While viewing the
children’s show Suite Life on Deck
with my daughter I first watched it without sound and to me that was an
interesting experience. Trying to determine who was and wasn’t friends was
difficult. I found myself really trying to read lips to determine the context
of relationships. After viewing the show with sound I realized that in some
cases when I thought people were trying to be helpful and kind I completely
misread the scenes and there was some form of mischief underway. The kids,
while playing nice with each other through the scenes were really saying some
sarcastic things to each other. Also noted was the way the parent spoke to the
boys. In the silent video it looked like she was being loving because she was
always smiling at them and hugging them but she really was saying not nice
stuff to them and yelling at them a lot you just didn’t notice that by glancing
at them because she did it all with a smile and a hug.
One thing that I realized through this exercise is that
while body language is important it is also important to have the ability to
listen. This is important because if you do not listen then you may view
something out of context and misunderstand what you are viewing. Communicators MUST be strong listeners to ensure
proper communication. If we do not learn how to effectively listen to others than we will have trouble helping others get the things that they need.
Jennifer
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful post! This was also a very interesting assignment for me. I was trying to read lips as well. My movie was a little bit easier to understand but I completely misinterpreted the relationship of the characters. It was so much better with sound. You mad a powerful point as you stated that it is important that we learn how to actively listen. We also have to be mindful about the messages that we are sending to others with our body language as she stated. I am becoming more aware of my communication with my staff, children, and families. I really enjoyed reading your post.