Evaluating Listening Skills & Nonverbal Behavior
For this blog post, I have observed my group
of friends from my secondary school. I have noticed some of the usual
interactions a group usually has, for example, the alpha of the group, the
quiet character of the group, the clown of the group, and so on. In the group,
active listening occurs according to the ranking of the person in the group.
The higher the rank, the more people listen. The same system applies for
non-verbal communication. For example, if the quiet guy speaks the group
usually does not pay attention, as compared to when the alpha speaks. The rank
system could also be taken as a form of non-verbal communication. The rank
shows a person's social standing, wealth, and authority in certain
interactions. The amount of wealth one's parents has, and the amount of wealth
the individual currently has, can alter the rankings of the system, which in
turn alters how the group perceives that individual, which leads to more active listening
when the individual speaks. Another aspect that influences the non-verbal
communication of the group, is gender. In this group, females usually have less
speaking power, but are more respected. In the case of females,
monetary power does not matter as much as when compared to the males. Even if
one female has more monetary power than another female, it does not affect
either female’s social standing in the group. Females, have another form of ranking
system, one that is more complex. For the females, how one carries herself, or
who her boyfriend is, affects how the group perceives the female. Interactions
within the group, interactions with outsiders, are different as compared to the
interactions within the group. Once the group encounters an outsider, the group’s
ranking system suddenly does not matter anymore, and a sense of unity is
formed. As for this sense of unity and how it affects communication before and
after meeting an outsider, I still do not have a hypothesis for it. I will
observe more when I have the time, so as to satisfy my curiosity.
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteYee Tong here. Interesting post about social status in secondary school which affect communication. I think it fits the criteria of the assignment as you had answered all of the questions for the task as required. I can tell that from your post that you are focusing more on the aspect of non-verbal communication since you mention how your social status can affect your listener. I agreed that the factor of social status would affect the speaker power since being at a higher position in the group, and you can have more speaking power which leads to more active listening.
A good example is a boss talking to his/her subordinates where the boss has more vocal power. Although I feel that social status may give you a head start in communication, it does not mean that those that are "quiet" will lose out in having good communication skills. Ultimately, I think that someone from a lower social standing can still be the "alpha," but he needs to improve on his communication skills.
Best Regards,
Yee Tong
Hi Johan, nice observations you have made on you group of friends. Such observations you have made i believe would be more reliable as you have known them for some time and are not strangers you are inspecting in public. Its great that you managed to pick up certain characteristics down to the habits to determine their social status. Honestly, i would make such deductions myself for such are human judgement. For the "alpha" would usually demand respect and authority and would usually receive them and it would be an endless cycle, same could be said for the more timid one, where he usually gives his away willingly and end up with little to spare for himself. Furthermore, I also agree that women are more complex than us, when you have satisfied your curiosity, send me a copy of your "observations". Although, wealth would guarantee a good head start, however they may be viewed in a different light by their own family in which one would not be able to observe until getting closer to them. Furthermore, wealth would not always guarantee one authority over others, for there are some who disregard such fact, therefore we should all embrace communicative skills in order to improve our interactions with one another, despite wealth alone.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, there is only so much we could deduce on their appearance alone, i would make the same observations and explain them as so, great observations you have made.
Hi Jonathan ,
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New year ! Hope you enjoyed your holiday !
You have an interesting "ranking" system concept here. I like how you link the social friends system ranking to non verbal communication. Very creative ! To certain extend , i do agree with the point about how gender can have influence on the non verbal communication of the group. Simply because our brains are wired differently hence we may defer in our thought process and problem solving methods.
But i disagree with the part about how wealth can enable an individual to alter the ranking system. I think there are a lot of other factors that plays a big part in non verbal communication for example charisma, good listening skills ,humor and ability to connect with others . Overall, people from the lower "ranking" can slowly progress upwards when they have the necessary skills set.
-Andy