I did an observation on a show called "Riverdale", it is not a show I would normally watch so I felt that I would have the best unbiased opinion of what was transpiring for the first part of my observation which is to watch it without sound.
Base off the interactions of the characters in the show Riverdale while watching it with no sound I think their relationships where all personal and intertwined. There were inappropriate relationships, parental relationships, manipulative relationships, business and friendly relationships in this interesting first episode of this show. The students in this show appeared to conduct themselves to be somewhat mature almost as if they were adults. I felt that their body language and facial gestures with each other and their parents demonstrated more of what I would see with adults. "Nonverbal communication encompasses a variety of actions, such as gestures, tone of voice, and eye behavior, as well as aspects of physical appearance" (O'Hair, 2018, p. 107).
What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?
The parents in this show also seem to try to communicate with their teenage children however, judging by the way the either walked off while their parent was talking or the use of their hand and facial gestures they were also treated more like adults than teenage children. In O'Hair (2018) your eye contact or lack of it can send messages of liking, attraction, or contempt " (p. 117). There was a great deal of speaking with the eyes in this show some expressed confusion, flirting, confidence, excitement and many others. There was also a bit of conflict observed in this show while observing it with no sound. Particularly with the red haired young lady in the beginning as I could not make out if she was in love, grieving, guilty, unstable or just manipulative in her interaction with others then again it could have just been all of the above.
What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?
The assumptions that were made based off my observations were that the high school students behaved like adults with both their peers and their parents as well as to appear to not have respect for them based off their interactions, facial gestures and body language. The plot of this story is that this is a small town in which a murder has occurred and there is a lot of confusion and manipulation happening. I also assumed several things about the red haired young lady whom I now know her name is Cheryl.
Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?
My assumptions would have been somewhat more accurate if I were watching a show that I was more familiar with however, I think I did a fairly good job in my observation of this one with the exception of the interpretation I had of Archie and his father. I initially though that he was portraying disrespect as well with his father when I had no sound but it turns out that he had respect for his father even when speaking on how he felt.
What I learned about communication from this experience and insights or my "aha" moment I believe will be helpful to myself and my colleagues is that both verbal and nonverbal communication plays a part in perception however, that perception can be distorted even with both if misinterpreted. My "aha" moment came in the end of the show when Archie went looking for his friend Betty whom he saw as his best friend encountered another friend (Jughead). Archie tells Jughead that he thinks he has lost his best friend tonight and Jughead advice to him is priceless. Jughead says "just talk to her". Instead of assuming he has lost his friend communicating with her will clear that up. Assuming should be avoided in both personal and professional relationships in my opinion in order to have healthy and effective communication. "We all use language to express our feelings; however to be competent, we must do so appropriately and effectively" (O'Hair, 2018, p. 84).
Reference
O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2018). Real Communication: An Introduction (4th. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
4 comments:
Hi Violanda,
I also made very accurate assumptions when I watched with the show with no sound and when I watched it with sound. It is very interesting how facial expressions, gestures, and body language really help you understand relationships, the tone of the conversation, and mood!
Thank you for sharing!
Violanda,
I love how facial expressions and body language tell a story within themselves. I agree, I have not watched Riverdale often but the body language that they use is more so what I would expect to see from adults, and not teenagers. I think that it is interesting that you could watch a show with sound and get one meaning, and then turn the sound off and notice body movements or gestures that you did not notice before, that tell a completely different story. Thank you for sharing!
-Heather
Violanda,
I have heard of the show, however I have never watched it either. Both nonverbal and verbal communication are very important when talking to someone. You stated that by the teenager's body language it seems as if they were being disrespectful, I wonder if the parents felt the same way. Based on your observation you were able to tell that sometimes body language gives off the wrong impression, that is why I believe we, especially as educators, we have to be mindful of our nonverbal cues.
Violanda, I have watched the show Riverdale on occasion and most of your assumptions were correct. The show portrays the teenagers in a more mature ways. I believe that nonverbal communication is very important to conveying feelings. Thanks for sharing your experience with the group.
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