Nonverbal Communication

Communications 110by

Chantal Silarbi

The Scenario

This candid shot takes place in a restaurant. A couple is out for dinner and a woman walks by, distracting the

man’s attention.

What Nonverbal Communication Took Place?

Kinesics: referring to the body's position, and movement (facial expressions included)Silence: using no sound to

communicate your thoughts, ideas, concerns, etc. Physical Appearance: Anything to do with an individual physical qualities,

such as, sex or skin colorArtifacts: Objects (clothing, makeup, etc.) to show us as individuals or as part of our environment.

Woman walking by: She is using nonverbal communication through her physical appearance (body type), artifacts (showing skin), and kinesics (movement as she walks past). These three elements are sending a potentially unintentional message of sexuality to the man on his date. Man: The man, picking up on the nonverbal communication the women is sending out, responds by turning in his chair and gawking (kinesics), while leaving his mouth open speechless (Silence).Woman: In response to the man’s seemingly rude stares, the women cocks her head and squints her eyes (kinesics), while staring at the man (silence) in disapproval.

What is Going On With The Three People?

Photo Analysis

This photograph is unfortunately all too common in many relationships.

A respective partner sees someone who catches his/her mates attention in a seemingly sexual manner…

and the other becomes offended.

Simply looking, greeting or talking to someone of the opposite sex alone should not be a concern in a healthy

relationship

However, wide-eyed goggling, paired with turning in one’s chair may cause less than stellar feelings. For a couple, this could be a recipe for disaster.

This is because instead of realizing how the other person might feel about his/her partner staring down

the opposite sex…

Good Communication Bad Communication

One chooses to avoid their partners feelings altogether

Again the sheer act of curiosity of what is passing before us is not a crime

We Are Inquisitive by Nature

It is, however, to some extent how we allow ourselves to be viewed by our partners that makes a difference.

“”

The individual who oversees a partner’s wondering eyes is often left with the feeling that she is not good enough alone to deserve her partner’s full attention.

Chantal Silarbi

Situations like this are tricky, but in relationships if you catch yourself

needing to look, either say no to the temptation, give a very simple look (minus all the strained eyes) or use words to walk

your partner through your thoughts

In situations where partners decide to walk their significant other though their thoughts, it is very important to be carful with word choice, inflection, use of kinesics, etc.

"Huh, he has a very rugged look. There is something about him that is very manly. He kind of reminds me of that guy from Dirty Jobs, but nobody compares to my baby. You’ve got it all. That's why you have me." *wink, wink, smile*

By learning to adjust in small ways such as these, we may help keep tension out of our communication

The End