Testing the Principle of Proxemics
I went to a Tim Horton set beside a woman. I set in a casual distance of 2. 5 to 3 feet next to her without talking. She looked at me and smile. Without talking I started observing her. She had a quick and careful glance at me, a suspicious look. She seemed scared and not normal. By looking at her face, I felt that probably she takes drugs. Without saying anything, she just walked out. The way she walked out, it seemed like she got scared of me for some reason. Next day I went to the same place and set facing a man who was alone.
Without talking to that man I started reading the newspaper (just to show him that I am , actually I was observing him). He looked at me multiple times and was smiling. Seemed like he wanted to start a conversation. The goal of interview is to gather information which typically designed to allow the interviewer to learn about the interviewee in a non-threatening way. On the other side an interrogation is a more aggressive interview, in the sense that the same ultimate goal is present as with an interview, but the means of reaching that goal take on a slightly different feel.
The role of proxemics in meeting these goals are very significant. Increasing the amount of eye contact, the feeling of comfort and the amount of verbal response by the interviewee have been goals of investigators in designing interview situations. There is less eye contact at closer distances and less eye contact when the interview is conducted in a large room. In one study, when the interview was performed at distances between the interviewer and interviewee of 2 feet, 4’/z feet, and 9 feet, the greatest amount of talking by the interviewee occurred at 9 feet.
Rapport always affects the quality of the interviewing process. It is a productive interpersonal climate. By building report both parties in an interview get along with each other which makes the interview more successful. An interviewee is more likely to cooperate with someone with whom they feel comfortable and to bring this comfort rapport is an essential thing. Rapport-building establishes harmony in the interview, leads to free discussion and creates willingness in the mind of the interviewee.
Some forms of non-verbal communications for developing rapport are given bellow:
- Smile
- Eye contract.
- Good Posture.
- Tone of Voice
Good eye contact and confidence are the personal qualities of the interviewer that enable him or her to conduct successful interrogations. Also an interviewer should be able to listen what the interviewee is saying, and know how to engage them in an active conversation with encouragement, energy, and interest.
