05:48
Faizan
From his hospital bed, my dad hailed a passing guy in green scrubs, "Could you ask the doctor to step in here. I have a couple of questions before they do my test."
The man stepped inside my dad's room, and cocked his head: "I'm Dr. Raven."
"Oh. Nice to meet you," my dad said.
"I may look like I'm 15, but I've done thousands of these procedures." The doctor turned to the laptop perched on the stand in the corner and began to click away.
During the next 10 minutes, I listened and observed as the slightly built physician did all the wrong things to overcome his physical appearance and establish credibility with my dad and the family:
Use an arrogant, patronizing tone
Dismiss questions with a wave of the hand as if he couldn't be bothered to answer when lower-ranking people could handle those
Spout unnecessarily technical jargon in his explanations
Refer to research articles with which we, his audience, would be unfamiliar
Use small, precise, circular gestures toward the body
Keep his head cocked to the side and peer upward
Rather than irk an audience or irritate a boss, consider instead what you can do to increase your credibility when you have a very youthful appearance or other physical characteristics that detract from what the culture labels "authoritative."
1. Stand tall: At 5'3, I understand the limitations of being short and having others tower over you during a conversation. Picture a scene from the sitcoms or Saturday comics: In a stare-down, who wins? You've got that right. Height suggests power, persuasion, authority, advantage. The next time you're in a place to people watch (such as at the shopping mall, a sporting event, or the company cafeteria), watch those who walk erect and those who slump or slouch. Those who stand tall, with good posture, seem confident and in control of the situation.
2. Take up space: Never fade into the woodwork-or crowd. People who feel self-conscious often display that emotion by cowering physically. They pull their arms and legs close to their body. They stack their accessories such as laptops, tablets, notepads, briefcases, or handbags neatly away so as not to interfere with anyone near them. They back up and stand near the wall and out of the center of traffic and conversation.
The man stepped inside my dad's room, and cocked his head: "I'm Dr. Raven."
"Oh. Nice to meet you," my dad said.
"I may look like I'm 15, but I've done thousands of these procedures." The doctor turned to the laptop perched on the stand in the corner and began to click away.
During the next 10 minutes, I listened and observed as the slightly built physician did all the wrong things to overcome his physical appearance and establish credibility with my dad and the family:
Use an arrogant, patronizing tone
Dismiss questions with a wave of the hand as if he couldn't be bothered to answer when lower-ranking people could handle those
Spout unnecessarily technical jargon in his explanations
Refer to research articles with which we, his audience, would be unfamiliar
Use small, precise, circular gestures toward the body
Keep his head cocked to the side and peer upward
Rather than irk an audience or irritate a boss, consider instead what you can do to increase your credibility when you have a very youthful appearance or other physical characteristics that detract from what the culture labels "authoritative."
1. Stand tall: At 5'3, I understand the limitations of being short and having others tower over you during a conversation. Picture a scene from the sitcoms or Saturday comics: In a stare-down, who wins? You've got that right. Height suggests power, persuasion, authority, advantage. The next time you're in a place to people watch (such as at the shopping mall, a sporting event, or the company cafeteria), watch those who walk erect and those who slump or slouch. Those who stand tall, with good posture, seem confident and in control of the situation.
2. Take up space: Never fade into the woodwork-or crowd. People who feel self-conscious often display that emotion by cowering physically. They pull their arms and legs close to their body. They stack their accessories such as laptops, tablets, notepads, briefcases, or handbags neatly away so as not to interfere with anyone near them. They back up and stand near the wall and out of the center of traffic and conversation.
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