question #3: Nonverbal communication

One of the more interesting topics in this chapter was the one discussing nonverbal communication. I think that nonverbal communication is a key component in groups, because it is often subtle and each group has its own set of patterns. These patterns vary from group to group, which is interesting because what may seen as a good or positive gesture in one group, may seem tacky or even offensive in another group. I think the US is especially sensitive to nonverbal communication because there are so many subcultures that exist here. Facial expressions are nonverbal gestures that used to always throw me off when dealing with people. When someone would use a facial expression that seemed offensive to me, it would cause me to view their remarks in an offensive way. Even if they did not intend to insult me, I was forcing myself to view their communication in a negative context in order to place a correlation to their words and my interpretation of their facial expression. I learned that my interpretation of a facial expression is not universal, and that allowed me to view communication in a much different way.