I wondered if a person could simply defy a social norms and affect another persons behavior. As I entered one of the elevators on the seventh floor of the Liberal Arts Building, I thought it would be interesting to sit on the floor as we made the descent to the first floor and only communicate nonverbally. Nonverbal communication by definition refers to all aspects of a message which are not conveyed by the literal meaning of words. Nonverbal communication is also a category by exclusion; as such it is almost impossible to exactly define what it contains. Nonetheless, for a nonverbal behavior to constitute communication, information must be transmitted and received. It is important to note however, that such nonverbal behavior does not require the intent to communicate in order to do so.
Nonverbal communication is a very tricky and sometimes ineffective communication medium. For example, some gestures are universal and easily understood. However, others are not, and holding an entire conversation without speaking becomes a little more difficult and confusing. Not only is it hard for one to convert words into gestures, motions, or expressions, it is also equally as hard for the other party to derive meaning from those same gestures. This is what made the other students in the elevator uncomfortable. I was curious to see the reaction of the other people on the elevator to this