Nonverbal Communication Reflection Paper
I learned a lot about Human Communication when I read the chapter about Nonverbal Communication. Nonverbal Communication is the process of using messages that are not words to generate meaning. I learned that it happens every day. I also learned that is very hard to read or understand depending on the person you are speaking to or with. Verbal and Nonverbal codes work in conjunction with each other.
The words we speak or say are used in conjunction six different ways: to repeat, to emphasize, to complement, to contradict, to substitute, and to regulate. I never knew until reading this chapter that we do these things all most every time we communicate. These are things I took for granted until now. I now know that I will pay closer attention when speaking so I can work on how I communicate my nonverbal codes. I also learned that nonverbal codes consist of nonword symbols.
Those symbols are bodily movements, facial expressions, bodily appearance, and personal space, time, touching, vocal cues, clothing and artifacts. I now know from this lesson that I also so all of these things as well when communicating. Everyone uses one or more of these when they communicate. I know from my own experience that people can read me by my kinesics. I know that I need to be more aware of how I communicate my nonword symbols. People can stereotype you if you are not careful.
Understanding nonverbal communication is more common than not. I now understand how to interpret nonverbal codes better than I did before. I am also aware now of how I should speak to people using my nonverbal codes so that they may understand me as well. This chapter was very interesting to me because all of the things we do without speaking to people is amazing. I never paid attention before. I now understand nonverbal communication as well as how to use it in my everyday life better than I did before taking this class.
