Monday, June 1, 2015

Communication Skills: Language, NONVERBAL, Listening.......


Communication does not always entail talking or hearing. There are so many ways to communicate. As I watched a recorded episode of a television show that I do not normally watch (Blood, Sweat, and Heels) with the sound off, I focused on trying to understand the characters using my knowledge of non-verbal communication signals. What I honed in on were the facial expressions of the characters, the gestures they displayed through body language, and the physical distance between the communicators. Based on the ways in which the characters were communicating with each other, I think the characters are friends. Some of them appeared to get along with each other better than others. The non-verbal signals gave me clues and meaning. The show is a realty show. From the way the characters nodded their heads, helped me to understand that the characters were in agreement with each other. From the way the characters shrugged their shoulders, helped to understand that the characters were not in agreement with each other.

            My second viewing of the same recorded episode was with the sound turned on. I assumed, from the first viewing, that all of the characters were friends; but at some times did not get along. I was accurate. The characters are five women who live in New York. They are successful women who look to the friendships of each other for support. If I had been watching a show that I know well, such as “The Young and the Restless”, my assumptions would probably have been the same, which were correct. Because of the way people interact with each other, the giving and receiving of wordless signals (nonverbal behaviors), communication is not interrupted. 

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