Nonverbalization Cubed

I watched a boy sitting across from his father on the GO Train. They were on their way home from Monday night’s Leafs game (They won, by the way!). Across the aisle from them, a couple of guys in Leafs jerseys noticed that the boy had a Rubik's Cube lying on the seat beside him, and with voices pumped up a few decibels too loud from their post-game energy, they demanded to know if the boy could solve it. The boy didn’t even look up from his laptop; he just nodded. He looked to be about 14 years old. 

The guys egged him on. Can you do it in under 1 minute? Again, without looking up, the boy nodded. How about under 20 seconds? The boy finally met their eyes. As he swiped his short red hair to the side, he picked up the Rubik's Cube and tossed it to one of them. Mix it up, he said. He solved it in 18 seconds. His father picked it up the completed cube, and casually tossed it back to the guys. Want to see him do it blindfolded? 

It took a few moments for the boy to memorize the position of the squares. When he was ready, he placed the Rubik's Cube behind his open laptop monitor so it was obvious that he couldn’t see his own hands. You could tell the boy was nervous. His hands were trembling, but his father kept him focused, maintaining eye contact and smiling every so often. His hands were a blur as he turned and twisted the little coloured squares to his will. He wasn’t blindfolded, but he certainly couldn’t see where the cube lay on the other side of his monitor. His only way of knowing if he was on the right track was his memory of the original coloured configuration, and his father’s little nods of encouragement. Without any verbal interaction at all, the boy’s father gave him the confidence he needed to succeed. After an amazing 40 seconds, the last coloured square found its place among its own. 

It’s not news that physical expressions and gestures play an important role in effective communication. I’ve heard it a thousand times in reference to the way I am to carry myself in interviews or presentations. Don’t stand with your arms crossed. When answering a question, look the person in the eyes. I searched the Internet in the hopes of finding references to the importance of nonverbal communication in the workplace, and there are a surprising number of resources on this topic. I would have never guessed it; I never really got the sense that people are all too concerned about how their interactions at work are affected by nonverbal cues. Sure everyone always focuses on posture and hand gestures when pitching an idea, making a presentation, participating in an interview or review, or trying to make a sale, but that’s because they're concerned about being evaluated, and so they want to look good. 

What about considering how body language influences the management, cohesion, and performance of a team? Think about the effect the father of the boy with the Rubik's Cube had on him, using only nonverbal cues. Nonverbal communication is a powerful tool, and is especially so in the workplace. The way we carry ourselves (posture, punctuality, facial expressions, choice of dress, etc.) can convey significant messages to our team or coworkers about whether we’re good at what we do, whether we can be trusted, whether we’re approachable. Judgments are made at the blink of an eye, before words ever have time to leave your mouth. The whole dynamic and environment at your workplace could be affected by something as simple as physical communication, and could influence the quality of interactions and productivity. It’s never been truer that actions do speak louder than words.