Can You Fake It Til You Become It? Blog 1, Due Tues Feb 5th
Watch the Following TED Video on the Power of Nonverbals
This weekend, purposely change your nonverbals for 2 minutes (positively or negatively) as demonstrated in the above video and blog about the results.
I've found that the way I act definitely has a pretty significant effect on the way I feel on a daily basis, especially at work. I work at Freebirds, a burrito place, and I talk to a lot of people every day, and it's part of our job to smile and chat with people. Some days I just really don't feel like going to work, or I'm tired and having a bad day, but if I make a conscious effort to smile at people when I get to work, and be generally cheerful, it actually makes me feel a lot better. It can definitely work the opposite way as well... If I feel bad, and decide I'm going to have a bad day at work and do nothing about it, it really is going to be a bad day.
ReplyDeleteNon verbal communication is interesting because you may be having a really bad day but by smiling someone else may not be able to catch on to that. Posture however definitely shows how you're feeling. Especially for myself if I'm having a great day I find myself having a good posture than when I'm having a bad day I may hunch down a little. I do that because I feel like hiding from the world and just being left alone. But if I'm around good people who show me they care and smile at me it does shift my mood and I feel better. A smile may change anyone's day so I think non verbal communication is very important.
ReplyDeleteNonverbal communication is a huge part of everything we do each day. Most of the time, just by looking at someone you can tell what kind of day they're having. I work in a tanning salon and there are times when some of our regular customers come in who are typically happy and talkitave are quiet more than they normally are, or they even walk in a different way. Sometimes it just takes talking to people and asking them about what's wrong to make them feel better and make them go back to themselves. The video made me realize how I tend to be the one to curl myself up, and I don't even realize I do it. When I do that either at work or in class, I'm not as confident so I'll either be more quiet or I won't end up selling very much at work. To most people, small things such as asking about their day and seeming happy or excited to see them makes a huge difference in their day.
ReplyDeleteNonverbal communication is something that we, as humans, do everyday without always realizing it is being done. Working at a restaurant and having my regulars I can not go a day not smiling or being stressed without one of them seeing the way I am feeling and asking what's wrong. So, whenever I go to work I try to always be happy and enjoy myself to help give the customers a better experience and give myself positive energies throughout the workday. The video re-showed myself that I am not one to share my feelings well, and when some one asks me what is wrong, I tend to say nothing and keep minding my own business. When I am asked to speak in class, I tend to try and joke because being serious isn't something I like being, so I just tend to be that awkward, sort of funny kid. It helps me through pressure and eyes staring and it is better then imagining people in their underwear.
ReplyDeleteNonverbal communication is something that we do every second of everyday. I work in retail, and most of the time I can see the frustration with my co-workers by their body language and faces they make. The customers we get most of the time are very rude and demanding so we just have to learn to put up with it, because our motto is "Always make the Customer happy". By that it is very easy to get mad and give other customers attitude without knowing it.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I do feel myself getting mad I notice I don't work as hard, or keep up with cleaning my section. On Saturday when I went into work I decided I was going to smile and say hello to everyone no matter how rude they were. As I did my little experiment I notice that it mad everything much easier. The customers saw me smiling and enjoying my job so they were being nice to me. It seems like my nonverbal communication filled everyone with positive energy. It made my job easier to work with happy customers and I am sure made my co-workers happy too. At the end of the day I felt good about my day at work and fr the first time ever, not miserable.
Nonverbal communication is the biggest way we are able to communicate to everyone we see. I used to live in Germany and before I knew the language I had to use nonverbal communication to help get my point across with things like hand gestures and smiles and frowns. Nonverbal communication is the only language that everyone knows. We communicate with everyone we look at and everyone that looks at us, even though we might not be saying anything we are getting some message from everyone. Nonverbal communication is important because it helps give us clues as to how people around us feel.
ReplyDeleteI think nonverbal communication does effect the self. For example if someone has to give a speech and before that speech the whole time they're telling themselves they can't do it because they didn't do enough research for it or can't do it because they don't like getting in front of people and talking and present with a low voice and standing with bad posture then it'll show they weren't prepared. But if that same person tells themselves that they can do it even though they might not have done their research, stands tall, speaks with a good voice, and act like they know what they're talking about, then it'll perceive the audience that they knew what they were talking about and will do an overall better performance.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you want to communicate to those around you?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you wan them to think of you?
Nonverbal communications are very important. As many of the students are preparing themselves for a professional environment, they must realize that ones perception is one reality. Would you like to be remembered as the person who brought down the team moral or who came into the meeting and change mood/focus of the team?
People want to be around positive, confident people and this could make the difference between a promotion for you and not your
co-worker. So, smile and stand up straight-it will make a difference!
Nonverbal communication not only affects the self but how others view you. I tend to not smile a lot and have a serious facial expression most of the time which people take as being mad. Usually I am not mad even if I look that way. When someone brings up that I look mad I try to make an effort to smile more and it does seem to make me feel happier and more inviting. I also think that you tend to change your attitude or how you feel when someone expresses themselves to you through nonverbal communication. For example if someone sitting in class gives you a harsh look then you tend to become self conscious and think there is something wrong with you.
ReplyDeleteNonverbal communication definitely is a huge part of our lives even if some of us don't even realize it.I do believe It does affect us on how we are feeling about ourselves at that moment. I know for sure it affects the way I feel. I work for a catering company and when we are serving the guests their plates we must always have a huge smile and stand straight.I on the other hand am a bit gloomy and very shy(I'm at times always hunched over or my arms are crossed),but once I get to work and start smiling at all the guest I realize that just by smiling I feel a bit happier and better about myself.Even standing without the hunch I feel more powerful and joyful. Nonverbal communication is a very important essential in our everyday lives.
ReplyDeletePutting a conscious effort toward changing body language can certainly yield results. I work in central checkout at HEB and I am basically one of the managers (a CCS for those familiar with HEB). There are always a lot of employees to keep track of and customers to keep happy. I have found that if I stand, walk, and smile with confidence, even if I do not feel that way, I will do a much better job. Everyone wants a leader who is confident in what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteI found a very interesting outcome while doing this experiment. I had heard before of various ways to change the way you feel just by adjusting your nonverbals, but I also learned how much it can change the way people around you change their nonverbals. I have always been a fan of smiling when I was actually sad or disappointed because it would actually make me feel better. Now, when I had to actually adjust my whole body stance, I saw that you really could influence others to do the same. I tried making this adjustment while I was having breakfast with my boyfriend. My boyfriend is a pretty outgoing, confident person, and I noticed that he often sits and stands in the the more powerful stances. In the middle of breakfast I straightened out my back, put my feet in a wide stance and placed my hands a little further apart on the table. The reaction didn't take long, my boyfriend started to sit in a more submissive pose putting his elbows on the table closer together and I took note that he actually closed the distance between his feet. I was surprised that this happened, but I realized that the video we watched was on spot about the way people react by complimenting each others' stances.
ReplyDeleteNonverbals obviously play a huge role in the way that we as humans are perceived by others. Positive nonverbals can coincide with a generally satisfactory mood, while inversely negative nonverbals can indicate the opposite: a bleak state of mind; more prone to emotional turmoil. While trying to change my nonverbals I noticed that the more I changed them the less I became aware of switching from my previous nonverbals and the more my body became accepting of the positive ones. It became to seem more natural and less of an implied "choice" from my body, so to speak. It seems that this conscious elevation of nonverbals provided a very beneficial effect to me. By adjusting my posture and sitting more upright, I felt more comfortable and confident with my posture and this attitude translated to a better sense of self throughout my overall state of mind. By walking more upright as opposed to slouched and looking straight ahead as opposed to looking down my attitude was again elevated and I felt a more confident sense of self. I am going to try and keep doing these positive nonverbals in hopes that it will help me become a more composed and confident individual.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my interactions with other people in my life, I always tend to notice everybody's non-verbals. I usually base my first impressions on people based on the non-verbals unless they are really good at "faking it" so I understand the importance of non-verbals. When I came across the high and low power poses I find myself doing a slightly more high power poses with some low power. I tend to do more low power poses when sitting and high power ones while standing. People always can tell how I am feeling based on how I'm acting. I guess I project that pretty well without even being conscious of it. I tried to stand more upright and try to smile more and it did actually elevate my feelings about myself. I'm definitely going to try and do these things more because I am definitely a shy and quiet person.
ReplyDeleteNon verbal communication can go along way. You can usually tell howa person feels by a persons non verbal comunication. But a person can also trick by faking a smile its can confusse people when someones trying to read you. I did this little experiment and it made me see that my non verbal communication can also change theimpact on others non verbal communication. This little exexperiment made me really observe people!
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ReplyDeleteThe concept of changing your nonverbal communication in order to change the way you feel about yourself strikes me as being similar to the notion of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Changing your nonverbal communication in a positive way simply allows for more positive changes to occur in your life. This weekend, instead of going into work bummed out that I couldn’t just relax at home catching up on Parks & Rec, I took the challenge to “fake it”. I completely changed my nonverbal communication and told myself that there was nowhere in the world I would rather be than at work. I went into work eager and tried to treat every guest like a long lost friend. At first, my constant, forced cheerfulness seemed like more of a job than anything that I was actually required to do at work. Luckily though it didn’t take long for my positive changes to feel more natural. Before I knew it, my shift was over and I don’t think I’ve ever had a better night at work.
Nonverbal communication is a huge part of our day to day life. We do not even realizing that we are doing the things that we do. There is a lot you can tell about a person by what they wear, how the act, and even their facial expressions. I changed my nonverbal communication to try to make it more positive. I found that if i went in with a better attitude and that I try to make the best of things, I have a better day. If we change the little things that go unnotice because we are so used to it, maybe our days and lives will seem easier and more simple than we think.
ReplyDeleteNonverbal communications can totally change the way we view ourselves. Over time I’ve learned to fake it but I’m not sure if I can ever make it because I have a bad habit of being standoffish when it comes to talking to people, especially classmates. I always walk into class looking at the ground, sit with cross arms and legs, and never really facing my group members. That’s when I find myself more vulnerable which causes my self-confidence to lower. But I am slowly learning to change that because over winter break I worked as wait staff for Luby’s. It was my first ever job and it forced me to break out of my shell and talk to complete strangers. Some were nice; most were rude like any other food place. As a server we are in constant contact with the costumer throughout their dining experience so it required me to always have a relaxed exterior and a nice welcoming smile on my face even when we are doing three different jobs, with a full restaurant where there is more people coming in than leaving for $2.50 an hour. It gets pretty stressful but you must never let that show because the more comfortable a person feels while you are getting them whatever they need, the more money they are willing to give you. Getting tips was the positive reassurance I need I because with that reassurance I gained better confidence and my body language became more relaxed and opened instead of closed off. With that change in my posture I made more tips. I think it had that effect on my confidence because getting tips meant I wasn’t screwing everything up. Working there was an experience but I became more comfortable talking to people and more aware of what my body language is telling everybody around me.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video I looked back to my early freshman years in high school where I changed from being a shy, quiet person to the loud and confident person I am today. The reason it made me remember my high school years was because I started to change first my posture and gestures among new people. To this day I am still quiet the first few times I meet someone whether its at school or at work. But because of how I started changing my posture around people it takes me less time to fully communicate with others. Before I could spend months seeing the same person in the same classroom and still have the same awkward "hello" and never continue a conversation. Now due to many years of changing I can talk a lot more, probably more than I should. I believe nonverbal communication is what reflects a person's true attitude towards their life and goals and that is why I work on my body language more to present myself to others with confidence.
ReplyDeleteI believe non verbal communication can definitely affect how you feel about yourself. You could turn a bad day into a good one by smiling, being friendly, maybe even talkative. Acting more positive can make you feel better or brighten up your day and even other people around you. When working no matter how bad my day has been I smile because my customers deserve to see a happy me. I always greet them and tell them to have a nice day when they leave. A lot of the times I get compliments on how happy and nice I am they tell me to never change and it makes me feel so much better because no matter how stressed I am I don't ever let it get to me. Staying positive lifts others up. Ive worked with people who are very negative and when I hear them complain about everything it really irritates me and just brings me down, of coarse I fight the urge to do the same but it just goes to show how your attitude affects everyone around you. You can tell so much about someone by their facial expressions, how their body language is, it could be inviting or stand off-ish.
ReplyDeleteNon verbal communication is a big part, if not the biggest way we as people express and live with on a day to day routine. People can tell other peoples non verbal communication just by studying and observing their facial expressions, gestures, and even postures and realizing the type of mood they are in. When I'm at home, my parents or even friends can tell how I'm feeling or if something is wrong. Being very quiet, the way i just look off into space, and not doing anything physical immediately puts myself into depressed emotion. Even when at work (retail) I could tell just by looking at the customers non verbal communication and could point out if they were happy, mad or frustrated, or even tired. Just by being outgoing and friendly with another being, can really change their attitude. As simple as asking how their day is going so far. Non verbal communication is very important and plays a huge role in our society because we as people can notice others how they are feeling and also how their day is going.
ReplyDeleteI am a definite believer in the power of nonverbal communication and its effect on our daily lives. I have been told that I am a person who wears my heart on my sleeve. I am very physically expressive and what I am feeling shows very apparently not only in my facial expression but also in my body language. That being said, I tried the suggested power posing in the video. I really honestly can't tell you if the results were positive or not. I can't read peoples minds but I can guess based on their body language towards me. What I found was that people were willing to let me take lead and drive. What they were thinking about me on a social level vs. academic vs. professional level is something altogether different. I have no idea if they thought I was a control freak or what. I do know that when I make it a point to smile , sit or stand up strait I feel more at ease with myself. I feel that by physically redirecting myself my mind does tend to follow, making me more laid back and less likely to be stress reactive.
ReplyDeletei personally think that non verbal communication is a huge part of my life, because ive learned to always be in a great mood around people and never let peoples attitudes bring me down. most of the time when you see a person and if you smile at them, it can change their whole attitude for that day. A smile can rub off on people, which ultimately can change their mindset. Some individuals naturally just have a quiet personality but that does not necessarily mean that they are sad or mad. nonverbal communication is huge in our everyday lives
ReplyDeleteLooking back, nonverbal communication helped shaped me who am today. The first two years of high school, I would be the student that looked like a curled up ball, head always in a book. Over the summer before junior year, my posture looked like I was more confident about myself, which helped me make more friends over the next 2 years of my high school career. So in a way, nonverbal communication can help see what kind of a person people can be.
ReplyDeleteI believe non verbal communication can make us feel better or worse about ourselves. It changes the way people see you and how they act towards you, and just that alone can change the way you feel about yourself. If someone see's you with excellent posture, great eye contact then maybe makes an uplifting comment to you, you will feel better than maybe before or it could be opposite and someone tells you something negative, it could ruin your day and make you less confident. So yes, i think it does play a great role in ourselves and how we feel.
ReplyDeleteThe way we feel about ourselves is generated by our own self esteem which is largely built off of what other people think of us and how they respond to us. First impressions can make or break future relationships, business deals, and job interviews. As nonverbal communication represents 2/3 of all communication, nonverbal has a key role in how people first view us. We're in a world where we are always being judged just by our appearance. People make snap decisions about who someone is simply by an expression on their face or a way someone a major or minor motor function. Therefore our nonverbal communication towards others can reflect positive or negative responses back towards ourselves, in turn affecting the way we feel about ourselves.
ReplyDeleteNon verbal communication is worldwide, a simple glance or even raising if the eyebrow can send a message, even in a regular everyday interaction. In the same way, the way we view ourselves effects how we see people through non verbal communication. All of us at one point or another, are going to feel a cretin feeling or emotion that can effect our view to other people when simple non verbal gesture or facial expression.
ReplyDeletenon verbal communication can tell you how a persons day has been going just by looking at them. in my experiment i decided to show up to work slouching around with a frown on my face to see if anyone would notice. it only took about two minutes before anyone said anything. it surprised me how quick someone noticed; it showed me how not saying one word to anyone, but a simple gesture can show someone that your having a bad day or not.
ReplyDeleteI do think non verbal communication affects how we feel about ourselves. I know when I'm having a bad day I guess I give it away. My dad will ask me "Are you ok son? Why do you look like your upset?" It's not intentional, its just that way. When I'm in public I can "Fake it until I make it". I know that just because I am upset or not having a good day that it shouldnt effect others.
ReplyDeleteNon verbal communication has really opened my eyes about how other peoples body motions change. I know when I feel really good and strong I definitely show some of the body poses shown in the video. It really has taught me even more on how our bodies act and respond to certain things in our lives.
ReplyDeletehi
ReplyDeletePeople think the only way to communicate sometimes is by verbal communication. Even though we think this is the most common form of communication, non verbal communication speaks i believe a lot more to others than when we just use our words. The act of just smiling can easily brighten someones day, i didn't believe it until i tried the two minute experiment and i started to smile to every person i saw; some people of course just think your crazy wierd but others really appreciated it and even returned a smile. In the process of making the other feel better my mood instantly lifted and so did my posture and everything else kind of followed. I hadn't even spoken to the people walking by i used a very simply non verbal way of communicating and it spoke much more than words would have.
ReplyDeleteI watched this video and realized that I already try to practice having stronger non verbals in a lot of things I do, I don't have very good self esteem but I do find that when I make myself have stronger non verbals I do eventually feel stronger.
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe that nonverbal communication is very affective in our everyday life. If I wake up very energetic and happy in the morning for the most part I will stay that way. I’ll stay happy and positive throughout the whole day. But, if I wake up tired and very down my day is going to basically suck. I’ll be very sleepy and not wanting to do anything for the rest of the day and I may give other people negative thoughts about myself. I’ve realized that nonverbal communication is a BIG way to communicate and another way to show the way you feel, whether it’s positive or negative.
ReplyDeleteI think that nonverbal communication plays a big role in my everyday life. If i wake up in a good mood i go on throughout the day in a pretty good mood unless for instance i have work and someone makes me be a bad mood. Usually if i wake up early knowing i have to go to work that day i wake up cranky and sluggish because i know im going to have to deal with customers all day and have to be all smiles to everyone. Ive realized that your apperance or non verbal communication is a big way to show people around you the way you are feeling that day whether it be good or bad.
ReplyDeleteNonverbal communication helps us understand what is truly going in a conversation, what the other person is truly feeling behind the spoken and written language. Even though many countries are separated by language barriers we can understand each other by simply smiling at one another, our facial expressions carry visual meanings that can be interpreted in numerous ways. When you eliminate nonverbal communication from the picture you neglect the other person by ignoring what they are saying or being unresponsive to their emotions. You cannot talk to someone who is not paying attention to you otherwise you are ignoring the inevitable. But you can perceive how someone is truly feeling by looking at them, our bodies natural way of reacting to certain things and delivering a source of hidden emotions that can be seen through the nonverbal. Communicating isn't just speaking or texting.
ReplyDeletenonverbal communication is a huge part of not only how other people see us but also how we feel about ourselves. In psychology i just learned that not only does your mood effect your behavior but also your behavior effects your mood. i just think its cool that even when you feel mad or frustrated sometimes all you have to do is literally just put a smile on your face and you will start feeling happy again.
ReplyDeleteThe science behind this idea seems legitimate and solid. I instinctively close in physically whenever I'm feeling down, but am open and in strong stances when I feel badass. My own experience with my outward appearance has changed much over the years and I realize that I see this nonverbal effect at work with my co-workers and bosses, at home with my brothers, and even at school with other students. Forcing myself to appear in a powerful stance does change my perception and does make me feel more optimistic. It's not a magic button that produces self confidence, however the effort in and of itself could get you in a better mood. That paired with the testosterone changes it creates could help out with countless stress-filled scenarios making it a useful life tool.
ReplyDeleteCommunication is probably the most important part of our lives, when need to receive new information in order to keep living. non verbal communication is probably even more important than actual verbal communication due to the fact that non verbal affects you personal perception about yourself, and the way you feel about yourself is what reflects on how you interact with others. If you feel that you are powerful and strong, then you are more positive towards things, and are more likely to succeed. your non verbal communication can also have a huge impact on others, even though some might feel weaker than you, some might actually see the way you act strong, and then they eventually start acting like you.
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