2024 Leadership Development Course-How to Decode Office Body Language While Working From Home

How to Decode Office Body Language While Working From Home - WSJ

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The article by Rachel Feintzeig explores the complexities of interpreting office body language while working remotely. In traditional office settings, nonverbal cues such as slumped shoulders or a downcast gaze were easy indicators of a colleague's mood or intent. Remote work, however, reduces interactions to brief Zoom meetings and emails, making body language interpretation challenging.<br /><br />Traci Brown, a body language expert, advises watching for specific cues in virtual meetings: crossed arms might signal closed-mindedness, and changes in blink rate can indicate stress. Eyebrow movements can suggest emotions, with eyebrows angling down toward the nose showing anger, and upward-curled brows pointing to sadness. Nonetheless, these interpretations aren’t definitive; probing deeper is recommended to fully understand a colleague's feelings.<br /><br />Jeremy Bailenson from Stanford University highlights how constant direct eye contact on video calls can mislead workers about social dynamics, as such gaze could be misinterpreted as intimacy or confrontation.<br /><br />Valeria Klamm’s experiences illustrate digital communication pitfalls; her frozen video call images accidentally conveyed unintended negative messages. Written communications also pose challenges—brevity can seem cold, and punctuation marks like ellipses can be misinterpreted based on generational differences. <br /><br />Erica Dhawan, author and CEO of Cotential, proposes establishing organizational norms to alleviate misunderstandings, such as using specific abbreviations in emails to set response expectations. For persistent miscommunications, she suggests a direct conversation. Generally, assuming positive intent and changing communication methods, such as opting for phone calls over emails, can resolve issues more efficiently.<br /><br />The article underscores that understanding digital body language requires new skills and adapting our interpretations and reactions to virtual formats.

Keywords

remote work

body language

virtual meetings

nonverbal cues

communication challenges

Zoom meetings

digital communication

organizational norms

misinterpretation

positive intent