SDSU Nonverbal Communication Focus on Sending Messages Discussion

Discussion questions and observation prompt for the week

1) Observe a dyad (2 people together) to reflect on their nonverbalbehavior for at least 30 minutes. Describe their behavior. Whatnonverbal channels (ie facial, eye behavior, touch behavior) do youobserve? What do you see happening between them? As you see it, what isthe relationship between these people? Please be safe and do not doanything illegal. Observe at a distance that is comfortable for all.If it is not possible for you to observe a dyad outside your home,please feel free to do the observation with a film or TV show. Thismeans that you would want to turn the volume down for some of the time.Music can be a powerful nonverbal cue. If you decide to observe a filmor tv show, please cite the show. You will want to use a clip thatdemonstrates some relational aspects of the characters. This observation should be around 300 words.

2) Why do you suppose we tend to believe nonverbal cues, even whenthey contradict a person’s words? Give an example of a situation thatyou observed where the words did not “match” the nonverbalcommunication. What was the situation? What did you do? This observationshould be around 100 words.