For
this assignment I tuned in with my nieces and we watched a show called,
“Toddlers & Tiaras.” The experience was very entertaining because I have
always heard of this program; however, I never took time to watch the episodes.
Nevertheless, after watching a piece of the segment, I attempted to figure out
the family’s relationships based on their nonverbal communication. I suddenly
realized that the little girls communicated with their parents and pageant
coaches by throwing tantrums and/or fits. I observed a lot of facial expressions
that insinuated that the girls were at times unhappy and irritated. I noticed
one girl who stormed out the room with her hands folded, and with her lips
pooched out due to being upset about a situation. It appeared that no matter
how out of line the children were; the parents obeyed their little girl’s
demands, and allowed for them to react in negative ways when things did not go
the way they anticipated. The parents demonstrated praise and excitement for
their little girls by presenting; smiles, hugs, high fives, cheering, etc when
their child did a great job and their body language displayed feelings of
defeat when their child did not perform to their best potential.
Now,
I watched the same scene with the sound turned on and concluded that my
observation was accurate. One family seemed as though their relationship with
their little girl was based on doing what she wanted and to give in to her
wants. Another family allowed their child to misbehave when things did not go
her way. When the little girls became upset with how things were going
throughout the pageant; consequently, it lead to yelling, temper tantrums,
rage, and frustration. One little girl demonstrated a sudden burst of anger,
and pointed her finger firmly; with her face frowned ordering the camera crew
to “get out of my face.”
The
assumptions that I made about the show would have most likely been the same had
I watched a show that I knew well. The nonverbal communication displayed in the
show appeared evident that the children experienced feelings of being upset and
uncomfortable in certain instances. I was aware that something went wrong;
however, during my observation I was unable to decipher what occurred
specifically.
I
have learned that communication involves more than two or more people
conversing back and forth. We have to be conscious of a person’s nonverbal
communication and to be willing to listen and/or observe behaviors of others.
Communication can have ample meanings and may supply different explanations as
well. We have to be able to communicate in numerous ways in order to be
effective and competent while working with others.
I have watched that show a few times and the way that the children and parents communicate is unbelievable. From their nonverbal commands, it is apparent that the little girls are unhappy and of course they also voice this unhappiness by screaming and having fits. The parents need to get a clue about communication with their children.
ReplyDeleteHello Sha-Kevia,
ReplyDeleteClearly, those toddlers have learned the best way to manipulate their parents since it is more economical to throw a tantrum than explaining what they need. Those toddlers have also mastered the “nonverbal messages called paralanguage” such as pitch, ton, and volume which help sway their parents in their favor (O’Hair, & Wiemann, 2012). What I find interesting and appalling is that anger is the means by which they find the correct body language by which to influence their parents. No need to actually experience anger once the body language is readily available.
Reference
O'- Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Sha-Kevia,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great choice for a television show. I have watched it on occasion, and it has been fairly easy to tell what's going on based on the non-verbal communication. If I had been watching it for the first time without sound, I probably would have assumed that some of the girls were hurt based on the crying and emotions they were displaying. While non-verbal communication is important, a show like Toddlers & Tiaras is a good example of the importance of verbal communication, as it gives a context for why someone is displaying those emotions.
Sha-Kevia, I've tried a few times to get into this particular show but never get through even half of an episode. THat's probably why, children throwing temper tantrums and parents condoning it. However it is interesting to see how you are able to relate certain emotions to behaviors. THanks for the detailed write-up it was interesting to see an episode through your eyes.
ReplyDelete