Monday, September 22, 2008
Nonverbal Communication and Public Speaking (#3)
What messages are being communicated by a speaker in a presentation? Watch the following speeches: Sarah Palin and Joseph Biden. First watch the speeches with the sound off. Note what you are receiving as a message strictly through their body language. Check out their body posture, stance, hand and arm movements, facial expressions etc. Then, watch the speeches again and compare the messages. Does the message change when verbal communication is included in the presentation? Is there another message that is introduced or conflicts with the message received with the body language? Which message are you listening to? Which message is the loudest? This post is due Wednesday, October 1st for class discussion.
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As of 9/30/08, there is no link for Sarah Palin.
Without the volume, Joseph Biden seems somber, calm, and collected. It could also have been intepreted that the VP candidate was tired and listless. Biden used his hands to get certain points across, and at times stimulated the crowd to applaud and cheer. It took several minutes for Biden to appear more energetic and animated, but throughout, it seemed as if he was trying to reassure the crowd of his vision. Throughout the speech, it appeared that he made attempts to carry on a conversation with the public and periodically appearing as if he was giving a lecture to a class or students. His facial expressions appeared flat, serious, and subdued.
The verbal communication seemed more pointed and emphatic. His words seemed to convey a stronger message than his body language. The intensity of the speech also seemed greater than what appeared in his movements. As a viewer of the speech, the verbal communication seemed to be the most critical part of what he was trying to convey. In a sense, the body language supplemented what he wanted to get across in his words. The seriousness of his presentation was consistant with the somber low key body language; however, without the volume one may not surmise the pointedness and content of his speech. It may be that he intended to emphasize his words, and limited his use of body language so that the words would have more importance.
Note**This was written in response to two youtube videos I found of both speakers, not from the VP Debate because I could not get the link to work!**
After viewing Joseph Biden give a speech without sound, the message that I received from him was anger. His eyes were strained and his mouth was moving in a very exaggerated way as if he was yelling. He did not smile or appear to laugh. Instead he looked like he was shouting angerily at the audience and made lots of sharp hand gestures and movements. When listening to him with the sound, his message was slightly different, although he was still angry. His anger, however, was directed at the war in Iraq, and not at his audience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1op8vwF5UA
Watching Sarah Palin deliver a speech without sound is a much different experience. Sarah takes a moment to pause between lines. She smiles often and her eyes and facial features seem relaxed. She looks like she is speaking calmly, but assertively and is being well received by her audience because she takes a moment for what is most likely applause, as she nods her head and smiles again. She uses one hand gesture when she seems to be driving in a point, but is not shaking her hand angrily. It is a smooth and fluid motion that marches along with the words on her lips. When listening to her with the sound on, the message is almost identical. She is speaking confidently and her words flow out of her mouth in the same way that she expresses herself through her body language: slowly, calmly, yet assertively.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXiS4TZ7zls
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