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Virtual Interviewing, Body Language,
http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2007/09/first-impressions-second-life.html
Friday, September 28, 2007
First impressions, second life
I blogged last week about people working in virtual worlds. But I must admit I didn't think about how the ritual of the job interview might look in a virtual world.
In fact, global consultancy Accenture has already started using job interviews in Second Life to recruit real-life employees. That's what Darren Nicholson at Rowan University, New Jersey, US, told me. He's been studying how teams of IT workers can collaborate using virtual worlds, as an alternative to email or instant messaging.
Since May, two large job fairs attended by multi-national companies including Microsoft and Accenture have been held and, as a result, Accenture spent three days interviewing candidates inside the virtual world at the end of August.
To me, it sounds a little pointless. Unless they were using the still-buggy voice chat in Second Life, it would be much like interviewing using instant messaging. I'd consider the avatars a distraction from the content of a conversation, but Nicholson thinks they make an important contribution:
"When I prepare students for interviews with big companies I advise them how to use the behaviour recruiters are looking for. With an avatar you are even more in control. Are you wearing power red? Are you rearing dark blue? There are so many social indicators that we use in real life that are being transported into virtual universes."
But Nicholson doesn't think virtual interviewees will be able to game interviews more easily. Interviewers will be ready for it, he says. "It could work in their favour - I think you can learn a lot about people by the avatar they create and the way it acts."
Nicholson predicts the IT industry is where the practice will become common first. Teams of software developers are already work together from different parts of the world so it makes sense, he says.
The first place this will be tried on a large scale is probably Beijing. The city government did a deal in May with the producers of a virtual world called Entropia, with a view to shifting thousands of the over-crowded municipality's workers into offices in a virtual city.
Tom Simonite, online technology reporter
Labels: virtual-reality, virtual-worlds
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Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://pattiwood.net/. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
John Cusack's First Foray Into The World Of Tweeting.
I just did a read of John Cusack’s first foray in the world of tweeting for Fox News.com
I will put up the link to the article when I get it from Fox News. I have my rough notes below.
Coincidentally, I was working on the techno impressions chapter of my new book when I got the request. I told the journalist that most tweeters speaking on political or social issues tend to make strong declarative statements. They start their sentences with a capital I; they put lots of exclamation points at the end of their tweets and use caps to shout out what they feel. John is not so self assured. The few sentences he starts with an I he uses a little I. It's clear in a content analysis that he is not sure how he should act in this medium. He starts a tweet sharing his opinion, but, in more than half of the tweets I analyzed he stops in the middle of the sentence to ask if he is following the rules or saying things correctly. This is particularly interesting when you compare it to how he is in camera interviews. I have done many nonverbal reads on Johns' TV interviews. He is calm, self assured, intelligent and articulate and often witty. In his tweets he does not use capital letters, or follow the rules or spelling grammar or punctuation. The spelling seems phonetic and the vowels inside words or incorrect phonetic spelling and letters inside words being mixed up are mistakes I see in people, who are dyslexic. That is personally, very easy to recognize as I have dyslexia. It is interesting that he chooses to ignore the rules here but cautious with his words.
1. was that who it was?? RT Shawn Hannity sings 4 Cusack...http://youtu.be/r5KeGccP9Jk . filmed live at a satanist celebrity cult death center.2:33 AM Sep 2nd via TweetDeck
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2. doesnt that guy work in politics? or was it entertainment?10:42 PM Sep 1st via TweetDeck
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3. whats been going on guys? whhttp://youtu.be/r5KeGccP9Jk10:40 PM Sep 1st via TweetDeck
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4. freindship tour rolling through santa monica today..12:15 PM Sep 1st via TweetDeck
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taibbi... thttp://bit.ly/cZwdn3
1. ummm.. was sbeing sarcastic about the rules- i'm irish -- dont do well with arbitrary authority1:54 PM Aug 31st via TweetDeck
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2. i want to be a good boy for them all-- did i miss something? any other rules i should follow?1:48 PM Aug 31st via TweetDeck
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3. hope twipolice tell me what' sok comming out myown little twi-feed....no jokes no CAPS-- no tonaly quesytionabe insights into politcis1:47 PM Aug 31st via TweetDeck
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i would sadly agree- a bit overstated- but sadly true-RT @jeffjfyke: Gore Vidal says US has a one-party govt with two right wings.1:42 PM Aug 31st via TweetDeck
1. the gop establishment has been in a shamfull cycle of fear mongering for years in my opinion..1:27 PM Aug 31st via TweetDeck
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2. ron paul on everything - but i think he has character in many ways.. depends on the peroson.1:26 PM Aug 31st via TweetDeck
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3. nothing... i may not agre with RT @RambobeatsRocky: John, I've watched your movies for 25+ years...what do you have against conservatives?1:25 PM Aug 31st via TweetDeck
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4. and the flag..? i know were not supposed to make jokes about anything - now that america has turned back to the lord..1:23 PM Aug 31st via TweetDeck
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without changing context.. am i for or against ? how about a celebrity death cult center? i will join as pennance to the folks who own god1:22 PM Aug 31st via TweetDeck
Deception Detection of Text, or Language or Word Choice in Texting.
The article below discusses some of the methods currently used and describes a new product for text analysis. Communication Experts call in content analysis or rhetorical analysis. Psychologists, law enforcement and the criminal justice system call it statement analysis or forensic statement analysis.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
Method and system for the automatic recognition of deceptive language
Talking On The Cell Phone While Driving Can Make People Dislike You. First Impressions
New research shows that divers talking to people on the cell phone talked more than they listened. And used simpler words. This is so interesting. It makes me wonder if this is one of the behaviors that is pushing us to more narcissistic behavior. We are becoming more "ME" focused.
Read one of the quotes then an article on the original research below.
"Conversation analyses revealed some interesting patterns, according to the researchers. When driving tasks got more complicated, drivers appeared to modulate the complexity of their speech, as measured by syllables-per-word. Drivers also talked more when using cell phones, perhaps, the authors speculated, because they were trying to control the conversation to avoid using the mental resources required to really listen to the other person.
Meanwhile, passengers took an active role in supporting the driver, often talking about surrounding traffic. That shared situational awareness could be helpful to the
Drivers Distracted More By Cell Phones Than By Passengers
Science Daily (Dec. 1, 2008) — Drivers make more mistakes when talking on a cell phone than when talking to passengers, new research shows.
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This finding addresses the common question about whether driver distraction comes from cell-phone use specifically or conversation generally.
Even when drivers used a hands-free cell phone, driving performance was significantly compromised. "Cell phone and passenger conversation differ in their impact on a driver's performance; these differences are apparent at the operational, tactical, and strategic levels of performance," the researchers wrote.
The study, led by Frank Drews, PhD, of the University of Utah, analyzed the driving performance of 41 mostly young adult drivers paired with 41 friends who served as conversation partners. Both sexes were equally represented.
In each of three experimental conditions (conversation with hands-free cell phone, conversation in the car, or no conversation), one person in each pair was randomly selected to be the "driver" and the other the conversation partner.
Drivers used a sophisticated simulator that presented a 24-mile multi lane highway with on- and off-ramps, overpasses and two-lane traffic in each direction. Participants drove under an irregular-flow condition that mimics real highway conditions -- with other vehicles, in compliance with traffic laws, changing lanes and speeds. This context required "drivers" to pay attention to surrounding traffic.
In the cell-phone conversation condition, drivers' conversation partners were at another location. In the in-car conversation condition, partners sat next to their (simulated) drivers. In both cases, conversation partners were told to tell one another a previously undisclosed "close call" story about a time their lives were threatened.
All drivers were instructed to leave the simulated highway once they arrived at a rest area about eight miles from the starting point. Partners were told the driver had this task. The driving sequences took about 10 minutes to finish.
Drivers talking by cell phone drove significantly worse than drivers talking to passengers. The cell-phone users were more likely to drift in their lane, kept a greater distance between their car and the car in front, and were four times more likely to miss pulling off the highway at the rest area. Passenger conversation barely affected all three measures.
The authors said the problems could have stemmed from inattention "blindness," or insufficient processing of information from the driving environment. Cell-phone users may also have found it harder to hold in working memory the intent to exit at the rest area.
Conversation analyses revealed some interesting patterns, according to the researchers. When driving tasks got more complicated, drivers appeared to modulate the complexity of their speech, as measured by syllables-per-word. Drivers also talked more when using cell phones, perhaps, the authors speculated, because they were trying to control the conversation to avoid using the mental resources required to really listen to the other person.
Meanwhile, passengers took an active role in supporting the driver, often talking about surrounding traffic. That shared situational awareness could be helpful to the
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
Is Talking On Your Cell Phone Bad For Your Relationship?
Talking On Your Cell Phone While Driving May Be Hazardous To Your Close Relationships
Science Daily (June 15, 2010) — Warnings about the dangers of distracted driving while using a cell phone are prevalent these days, but cell phone use while driving may also put family relationships in jeopardy, says University of Minnesota professor Paul Rosenblatt.
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See Also:
Mind & Brain
•Social Psychology
•Relationships
•Perception
Matter & Energy
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•Technology
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Reference
•Mobile phone radiation and health
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The same factors that make using a cell phone while driving more hazardous -- longer reaction times and impaired attention -- can also make family communication in that situation more risky, says Rosenblatt in an article in the current issue of Family Science Review. The article, authored by Rosenblatt and graduate student Xiaohui Li, provides a speculative theoretical analysis on the topic. Rosenblatt is a family social science professor in the university's College of Education and Human Development.
"If we assume that the relationship risks involved in talking on a cell phone while driving are similar to the driving risks -- both tasks involve divided attention and distraction -- we can develop ideas about how a family relationship may be impaired," Rosenblatt says in the article.
For example, studies have indicated that cell phone use while driving leads to slower reaction times on the road. This could translate to the driver's cell phone conversation as well.
"A delay in the conversation could be a problem if the person (spouse or partner) on the other end of the conversation interprets the delayed reaction as an indicator of ambivalence, of not having a ready answer or of hiding something. This all leads to upsetting the partner," Rosenblatt says.
And, what if the driver misses important details of the conversation? This could lead to misunderstandings and more hard feelings, he says.
"In general, cell phone usage while driving might lead to missed relationship stop lights, slow reactions to dangerous relationship circumstances, loss of control of one's part of the interaction, and interaction mistakes that could lead to conflict, hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and possibly even serious damage to the relationship," Rosenblatt says in the article.
The partner who is not driving might be worried about the driver's safety and may cut a conversation short so the driver can concentrate, but the driver might interpret that in a negative way.
In addition to the relationship problems created by talking on cell phone while driving, a number of problems arise that both people have when one of them is driving while talking on a cell phone.
The lack of visual cues including gestures, facial expressions and posture creates challenges. Poor cell phone reception and the noise from the automobile and the road can all contribute to misunderstandings, he says.
In the article, Rosenblatt explores five hypothetical examples of possible relationship problems that could arise when a driver is talking with a family member via cell phone. The examples he explores include the partner asking the driver to run an errand; a family member calls with good news; a family member calls with bad news; arguments over the phone and apologies over the phone. Each of the scenarios can be wrought with frustration and misunderstanding.
Most relationships can manage the added difficulties related to cell phone use.
"However, for couples in which things have been so difficult that they both are considering ending the relationship, problems arising from a difficult phone conversation, may push their relationship to the tipping point," Rosenblatt says.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
Are Facebook Profiles Honest?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=honesty-online
When you scan someone’s profile, you probably expect a little fudging: an overly flattering photograph, a generously phrased blurb in the “about me” section. A study in the March issue of Psychological Science, however, suggests that Facebook users do not skew their profiles to reflect idealistic visions of themselves.
In the study, research assistants at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Mainz in Germany viewed the Facebook profile of a study participant, then guessed how he or she would score on the “big five” common personality measures used in psych?ological research: extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness and conscientiousness. Next they compared the results based on Facebook with the actual personality test scores from the profile owner and the results from four of his or her “well-acquainted friends,” who also rated the person’s personality traits. The research assistants were successful on four of the five measures—all except neuroticism, which is notoriously to gauge in general.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional The Body Language Expert Web- http://www.PattiWood.netI have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel
Voice and Emotion
When I coach executives on public speaking skills we discuss the importance of communicating emotions. Reading notes or PowerPoint slides or any kind of list such a bullet pointed lists on a slide automatically make your voice go monotone.Creating a unemotional voice, boring and because emotions are one of the strongest links to memory, unmemorable!
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional The Body Language Expert Web- http://www.PattiWood.netI have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel
Checking messages while you are with someone else, techno rudeness and body langauge.
So I am out with a friend for lunch the other day. A friend I have not seen for month I might add and five minutes after we sit down for lunch she is checking her Blackberry for messages from the guy friend she just had her real lunch with. ( She apologizes for eating ahead of our lunch she said she would have dessert with me. ) She continued to check her blackberry throughout lunch. I love my friend very much she is an amazing woman, but she is so brilliant her mind needs to be occupied at all times. So she often goes into what I call the techno haze. For me the unspoken subtext of checking text messages in front of friends is: "Somewhere else there is someone who I care about more than you. I want to know what they have to say more than what you have to say to me now." The idea of being present in the moment is disappearing faster than you can say, "Hey, I've got to take this call..." We stop being in the moment. We stop being present wit each other. We devalue our current situation, the friends and family around us, our surroundings and setting, for something going on somewhere else. Somewhere that seems far more interesting that what is right their in front of them.
I see it when I go into speak to an audience now and it makes me crazy. Audience's use to talk and interact with each other before the program started. I am not sure, but I think that is why people have meetings and conventions so people can share ideas and experiences, with the people in the room. Now everyone heads are down. People don't have their hearts open they have their laptops open. They don't shake hands they do hip checks of the blackberry's. They don't lean into their seat mate to say hello, they pull out their cell phone to take a call. They are not connecting to the people in the room they are somewhere else. Certainly they don't look like they are in that room to learn. I am so glad that I teach what I do the way I do. I have my audience's up out of their chairs right away, now I realize that if they have any gadgets they would fall off in the first audience interaction exercise. What do you think about the techno haze?