- This experiment really relies not only on your ability to communicate differently but also on the person in which you are communicating with. You could do your absolute best trying to get a message across but fail because of your partners lack of knowledge regarding different aspects of communication. With that being said, the person i choose to conduct this experiment with is a friend a mine who knows me quite well as i know him ,along with our similar knowledge of common body movements that help resemble and understand the conversation. What i mean by that, is if for example if my friend asked me whether i was staying or leaving, if i simply chucked up the peace sign, he would understand and be aware that i was leaving without saying a word. Although it was tricky and at times we struggled getting through parts of the conversation, for the most part keeping the conversation simple helps limiting elaborating answers. I let him know ahead of time the reason for my silence so we were both aware how we were going to go about “talking”. However i think it would have been much more of a challenge if i didn't include him in.
My partner was absolutely in control of the conversation the entire time, so its safe to say he had the power in the conversation. However if you think about it, my lack of communication skills at the time limited the conversation and his responses so in a way, maybe i was in control, (paradox). He was in charge from start to finish because i couldn't really bring anything up unless i just pointed out something random to change the topic. I think with more people, my voice, or lack their off, would have been drowned out because there would be too much going on for me to catch up, or have the other people wait for me. However that is affected by the groups prior knowledge of the experiment whether or not I'm excluded more.
The stand out answer would obviously be the culture with spoken language because of the simple fact that they have more options and better capability to expressing complex ideals. You can say that you wouldn't know which culture communicates complex ideas in their community better till you experience it first hand. The speaking culture might look down upon cultures without it or might look at them as less evolved.Probably the way most people of any speaking culture look at indigenous tribes or people that are deaf/blind.
2. So for this experiment i had to constantly check myself to speak in the same manner without showing any emotion with my body movements or changing the pitch of my voice to get my message across. My partner was laughing most of the time as he was trying to decipher my monotone voice but had an easier time than the previous experiment. I would say it was easier however it was a different kind of challenge for both of us because of the lack of pizzaz in the delivery. He did have some difficulty understanding me however he didn’t respond to my lack of body language.
This experiment shows how important signs are in language and everyday communication and how big of a difference or challenge it makes it without them. Body language and different pitches along with a number of factors in communication as a whole tell the person you're talking to more than what you’re just saying with words. Whether they feel comfortable, awkward, or even if they are lying.
The ability to read a person body language, both men and women, is beneficial in different aspects of your life. It can help you figure out how a conversation is going with a significant other or boss, and in more radical examples, the difference between seeing the guy reach for his gun and getting killed. The ability to read body language is something grown with a lot of contact and knowledge of the general publics communication techniques.
I think people who aren't confident in themselves or with low self esteem that don't talk to a lot of people or it could just be people who are completely oblivious to common quirks that they miss a message. The only situation i could think of is when someone is faking some sort of body language to trick you.
Good description of how you conducted the experiment and with whom, but a little more of the results of the experiment itself would have been helpful. How did your partner respond? Did he change how he spoke with you?
ReplyDelete"...maybe i was in control"
I suggest that the close relationship you have with your partner led him to allow you the illusion of control. But if he let you feel in control, did you really have the control in the first place? Would you have had that feeling with a total stranger?
"You can say that you wouldn't know which culture communicates complex ideas in their community better till you experience it first hand."
Can't you think about how language is used and answer this without first hand experiences? Think about what a "complex idea" actually is. Could you explain natural selection or Einstein's theory of relativity without symbolic language? Could we do science in general without symbolic language? Then apply those answers back onto cultures in general. Which culture, symbolic or non-symbolic, would be more successful at spreading complex ideas?
"He did have some difficulty understanding me however he didn’t respond to my lack of body language."
Yes, but there is a contradiction in this sentence. How can he have had difficulty understanding you without body language and yet not respond to your lack of body language. Isn't that difficulty with comprehension a form of response?
"Whether they feel comfortable, awkward, or even if they are lying."
Ah, now that last point is actually very important. Humans tend to use body language as a type of lie detector. If spoken words don't match with the body language, we are more inclined to believe the body language and doubt the words. Think about how being able to detect liars might help an individual's ability to survive and reproduce.
Like all human traits, there is normal variation in expression, and the ability to read body language is no different. But beyond that, there are groups of people who have great difficulty or an outright inability to read body language due to physical or mental disability, such as those who are in the autism spectrum or those who are blind (though they can read vocal intonation).
"The only situation i could think of is when someone is faking some sort of body language to trick you."
Actually, it is the body language that would tell you that the person is trying to trick you, because the words are not matching with the body language, so that wouldn't e a good time to forego reading body language. When might body language of others mislead you and it would be better to ignore? Do all cultures use the same system of body language? If you travel to another country, can you trust the information you get from their body language?
Hey George,
ReplyDeleteI thought you had a great understanding of the Blog Post. Your examples you used for explaining the ability to read Body language was great. I thought it really brought out how serious the matter of reading body language really is. Great Post dude!