Part I

Trying to stay engaged in a conversation where you are not allowed to speak Write or talk is difficult, however it was made easier by the ability to still show interest in a conversation with my body language. I wouldn’t say that the friend I was engaging with was very put off by what I was doing; rather she was very impressed that I was able to appear to be listening to her ramble off a story without my usual interruptions. I simply smiled when I was in agreement, made confused face when I felt I needed more explanation, gave looks of disapproval when I didn’t agree and made facial expressions of surprise to show intrigue. Surprisingly the conversation was manageable and lasted through the fifteen minutes and beyond.

If we were two different cultures meeting for the first time the speaking group has the advantage in communicating complex ideas because they can use words and gestures. The speaking culture in its attempt to convey a message might feel that the others do not necessarily understand, or rather understand to the degree and complexity in which they would like. The speaking group may find the others to be inferior to themselves, and a bit on the fundamental side. I would make an argument that the speaking group would not really bother in the attempt to communicate much further, rather would attempt to teach or give up entirely.

I do find it truly fascinating that when one feels another doesn’t understand we begin to start breaking up our language and substitute allot more gesturing and body language; somehow we might also feel the need to raise out voice as if the understanding would be better louder and dummied  down. Those that might have trouble communicating in our culture would be those that are of other cultures that have not learned the language to it fullest extent. This affects they way that they are or are not dealt with in our culture; I know that when I have customers come into my store and they do not speak English that I tend to ignore them until they make an exaggerated effort to explain themselves. This is not typical as my store operates on an excessive amount of communication and customer service. This affects my overall effort and demeanor toward that individual, and despite my best attempt to stray from avoidance I cannot as I do this naturally.

 Part II

During this limitation I was able to last the full fifteen minutes, although I think this is because I had a willing participant and a few different attempts. This experiment was difficult in that I never realized just how expressive my face is. There was many times that my partner had to stop me in the beginning and tell me that I was raising an eyebrow or gesturing with my hands. I generally am a pretty talkative person and I tend to communicate and gesture allot with mu hands as well, standing there stiff as a board was challenging. Those that participated in this experiment did not seem to enjoy talking to me and we found it difficult to continue on a conversation. I cant really place into words the effect that limiting language to just the spoken word has. It doesn’t seem to allow for the human element, whatever that may be, to engage well and captivate the others in the group.

I would have to say that based on this experiment, “sign” language is probably more fundamental that verbal or written. It is almost impossible to verbally explain how sad or happy you are in a conversation without bodily gestures or “signs”. And when the verbal word cannot be found for something, there is nothing else to gravitate to; when someone doesn’t understand you in conversation you can show them examples in other ways to convey the message. Removing this is devastating to communication.

The adaptive benefit to possessing the ability to read body language is evident, you can better communicate. In addition you have more potential to attract others in a group setting or mate if you act similarly in your gestures of emotions. In addition, the ability to read body language of others is extremely important in safety; knowing when to avoid an individual that is just not fitting in or feeling right to you can save your life. The best environment to give example of this is if you were in a strange neighborhood and someone was across the street, if they are displaying aggression you know to run the other way. If the person across the street is displaying concern you might be able to receive help or get a better understanding of where you are and what to expect. The ability to communicate is vital to our existence, but one must never underestimate the power of body language as it is fundamental to all animal life.