Just 2
weeks ago, I decided to visit my grandmother to give her a pleasant surprise.
Before I went to her apartment, I was unsure of what to expect. The main reason
was because of the language differences. I am aware of my own weakness when it
comes to dialects. And just like most elderly in Singapore, my grandmother is
unable to converse in English or even Mandarin. Thus, our
conversations were mostly filled with non-verbal behaviour. I tried
my best to nod at every few sentences that she was rattling, and we made
sufficient eye contact to gain acknowledge of the other party’s attention. At
the end of the day, I went home with a satisfied heart, not because of what was
said, but rather, what was felt.
This is a
personal example of how communication can take place even when there is a
language barrier. Many of us take it for granted that language competence plays
a major role in effective communication, especially in Singapore where
education has taught us to be critical and perhaps, unforgiving to those who
may not be capable enough to reach a particular standard. Unfortunately, the
use of bombastic vocabulary may not always be the best choice, as not everyone has the ability to communicate well with words.
That
aside, body language may sometimes serve as a more competent form of
communication. More often than not, non-verbal cues such as a pat in the back
or simple smile reveals a lot about the communicator's intentions, whether he
or she is putting on a false front or being sincere. Words have the ability to
manipulate genuine emotions, but it is not the case for non-verbal behaviour.
Whether we realise it or not, non-verbal cues do give our true intentions
away.
Despite
being a platform that encourages genuine emotions, non-verbal communication can
be misleading at times too. Misinterpretations do occur from time to time as
well, when the parties involved have contrasting definitions of a particular
action. Thus we should learn to pay attention to the other party’s cues and watch
out for inconsistencies between his speech and body behaviour. More importantly,
trust our own instincts.
Group 3A
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more! most of us would be familiar with the phrase 'a picture says a thousand words'. as such, our bodies become the picture with all our nonverbal cues and such. years ago I was classmates with someone who spoke mainly with her body. she was a veritable stone wall when it came to words! monosyballic answers etc etc. whenever she agreed with something she would nod, if you intruded her personal space she would back off or glower.. words for her were precious and hence, few. but the emotion she could express with her body was undeniable. from being friends with her, I learnt to read nonverbal cues, especially the unconscious ones. so yes, as cliche as it is, I agree very much that monverbal communication plays a major role in our day to day communications, definitely more so than verbal communication. it is something that each of us needs to take more seriously and learn to interpret for it can be far more truthful
than the spoken word.
I agree with the points you raised in your article. :) As someone who also shares a close bond with her grandmother, I definitely get where you are coming from. I visit my grandmother every weekend, and even though my ability to speak in Mandarin or my dialect is rather limited, I feel that I'm still able to communicate well with her. Like what you have mentioned, the spoken language is only one aspect of communication. If the other party is willing to open up to you and vice versa, you will find that even a simple non-verbal gesture such as a smile or a nod will go a long way in conveying what either of you are trying to say, more than words would.
ReplyDeleteI think the importance of non-verbals this is very relevant in our society, which can be said to be rather high-context. We tend to emphasise on brevity in the way we communicate. For example, as Group 1 had pointed out in one of their blog posts, Singaporeans tend to "cut to the chase" when they speak. In one of the examples given, while a Westerner might say, "Excuse me, I would like to get by. Would you please make way?" in trying to get someone to make way for one, a Singaporean might simply say "excuse me". If we just look at the words themselves, it might seem rather rude, but often, the "excuse me" is accompanied with an apologetic smile or a friendly look. As such, it can be seen that non-verbals are very important in communication. Also, back to the topic of language barriers, the phenomenon of the ageing population means that a multi-generational society is becoming increasingly common. I think it is important that we know how to employ the use of non-verbals in enhancing communication between generations, rather than create barriers between generations just because of differences in the language spoken.
- Eunice, COM 101 Group A
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ReplyDeletetesting!
ReplyDeleteI feel more fortunate than you, as I was generally able to converse with my grandparents in dialect when they were still alive. I cannot speak my dialect Hokkien well, but at least, I was able to make simple conversations with them.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, there are times when I am loss for words while trying to make certain expressions. That is when the non-verbal communication becomes important.However, I must agree with you that non-verbal communication may bring about misunderstandings too! There are times when you just cannot find an appropriate action or motion to explain yourself clearly. Language barriers are inevitable, it's how we put an effort to overcome that barrier in various ways that makes a difference! :)
I have to agree with what your points above. Communicating in dialects is indeed hard and tough. I was raised up by my grandmother when I was young, so I picked up the cantonese dialect quickly. However, after I grew up away from her, I slowly forgot the dialects and thus, had problems trying to communicate with her. I threw in broken cantonese, chinese and even some english words as fillers, hoping to be able to bring my message across. Although I tried using non verbal communications to bring my point across, it wasn't always that effective and miscommunication did surface. I thought that I had enough, and decided to brush up on my cantonese. I started watching hong kong dramas to boost my poor cantonese. And slowly, the language was refreshed in my head.
ReplyDeleteAlthough non verbal communication is important when we find ourselves stuck in a situation where we do not understand the opposite party, personally i feel that it might not be that effective and trusting our instincts might not always be accurate. So if needed, I believe that trying to master our dialect may just be the best solution for effective communication.
And I believe that our grandparents would enjoy an engaging conversations with us, rather than having a hard time trying to interpret our non verbal expressions.