Internet Exercises

Activity 1: Nonverbal Communication

Introduction:

Although ambiguous and often unintentional, nonverbal communication greatly influences how group members work together and the decisions they make. In this activity, you'll examine nonverbal communication more closely and reflect on its role in small groups.

Instructions:

Go to the Center for Nonverbal Studies website. Here you'll find the Nonverbal Dictionary that provides drawings, photographs, verbal descriptions, and interpretations of nonverbal behaviors. Entries also include cultural meanings and the behavior's evolution.

Choose five nonverbal behaviors that are likely related to small groups and pique your interest, read their entries, and answer the questions below for each behavior.

1. What surprised you the most about the information you read in the entry?

2. Based on what you already know about nonverbal communication, is there any information in the entry with which you disagree? Why do you disagree?

3. Give 1-2 examples of small group situations in which you observed this nonverbal behavior. How did others respond? How did these nonverbal messages affect the group?

4. What have you learned from this entry that you could apply to future small group meetings?

Activity 2: Interpreting Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Introduction:

The words and behaviors that often lead to the greatest misunderstandings in small groups are those that are highly abstract and ambiguous. Interpreting verbal and nonverbal messages is based on our experiences, culture, subculture, and individual differences in how we process information. This activity will provide a window into how others interpret verbal and nonverbal messages.

Instructions:

Go to the Y? website, The National Form on People's Differences. This site provides a place to ask questions about race, religion, gender, and class you likely wouldn't ask of friends, family members, or acquaintances. You may lurk (observe) or participate (ask questions, provide answers, and/or counter a response). Whatever your degree of interaction involvement, your goal is to learn about how others interpret specific words and behaviors.

Enter the site Y? and read the welcome message. Browse the site to get a sense of the kinds of questions visitors ask. If you decide you want to post, be sure you read the guidelines first.

Find one question that deals with how people from different backgrounds interpret language (a word or phrase).

1. What did you learn about how that word is interpreted by others?

2. How are others' interpretations similar to yours? How are they different?

3. How might these different interpretations lead to misunderstandings in small groups?

4. What might small group members do to avoid these misunderstandings? What might they do to handle these misunderstandings once they surface?

5. What have you learned from examining interpretations of words that you can use in future small group work?

Find one question that deals with how people from different backgrounds interpret nonverbal messages (a behavior or series of behaviors).

1. What did you learn about how that behavior is interpreted by others?

2. How are others' interpretations similar to yours? How are they different?

3. How might these different interpretations lead to misunderstandings in small groups?

4. What might small group members do to avoid these misunderstandings? What might they do to handle these misunderstandings once they surface?

5. What have you learned from examining interpretations of nonverbal cues that you can use in future small group work?