As seen in the video above, body language tells us much about others. While it can sometimes be difficult to read, the best way to learn is to try! In this assignment, you’ll have the opportunity to be like an FBI agent and do some nonverbal observing yourself!
For this discussion board post, you will observe two adults in a conversation from a distance. You should NOT know these individuals personally and they should not be children or an adult with a child. Make sure you are in a public place and the people you are watching do not know you are observing them (obviously—try not to be creepy :). Watch the two individuals as they converse or interact for about five to ten minutes and make note of their nonverbal communication.Write a full analysis based on the following prompts:Describe the Environment in which this communication event takes place.
Describe their appearances (physical attributes, clothing, accessories).
Define the space or distance from one another and label it based on Hall’s definition of the four distances.
Comment on at least one kinesic: posture, gestures, facial expressions, eye movements.
Also comment on their haptic communication (or lack of it). If you can hear them because they get very loud or laugh, note their Voice (paralanguage) as well, but not what they are saying. More information on each of these elements is found in your book on pages 166-175 under the section “Types of Nonverbal Communication.”
From your observations write a paragraph about the nonverbal communication and the nature of the relationship that you observe using the questions below for guidance. Explain your observations FULLY and use at LEAST two terms from pages 166-175 (more is better!). Underline, highlight, bold, italicize or CAPITALIZE any and all terminology so that it is visually apparent which terms you used.
Then, think back to Perception Checking from Chapter 2 (pages 53-54). Attempt to interpret what the content of the interaction was about based on your observation. Then pretend you have the opportunity to check your perceptions with one of the individuals. Write a statement as if you were speaking to one of the individuals you observed that describes the behavior, shares at least two possible interpretations, and asks for clarification about how to interpret the behavior (see the examples for perception checking on page 54 for guidance).You can read through your classmates’ observations as well and comment on them if you would like but your comments will not be graded. See the Example for help.
Warning: You MUST complete the perception-checking step in order to earn credit for this
Rubric:
-10-20 if paragraph does not contain at least two terms from “Types of Nonverbal Communication”
– 5 if the choice, per term, is used incorrectly
– 2 points per term if that choice is not clearly indicated by an underline , highlight, bold, italics or CAPITALIZATION
– 5 per prompt if not answered
– 25 if perception checking statement not written
– 5-20 if perception check is missing an element (description, two interpretations, clarification)
– 5-20 if college level grammar, spelling and capitalization are not utilized.
Example
WARNING: This is an example. Use it only as a sample of a response. Your own response must be original. If your response is too similar, you will be penalized for plagiarism and receive a “0” for this assignment – no exceptions.
On a very nice day, I decided to go and have lunch, around the noon time, at Panera Bread. After receiving my food, I chose to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather we were having.The individual tables were covered so it was shady and cool, but a bit loud outside since traffic was nearby.
I chose to observe a man and a woman eating their lunch. The man was nicely dressed in a business suit and tie and the woman was wearing a designer pink dress with pink and brown high heels. The woman was wearing pink flashy jewelry to match her pink dress. She was wearing a lot of makeup and she also had some kind of tribal tattoo on her ankle, but I couldn’t see exactly what it was from where I was sitting. I could tell by the clothes and jewelry they were wearing that they were well off and cared about how they portrayed themselves in public. The man and woman were both wearing wedding rings, so I presumed they were married and probably to each other.
When both of the individuals sat down to eat, they actually sat next to each other in the chairs, not across the table from one another. They were often leaning in together as well, close enough to kiss (which they did a few times). This distance would be considered Hall’s definition of INTIMATE SPACE, again confirming that they are probably married to each other.
If I could perception check any part of this conversation, I would want to find out what the face she made meant. If I could talk with her, I would say:
“I noticed at lunch you made a face when your husband said something (behavior). I wasn’t sure if he said something that actually upset you (first interpretation) or if it was just a joke (second interpretation). What was he saying to you (request for clarification)?
