Watch the show with the sound turned off.
I watched a show that my husband chose for me that I have
never seen before. Its called Gavin and Stacy. It’s a British show.
·
What do you think the characters' relationships
are based on the ways in which they are communicating?
o
There is a guy and a girl on the phone together.
They seem to know each other very well. They are laughing and seem to have a
good relationship.
o
The girl gets off the bus and is greeted by an
older woman. They seem to know each other. They may be neighbors.
o
Girl goes home to roommate/mom and has dinner. They
have a regular dinner conversation.
·
What are they feeling and expressing based on
the nonverbal behavior you are observing?
o
I think that the girl is feeling happy and she
seems to have people around her that support her and care for her.
Now, watch the show with the sound
turned on.
·
What assumptions did you make about the
characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the
communication you observed?
o
I assumed that the guy and girl on the phone
were close friends and that they knew each other well. They have never met
before. They only spoke on the phone and are going to meet for a blind date.
o
I assumed that the older woman was having normal
neighborly conversation with the girl. I was right about them being neighbors,
but the old woman had a bit of a foul mouth.
o
I also assumed that the girl went home to a roommate,
but it was her mother and they do have a good relationship. The dinner
conversation was a normal one that could have been between a mother and
daughter. It was a very comedic conversation though.
·
Would your assumptions have been more correct if
you had been watching a show you know well?
o
I do think that my assumptions would have been
correct if it had been a show that I know well. I would have known the
relationships between the characters and may have been able to guess what the
conversations would have been about.
·
I found that reading body language/nonverbal
communication is not very hard when the sound is off, it is easier to focus on
facial expressions and gestures. When the sound is on, I found that I paid more
attention to the dialogue.
Hi Tina,
ReplyDeleteIt is important for us to pay close attention to both the verbal and non-verbal skills we use when communicating.We may not pay as much attention to the communication skills being used if its a show we are familiar with since we already have an idea of what goes on and what to expect. This exercise was a great learning experience. Thanks for sharing!
Christine,
ReplyDeleteYou know sometimes we who have our sense of hearing can be bombarded by the verbal communication all around us that we rarely pay to the non-verbal cues unless they are bold. For example a group 'walk out' of a meeting or forum of some sort. This activity has taught us that as we communicate we need to focus on both the verbal and non-verbal expressions to truly understand and correctly interpret what is being communicated to us.
Often times when I watch a show there is so much going on you try to pay attention to everything but there will always be something you miss and may catch the next time you watch the show or movie. I think this activity helped with my focus and I was able to pay attention to just body language and expressions first and then put words to the expressions after. I realized though that this was difficult for me because my interpretation was incorrect and I read the body language and facial expressions wrong. In an everyday conversation, we can't stop and remind to see if we missed something so it is important to be fully engaged in the conversation in hopes that we are understanding everything to the fullest. I do agree with you that this would have been easier if we were able to choose a show that we watch on a regular basis (although, I do not watch much television so it still might have been challenging for me).
ReplyDeleteHi Tina,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post. I have never heard of this show. I think you did a good job of observing the non-verbal communication. I can even appreciate the assumptions you made. I think it shows the importance of listening and the ability to hear.
Christina,
ReplyDeleteIt's great that we can get so much information from just watching body language and facial expressions. I think it is also important to realize that we can sometimes make assumptions before we even know what is going on. It has happened to me that from body language or facial expressions you automatically think one thing about a person and when you actually get to know them and spend time with them it is totally different than what you thought. Thanks for sharing.