Lesson in nonverbal and verbal Communication

The use of nonverbal communication such as facial expressions, eye contact, body language and gestures can be used to get a message to another person. The message that is trying to be shared with another person can be misleading when communicating using nonverbal communication. For example affect displays which are nonverbal behaviors that convey a person’s feelings, moods and reactions (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009. p.199). I observed this type of behavior watching an episode of “Rosanne”.

I watched the show with the volume off and only watching the actors’ body movements, facial expressions and the eye contact shared between them. The neighbor knocks on the door and Rosanne let her come in. The neighbor was using hand gestures and had a concern look on her face; Rosanne had her arms folded and seem to be telling the girl to say what she needed. After a few more body gestures and Rosanne pointed to the kitchen. They go in and Rosanne beginning to mix hamburger in a bowl, after a few stirs the girl begins to mix the food.

Rosanne daughter Darlene come in to go the refrigerator and other girl comes in the back door with an envelope smiling like she was excited and she showed the girl mixing the hamburger. The girl and Darlene both smiling as they looked at the envelope. Darlene beginning using hand gesture while talking to her mother and beginning to smile and the girl with the tickets was doing the same. After this the girl mixing the food had a sad look on her face and when Rosanne asked her a question she dropped her head.

As the show went on the Darlene and the other girl was in a parking lot talking to two men. Darlene had an upset look on her face while the other girl was hugging and smiling with one of the young men. While at her home her mother, father, aunt and the girl sister was looking out the door and window looking for them. From the facial expression everyone was upset or worried.

Darlene finally shows up at home when Rosanne’s expressions showed she was disciplining Darlene about coming home so late.  

The nonverbal communication in this episode was very understanding for the story line which was subtitled “Good Girl, Bad Girl”. I was able to tell what the show was about by watching without the verbal communication between the characters.

After rewinding the show to watch with the sound on it was great to know this show was easy to follow the plot and the outcome was what I was able to determine by watching without sound. This does not mean that the use of nonverbal communication is as easy to understand as it was watching this show but in most cases to get a good understand the use of both forms of communication will be more effective.

 

Reference

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St.

 Roseanne (24 Nov. 1992) Season 5, Episode 10. Good Girls, Bad Girls.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0688790/