ARE YOU naturally a touchy feely type or do you shy away from physical contact in the workplace?
New ideas about the way we communicate at work suggest that some forms of contact could lead to more co-operation between employees, higher productivity and even increased sales.
In his new book Body Language: the Key to Communicating Effectively, Allan Pease encourages office workers to touch each other more often, on a neutral part of the body where it will not cause offence.
He said: “The British touch each other less than any other civilised nation in the world. The only place they can touch each other is on the arm.
“The most effective is a light touch on the elbow for less than three seconds. Any longer and you will notice it and feel uncomfortable.”
He said the power of touch reinforces the message, and improves communication.
“Business has become all about communication. When women communicate, they use 30%-40% of their brain engaging with the person they are talking to, while men use only 7-10%and so are much less sensitive to people.
“Men need to learn how to communicate better,” said Pease.
But could these ideas help in the sales situation? Professor in psychology at University College London Adrian Furnham said: “The literature that has been written on touch suggests it has an influence in a non-touching culture.
“In Britain we are one of the least touching cultures. So touch has a powerful effect, although not always beneficial.
“In the US, also a relatively non-contact culture, it has been found that when waitresses touch a client, there is a higher possibility of getting a tip.”
Travel Weekly columnist Maureen Hill said she had found touching useful in cases where clients in her agency were hesitating over a booking. “It shows you’re a little bit more friendly, it shows you care,” she said.
“Once I had a client who had broken up with his girlfriend and was really upset. He was unsure whether to make the booking or not. I leaned over and said: ‘You go for it. You deserve it’, and touched him on the arm. That clinched the deal.
“I’ve even given people a hug. One elderly client came to cancel a holiday because someone had just died.”
But Hill advised agents to judge carefully how familiar they can be with a client. “You’ve got to find out if the client wants to have a laugh and a joke. If they are starchy, then leave it. And it has to be a light touch. Anything more and it could be misconstrued. You could find yourself asked out to lunch, or worse.”
She added: “Touching has to be in context. It has got to fit into the general pattern. If you’ve been looking at the screen and not had eye contact, it is no good suddenly reaching out and touching someone on the arm.”
A second word of warning against being too free with your gestures comes from legal company Hammond Suddards.
Sue Nickson, head of its national employment unit said: “A book on body language might tell you to be more personal.
“But if a client felt an agent was either too familiar in the way they spoke or acted, and a complaint was made to the agency, the consultant could be in trouble because of sexual harassment.
“Cases of that nature are certainly on the increase, as people are nowadays more clued up about sexual harassment claims,” she said:
“You have got to be careful, there is a line to be drawn.”