Describe four examples of nonverbal communication that managers in other parts of the world use but managers from your own country do not. Indicate how each might be misinterpreted by colleagues from your own country. (Alder & Gundersen Chp 3)
Briefly explain the context…where were you? Who were you watching? Why did you choose this person? What was it about the interaction that got your attention?
What kind of gestures did you see? Describe the gestures. Don’t just say, “she used her hands a lot.” How? There’s a difference between pointing your finger in someone’s face and stroking someone’s face. Did it seem this person needed his/her hands to express themselves? Did he or she have any repetitive habits like drumming his fingers or playing with her hair? Did this person touch someone with them? What did the touch tell you? Would you say this person used his or her whole body to communicate, or did this person make only small, occasional movements and gestures?
Did this person’s clothing or body say anything about him or her? Describe what he/she is wearing. A T-shirt with a slogan or art? Do you see any tattoos, piercings, etc.? Jewelry? Dressed up or casual? Did you feel he or she was appropriately dressed for the time and place?
What about eye contact? Did this person sustain eye contact with whomever he/she was with? Some eye contact? A lot of eye contact? Smiles? Frowns? Would you say based on the nonverbal behavior that you would describe this person as happy, sad, preoccupied, friendly, quiet, standoffish, what?
What did this experience show you about communicating nonverbally? How might this experience affect how you interact in the future? How do you feel verbal and nonverbal communication differ after doing this exercise? Does nonverbal communication enhance or distract?
Self-Esteem and Impression Management
In 825 words, provide a minimum of four personal examples to illustrate impression management, social tuning, social comparisons, mindsets, intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, or causal theories.
One example provided must address face to face versus written communication styles. Are there measures that can be taken when communicating nonverbally to improve self-presentation, impression management, attributional inferences, and cognitive biases?
Each example provided should be based upon how your personal views were shaped by parents, teachers, friends, community, culture, etc. Each example should be supported by relevant research.
