Observation Date and Time
Date: 09/10/2020
Time: 3:30-9 (time I was at work)
Observation Location
Shoe Sensation in Fayetteville, Tennessee (Since we often have a wide variety of people come into the store, I observed a multitude of the customers).
Observation Instructions
Observe at least TWO or more people interacting, and write down your responses to the questions below. If you are not able to do your observation using approved social distancing guidelines, then you can do your observation through watching a show episode, or film. Make sure to include that information in the observation spots above. All responses should include not only a specific observation, but also a connection to the textbook in at least FOUR questions to show understanding of the core concepts. Make sure to specifically reference the textbook using APA style.
1. Emblems displayed
According to the textbook, ““Emblems are often referred to as the speech-independent gestures. Gestures must have several characteristics before they become classified as emblems.” (Richmond et al.,2012). During my observation, I noticed quite a few emblems being displayed. For example, every time a customer comes into the store we are required to greet them and ask if they need any help. Usually, most people shake their head and say no because they are just looking around. However, sometimes we will have the occasional customer who needs help locating something in the store. A customer came in today and he was looking for the area where the mens sandals are located. I told the customer that I could show him where the sandals were if he would just follow me. The customer gave me a thumbs up and followed me to the aisle with the sandals. I then proceeded to ask if he needed anything else. He told me thank you for showing him where the sandals were and that he was just gonna take a look at them. I then told him that if he needed anything to just ask. The customer then gave me a smile and a thumbs up. Another example is when a customer came in asking if we had a specific shoe in a specific size. I looked on the floor for the shoe and the size but could not find it anywhere. I then proceeded to look through our system on the computer to try and find it for him. In our store, we had the shoe he wanted but it wasn’t the right color that he asked for. However, another store of ours that was a few hours away had the exact shoe in the exact size and color the customer was asking for. I then let the customer know that while our store did not have what he wanted, another store of ours did. I then proceeded to inform him that we can order the shoe for him from another store and have it shipped to our store or to his house with free shipping. I then proceeded to tell him that if for any reason the shoe does not fit or feel comfortable to him then he could return it and either try a different size or a different shoe as long as it wasn’t damaged or dirty. The customer then gave me a smile, gave me the “A-OK” sign with his fingers, and then began getting his wallet out to pay for the shoe.
2. Illustrators displayed
According to the textbook, illustrators are “Gestures and movements that are closely linked with spoken language and help to demonstrate what is being said.” (Richmond et al.,2012). During my observation, I noticed quite a few illustrators being displayed. For example, a customer came into the store and needed help finding her grandson a pair of cleats. She told me her grandson was twelve years old and needed a pair of football cleats. I directed her to the section where our cleats for kids are in the store. A few minutes later, the customer comes back to me and asks if we have any more cleats anywhere else. I told her that we do have more cleats in the store, but they are located in the mens section. The customer then began to describe to me how big her grandson’s feet are. She held her hands up (with her fingers pointing towards the ceiling) and far apart from each other. Her hand gestures relate to her explanation of how big her grandson’s feet are. Her gestures fall under the first category that illustrators generally come in. According to the textbook, “Illustrators generally come in four categories. The first category is gestures that are related to the speech referent or explanation.” (Richmond et al.,2012). Another example is when I was trying to help a little girl pick out a pair of shoes that she liked. I would ask her what her favorite color is, if she liked a little bit of a heel, if she liked velcro or tie shoes, etc. /after receiving her feedback to my questions, I would then pull a few options in her size off the shelves for her to look at and try on. I would hold the shoes up before she tried them on to see if she liked how they looked. She would either shake her head no while giving me a thumbs down, shake her head yes while giving me a thumbs up, or tilt her head to the side and waving her hand back and forth a little bit. The girl’s gestures let me know what her opinion was on the shoes. Her gestures fall under the second category that illustrators generally come in. According to the textbook, “Category two comprises gestures that suggest the source’s relationship to the speech referent or explanation. These gestures suggest the sender’s acculturation or attitude to the referent.” (Richmond et al.,2012).
3. Regulators displayed
According to the textbook, “Regulators are gestures and body movements that, along with eye and vocal cues, maintain and regulate the back-and-forth interaction between speakers and listeners during spoken dialogue. Regulators are not nearly as intentional as emblems and illustrators. They are learned gradually and are an integral part of the communication socialization process.” (Richmond et al.,2012). During my observation, I noticed quite a few regulators being displayed. For example, a customer was browsing around the store. I greeted her when she came in, but she told me she was just looking around. I gave her some time and a little bit of space before checking on her. After waiting a while, I went to check on her. Her back was turned to me because she was looking at the shoes displayed on the wall. However, after I said “Ma’am” she turned her body towards me and made eye contact with me. I then asked if she was doing alright and if she needed any help. She then began walking towards me a little bit and then asked if I could help her. She beckoned over to a specific section of the wall and asked me which brand/style of shoe I thought would look best for her to wear to a wedding. I listened to her describe what she was looking for, then gave her some input on what I know about the shoes. For example, I told her one style was on sale and it was more comfortable than the one she was actually looking at to begin with. I also asked her about what she was planning on wearing to the wedding and gave her some options to try that would match with her outfit. The whole time I was conversing with her and helping her find the perfect shoe, she was making eye contact, nodding along to what I was saying, and she was even leaning towards me a bit. All of her gestures show that she was listening and paying attention to what I was saying to her. During the entire interaction, she displayed both turn-yielding and turn-denying cues. According to the textbook, “Turn-denying behaviors are cues listeners use to signal that we decline our turn to speak. Sustaining a relaxed posture while maintaining silent, slow and frequent, positive head nods, and positive vocal utterance such as ‘uh-huh, uh-uh’ usually encourage the speaker to continue.” (Richmond et al.,2012). Turn-yielding cues, on the other hand, “are given by speakers who wish to discontinue talking and give the listener the opportunity to take the speaking role. These movements may include direct body orientations, a forward lean, a beckoning gesture with the hand ooh had that says ‘come on, I’ll listen to you now,’ and many eye and vocal cues (increased eye contact, raised inflection, or simply a long pause).” (Richmond et al.,2012).
4. Adaptors displayed
According to the textbook, “Adaptors are highly unintentional behaviors that are usually responses to boredom or stress or are closely linked with negative feelings toward ourselves or others.” (Richmond et al.,2012). During my observation, I noticed quite a few adaptors being displayed. For example, a customer came into the store today. She looked around for a bit and picked out about 3 pairs of athletic shoes from our women’s wall. She walks up to the register, indicating that she’s ready to check out. I walk to the register and begin putting her information in. While I’m putting her information into the system and checking her shoes to make sure they are the same size, I notice that the customer has a few rings on. She had a wedding band, an engagement ring, and another ring with a sapphire gemstone on it. I then noticed that the customer was twiddling her rings around her fingers. Another example involves the same customer from the previous example. After I finished checking her shoes, I began to ring the shoes up and add her coupons. We always leave a pen out on the counter for the customers because the customers are required to sign the receipts if they pay with a credit/debit card or if they have a refund. The customer stopped messing with her rings and then proceeded to play with the pen. She began tapping/twirling it on the counter. She also would click the pen open and click it closed multiple times while she waited to sign.
5. Who dominated the conversation and how did you know that?
During my observation, I noticed that sometimes there would be one person that donated the conversation more than someone else. For example, (the same example I use for question 7), today at work I noticed that two of the part timers were having a conversation. One of the girls (a redhead) was listening while the other (a brunette) was telling the story. The brunette was talking away. However, the redhead didn’t really talk much. She listened more than talked. She would nod along to whatever the brunette said. The brunette, however, was the one constantly talking. She was the one keeping the conversation going. She made eye contact. Her posture wasn’t as relaxed as the redheads. She was using her fingers/hands to emphasize her points (like holding out three fingers for three points).
6. What gestures did they use when they wanted to request to speak?
According to the textbook, “Turn-requesting regulators are used by the listener to signal the speaker that he or she would like to talk. Examples of requesting cues include raising the hand or index finger, an audible intake of breath, tensing and straightening of posture, or any other behavior that may get the speaker’s attention. During my observation, I noticed a few instances of turn-requesting. For example, one of the part timers (a blonde) today interacted with our manager (a brunette). In this interaction, a customer had asked the blond a question, but the blonde wasn’t sure and didn’t want to tell the customer the wrong thing. In order to find the right answer, the blonde had to find the manager. The blonde saw the manager at the cash register, a few feet away from where she was. To get the attention of the manager, the blonde stood on her tiptoes (so she could see above the aisle). She then called out the manager’s name in a whisper. She then waved her hand around in the air. She was actively trying to get the manager’s attention and signal that she needed to talk.
7. Was there any obvious turn denying you saw?
According to the textbook, “Turn-denying behaviors are cues listeners use to signal that we decline our turn to speak. Sustaining a relaxed posture while maintaining silent, slow and frequent, positive head nods, and positive vocal utterance such as ‘uh-huh, uh-uh’ usually encourage the speaker to continue.” (Richmond et al.,2012). During my observation, I noticed a few instances of turn-denying. For example, today at work I noticed that two of the part timers were having a conversation. One of the girls (a redhead) was listening while the other (a brunette) was telling the story. The brunette was talking away. However, the redhead didn’t really talk much. She listened more than talked. She would nod along to whatever the brunette said. She made eye contact throughout the conversation. Her posture was sort of relaxed, but it was also sort of slouched (her shoulders were hunched down in a way). Every so often, she would interject into the conversation and say something like “ohh yea!” or “Really?”, etc. She would listen and talk, but she wasn’t really participating in the conversation, she was more pushing the brunette to talk.
8. How many congruent (similar body postures) were you able to see? What were they?
During my observation, I actually noticed more incongruent body posture than congruent body posture. Though, there were a few (not sure how many) congruent body postures. For example, two women came into the store before closing. One of the women was a little older and had graying hair. The other woman was younger and had brown hair. They were shopping together before going out to eat at the restaurant behind the store (Las Trojas). They were both very relaxed around each other. Their shoulders were a little droopy, their backs were not super straight, they were smiling at each other, making eye contact. They would face each other as they were talking. Turns out they were mother and daughter. They were very familiar with each other; therefore, they were on more of an equal level and had more similar body posture than complete strangers would.
9. What style of communicators were they and how did you know? (example: dramatic, animated, relaxed, etc)
For this question I am using the same example that I used for question 5 and 7. The example was that today at work I noticed that two of the part timers were having a conversation. One of the girls (a redhead) was listening while the other (a brunette) was telling the story. The brunette was talking away. However, the redhead didn’t really talk much. She listened more than talked. She would nod along to whatever the brunette said. The brunette, however, was the one constantly talking. She was the one keeping the conversation going. She made eye contact. Her posture wasn’t as relaxed as the redheads. She was using her fingers/hands to emphasize her points (like holding out three fingers for three points). The redhead displayed more of a relaxed communicator style. According to the textbook, “The relaxed style seems to remain collected and calm internally in anxiety-producing situations; he or she also manifests relaxation in posture, movement, and gesture.” (Richmond et al.,2012). The redhead was very relaxed in her posture, she was listening but not leaning forward in interest or anticipation, she didn’t really participate much in the conversation. She was just there, listening and that's it. The brunette displayed more of a dominant communicator style. According to the textbook, “The dominant style uses nonverbal cues to dominate listeners.” (Richmond et al.,2012). The brunette was very confident in herself and had no issues partaking in conversation. In fact, she carried the conversation. She was very enthusiastic about what she was talking about and used gestures (such as the numbered fingers) to emphasize her points.
10. What was the dominant role that gestures played in this conversation?
During my observation, the dominant role that the gesture played in conversations was to emphasize or add substance. People use gestures to emphasize their points. People use their fingers to count out their points and give the audience a visual of them reaching their points. People use their fingers to snap when they are trying to remember something as if it will magically help them remember. People twirl their rings or hair or pens when they are bored or nervous or anxious. People fold their arms in front of them to appear smaller. People nod their heads to show they’re listening or to hurry someone else along so they stop talking. People wave their hands to get the attention of others. People give a thumbs up to say good job. Gestures play important roles in everyday communication, though we may not always realize it.
Sources Richmond, V. P., McCroskey, J. C., & Hickson, M. (2012). Nonverbal behavior in interpersonal relations. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
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