Observing

I walked into the library and I had no idea who I wanted to observe.  I walked around the whole library until I felt comfortable somewhere while observing two individuals.  I observed a man and female sitting at a table in the library doing homework.  I sat down at the table next to them to start my homework as well; I didn’t want them to think I was stalking them.  They both had history books out and it seemed like they had class together.  They had a lot of notecards around the table and also a bunch of power points; maybe they had a midterm this week?  The male was sitting up straight while the female was leaned in towards her notebook and book.  Their faces always had a smile on them and they were always laughing.  They were faced towards each other while doing their homework.  He was sitting parallel to the female.  About fifteen minutes into observing them, the male got up and sat next to the female.  By the way he was looking at her, I could tell they were flirting a lot and he wanted to be closer to help her with their homework.  As they were sitting next to each other, her legs were crossed and his legs were in an “opened” position while his hand was on her one leg.  They weren’t talking to loud but loud enough where I could hear their conversation.  They were mainly talking about their history homework they had to get done and how she didn’t understand one of the chapters.  They started to begin reading the chapter she didn’t understand.  He would read a page and then she would read the next page and so fourth from there.  In the beginning of observing them, the female looked relaxed and the male looked tensed.  When he moved next to her, he seemed to be more relaxed and calm.  She didn’t mind that he was invading her personal space; she was smiling the whole time.

After thirty minutes of observing this male and female, I was mainly observing their motions and how they were talking to each other. In the beginning, I was unsure if they liked each other or they were just study buddies.  Towards the end of observing him, it was clear they liked each other.  When I first sat down, she seemed really shy but then relaxed and felt comfortable.  As I got up to leave, his hand was still on her leg and they were talking closely to each other.

From learning about postures and proxemics in class, I could observe them much better from learning about different ways to tell if they like each other or not.    

My Bedroom

When you think about your personal space, where do you think of?  I think of my bedroom in my apartment at Kutztown University.  When I think of my personal space, I think of the size, shape, things in my room, and my personal belongings.  A lot of people keep their personal things in their bedrooms instead of other places in their house or apartment.  I have two roommates and we all have our own bedroom and bathroom, which we love.

My room is set up a certain way based on what I have in my room and the amount of space I have in my bedroom.  My bed is against my wall and close to my window so it is easy to get on and off my bed and it is close to the window.  My bedroom in my apartment is kind of small and hard to work with.  There is only a couple of ways that you can put your bed because of how the room is set up.  I have my dresser and my desk up against the wall and my television on my dresser because it is big and I don't have anywhere else to put it.  I have two closest's because there is a water heater in the one by my dresser and that uses up half of the closet.  I love having my own bathroom because I get to have whatever I want in there and I can go to the bathroom and shower whenever I want without waking up my roommates.  I have a New York Jets pillow on my bed because they are my favorite football team and I also have a lot of pictures of my family and friends hanging in my room because they mean a lot to me.  There are also a lot of pictures of my boyfriend and I because he is my best friend and we love taking pictures.

My bedroom is my primary territory.  My bedroom has everything I own in it and has things that mean something to only me and no one else.  There is a sign in my room that says Be Strength.  Some people walk in my room and say to me, “That doesn’t even make sense,” to be it has a special meaning that no one understands.  My mother gave me that right when I moved into my apartment my junior year at Kutztown.  I was going through a rough time then and she gave me this sign that helped me through all the rough times I have had so far.

Reflexive Cycle

Inventory Self-I never really thought about nonverbal communication until this class.  I also began thinking about myself and what I can change about my communication.  Something that crossed my mind was my posture.  I don't know why this crossed my mind, but it did, and I began to think more about my posture.  I started seeing that my posture is TERRIBLE! I don't want people to look at my weird or anything so this has to change!

Change Self-I need to start having good posture in classes and during work!  This isn't good for my back and I have to just keep telling myself that I need to sit up straight and stay that way.  Not everyone will sit up straight during a class or while sitting at your desk, because you have to be in the right environment and be comfortable.  No matter where you are, it is always good to sit up straight because it can harm your back in the long run! I just have to get used to it and once I do I will remember to always do it!

Inventory Others-I started looking at other people in my classes and noticing their postures.  No, not everyone sits up straight all the time during classes or work, but a lot of people do and it is good for your back!  Some people might be tired in class and not want to be there and that is why their posture isn't good in a classroom setting.

Transact with others-I should look at other people and their posture once I am in a certain setting.  I would like to take a survey in different settings and see how everyones posture is.  I have two important interviews coming up and I am going to try to practice my posture in the different settings I am in through-out these next couple of weeks.

Reflect, Assess, and Re-Inventory Self-I started to think about what else am I doing nonverbally and is it good or bad?  I never really thought about how people judged me or how they looked at me until this class.  I never thought about my facial expressions or anything else when I am communicating with someone.  I think nonverbal communication is very important with anyone who we talk to throughout our day.  Communication is the key part to having any kind of relationship and I want to better my communication with people so that I can better my relationships!