People Reading: Use these sample phrases to craft meaningful performance evaluations, drive change and motivate your workforce.

People Reading is the ability to creatively and quietly read the important non-verbal intuitive cues that people give off without their knowledge.

People Reading: Exceeds Expectations Phrases

  • Pays attention to the amount of talking a person does in order to know whether or not the person is a good listener
  • Pays attention to a person's body language, such as maintaining eye contact, when looking for signs of dishonesty, insecurity, and timidity
  • Uses a person's handshake to evaluate their personality. A strong handshake indicates confidence, a weak one indicates lack of interest and that which crushes one's hand indicate a need to dominate
  • Pays attention to how others react to the person one is evaluating. If people seem lighter and happier when the person is around them, it could be a sign of kindness
  • Takes a look at a person's track recorded to know if they are trustworthy. Past performance is an indicator of future actions
  • Looks at the reason behind a person's bad attitude, when dealing with a rude colleague, in order to know how to behave when interacting with them
  • Observes a person's interaction with others. If the person is always rude to others or is always making small talk, that could indicate unwillingness to be kind to others
  • Observes a person's ability to control emotions. If the person seems quick to anger and always talks about violence, that could indicate some anger issues
  • Pays attention to a person's tendency to blame others. A person who likes to blame others when things go wrong lacks accountability
  • Pays attention to the tone and volume of a person's voice to know when they are not telling the truth

People Reading: Meets Expectations Phrases

  • Takes time to actually listen to others without distractions such as Facebook or phones in order to have a greater understanding of the person's character
  • Avoids focusing on the person's negative traits and makes an effort to concentrate on the positives
  • Likes to know people beliefs, in general, in order to understand how they perceive the world and have a little insight of their experiences
  • Finds out the people a person holds dear and his/her social circle in order to know his/her social inclinations
  • Listens to how a person talks about the less fortunate members of their society in order to determine their level of empathy
  • Looks for behavior consistent with what a person says in order to find out if they are honest about their strengths and weaknesses
  • Looks for inconsistencies in a person's behavior and asks them questions when something doesn't seem to add up
  • Looks at a person's facial expressions in order to know what they are thinking. A furrowed brow or tense jaw could be signs of anxiety
  • Watches to see how a person conveys different emotions. A person who hedges using their voice may be lying, nervous or trying to buy time
  • Notes the length of a person responses. Short responses to questions could mean that the person is frustrated, while long responses could mean that the person is happy with the conversation

People Reading: Needs Improvement Phrases

  • Does not observe the body language, such as making eye contact or facial expressions, when having a conversation
  • Does not know how to check for clues that correlate with nervousness thus, is not able to detect liars
  • Is not able to detect signs of distraction and boredom
  • Has trouble identifying a person who wants power or who is searching for awards and leadership positions
  • Does not observe people's friends thus is not able to judge a person's character based on the friends they keep
  • Does not listen to one's own body to know when something is not right
  • Is not able to tell when a colleague is stressed out or depressed
  • Backs away from negative or uncomfortable feelings in oneself and other people
  • Does not create time to improve one's ability to read nonverbal cues and social skills
  • Is unable to distinguish between sadness and happiness in people thus draws wrong conclusions

People Reading: Self Evaluation Questions

  • Is there a time you had to work with a person who was difficult to get along with? How did you handle it?
  • What are some of the skills you have used in the past to read others? How have you improved these skills?
  • Can you describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with a customer who didn't like you? How did you go about it?
  • Give an example of a time you were able to communicate with a person you didn't like successfully. How did you handle the person?
  • What measures do you take to make sure someone feels comfortable in an environment that is obviously not comfortable?
  • Can you give an example of a time when you created an environment where differences were valued, encouraged and supported?
  • Can you describe a time when you were able to adapt to a wide variety of people by reading, understanding and accepting their character?
  • Describe a time when you made an effort to know a colleague of another department. How did you do it?
  • What have you done to further your understanding and knowledge about reading people? How have you demonstrated your learning at work?
  • Can you give an example of a time when your ability to read others helped you stay out of trouble?

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