Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Communication in Interpersonal Communication

I want to comment on how throughout the semester it seems like my group is doing less and less. Thank goodness for Hiedi or I don't think anything would get done. Recently on our discussion posts, me and her have been the only ones really engaging in any sort of the discussion. It proves really difficult to have a discussion and post a response to the group posting when only two people are in the conversation. I haven't been doing great by any means either. I posted a little late last week, although I still posted, and I also asked a few questions and tried to promote a little discussion. I think because it is towards the end of the semester people in my group are slacking a little bit, even though now is the time we need to be doing our best! Our group has struggled all along with the group postings so we need to get our grades up and discussion posts are super easy points.

I'm also nervous because we are starting our final group project and I want it to be a success. We did really well on the last group project, but everyone seemed a lot more engaged and we all worked together. We have had sort of a lack of communication (ironically) on this project and I don't feel like some of our group members even realize what the project is about or that it even exists. Hopefully we will all start logging on more frequently so we are aware and participating. Now is not a good time to start slacking because we are so close to completing the course. I have to keep reminding myself of this as well! Sorry I just wanted to vent a little and also say a big thank you to Hiedi for being a great group member and always engaging in the dicussions!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Communication in Twilight...

I am currently reading the best selling novel Twilight and am completely obsessed with it! I feel like a little girl reading it, since it is initially intended for teenage girls, but after finding out that all of my friends are reading it too, I feel a little better. While taking this course and reading that book at the same time, I have been greatly preoccupied with the communication in the novel, especially our section regarding non-verbal communication. In this novel, Bella and Edward, the two main characters, do not talk much, but are deeply in love. Their level of non-verbal communication is huge. In the beginning, Bella thinks Edward hates her because he tenses up when she is around and his eyes change colors, from light to dark, indicating hatred, or so she thinks. In reality, Edward knows there is something different about her and actually is trying to stay away from her so they don't fall in love. It is funny how misinterpreted he initially was, when in actuality, something completely different was going on.
Edward can communicate a lot with his eyes because they tell you what kind of mood he is in. This way, him and Bella don't always have to talk, he can communicate with his eyes. Bella also chooses not to tell her father about her boyfriend, avoiding communication. Her and her father don't talk much, they have a mutual understanding of each other and Bella does not want to complicate things. The non-verbal communication in their relationship is also important, as they live together but don't say much, yet at the same time are constantly communicating and exchanging messages. I am intrigued at how well the author examines the non verbal communication that takes place in this novel and displays it to readers.

Non Verbal Communication Project

For our groups non-verbal communication project we chose sitting too close to someone at lunch. This was a pretty interesting topic, and harder than it sounded to carry out. In order to do this experiment, I had to violate a non-verbal social communication norm I had followed my entire life. I don't sit really close to a random co-worker when eating dinner because people like their personal space and I don't want to "pop anyone's bubble" so to speak.
I work at a trailer dealership during the day and chose to do my experiment there. We have a small lunch room and a small table, adequate for a person on each side of the square table. I decided to use Tim as my victim, a middle-aged married, very nice man. While he was eating his subway, I took my chair and slid it close to him, on the same side of the table where two people obviously did not fit. He looked up from his sandwhich a little awkwardly, but did not say anything. He then slid his chair over slightly, trying to make more room for me and leaning away. I was definately creating a more intimate or personal space rather than a social space as described in our text. Tim never said anything, but judging his body language he was clearly uncomfortable.
I also work in a restaraunt at night and did some smaller, less obvious experiments there. I work Monday nights and they are always very slow and boring. The dining room stays pretty empty and customers usually choose tables farther away from each other in order to gain some distance from others and more privacy. I tried seating customers at tables right next to each other, but nearly everytime they would request to be moved somewhere else, somewhere more "private" or where they wouldn't be able to hear other people's conversations or be too close. We don't always realize it, but our non-verbal communication is a huge part of our lives.