Kristen Simmel
September 14th, 2014
Communications 203
Odenweller
Interpersonal Communication Analysis and Critique
Scenario:
The situation that I observed was a conversation between my two roommates Kayla and Nicolette. The conversation took place in our apartment located on Beechurst Ave. It was a cool day saturday afternoon when the conversation was taking place. Nicolette and Kayla ended up arguing about a problem that has been going on in our apartment since we moved in. Nicolette was disappointed in Kayla leaving the kitchen a mess. She was also upset with Kayla by her not cleaning up after herself. This included dirty dishes that filled the sink, leaving the garbage full and her not cleaning up her explosion in the microwave. Nicolette was furious and ended up speaking up for herself, by telling Kayla that she can’t live like this any more. Kayla didn’t know that this was happening and she felt very alone. Nicolette ended up telling Kayla that if she doesn't clean up after herself there is going to be consequences. Nicolette was on the verge of finding another roommate that can clean up after herself. The argument went on for about 30 minutes. At the end of the conversation both Nicolette and Kayla started to cry. There was a lot of tension in our apartment.
Nonverbal Communication:
Nonverbal communication is any symbolic activity that communicates a message other then words. During the conversation between Nicolette and Kayla. I observed many concepts of nonverbal communication. It started off by Nicolette giving Kayla the silent treatment. They made no eye contact and things started to get “weird” around the apartment. Being the third roommate, I was even concerned about what was going on between them. I felt awkward walking into my own apartment because Nicolette and Kayla weren’t talking for the past few weeks. The dynamic aspect of nonverbal communication was portrayed by Kayla and Nicolette not making any eye contact. Nicolette was giving Kayla “dirty” looks behind her back. Including shaking her head and rolling her eyes when Kayla wasn’t looking. Nicolette’s tone of voice also changed into a deeper tone. This caused Nicolette to become more upset and angry with Kayla because of the mess she keeps on making. This brought out her expressions that she is bothered by Kayla not cleaning up after herself. The static aspect of nonverbal communication was portrayed by Nicolette leaving the kitchen a mess and waiting to see when the next time Kayla will clean up after herself. Nicolette also left the living room a mess because she was mad that Kayla wasn’t contributing to the “cleanliness” of the apartment. There were a lot of symbols that made it clear the Nicolette was upset with Kayla. Nonverbal communication was a big part of the conversation between my two roommates.
Expectancy Violation Theory:
During the interaction between Kayla and Nicolette, the Expectancy Violation Theory was shown during their conversation. Expectancy Violation Theory is a communication theory which tries to explain the unexpected behaviors of human beings while interacting. It also relates to reactions with other people and other people violating another person’s personal space. This theory works because humans have a natural expectancy outlook on life, which causes their expectations to be violated at times. This conversation showed the Expectancy Violation Theory. Nicolette is afraid to confront Kayla about her filthy living habits. She is terrified Kayla will destroy her belongings and blow up in her face. Nicolette just keeps using her side of nonverbal communication by giving her looks behind her back and the silent treatment. I’m tired of living with this awful tension between my two roommates. It has caused me to become so upset that I don’t even want to go home to my own apartment. It has also made things very awkward around the house. I thought about what was going on for a while and tried to figure out a way to stop