Blog Assingmnet 2 Communications Verbal/Nonverbal

The program that I chose to record and view was The Real Housewives of Atlanta. I am not that interested in the many reality television programs that have aired. My co-workers and peers are always trying to impel me to watch the program but I had not a chance until this assignment presented the opportunity. When I first began watching the program with no volume it appeared that all of the characters were always in discussion about something of great interest. There were scenes in the program where there was a man and woman sitting and talking then becoming very intimate with one another. There was a scene where there appeared to be some feuding or disagreement between two females.  A totally different scene showed 4 women who met up at a restaurant enjoying their lunch with lots of laughter.  Most of the scenes looked to be very serious with communications and back and forth discussions taking place.

The feelings that I did observe were feelings of disappointment, anger, unhappiness, happiness, and enjoyment. The feeling of disappointment was assumed because of an older woman and a younger woman’s facial expressions while they talked. Their faces were drooped and saddened. The feelings of anger were assumed because there was some sort of back and forth yelling and lots of body language and arm and hand movements. The feelings of happiness and enjoyment were assumed when the man and woman were close and became intimate with one another. Happiness was assumed because one scene shared a group of woman eating together and smiling and laughing with each other. 

Once I re-viewed the program with the volume, my assumptions were exactly as I assumed earlier. There were many arguments and confrontations taking place between the women. Simply stated it was truly a bunch of drama between all of the characters up until the end of the program when the ladies met for a lunch and enjoyed each other’s company. As I viewed the program with volume, I realized why I had not had a great interest in the reality television programs.

If I were watching a more well know program, I believe that my assumptions would have been the same. Body language, facial expressions, eye contact, and hand movements are all ways of reading a person’s message. It’s funny but today my husband and I went to the beach and he noticed how I was observing the people in our passing during lunch and as we walked the pier. He say’s “I notice that you people watch”. My response was that I enjoy watching individuals and trying to figure out what they are thinking, feeling, and how they respond to different situations. As an educator, I have been trained to observe children on a daily basis and it’s kind of stuck with me even outside of the classroom. Again, a world of messages can be relayed without any verbal conversation taking place.

This assignment only has aligned with my prior knowledge of how people communicate with one another. Communications do not always have to be verbal. I often like to play Pictionary with my students. I like to either draw out something or even act out something to see if they are able to guess what the message is. Nine times out of ten, my students are able to figure out the message that I am sending out.  My “aha” moments is the fact that by simply observing a person, one will be able to receive the message from the sender. This was an enjoyable assignment and like I mentioned it clarifies why I “people watch”.