Communication

     I had a fifteen minute conversation with my boyfriend over the weekend where I could not and did not use any form of talking, including writing. I found this experiment challenging because hand gestures and facial expressions alone were not enough to get my point across. I noticed that, unless what I was trying to communicate was obvious such as pointing at an object to indicate I want it, it was very hard for my partner to understand me. We were making food and not talking made it really difficult because I could not ask any questions so it was a rough experience. My partner kept telling me to elaborate because he could not understand me, and was talking to me differently by trying to guess what I was saying after I would point to something, it did not seem like a real conversation. After a few minutes I got a better handle on communicating this way but the conversation still seemed awkward because I could not respond with words. 

     If we represented two different cultures meeting for the first time, I think that I would have the advantage in communicating complex ideas only because gestures made like hand gestures are more universally understood and even if my partner could speak his language perfectly, I would never be able to understand him if I did not know that language or even how to talk. I feel like the speaking culture would have an inferior attitude towards the non-speaking because they would look down upon the fact that they do not know any language or speech, it would be viewed as a primitive trait. In our culture today, most people diagnosed with Autism have trouble speaking and communicating thoughts therefore it is hard for them to be understood without any type of aid. This affects someone who speaks to an Autism patient because there can be a communication barrier and a lack of understanding.

     When I experimented with having a conversation where all I could use was my voice and no physical gestures, it was difficult for me to keep up with it. I could only go a minute or two without using a hand gesture each time I tried this experiment. The longest I was able to go was five or so minutes, it was surprisingly hard for me. The most difficult part was certainly hand gestures because, and I did not realize until this experiment, I use my hands a lot while I talk. I would catch myself using my hands and forgetting I was not supposed to. It was slightly hard to focus on the conversation because I was so focused on not using my hands. My partner did not seem very affected by my lack of gestures because he understood what I was saying without it. Since I could articulate my thoughts, he could understand them just fine. 

     Our use of "signs" in language is an important and underrated staple of our communication. We base a lot of information on how a person holds their body or the way they move their hands and face while they talk. If everyone talked with no emotion on their face or in their voice, it would be hard to interpret most things. Non-speech language techniques are like a way of validating what we are saying, it can help a lot with people understanding what someone is saying. I am sure there are people with trouble reading body language because they are not good at realizing how to interpret it. Body language can be a great indicator of how someone is feeling. For example, there are psychologists that can determine how a girl feels about a boy just by the way she sits or stands when she is talking to him. If someone is lying, they give off a certain body language perhaps by crossing their arms, avoiding eye contact, or covering their mouth. If you are lying to someone you would hope they would not see these signs your body gives off. Body language helps when assessing someone and is a very useful thing to be able to detect.