Comment on given 2 posts.
It must be in 175 words each.
TOPIC
Visit a public space and observe two people interacting for at least 10 minutes. These must be people you DO NOT KNOW. You will need to be able to observe their body language, so if they are seated and you can't see more than half of their bodies, then find a new set of people to observe. I recommend taking notes while you're observing so you can post a thorough response.
Body language includes many, many things, such as facial expressions, eye contact, arm and hand gestures, posture, leg movements, personal space, positioning, physical appearance, artifacts (e.g., jewelry, purse, etc), touch, smell (e.g., body odor, perfume, etc), and silence.
After you observe the conversation between these two people, answer the following question: What is the nature of the relationship between these two people? What examples can you cite to demonstrate how you reached that conclusion?
Your answer can address such things as how long you think they've known each other; whether they are boss and subordinate, friends, or in a romantic relationship; whether they are getting along or annoyed at each other; if they are enjoying their time together; having a serious conversation; etc. Essentially, tell me as much as you can about what you've surmised about their relationship based solely on watching them.
• POST 1:-
My son and I enjoyed dinner at our favorite restaurant, The Moo Creamery this evening, where I finally found a couple to observe that seemed appropriate for the assignment. I had attempted to observe on a couple of other occasions this week, but kept ending up with two people who stared at their cell phones which was disappointing and didn't offer much to observe. Which is sad and another subject.
This evening, there was a couple dining near us, who were positioned perfectly and seemed to be interested in interacting with one another. They were far enough away that I could not hear what they were saying. But, I had a close enough view and a relatively full view of their bodies. The first was a gentlemen, looked to be 70ish, the second was a woman who looked about the same age.They were both dressed in what I would consider business casual attire. At first I thought perhaps they were colleagues. But, they appeared too casual and comfortable with one another to be business acquaintances.
They sat at a rather small table, looking as though they were not in a hurry to go. They were both faced away from the table, off to the side, he had his leg up with his ankle resting on his knee in a very relaxed manner. She kept moving back and forth between facing away from him and facing toward him with her feet curled up under her chair, usually when she wanted to say something. She appeared relaxed as well but not as much as he did. It was not initially clear to me what their relationship was, and I am not 100% certain I came to the correct conclusion.
But, I am pretty sure they were romantic. They appeared very comfortable with one another. It did not appear as if they were on a date and getting to know one another. They didn't have that akward stiff appearance at all. They seemed rather familiar with each other and at ease. He sat with his leg up, reading something from his phone to her, which she discussed with him, appearing interested. She got her phone out and read something to him. They both put their phones away and began to talk, which is when they faced one another at the table.
It wasn't until they faced one another that I started to get some clues as to what their relationship might be. She cocked her head to one side, a little flirtatiously, at one point as she spoke. He was lip-syncing to the music overhead. They appeared at ease about who was paying the bill, which was her. I started to think that perhaps they were married. But, I started looking for artifacts (page 129) and noticed that neither of them had on a wedding ring. Typically, someone of that generation would wear a ring if they were married.
As I continued watching them they started to prepare to leave. She began to place food from both of their plates into a foam to-go container, seeming to know what he would want from his plate without asking. He got up and walked over to her to give her a had up without saying a word. Once she started to rise, it was obvious she needed the help. He also knew this without asking. This made me think that although, they didn't appear to be new lovers, nor did they touch until he gave her his hand to leave, they had some sort of romantic relationship.
I would say that my observations and conclusions were primarily drawn from the artifacts, or lack therof, that I observed (page 129), the kinesics (page 126), which was their body language and haptics, or touch (page 128).
• Post 2:-
While scouring for two people interacting I stumble upon a woman who appears to be in her mid-thirties and a boy who looks to be about six. They're sitting outside of a restaurant eating a slice of cake and a pastry while drinking a strawberry and a chocolate milkshake. They're obviously enjoying each others company very much. The background that I got from them while observing is that for getting good reviews at the boy's parent-teacher conferences that the woman decided to treat him with a couple of his favorite things as a reward. Which would explain why he isn't in school at 12:30 on a Monday.
As I was observing I was trying to figure out whether this woman was his mother or his nanny. In a city such as this, nanny's are very common especially during the day on weekdays.
Sometimes It's very obvious whether it's a nanny or not. However, in this case, it was extremely difficult because there weren't any physical differences and as a nanny myself I often get mistaken for the mother. I started looking at the body language and the proximity. They were sitting at a table and chair set and she had moved the chair so it was closer so she could help him color while waiting for their treats. She was leaned into him and he was leaned into her which showed an obvious familiarity and comfortableness.
The responsiveness was immediacy because there was a lot of smiling and nodding. The haptic displayed wasn't much of an indication because it says in the book how women tend to touch more so that could be any woman.
However, it wasn't until the woman got a phone call and the child was trying to get her attention by yelling "mommy". That I had spent all this time trying to figure out what their relationship. It was just a mother and son having the treat to congratulate the son on getting positive reviews at a parent-teacher conference. After they had finished they had paid their billed and got up and walked away swinging hands and laughing to the nearest toy store.