Communication Skills: Language, Nonverbal, Listening

The episode of a television show I recorded was titled “Tears Again”.  Watching the show with the sound turned off, I though the characters’ relationships were king and subject based on the ways in which they were communicating as I observed a show of dangerous anger on the man that dressed like a king while the lady was just shedding tears and seemed to be begging for forgiveness.

Based on the nonverbal behavior I observed, I saw a feeling and expression of anger and hatred with annoyance on the man that dressed like a king and a feeling and expression of weakness, total surrender and hurt on the lady that I thought could be one of the king’s subject.

Now with the sound turned on, the assumption I made about the characters and plot based on the way in which I interpreted the communication I observed was that the lady was one of the king’s subjects.

I believe that my assumptions would have been more correct if I had been watching a show that I know well.

What I learned about communication from this experience is that assumption in communication could lead to misjudgment and thereby causing negative communication based on wrong impression.  I also learned that we should be slow to conclude on issues that we are not familiar with.