Fontley Corrodus
Sociology
September 11, 2014 Observing and describing verbal and nonverbal communication
Communication, the act or process of using words, sounds signs or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else. (Merriam Webster dictionary). There are four forms of communication; verbal, non-verbal, written and visual.
Verbal communication, includes sounds, words, language, and speaking. The following is a great example of verbal communication. While eating dinner with my family at a Japanese steakhouse I was able to hear and observe a couples conversation taken place from the booth behind us.
“I’m starved” a female voice stated. “Likewise” a male voice responded. (There was a slight pause) A few moments later the male stated “Wow This food is great! Would you like to try any of my sushi honey?” “No thank you” the woman replied. A few more minutes pass (I assumed they were eating) A waiter approaches and asks the couple if they would like anymore refills the couple gladly replied yes in unison. There was a frank silence until the waiter returned with their drinks, when the waiter returned the couple began complimenting and praising the restaurant saying how much they enjoyed their meal.
From my observation I was able to form a valid conclusion, that the coupled was both hungry and satisfied, from my conclusion I was able to form a hypothesis that because the couple enjoyed the restaurant they most likely will be returning. The second form of communication I will be discussing is, Nonverbal communication which includes gestures, and facial expressions that do not involve verbal communication.
Unlike the conversation inside of the steakhouse I was unable to hear this conversation but I could see it. Even though I could not hear what was being said while the conversation was taken placed I was able to