This assignment was somewhat easy, yet difficult at the same time. I can't say spending a half hour of my day not saying anything was very difficult. However, getting my g/f to understand what i needed or was trying to say was an uphill battle to say the least.
Animation was the key to her even having the slightest clue. I approached her about this assignment and she started laughing but was interested at the same time. I think she quickly became frustrated as I am not a charades champion. I used pointing a lot and grunting to emphasize. I can tell by the looks she gave me she was getting to the point where she couldn't wait for it to be over. She likened the experience to hanging out with her baby niece. After I thought about it, i guess that is what it is like. The baby has no notion of spoken language but you usually know or can guess what they want or need. Through trial and error, you learn the habits of a baby and what sounds refer to what.
I would say expressing complex ideas is only exhibited through spoken language. It is the quickest way to know what someone is thinking. The attitudes of people that can speak often are very arrogant. Spoken language is seen as a sign of intelligence and people that aren't able to speak are often called "dumb" or other derrogatory terms. The fact they are able to label people with words that they aren't aware of is arrogance within itself. People that can speak either speak down to people that can't speak or try to be very helpful. It usually takes a person to warm up to a person that is different in the fact that they can't speak. My girlfriend has a brother with Down's Syndrome as well as autism and it can be very difficult to understand what he is saying. You either just answer with a simple "yes" or "no" sometimes just to move on. Other times make a huge effort just to listen to him and figure out what he's trying to say. Making it increasingly difficult is he understands me perfect.
Part 2
I was able to make it the entire 15 minutes because I thought I had no choice but it wasn't difficult either. My wonderful girlfriend of mine doesn't like cheaters so I had my face covered by a paper bag to prevent any facial gestures.
It was interesting to note that she was really more frustrated with the spoken part of the assignment with no emotion attached to my voice. It gives off the impression that I'm not interested in what I'm saying. Although she knew it was part of the assignment, she got turned off from wanting to talk to me because it felt like a one sided conversation.
I never realized how much people use their hands when they speak. Often, the hands are good just to capture someone's attention. They focus on the movement and are able to pay attention to you. That has some truth behind it because I can't listen to talk radio, but I can watch it on TV when they do the live feeds of radio station.
Many people, including I, have difficulty reading body language. I'm not able to capture the slight and subtle movements that clue me in to what someone is thinking. I can't even clue in on the obvious signs that show what someone is trying to emphasize. People that are able to read body language get so much more information out of an individual. People can recognize passion from someone that speaks about something they actually care about and they can recognize insignificance when someone is continuously talking about something they have no feelings for. A situation that is misunderstood is commonly caused by a misinterpretation of body language. I am not able to think of a situation that i can relate this too. It would be the equivalent of someone asking me a question I may or may not care about and them assuming one over the other based on something I did that persuaded them to believe on one side.
"She likened the experience to hanging out with her baby niece." Great comment! That is exactly right!
ReplyDelete"My wonderful girlfriend of mine doesn't like cheaters so I had my face covered by a paper bag to prevent any facial gestures." Seriously?? You were working at a severe disadvantage! Did she make you sit on your hands, too?
Isn't it interesting that, even though you were speaking in part 2, she still felt that the conversation was "one-sided"?
Can you identify any specific group of people who might have difficulty reading body language?
Great discussion! I enjoyed reading your post.
You were very right by bringing up the baby, that is something I never thought of. A baby cannot use spoken words but you know exactly what they want based off of their expressions. It is like we become immune to recognizing body language as a sole means of communication once the person grows up. Great post and great examples.
ReplyDeletethat is hilarious that your girlfriend made you bag your face. i seriously cannot stop laughing over it. you made a really good point with the baby, i didnt even consider that! even though i think babies do have a lot of their own body language they give off and they seem to pick up on your feelings/expressions.
ReplyDelete