Disussion Post Number 2

Return to the eight principles of nonverbal communication. Pick two principles, and provide new examples of how they operate in a group or team.

One of the principles of nonverbal communication is the quality of relationships is first established by nonverbal actions. From nonverbal cues, people can tell if how we feel about certain things. If a manager asks you to do something and you just nod, he or she may think that is considered rude. I learned this the hard way on the first day at my new job. The manager was giving me an introduction, but I just nodded my head. He started getting frustrated and told me to stop doing that. I understood his message, and stopped doing that from then on. It was very disrespectful of me to nod as it did not show I was really paying attention to what he said. A part of me was nervous, so I resorted to that type of behavior. By saying “yes mam” or sir, it shows that you are focused and have the passion to do your job. Another bad former habit of mine was when I try to avoid saying “hi” to people I recognize in public places. They may think that I am inconsiderate by not greeting them politely. In fact, I am just shy whenever I see classmates in public venues. They might also think that I dislike them since I am showing a nonverbal message of avoidance.
Another principle in nonverbal communication is “our interpretations of participants’ behaviors are guided by context and power relationships (p.114).” In the three major sports of basketball, football, and baseball you often see teammates patting each other in their back sides as a symbol of support. For a business setting, it is inappropriate to do that specific action. A lot of people may believe that it is odd in a work place or even at a school. It is better to hi five, fist bump, or even offer words of encouragement to a co worker. In most work environments, people don’t like to be touched in any way. These types of nonverbal actions highly depend on the situation or setting. If it was me, I would prefer the high fives or supportive words as it shows that someone is really there for you.