Unexpected Communication

 

                This week, I viewed the program Hart of Dixie with the sound off.  I am not very familiar with the show, nor do I even know the characters’ names; however, observing their communication styles was very interesting.  In the beginning of the show, one of the characters was standing with his arm around a female character and he was addressing a nearby couple.  Since, the characters were smiling and laughing I assumed that they were having a pleasant conversation.  However, when I turned the sound on I realized that he was sharing personal communication about their relationship that no one needed to know in order to make her angry so that they could have a fight.  The female character, Dr. Hart, did not follow through with his plan because she is trying not to get angry over little things.

                I think this scenario shows that we cannot fully understand the communication of another, especially if we have no way of “hearing” them.  Nonverbal communication can be completely misleading although it is more difficult to fake.  Even when we “hear” the words, we may not know the meaning or the intent in which they are said, which is why we must process incoming information carefully and if we are not certain it is okay to ask.