Nonverbal communication

Before studying the topic of nonverbal communication, both through the reading and actually in class, I never really gave much thought to its existence or prevalence. I have always considered myself a pretty good reader of people's body language and how they express themselves silently, but I simply took it for granted. The first instance I saw of just how important nonverbals are was in the Martin and Nakayama book, where they talk about Finnish and American exchange students. The Finnish students, when asked about their experiences in America, said that they learned little because all Americans did was talk. Contrarily, the American students said that while they were in Finland they also learned little because Finns do not talk enough. This shows just how important people's nonverbal actions really can be; oftentimes they dictate whether or not someone can communicate effectively or not.

In class last Thursday, I volunteered to be one of the test subjects for our exercise in studying nonverbal communication skills. When I first was presented with the task (recounting a funny, scary, or angering experience without using any nonverbal indicators) I thought it would be quite easy. However, when I got up in front of the class and began to recount my story of how I was systematically infuriated by an individual in Delaware, I lasted all of three seconds before succumbing to the power of nonverbal communication. While I thought I was maintaining a stern and unrevealing disposition, in reality my face was like an open book. Afterwards, I was able to go up and retell the same story with free reign over usage of nonverbal communicators. This time, it was extremely easy for me and I believe that everyone in class could easily discern what type of experience I was describing. Hypothetically, had I completed the story the first time without nonverbals, it would have almost certainly been far more difficult for those in the class to figure out what I was talking about. Words may paint a picture, but nonverbal communicators tell the real story.
-Dylan Parker