Invisible Manager

Work has been rough lately. One of our managers left and the new one has been here just a few weeks while everyone is still trying to get used to the one that stated about six months ago. With so many different mixes of personalities and plenty of leaders to go around, there is bound to be confrontation.

Our GM has had her fair share of battles since starting last year. Everyone seems to have something to complain about, something they don't like or don't want to do. I try to stay out of the mix, do my job and call it a day. After getting a pretty bad review the other day, my GM was pretty much at her wits end with what to do. She wasn't her usual smiling self. I don't think anyone else notice. They all seemed to pass by her and not ask if she was o.k. or do anything to show that they had noticed she was having a hard night.

After asking her if she was o.k. she said she was fine. But since I gave myself this challenge, I didn't leave it at that. I didn't want to push the issue that she was having a hard time by her lack of smile, closed off posture and lack of eye contact. Knowing that she would leave that night without anyone acknowledging the signals she was giving away, I wrote her a note that simply said "Don't let tonight get you down. Smile" and left it on her desk. My hopes are that her body language changed and that it was a relief that someone noticed.

Not a fan of waiting...

Working as a greeter at a busy restaurant that is only open for dinner and has 33 table, we are faced with a wait pretty much every evening. There is nothing more that a guest hates to hear more than "We are on a 45 minute wait, can I have your name please?".

Each night I dread going into work because I know there will at least be one unhappy party because they had to wait a little longer than expected. Don't get me wrong, I have been in their shoes and understand it's not fun waiting for a table when you are starving. But sometimes, people decide to sit and talk and there's nothing we can do about it.

Tonight was one of those nights where everyone decided they wanted to sit for hours and we were over quote with those who were waiting for a table. While looking around the lobby, I made an attempt to honestly pay attention to body language to see who was happy and who was not. Even though we were over quote on a few parties, you could tell that one was particularly not happy. Their arms were crossed, the eye brows were furrowed and their kept staring in our direction.

All the other greeters weren't paying attention and in my opinion probably wouldn't have noticed that they were unhappy unless they came over to talk to us. By taking on my challenge and paying attention to their body language, I walked over to let them know that tables were sitting longer than expected and that we would get them seated as soon as possible. The shear fact that I noticed that they were unhappy without them even having to mention anything to me eased their discomfort.

There might be something to this challenge that might actually work. Here's to my first night of success of observing body language at work.

Hanging Outside of Work

Just got home from my managers going away party, it's so different seeing people outside of work. Usually our manager was pretty uptight and straight to business with a few side jokes thrown in here and there. Tonight, his body language was quite the opposite. When he walked in you could tell that he was so relaxed and was just enjoying himself. He gave hugs all around which he obviously never did while at work. It's amazing to me how a job or certain surroundings can totally change a persons body language.

While at the going away party I saw a co-worker who seemed quieter than normal and his shoulders were slouching a bit, it looked like he was in a pretty down mood. I walked over and asked how he was doing. He had just gotten back from an uncle's funeral and was just still in a bit of shock. By noticing his body language and talking to him for a bit it seemed as if letting some of that out really help and by what it looked like he cheered up a bit and went on to enjoy the rest of the evening

Kids Give it Away the Most

Sunday nights I go to small group for my church and we always prepare a meal together each week. Last night I was super excited because we were having a BBQ. This means summer is getting near! While we all began to sit down to eat dinner one of the guys had to run to the store real quick to pick something up. His wife was out of town so his daughter was sitting at the table with us as he ran to the store. I am really close with his little daughter and I notice that she had a worried look on her face and was fidgeting in her chair. As everyone was moving around her and it seemed as if no one else was noticing her. I asked if she was o.k. and she said yes. As I watched her for a little longer I realized the problem was that the pieces of meat she had were way to big for her to chew. After noticing this I walked over and cut it up for her. After doing this her body language softened and she was her normal happy self again.

I am excited to see where this challenge will take me. It's hard to really stop to pay attention to others when we are so used to being self focused. I am sure I will pass up opportunities to help someone out during these two weeks but hopefully not too many and that I will really learn something about myself through this.

Anyone Up for a Body Language Challenge?!?!

Growing up, in my house feelings were push aside. I was the one who had to be happy and make others happy. I couldn’t express my feelings or be upsets about something because that was not my role. My parent’s marriage has always been rough and we have had our fare share of medical issues with everyone in our family. I was a talkative and cheerful little girl and was the one who brought the “sunshine” so to say to the family.

As problems were masked and I grew older, I began to really pay attention to body language and to read how someone was really feeling beyond their words. I paid attention to how they held themselves contrary to what they said. Many times, I would be able to pin down that something was truly wrong.

After studying body language in multiple classes here at Sac State, I have realized how important it is in our interactions each day. Body language is something that we are so familiar with that sometimes, I think we often overlook it. When we were given our capstone project and told to chose a topic to explore, I thought hard and realized that body language is one of the most essential part of communication.

So, I took this project as a challenge to myself. A challenge to assess my understanding, perception and my ability to cue into a persons body language. What you will be following here is two weeks of me digging into the world of body language to discover how I could improve my relationships simply by focusing on body language and beyond words.

Seen Around Campus

Where Do Signs Come From

After taking the elevator down the the main floor of the Union, walking out the back door that was down a short hallway, through a bit of an ally and into a locked room we arrive at the University Sign Shop. Dan Roberts and Mike Archibald took me on a personal behind the scenes tour of the banners and posters you see around campus. As a fellow student here at CSUS, I always wondered who made the signs I see everyday as I walk from class to class.

Meet The Guys

Dan had been working in the Sign Shop for a year and a half, after working at the Info Desk in the Union and helping out during the summer he was asked to come on full time. "It's a relax job and allows for a lot of artistic freedoms" said Roberts. When asked what they hated most about their job, there wasn't much they could complain about. Mike said the most boring part is "when it gets slow and there is nothing to be done, or if we get too far ahead of our jobs". Dan and Mike's official titles are "Marketing Assistants" but Mike refers to Dan as their Manager. Laughing, Mike commented that "Dan is our Manager, he's here most often and knows what to do... unofficially".

Such a Thing As Normal

A normal day for the four guys who work in the Sign Shop is coming in , tracing the design created by the Design Team and driving around on the "lifted whip lifter on 10's"putting them up around campus. They are also responsible for putting up all posters for Unique and Rec Sports as well as cleaning up the kiosks around campus with expired events and unapproved postings. When asked if they needed any artistic abilities to work in the shop Mike jumped to respond with "I don't have any artistic skill so I'm living proof!"

As I was in talking with the guys, they were make a new sign to replace the one that someone stole. "This year there has been a lot of vandalism where we have had to redo signs." Along with the vandalism, October 13th wasn't such a normal day for the guys. As we all know, this was the day of the heavy storm that hit Sacramento. The guys lost seventeen of their banners and were in a panic to get them back up that same day. "Peak Adventures needed to get in here as well... we made all the banners in forty-five minutes... it was amazing!"

Deadly Violence on CUSU

Normal Day on Campus

Tuesday morning started like any other normal weekday, students were scrambling to get to class on time and going about their regular business. Unknown to anyone, life on campus was soon to change for a select few. In the new dormitory on the CSUS campus, a deadly beating took place between two roommates. 23-year-old Scott Hawkins passed away Tuesday afternoon shortly after being transported to the hospital after Quran Jones allegedly beat him with a baseball bat, as of now, there are no leads as to why this took place.

Things are Looking a Little Different

While walking through campus on Wednesday afternoon with Lynnie Hiratzka, a credential student ; campus seemed a bit eerie . Not many students were moving around campus and the parking lots were scattered with news vans. "I can't believe something like this would happen on campus, how could someone attack their suite-mate?". This seems to be the common question around campus. Know one knows the exact reason why the "incident", as President Gonzalez calls it, occurred. As a student who lived in the dorms at one time, Hiratzka was quite shaken up about the beating. "I would not want to stay in the dorms anymore, I don't think I would feel safe." Even though it was an isolated event, it has left many feeling uneasy. Hiratzka expressed as well that you never truly know your roommates when you are paired up by staff on campus.

What We Have Lost

Unlike other acts of violence on college campuses, there were no traces of ribbons or vigils to be seen around the dorm on Wednesday afternoon. "It's so sad to see that everyone is carried up in all the drama of the incident and no one is mourning the loss of a fellow student" said Hiratzka. What was so different about this act of violence, was it because it was and isolated incident? Campus officials seemed to be responding to the emotional need of students and provided councilors in the dormitories.

"It was said that Hawkins' had Asperger's disease and that he had been targeted in the past." Hiratzka was saddened to hear that someone like this would be a target for a crime. Individuals with Asperger's tend to have extensive vocabulary along with formal speech patterns, but will most likely need training in social skills.