My favorite part of Chapter 5 was
“Nonverbal Communication May Regulate Interaction.” Wood (2012) describes how
nonverbal behaviors can regulate the flow of communication between people.
Nonverbally, people know cues of when it is their turn to talk. Eye contact is
also key here because making eye contact with someone can be a sign that it is
their turn to talk or give an opinion.
I have found this relevant to my
internship site. I am currently interning with the Nebraska Department of
Health and Human services – Division of children and family studies. We receive
intakes of a case where a child(ren) has been abused and/or neglected. When
this happens, we have to go out and interview family and/or friends who were
involved in the situation. When this is taking place, several forms of
nonverbal communication take place. Their body language (eye contact, arms
crossed), the clothes they wear, the cleanliness of their house, etc are all
considered when doing the investigation. During the interview it is especially
important to maintain eye contact and seldom have silence during the
conversation in order to generate more information coming in.
I have enjoyed reading “The World
Beyond Worlds” because it has been a big aid in helping me learn more as far as
reading others nonverbal cues as well as being more aware of my own. For
example, I have never acknowledged how “we signal that we don’t want to be
interrupted by averting our eyes or by maintaining a speaking volume and rate
that discourages interruption” (Wood, 2012, p. 121). Taking this information in
will help me especially next week when I am able to perform interviews on my
own with the prospected people in our cases. During the interview, I will be
sure to make eye contact with the individual I want to speak next.
Reference
Wood,
Julia T. (2012). Interpersonal
Communication: Everyday Encounters. (Seventh Edition) Boston , Massachusetts Wadsworth
I like that you included the clothing they wear and the environment they are in as part of their nonverbal communication that is considered. Without saying a verbal word, it can alter your perception of the situation.
ReplyDeleteWhat you do has a close correlation with the people that I have to work with. I work at the county jail and we will get inmates coming in for child abuse and child neglect. When they come in their wardrobe can tell you a story all by it's self. Then touch and smell can tell you another story. I like how you point out that you have to look at the big picture and not just one detail. I do not think you can really understand what is going on in that home with out considering, literally, EVERYTHING that your five senses can pick up. Even that sixth sense that some people have. ;)
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