Morgan State University Power & Influence by Deborah Gruenfeld Video Discussion

DB 4 – Playing High and Playing Low: What’s Your Body Language Saying to Others?

In this class, we negotiate online but in real life we do a bunch of in-person negotiating.

We looked at Professor Amy Cuddy’s Power Poses and her examination of what your nonverbal language says to your own self, so now we pair that with cutting edge work on what your body language communicates to others. In this dead-on-point video, Professor Deborah Gruenfeld explains the tricky interplay between body language that exerts authority or dominance (“playing high”) and body language that encourages approachability (“playing low”). She says you need both! Take a look at what she has to say, then post to the questions below.

Are you better at playing high or playing low? At work, can you switch between them both consciously, or do you find yourself more “stuck” in one than the other? Have you ever encountered a great example of Gruenfeld’s “Playing High” (like the guy she describes drinking vodka and eating raw onions) or “Playing Low”? Describe that person to us! What one behavior that she describes will you practice incorporating into your nonverbal repertoire?

I know she focuses on these behaviors for women, but they are equally applicable to men, so don’t feel this is a “women’s issue.” It is not.

Looking forward to reading your posts. Don’t forget to incorporate course content — readings, videos, activities — any of these negotiation concepts that we are studying. Original post by Wednesday at midnight, two replies by Sunday at midnight when the Board closes.

(I will post a couple of students posts to respond to them later and extend the due time)

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The U.S. economy is becoming based more upon knowledge-based work than it the past. Also, with more global competition and ever-changing technology innovation, today’s jobs require workers to be more adaptable to changing work demands. Owing to the above external conditions, how would you balance the needs for both job-requirements job analysis (which matches workers’ KSAOs/qualifications to work demands) and competency-based job analyses that emphasizes general qualifications that are relevant across various positions in an organization? How would you ensure that workers are qualified for a given job AND possess relevant competencies that apply to multiple and/or future jobs/positions?