Week 4 Blog

Nonverbal behaviors and the ability to correctly read and understand them is a very difficult skill to master. Nonverbal cues consist of every behavior, attribute, or object (except words) that a person exhibits. An example of a nonverbal behavior would be an eye roll. In a certain situation, an eye roll can mean that the person is annoyed. In another situation, it can mean that the person is frustrated, and in yet another situation, it can mean that a person is playfully teasing a friend or family member. For example, I roll my eyes sometimes when I think something funny. An eye roll can mean many different things, depending on the context of the situation and the person or people involved. It is difficult to pick a correct interpretation without being in the context of the situation, and even then, you are not guaranteed to pick the correct interpretation. This is why nonverbal cues are so hard to read and understand. Another example would be body language. Some people cross their arms across their front which usually signifies that they are putting up a barrier, because they are uncomfortable or want to create some distance between themselves and other people. I frequently cross my arms, because I am cold, and it is often misread that I am uncomfortable with the situation I am in. At other times, though, I cross my arms because I am uncomfortable in the situation. Sometimes, I even have to stop and think to myself “why did I just do that,” which further demonstrates how complicated nonverbal cues are, because sometimes the person giving the cue is aware or sure why they are even doing it. Nonverbal cues are hard to fake and used extremely frequently, which is why it is a useful skill to know how to read others nonverbal cues.

Can you think of other example of nonverbal cues and how they are often misread or misinterpreted?

Week 3 Blog

I have had many situations where I feel like I am not being heard. I am the youngest of four children. Growing up I was quiet and shy, and my brothers gave me the nickname Ant. My brothers gave me my nickname as a joke, but they did not understand how it affected me. All through my childhood I felt that what I had to say was not important. Whenever I tried to express what I was feeling, my brothers would call me Ant, and I would immediately shut my mouth. I receded more into my shell. Feeling like what you have to say is not worthwhile to other people is an awful feeling. Some of the listening barriers were present. For example, I think my brothers found what I had to say uninteresting and they often criticized me, the speaker, instead of my message. My brothers also would fake attention and they would fail to adjust to distractions. My situation is unique, because siblings have the ability to be kind of mean to each other and still be friends. Also, this situation was not in an academic setting. From my experiences, I have learned to always try to listen attentively, so that no one I’m listening to has to feel like they are not worthwhile. My nickname is no longer Ant, and my brothers and I have both matured to the point where we can effectively listen to one another.

Also, I have sat through many unorganized uninteresting presentations, and it makes me feel like I’m wasting my time. An example would be a lab class that I have taken here at UW-River Falls; the professor was always unorganized and unprepared for our weekly lab. I found it harder to pay attention and retain the material, because I was easily distracted and bored. I think organization can make a presentation, because when you are prepared, it shows the audience that you actually care about your presentation, which inspires a similar interest in the audience.

Week 2 Blog

I have always attended presentations as a captive participant. I think that this makes my approval harder to earn. I have attended many presentations and felt that the speaker did not correctly analyze the audience. This mismatch made me feel bored. I found it harder to concentrate on the presentation, because I felt the topic did not relate or affect me at all. In order to avoid this mistake, I will try to accurately analyze my audience. I will try to make my speeches or presentations interesting and relatable. I think I will have an advantage, because the majority of my audience is about the same age as me and has at least some similarities. For example, we all chose to come to UW-River Falls, and we all chose or were required to take this course. I think these similarities will make it somewhat easier to relate to my audience.

Presenters’ use many different techniques in an attempt to keep the audience’s attention. I think that personal narratives, statistics, and factual or hypothetical illustrations are effective types of verbal support, but if these types of verbal support are used incorrectly, they can be ineffective. As long as the narrative, statistic, or illustration is relatable, interesting, easy to understand, and presented properly, these types of verbal support work well. I think any type of definition is boring, but any type of verbal support used incorrectly can be boring as well. I think that personal narratives or statistics help me to understand the topic the most, because statistics are facts and cannot be logically argued against, and personal narrative relate the topic to my own life, and actually cause me to think about the different aspects of the topic. I think any type that is not presented or explained well enough is confusing, but if the speaker takes their time and puts technical terminology into plain English, then even quantum physics can be to understand to a certain degree.

Week 1 Blog

Today’s society encourages us to always be connected. Most of us have cell phones and facebook accounts so we are never out of reach of communicating with people. We communicate constantly in multiple different ways. For this reason, I believe that UW-River Falls requires a communication course because communication is a vital skill needed in order to be successful in all areas of life. We are going to this university to get degrees and to go out into the real world and get good jobs, and every job requires some form of communication whether it is in person, over the phone, or on the Internet. Therefore, communication is a necessary skill.

I use communication throughout my day. I talk to my professors and peers. I log onto facebook and my email account daily to communicate over the Internet. I talk to and text friends and family. I write old fashioned letters to a friend in Eau Claire. Communication is a daily part of our lives just like breathing or eating. I use intrapersonal communication the most. I am constantly thinking and planning. Next, I use interpersonal and mediated communication frequently. I talk to my friends and peers here on campus daily. I also use the Internet and my cell phone to communicate with people.

My goals for this course are to be able to decrease my self-consciousness, speech anxiety, and negative thoughts. I want to be able to confidently state my opinion with worrying what other people think of what I am wearing or how my hair looks. I want to be able to deliver a speech without rocking back and forth on my feet or shifting my weight from leg to leg, which are a bad habits of mine. Also, I want to decrease my negativity. I am my own worst critic. I hope that this course can improve these aspects of myself as well as improve my overall speaking ability.