Part 1
This assignment
was difficult in a communication sense. We weren’t able to cover as many things
as we would have if we were both talking for 15 minutes. At first we tried just
my partner talking and me responding but often times I couldn’t answer the question.
So he changed the way he communicated so that we were more on the same plane.
Not only was my partner talking but he started using more hand gestures. His
communication also slowed down compared to the first few minutes of the conversation.
My partner
was in charge of the conversation because he was the one talking. It almost
seemed as if he felt he needed to control the conversation because he could
speak and I could not. The changing of topics was changed by both I feel, my
facial expressions and him seeing that was telling that we needed to move on
from a certain topic. I didn’t do this assignment with more than one partner
but when I am in a conversation with more than one other person I always find
myself as the third guy. I’m naturally a reserved type of guy so I’m there just
listening most of the time. It’s mostly the people who are speaking and
dominant in a conversation that have that controlling power in a conversation.
The culture
that speaks spoken language would have the advantage in communicating complex
ideas. It would depend on the situation where one could be either frustrated at
the fact that the other culture cannot speak or in accepting attitude. For
people who have pets, they sometimes talk to their pets knowing they can’t
respond in a symbolic way but still feel like they are communicating with their
pet.
Part 2
This part of
the entire assignment was more difficult than the first part. In the first part
there was a bit more freedom in the way we communicated than this one. There
was more difficulty in the way we understood each other because there wasn’t
any of those body signals that helps us understand each other as well as actual
verbal communication.
The use of
sign in our language does many things to way we communicate. It directs our
listeners to why we say what we say or feel. I think this is why non-verbal
communication is important in the way we communicate. And sometimes our body
language tells more of what we’re trying to say than what we are actually
saying.
The ability
to read body language is beneficial in many ways. It may be better to read one’s
body language than to need to hear someone speaking because we read the person’s
body language first. If it’s not what we expect than at least we can change our
attention.
The people
who don’t read one’s body language are easy to see to someone who does read a person’s
body language.
When I see
people with their headphones on I automatically see that person as not wanting
to talk to people. It’s quite disturbing when someone does interrupt a person
with headphones on but it does not mean that this person is one way or another.
Good description of your Part A experiment and good observations on the issue of control and power in the conversation.
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Interesting observation, but can you think of a human-human interaction that matches the situation of speaking and non-speaking? This doesn't have to mean completely non-speaking, but perhaps limited by physical disability or just from a cultural perspective.
Okay on your description of Part B but I would have liked more information on your partner responded in this part of the experiment. That is usually the most interesting part of Part B, with some partners actually getting angry and walking out.
"And sometimes our body language tells more of what we’re trying to say than what we are actually saying. "
True, but can we get more specific on this? Yes, non-spoken language contributes meaning and clarification, but it also allows people to verify what you are saying, kind of like a lie-detector. If your body language doesn't match the words you are saying, this tells the person that you aren't telling the truth and perhaps can't be trusted. Why would this be beneficial in an adaptive sense?
"If it’s not what we expect than at least we can change our attention. "
Yes, if the body language doesn't match the spoken words, this can alert us to a possible contradiction. Wouldn't this be good to know if you are relying on this person for help or assistance? Would you trust them?
"The people who don’t read one’s body language are easy to see to someone who does read a person’s body language."
That wasn't the question. Can you think of a specific group or groups of people who have difficulty reading body language?
The final section doesn't address the guideline point. Can you think of a situation where the body language of the person might give you misleading information? Do all cultures use the same system of body language?
Good post. I also didn't have control of the conversation and had to rely on my facial gestures to influence a topic change. I liked that you stressed how important body language is in conveying thoughts. A little thing that confused me was your example of people who have trouble reading body language.
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