Out of the eight principles
of nonverbal communication, the first and the second principles are the ones that
I will highlight today. The first principle states that through nonverbal
communication the quality of the relationships is made and perpetuated amongst
group members. That to me means that our nonverbal communication can tell someone
in the group how we are feeling about them. For example if someone was to
always look away when a group member is speaking. That would make the group member
speaking feel like the other one doesn’t like them, thus causing friction in
the relationship from then on.
The second principle
says that since what we say and do is inconsistent, nonverbal communication is
what is more likely to be believed. I believe this is true in many cases
especially in small groups. I think I have seen this happen most in group
projects involving reading a book. When the group gets together on a designated
day, they usually are all supposed to be up to pace, so when the group gets
together they all claim they are up to speed. But when you see the way some members
look down in order to avoid inputs, or seem a little designated, you can
usually tell they didn’t read even if they say they did.
Hi Z_Bo,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your input on nonverbal communication skills and the ones you chose to highlight. I agree and appreciate the examples you provided and was able to relate to them in my own experiences. Group settings can be difficult and the nonverbal communication is just as important as verbal. I have some very close friends where we can share a look and interpret what the other is saying. This can get tricky in a group setting because if someone catches us making an awkward or unfamiliar facial expression that can lead to confusion and worst case conflict.
What we say and what we do are definitely inconsistent behaviors but may be deciphered with nonverbal actions. I liked your book club meeting and some members committing to read to a certain chapter and then not. Avoiding eye contact is definitely a way to opt out of a group discussion, I may have done that before, haha. However, I do believe it is important to do what we say we are going to do and I feel it is equally as important to be able to read people, their nonverbal actions and expressions.
Great post! Thanks!