Deciphering Non-verbal Communication

For this assignment, again consider what you have been learning about communication skills and styles. Then record an episode of a television show you do not normally watch. Watch the show with the sound turned off.

For the purpose of this assignment I watched an episode of “Criminal Minds” which I had never watched before. The show seems to deal with pretty dark themes associated with criminal activity and for that reason I have never been interested in watching it. It is pretty graphic and I scare easily.

What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

From the information I received watching the show on mute, there are a number of people working together to solve crimes, all of which have different roles or specializations. One of the male characters seemed to be in charge of the case and of all of the professionals/ police officers. The characters are all at work at police headquarters and therefore are acting very serious within their roles.

What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

The characters are doing little to no smiling, laughing etc. because the tone of the show seems to be serious. A girl’s body was found murdered and the police have chased evidence and have brought in two suspects for questioning. A girl is interrogated first and she is shown photos and therefore begins crying. I am not sure what her relationship is to the victim just from watching her reactions without sound. She looks nervous and upset while the police officer doing the interrogation seems hard and emotionless.

Now, watch the show with the sound turned on.

What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?

As I have never watched this show before I not only had to attempt to decipher the character’s roles but also the content about the overall plot. I used their body language to decide who was in charge, even after turning on the sound I am not sure who was because there seemed to be two men with different roles who are in charge of the other police officers and investigators. I believed that one man was a psychological profiler because he wasn’t dressed the like other officers. When looking at the two people brought in for questioning without any sound it was very difficult to judge their relationships to the victim. With the sound on I found out that the female suspect was actually the girlfriend of the accused rapist and had no knowledge of the victim. With her reaction to the photos of the victim, I thought she was her sister or friend but her reaction was to the accused and not the victim.

Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?

I think my assumptions would have definitely been more correct had I known the tone of the show as well as the roles of the characters. I would know and understand the way that the show normally plays out and would understand their typical characteristics.

Write about your experience in your blog, including what you learned about communication from this experience and insights or "aha" moments you believe would be helpful to your colleagues.

I found it extremely frustrating to watch a show without any sound. I was struggling to decide who was who and what was going on the entire time. I made some accurate assumptions but also was missing a lot of key information that I would have otherwise been aware of had I watched the entire episode with sound. Furthermore, this type of show often uses music as a way to convey information, emotion and intrigue. By watching this show without sound I was also missing this important aspect of communication between writer and viewer as well. I think that the type of show one watches can definitely change this type of task as well.