Dr. Gass

HCOM 360

Spring 2010

Self-Assessment of Nonverbal B= ehavior

Purpose

Do you see yourself the way others do? This assignmen= t is designed to increase your self-awareness of your nonverbal communication. = The goal is for you to gain insight into the way you express yourself nonverba= lly. Based on the information you acquire, you may decide you are satisfied with your nonverbal behavior or you may wish to change some aspect of your nonverbal behavior.

Part 1 Qualitative Assessment Based on Direct Observation

The Context and the Code

Select a specific communication context in whi= ch you would like to learn more about your nonverbal behavior. The context should involve two or more people (not you alone). Possible contexts include havi= ng dinner with your family, socializing with friends, meeting with a study gr= oup, interacting with customers in a workplace, coaching a team sport, etc. Wit= hin that context, identify specific nonverbal cues you wish to examine. For example, you might want to study your visual dominance ratio, e.g., the amount of eye contact you provide when spea= king versus the amount of eye contact you provide when listening (an indicator = of status or power).

Visual and Auditory Feedback

The best way to obtain accurate information about your nonverbal cues is to make a video of yourself in the communication context= in which you are interested. You can videotape yourself, or enlist the help o= f a friend, family member, or co-worker, depending on the context you’ve chosen. If you don’t have access to a video camera, you might consid= er using a webcam (many laptops have them) or a cell-phone with video capabil= ity.

Try to capture your natural, genuine behavior. You wa= nt an unobtrusive measure of your nonverbal cues. You may be aware a camera is present, but you can leave it running until you are less conscious of its presence. If another person = is making the video, she/he can decide when to start or stop the video.

Evaluation

Conduct a qualitative assessment of your nonverbal communication in the areas selected. Look for strengths and weaknesses. Fo= cus on two or three aspects of your nonverbal cues. What did you learn? How satisfied are you with what you learned? What, if any, alterations would y= ou like to make?

Part 2: Diagnostic Assessment Based on Standardized scales

Select at least one of the standardized scales available from the instructor. The scale(s) you use will depend on what as= pects of your nonverbal communication you wish to examine. Complete the scale, calculate your score, and interpret what it means.

Paper

Write up your assessment in a 3-6 page paper (typed, double-spaced, carefully proof-read for typographical and grammatical erro= rs). In identifying strengths and/or weaknesses, cite research in the ar= ea(s) of nonverbal communication on which you focused. You will not be evaluated on how = strong or weak your nonverbal communication is (after all, th= at is what you are working on). The evaluation will be based on the qualit= y of your analysis and the insights you draw about how your nonverbal behav= ior affects your overall communication competence.

The paper constitutes 10% of your course grade and is= due February 11.