Week 2 blog assignment

What do you think the characters’ relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

I chose to watch a show called Gina D’s kids club.  I see a man with a puppet communicating with a child around age 12 on stage.  He seems to be asking her series of questions and she is responding.  The crowd is engaged in the topic.  I see some laughter and smiles from the audience which is filled with children.  The nature of their relationship seems friendly and kid structured.  The interviewer appears to be trying to relate to things children like.  He seems to be seeking some advice from the girl on stage.

What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

The seemed to be engaged in the topic they are communicating about.  The topic seems to be funny and interesting to children.  The audience is also very engaged and seems to be interested in the topic.  They all appear to agree on the opinions of the child being interviewed because I see laughter, head nods in suggesting that they agree, and hand claps.  The parents in the audience are also clapping after the child’s response.

Now, watch the show with the sound turned on.

What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?

I assumed that they all agreed on the topic when in fact the interviewer and the child actually disagreed with the adult on the show.  I also assumed that the audience were happy and agreed with the topic.  Actually, the audience was laughing at the adult on stage with the puppet.  The puppeteer was entertaining the group and using the puppet to engage the audience filled with children.

Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?

I think my assumptions would have been more accurate if I was watching one of my well known shows because I would have gone off of a previous plot.  Not only that, I would be able to predict the story line more closely because the plot of tv series normally is set for you.  The variance comes in with different episodes surrounding normally around events.  However, the character and their roles stay the same.

Write about your experience in your blog, including what you learned about communication from this experience and insights or “aha” moments you believe would be helpful to your colleagues.

I enjoyed this blog assignment.  I found it very interesting to see what my assumptions were and how closely they mirrored the actual events, story, or plot.  It also let me see how many times we can assume the wrong things and had this been on a more serious level, I would have assumed the wrong things.  I also would have missed a lot of important information that could be detrimental.  I also learned that some of the most well-known non-verbal gestures can have multiple meanings.  For example, just because someone is laughing does not mean they agree or having a great time.  It could just mean something is funny.  That was a true “aha” moment. lol