Case Study
Read the following two case studies and answer the questions that follow:
Case Study 1: 25 Marks
Charisma Corporation (CC) has recently embarked on a new kind of training. The corporation is teaching many of its employees—especially those in marketing and sales—to make decisions on the basis of non-verbal communication cues. For Malini Varma, Vice President of CC, focusing on non-verbal communication has become an important part of her inter-personal dealings. Several years ago, Varma became interested in how body movements and mannerisms truly reflect what an individual is saying. Continually reading in this area of study, Varma has been able to make decisions about potential employees and potential customers by “reading” them. For example, Varma believes that body language can give a person a competitive advantage. It can make the difference when closing the sale, or in CC’s case, hiring new employees. For example, during interviews, Malini pays constant attention to the job candidate’s eye movements and mannerisms. She believes that she can correctly predict of if the candidate will be an aggressive salesperson while simultaneously being personable and friendly. How does she do this? She does this by looking at their eyes and the way they present themselves. In one case, a hiring decision came down to two people. The first candidate was animated and made constant eye contact. The second candidate never looked Malini in the eye, leaned back in his/her chair, and crossed both his/her legs and arms. The first candidate demonstrated the communication skills that Varma found aligned with successful performance in her organization. Malini Varma is convinced that non-verbal communications can play a significant role in helping her organization achieve its annual sales goals. Personally, she has found that it has helped her ‘quality’ customers. For instance, even though a potential customer says, ‘Yes’, with his/her arms and legs crossed emphatically, it
Case Study 1: 25 Marks
Charisma Corporation (CC) has recently embarked on a new kind of training. The corporation is teaching many of its employees—especially those in marketing and sales—to make decisions on the basis of non-verbal communication cues. For Malini Varma, Vice President of CC, focusing on non-verbal communication has become an important part of her inter-personal dealings. Several years ago, Varma became interested in how body movements and mannerisms truly reflect what an individual is saying. Continually reading in this area of study, Varma has been able to make decisions about potential employees and potential customers by “reading” them. For example, Varma believes that body language can give a person a competitive advantage. It can make the difference when closing the sale, or in CC’s case, hiring new employees. For example, during interviews, Malini pays constant attention to the job candidate’s eye movements and mannerisms. She believes that she can correctly predict of if the candidate will be an aggressive salesperson while simultaneously being personable and friendly. How does she do this? She does this by looking at their eyes and the way they present themselves. In one case, a hiring decision came down to two people. The first candidate was animated and made constant eye contact. The second candidate never looked Malini in the eye, leaned back in his/her chair, and crossed both his/her legs and arms. The first candidate demonstrated the communication skills that Varma found aligned with successful performance in her organization. Malini Varma is convinced that non-verbal communications can play a significant role in helping her organization achieve its annual sales goals. Personally, she has found that it has helped her ‘quality’ customers. For instance, even though a potential customer says, ‘Yes’, with his/her arms and legs crossed emphatically, it