Non-Verbal Communication Observation
Over the weekend, I went to a nearby restaurant which was a perfect opportunity for me to see people engaging in non-verbal communication. After some few minutes of looking at different people at the food court, I settled on a couple that was seated a table away from where I was. I could not help but overhear their argument on their roles as parents, the woman complained about her partner being unhelpful with taking care of the kids while at home. As I observed them, I noticed that they used different gesticulations in their argument and I will discuss them in this essay.
In the course of their argument, the two revealed affect displays, gesture expressions that are motivated by sentiments for example a smile or a frown. The woman had this frown on her face, an illustration of her sad state and frustrations with the man. The man had this sarcastic smile; he did not really concentrate on what the female was saying, but rather concentrated on what was happening around the restaurant. His nonverbal cues indicated his disinterest in the topic and also an assumption that the woman was overreacting.
During the argument, the woman who did most of the talking used a couple of illustrators. Illustrators can best be defined as the gestures that help complement verbal conversation ensuring that concepts are understood much better. For one, she kept placing her and on her chest which helped illustrate that she was talking about herself and how she felt about her partner not helping her out with the kids. She also frequently pointed her index finger on the man which helped to enhance that he was the topic of discussion in the argument.
The man used regulators when he spoke, these are gestures that either help to prolong or terminate a conversation. He raised his hand which basically a cue for the woman to give him a chance to also talk. This did not impress the woman and she verbally pointed it out and continued talking without giving the man a chance. The man did not give up and he went ahead and leaned forward towards the woman which is another regulator. This was meant to help him communicate to the woman that he also wanted to speak and that she should keep quiet and give him a chance. The man went ahead to verbally communicate that the woman was not being considerate that he has work and he helps out where he can with the children when he is at home. He used an illustrator where he placed his hand on the left side of his chest as he verbally explained that he loved his children and he spends every single free time he has with them.
The woman then went ahead to use an emblem, gesticulations that have direct verbal conversions and they can basically be used alone without any need for verbal back up. She repeatedly twisted her head to the left and back to the right which showed her disagreement with what the man had said. The man then held out his hand with the palms facing up after which he tilted up his head which is basically translated as a gesture for why?. The woman verbally explained to the man that he needs to dedicate more time to the family because he spends too much time at work and when he is at home; he is always on his phone and not playing or helping with the kids.
Various adaptors, gestures that are used to help one feel more comfortable in a conversation situation were used as the two ended their argument. The female verbally gave the examples of situations when she felt the man did not help her out with the children and he was able to. As she did this, she placed her elbows on the table and she repeatedly used her hands to rub the sides of her head. This was done to help release the tension that she felt after the argument, and it made her feel much more comfortable. The male nodded his head which is an emblem that indicates that he understands and agrees that he was wrong in those particular cases mentioned. The male then reached out his hand and holds her hands while he verbally communicates that he will change and hep out more with the children when he was at home.
Non-verbal communication is something that constantly happens in the society. This is something that happens subconsciously as people engage in conversations without their knowledge. By just observing the couple arguing across me at the restaurant, I was able to see various forms of gesticulations being used and this included; emblem, illustrators, affect displays, adaptors and regulators. Most of these gestures appeared repeatedly in the course of the argument, and it basically helped the coupe to understand one another much better.
