Consider a communication exchange you had recently. What nonverbal cues were present? What type of eye contact, body language, and facial expressions did you observe? Did you have difficulty interpreting the nonverbal cues of your communication partner(s)? Did the nonverbal cues communicate anything that was at odds with the spoken message? Explain.
Describe a situation in which you made eye contact with a stranger. Was it unpleasant or disturbing? Did the stranger's behavior communicate interest or liking? How did you react? Explain.
Greg has been told that he sometimes comes across as cold, aloof, or standoffish. What could Greg do to communicate his desire to be warm and approachable?
Consider some recent communication exchanges you had, either face to face or over the phone. How much information did you gather from your partner's vocal cues, including backchannel cues? Were you able to make inferences about your communication partner's mood and emotions just from the tone, pitch, rate, or quality of these vocal cues? Now compare these exchanges with some recent online communication you've had. Was it more difficult to make the same kinds of inferences about moods or emotions without vocal cues? Were there other ways in which emotions were communicated? Explain.
Ethics: Is it appropriate to draw definitive conclusions about another's personality and attitudes based only on a reading of his or her nonverbal cues? Support your answer.