speech questions

This week’s reflection prompts are designed to help increase awareness of your understanding of the  introduction of the field of communication.

1. After watching the lecture, in your own words, define what communication is.

2. What do you consider to be a strength in the way you communicate? A weakness?

3. What are your personal goals in life and how can you use improved communication to help achieve  those goals?

4. What is something from the lecture that you found interesting?

Intro to Communication – YouTube

Student name
SPCH 1311
Dr. Curry
Reflection Prompts
Part 1: After watching the lecture and completing the reading assignments for non-verbal communication
– discuss what you found to be the most interesting aspects of non-verbal communication we discussed.
What did you learn? Will you view your own non-verbals differently in the future?
Part 2: How has Covid19, and wearing a mask, impacted your ability to interpret the non-verbal
communications of others? For instance, I was at Home Depot returning an item from a home project I’m
working on. I smiled at the sales associate, but her “tone” wasn’t as friendly as I was expecting. I thought
to myself… HOW RUDE… but then realized, she couldn’t actually see me smile – therefore my smiling
did nothing to demonstrate friendliness. It was a powerful reminder of how we utilize non-verbals in our
interactions with others. Have you had a similar experience?
Non-Verbal Communication Reflection
This video is about non-verbal communication, how dressing reflects our personality, eye
contact, use of space, and connection with speech anxiety. The lecture is straightforward and has
good examples. I learned that like communication and language, non-verbal communications are
an integral area of study. To become effective communicators, we must need to develop nonverbal communication skills.
The most interesting aspect of non-verbal communication I liked in this lecture was “eye
contact” and “use of space.” I learned “Oculesics” is a study of eye behavior, and there is also a
study for body movement called “kinesis,” vocalics, the pitch, volume, rate, inflection, and filler
words.
I agree with the lecture we use eye-contact all the time. We use eye-contact to build trust,
relationship, credibility, and it’s also a cultural thing.
I came from a different cultural background “eye contact” is considered inappropriate for a
woman to look at a man. Women try to keep eye contact minimal. As a kid, I remember we
would not make eye contact with our elders out of respect.
Things are changing with new generation’s women are no longer just homemakers they go out,
meet people, they have jobs, people are more acceptable in big cities women at work make eyecontact with their co-workers, but still they don’t hold it for a while. They look away so that it
does not seem awkward. This does not mean that they are less confident, but it is just a cultural
thing. When I moved to the United States it was a little uncomfortable for me to make eye
contact with men at work because I was not used to it. Then I learned that’s it’s kind of
disrespect or some may think it’s even rude not to maintain eye contact. It took me some time,
but eventually, I learned.
The other aspect of non-verbal communication I enjoyed learning was “the use of space.” I am
originally from India. We are the second-largest population in the world, all the cities are
overpopulated because of which we are not known to proxemics. It is not people intentionally
want to get physically close its just the situation because of too many people. In public
transportations like buses, subways, metro to avoid any misbehavior it’s the state law to have a
separate section for women and men not just to sit, but also while waiting.
I have not experienced anything similar, but I agree with you we are used to smiling, and with
the mask on we forget the other cannot see our non-verbal interaction. I feel it’s not just the nonverbal communication that is impacted, verbal communication is impacted as well. It’s also very
hard to understand when someone is talking with a mask on.
Last week I took my daughter for her pre-surgery appointment. Due to COVID-19 the hospital
all the entrances were closed except one way in and out of the hospital. I was looking for
someone to help me get to the sky bridge. I stopped to ask an officer it was so hard for both of us
to understand each other until we slightly moved our masks. And then I had to use our hand
gestures to thank him.
The important lesson you learned about non-verbal communication in your life as a graduate
student was to “Smile”. So sorry to hear know about the wheel of fortune experience.
A smile makes people listen to you, respect you. It is a great tip to get connected with the people
around us.