation dispersed, that is, haveintermixing the opposing members together helps smooth over negotiations.     Placing artifacts in the negotiating environment can have affects on thenegotiation. A flower, vas... ...a presentation. sundry(a) studieshave shown that a person becomes more willing to "sign petitions or completequestionnaires, to assist with scoring inventories, and to help an interviewerpick up dropped questionnaires" (Crusco, 1984). Hence, the shakiness of hands atthe beginning of a business meeting to help good will and cooperation(Dawson, 1986).Conclusion     The role of nonverbal communication in spite of appearance business meetings should notbe over-rated. Nonverbal behavior does play a role and can help with success innegotiations, but is not the be all, end all to negotiating successfully.However, being aware of violating someones personal order or knowing when to bequiet is as authoritative as knowing what to say. In general, more successfulpersuaders were found to be smiling, nodding, and gesturing at appropiatemoments during a business meeting or job interview (Edinger, 1983). What isimportant to remember is to know when to use these various cues to youradvantage, and to know not to apply them. Specific query in this field wasdifficult to find, and more research is needed before greater and more detailedconclusions can be drawn.