Saturday, September 15, 2012

Assumptions in Communication



I watched this show called Dance Moms. This is what I observed with the volume turned down.
My notes: Moms and their children in a dance competition. Last practice before contest. The relationships are good between the parent and child, but not as good between one parent and the coach. There was a scene where the coach and a parent were going back and forth at each other, moving the mouths very fast. The parent got up from her chair and walked out the room. The same parent is seen crying and the others seem to be consoling her.
Their facial expressions are showing a lot of hate and madness, crying, sarcasm,  I see love, hugging and happiness from the smiles and clapping of the hands/ moving of their lips.
 I then watch the show with the volume turned up.  My notes:  I was right on the point with the plot and characters of the show. Using my nonverbal skills,I had to have patience, paying attention to their body positions, facial expressions, body language. I also tried to read their lips. 

Do I think it makes a difference if I had already seen the show and know what it was about for me to be correct on the show? It does not matter if I have seen the show before or not. If I am using my nonverbal skills, I should be able to tell others about the actors/actress in the show, and be as close as I can on what the plot may be in the show as well.
I feel that all of my communication skills are important but there may be times when I have to depend on by nonverbal skills to understand a child or adult. The difference between the two is having patience. We sometimes are in a hurry and just do not want to take the time to hear what is being said. There is also times when we may have a language barrier and have no choice but to depend on these skilss. Just my thoughts and opinion
Sandra

3 comments:

  1. That's interesting that you don't think previously knowing the characters would be a benefit. I think especially with reality TV (although I have never seen this show) it would be important to know the characters because often their are "villains" in the shows. I would imagine it would be hard to detect that villain unless you already know the character. Very interesting. Great job detecting the plot and characters.

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  2. Hi Sandra,

    I agree that having the ability to read nonverbal cues and actions may be very important in certain situations, and that having patience makes it all the better. But on the other hand I also believe that they may alter the intended message because some people may do certain things out of habit, like tapping their finger or shaking their leg.

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  3. Sandra,

    I have seen dance moms several times and continue to be amazed that one the TV stations continues to allow a show on that displays people behaving so badly.

    Showes like Dance Moms seem to re-enforce the bad behavioir that are continuely being seen in everyday situations. Often I can tell when my youngest child has been watching the show. After a few epiosodes she often is more verbally agressive and argumentative.

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