French silent Film, The Artist, came out on top at this year’s Oscars with five awards under its belt - including scooping the crème de la crème prize for Best Picture. If the Oscars are anything to go by, the film is certainly a must for those yet to view it – even despite initial complaints from some when the film first aired that there were issues with the audio! But what does the film say about the way in which we communicate in today’s world?
Advancements in technology have already had a huge impact on the way we communicate with our friends, colleagues and family. Face-to-face meetings are not always necessary when we can simply Skype someone, use email, or utilise one of the many social media platforms to instantly message one another. However, these new developments have not negated the need to use our voices. The ability for the actors in The Artist to get their message across to the audience solely through their body language is incredibly impressive, but can this translate from the screen to real life?
There is, of course, no suggestion that we should all stop speaking to one another, relying solely on our body language and technical devices. But what it does reveal is how easy it is – with a little concentration – to read someone’s view by concentrating on their gestures and expressions. And this is particularly relevant to candidates during interviews. Body language can be very revealing so try to avoid slouching and maintain regular eye contact to demonstrate focus and interest. This will portray you as an interested and focussed candidate. And take note of an interviewers’ body language – facial expressions can often say more than the spoken word so watch out for clues which may signify that the interviewer wants to hear more – or conversely has heard enough!
Perhaps the message we can all take from the film is: you can be read a lot easier than many believe to be the case. What’s your view? Let us know by commenting below.