Have you ever watched a television show without the sound on? If you have seen the show and know the characters you may be able to tell what they are feeling and the relationships based on their non-verbal communication styles, but what if you have never seen the television show, do you think you could accurately describe their relationships and what they are feeling without hearing the conversation?
I did that this week, I watched a show I have never even heard of before first without sound and then with sound. The center of the show was a young reporter, there was one scene when where she went into a coffee shop saw the line and went behind the counter and poured her own coffee. She was approached by someone who appeared to work there and it looked like she was upset that the main character had gone behind the counter. The to go the facial expressions and body language seemed that she was saying she had the right to go back there because she needed coffee. The two laughed and then it was clear that they were friends.
Watching with sound, I could tell that they knew each other right away and the bantering was not out of anger, but had a more friendly tone, this was not what their body language and facial expressions were saying.
Not knowing or hearing what the characters were, even when the sound was there the facial expressions and body language were not always conveying the same message. It is important to make sure that our non-verbal communication is sending the same message as our verbal communication.
Hi Tammie,
ReplyDeleteWhat a point you have made when you stated not always does the facial expression and body language convey the same meaning. When I am standing for a long period of time I tend to fold my arms; many who does not know this about me see this as negativity which I am not intending.
Tamera,
ReplyDeleteIf I had seen that show where the woman went behind the counter and poured her own coffee I would have probably assumed that she worked there or that she was just very comfortable there. I might have been in shock to think how rude she was to just go into a business and serve herself. I would have probably thought that the person was telling her not to go behind the counter especially if the worker looked upset. When they laughed though I would have had to change my idea of the situation since that did not seem appropriate for someone who was mad or upset. Verbal communication helps us to understand a lot more of what is really happening on television shows. It is difficult to get the full meaning without some sort of verbal cues.