Friday, November 7, 2014

Communication on TV

The show I observed for this blog was Modern Family.

With the sound off, I was able to observe how the characters interact with each other. I learned that there were three families on the show. The first family had a couple of kids. They appeared to be happy but had the usual family type of conflicts. They used hand gestures and touched each other during conversations. The father in the family had to go to the hospital, and they showed some level of concern through their facial expressions. The second family was a same sex couple with a small daughter. Their relationship appeared more conflicted. I observed one of the husbands giving the other a stern look during several conversations while the second husband had an awkward smile.  One of the men used facial expressions and hand gestures to express unhappiness. The third couple was an older man and a younger woman. They opened their introduction by getting an ultrasound. They looked happy but she appeared upset when trying to get dressed. She was outside with a young child and upset about her clothes. Her facial expression and gestures were upset to show her discontent. At the end, she walked into the house with bags and smile on her face.

With the sound on, I found Modern Family very entertaining. The same sex couple was indeed in the middle of a conflict of one of the men being a stay-at-home dad. The stay-at-home dad appeared to be unhappy and not challenged in his role. You could see by his gestures and expressions that he was uncomfortable. The first family did have many of the same conflicts as regular families. The husband was in the hospital for a medical procedure, and this is what why the family showed concern during the show. The third family was indeed having a baby. The mom was upset because her clothes were not fitting correctly. She ended up getting new clothes so she was happy. My assumptions about what was happening during the show were on target. The actors did a great job expressing themselves through nonverbal communication by using gestures and facial expressions. With the sound on, the show was enhanced by the acting and words they used.

If I were watching a show I was familiar with, I would have easily understood the dynamics of the characters with the sound off. Watching a familiar show allows you to become familiar with the characters and the history of their story lines. I could have understood the conflicts each of the family faced and not made assumptions about what was going on. I assumed the same sex couple had the greatest conflicts, and I believed some of the looks given were awkward or left me with an uneasy feeling about the couple.


3 comments:

  1. Hello,
    I have watched a couple of episodes of modern family and your assumptions are really right on! You did a great job with describing everyone's feelings based on their face expressions. These gestures and verbal/ nonverbal cues show us how the individual reacts and listens and it has a great impact on the communication itself.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Tanya,
    Great post! I to have watch one of those shows with my daughter she was telling me she really enjoy watching the show. On this particular day she ask me did I want to what it and I did, I am really not a TV person, but you can learn a lot about how others communicate. I like how you focus in and was able to recognize everyone feeling in the show. I also like how you notice face expression that you were able to identify from each person the show. I have learned so much from this course the little time we have been in the class. I have learned from these TV show that everyone have different way of communication weather it be non – verbal, verbal or face expression. I have realize all of these communication skills and gesture plays a key part in all of our lives and has a vital impact on how we communicate with others regardless of race, color or culture.
    Temika McCann

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi! Tanya, what a coincidence! I also watched the same tv show and it was interesting how the characters depicted the same as while i was watching. I did notice that the same sex couple had lots of nonverbal cues and it seemed like that there are lots of negative feelings but when you watch with the sound on, it is not that bad. I also think the story of the show is so relevant and can relate much in real life stories of people.

    ReplyDelete