Don’t Speak!!
When I first read the assignment I thought, this should be fun and interesting. However, it was harder than I imagined. I told my husband what I had to do and he laughed, but was willing to help me. He kept on making me laugh at the beginning because he kept on telling me how great it felt not having to hear ma talk all the time (he was joking). After a while we got serious and I felt he was getting a bit frustrated because he did not understand what I was trying to tell him with my gestures. If we were two different cultures meeting for the first time I think I would have the advantage because I use a lot of facial expressions and body movements to communicate and he doesn’t, therefore I think that would help me. I think that when you come across someone who doesn’t speak it’s difficult to deal with because you do not want to make them feel uncomfortable or ignored. I have come across a few individuals who can’t speak and like I said it is extremely hard to try to communicate with them. I say it’s hard because you do not want to start using sign language or body language that might be offensive to them.
Nothing but words..
I have to say that this part of the assignment was the hardest for me. Like I previously mentioned I use my hands and facial expressions when I communicate so that was though to do. Another thing I found difficult was to keep one tone of voice the whole time. I chose not to tell my husband about this part just to see what his reaction would be and I was hoping I would last the whole 15 minutes which I did. When my husband and I began talking he did not say anything until about 5 minutes into the conversation he asked me if I was feeling ok. This was so hard and I literally had to keep my hands under my legs to avoid using them. After a while he got a bit mad because he felt that I did not care about what he was telling, so I had to let him in my secret. I think that body movement and our different tone of voices is what makes conversations so interesting it also helps when know when someone is feeling sad or happy. I find that is not what we say, but how we say it that many times offends people. For this reason body language and tone of voice is extremely important. People that have difficulty reading body language would be a visually impaired person. I think the benefit for them is the fact that they can’t judge people by what they see, but for what they hear or feel. Another advantage would be not having to worry about the way others look at them and making them feel bad. Not being able to read body movement would be beneficial only if someone lives in a violent home. This would help them not feel bad if someone is pointing at them or even yelling at them because they do not know the difference.
I came across this assignment that can help understand how important the tone of voice is while talking to someone. Read it and emphasize on the bold word and see how it can change the meaning of things. Thought it was interesting!
“I never said you stole the money”
“I never said you stole the money”
“I never said you stole the money”
“I never said you stole the money”
“I never said you stole the money”
“I never said you stole the money”
Good initial description of Part A.
ReplyDeleteWhen you consider which culture would have the advantage, think of the full realm of communications. Which culture would be capable of communicating complex ideas? It is perhaps true that non-speaking cultures might be better equipped to address difficulties in basic communications between cultures, but in terms of having an advantage in communicating in general, which would dominate?
It is always interesting how people seem to almost feel threatened in Part B. They are so dependent upon reading not only vocal communication but also the unspoken language, that when the latter is missing, it makes them very uncomfortable.
Good catch on a blind person having difficulty with body language, though they would be able to read vocal intonation. I see your point on a violent environment. What about a situation where body language might lie to you, such as being in a new culture that uses different body language?
Great addition at the end! Thank you for including that.
I Really enjoyed the addition at the end!! Like really really enjoyed it. I said it out loud with the emphasis on the bold word, omg, how much of a difference it made to each sentence!
ReplyDeleteI too did my exercise with a loved one, my boyfriend, and had the same out come for Part A... he was saying silly things, talking about sports and everything else I'm not interested in and then when we finally got into a more serious conversation he started getting frustrated. Signals were getting misinterpreted, feelings were getting hurt and I was getting upset.
I also can relate to the fact when your husband asked if something was wrong when you were not using body language and talking in one tone... all my friends asked why I was acting/talking so weirdly. It's funny the way we communicate is actually our trademark. Take for example, your husband asked if "something was wrong", my friends asked, "why are you acting weird"... apparently communication not only helps with getting language across it actually defines us as a person.
Yeah I had a more difficult time just talking without using any hand gestures and have a monotone. It’s incredible that you use so many gestures to communicate with others. I felt like I had to duck tape my arms to the side of my body because of how nature your gestures come from when communicating with others. In the end it was a fun experiment.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post! I like how you ended it with showing how certain emphasis on words can change the entire meaning of a sentence. The first experiment for me was the harder one, but it sort of turned into the game charades when my friend was trying to guess what I was trying to say without words, which made it fun. I found it easier to communicate through only speaking and no body language, but it took all the meaning and emotion out of the conversation.
ReplyDelete