Journal #4
Throughout this week I have had the opportunity to observe
people if many different locations and settings. From the airport in Honolulu,
to girl’s camp on Cedar Mountain. Since taking this class and reading the
assigned chapters, I have been able to notice more non-verbal communication
than before. In Hawaii, I was able to see people from other cultures interact
and see their differences. The Asian people seemed to be a lot less touchy and
the Polynesians are all about the touching. I shook several hands with people
and each time it was a very confident, firm handshake. I agree with Navarro,
that a handshake is very telling about a person. In the church I belong to
there is a lot of handshaking going on, and I have had my fair share of wet
noodle handshakes.
The reading also talked about how we use our hands when we
speak. My kids joke that my father couldn’t talk if you tied his hands behind
his back. There is a lot of truth to that. He is a great storyteller, but his
hands can sometimes become a distraction. I learned to use my hands when I
speak from observing him. While not as animated as my father, I do use them
often, especially if I excited about whatever it is I’m talking about.
I didn’t know that in other cultures people hold hands when
they are talking to someone. I can see how for us American’s that would be a
very uncomfortable thing. I enjoy holding hands with others, but it is always
with someone that I love and am very comfortable with. If I were to visit
Bulgaria and have someone I’ve never met before try to hold my hand, I would
probably offend them by withdrawing. Now that I know that this is a custom,
however, at least I am aware that it is a possibility.
Once again, I agree with Navarro when he said that the face
is the mind’s canvas. I am one of those people that likes to look you in the
eye and observe people’s facial expressions when I talk to them. By doing this
I have been able to see when someone is not being completely honest, or even trying
to fake an emotion. I love when young kids try to fake cry, but their facial
expressions will give it away every time. Even my teenagers try to get away
with things, but their faces give them away. I’m learning a lot of new things
in the class and really enjoy the reading as well.
I loved when Navarro said the face is the mind's canvas too! It's crazy how much you can read and interpret by reading someone's face. It would be a completely different world and social with being able to read facial expressions, body language and gestures.
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