In my previous posting, I developed a framework and a taxonomy for making a systematic hunch as to the percentage of time spent communicating during a twenty-four hour period. Table 1 illustrates the taxonomy, my estimated averages of time spent communicating during a twenty-four hour period, and my actual time spent communicating during that same twenty-four hour period. As mentioned in my previous posting, I chose Friday, September 2, 2011 as the day to run this experiment. Table 2 illustrates the actual communication log I kept on the date in question.
Table 1 Estimated Communication Percentages and Actual Communication Percentages | ||
Communication Level | Estimated Percentage | Actual Percentage |
Intrapersonal Crafted Verbal Crafted Nonverbal Preprogrammed Verbal Preprogrammed Nonverbal | 40% | 58% |
Interpersonal Crafted Verbal Crafted Nonverbal Preprogrammed Verbal Preprogrammed Nonverbal | 25% | 23% |
Public Crafted Verbal Crafted Nonverbal Preprogrammed Verbal Preprogrammed Nonverbal | 30% | 12% |
Mass Crafted Verbal Crafted Nonverbal Preprogrammed Verbal Preprogrammed Nonverbal | 5% | 7% |
Group Crafted Verbal Crafted Nonverbal Preprogrammed Verbal Preprogrammed Nonverbal | 0% | 0% |
Table 2 Communication Log | ||
Time | Activities | Communication Levels |
4:48 A.M-5:02A.M | Self-talk. Setting the day’s agenda | Intrapersonal, Crafted Verbal (4 minutes) |
5:02A.M.-5:24A.M. | Working out while watching a workout DVD. | Mass, Crafted Verbal (22 minutes) |
6:04 A.M.-6:05 A.M. | Waking up my son to tell him I will be leaving for work. | Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (1 minute) |
6:07 A.M.-6:20 A.M. | While driving to work, I engage in self-talk setting the day’s agenda. I also listen to the radio, and after being cut off in traffic, I respond with a one-finger salute. | Mass, Crafted Verbal (13 minutes) Intrapersonal, Crafted Verbal (13 minutes) Interpersonal, Crafted Nonverbal (.08 minutes) |
6:30 A.M. | While making copies, a colleague asks me if I have seen her keys. I respond, “Haven’t seen ‘em.” | Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (.17 minutes) |
6:30 A.M.-7:10 A.M. | While making copies, I engage in a combination of self-talk, and conversations with several colleagues. During the conversations my body language (kinesics), and tone of voice (paralanguage) help to communicate my frustration with the glitch in the copier. | Intrapersonal, Crafted Nonverbal (40 minutes) Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal and Preprogrammed nonverbal (10 minutes) |
7:10 A.M.-7:45 A.M. | While preparing for classes to begin, I engage in conversations with students about projects coming due, and self-talk about the day’s agenda. My body language, tone of voice, and personal distance (proxemics) help to communicate my frustration carried over from the glitch in the copier. | Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (15 minutes) Intrapersonal, Crafted Verbal (20 minutes) Interpersonal, Preprogrammed Nonverbal (15 minutes) |
7:50 A.M.-8:33 A.M. | Teaching Sophomore Honors English. Combination of checking school emails, sending attendance electronically, lecturing, and Q & A. Body language, tone of voice, and personal space all communicate simultaneously with verbal messages. | Mass, Crafted Verbal (2 minutes) Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (16 minutes) Interpersonal, Preprogrammed Nonverbal (16 minutes) Public, Crafted Verbal (25 minutes) Public, Crafted Nonverbal (25 minutes) |
8:47A.M.-9:30 A.M. | Teaching Senior Honors English. Combination of lecturing, and Q & A. Body language, tone of voice, and personal space all communicate simultaneously with verbal messages. | Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (18 minutes) Interpersonal, Preprogrammed Nonverbal (18 minutes) Public, Crafted Verbal (25 minutes) Public, Crafted Nonverbal (25 minutes) |
9:34 A.M.-10:17 A.M. | Supervising Study Hall. Students ask me to sign passes to go to various places. For the rest of the period, I grade papers (verbal feedback), and do self-talk setting the day’s agenda. | Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (23 minutes) Intrapersonal, Crafted Verbal (20 minutes) |
10:17-A.M.-12:18 P.M. | No teaching. Planning periods and lunch. The majority of the time is spent in self-talk, thinking about and setting agendas for the day and for the following week. I have an occasional conversation with a student and colleague. I text my girlfriend, “I NEED A VACATION!!!!!” | Intrapersonal, Crafted Verbal (100 minutes) Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (21 minutes) |
12:22 P.M.-1:05 P.M. | Teaching Senior College Prep. English. Combination of lecturing, and Q & A. Body language, tone of voice, and personal space all communicate simultaneously with verbal messages. | Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (18 minutes) Interpersonal, Preprogrammed Nonverbal (18 minutes) Public, Crafted Verbal (25 minutes) Public, Crafted Nonverbal (25 minutes) |
1:09 P.M.-1:52 P.M. | Teaching Junior Honors English. Listening to and providing feedback on original Old English poem presentations. Body language, tone of voice, and personal space all communicate simultaneously with verbal messages. | Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (15 minutes) Interpersonal, Preprogrammed Nonverbal (43 minutes) |
1:56 P.M.-2:40 P.M. | Teaching Senior College Prep. English. Combination of lecturing, and Q & A. Body language, tone of voice, and personal space all communicate simultaneously with verbal messages. | Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (18 minutes) Interpersonal, Preprogrammed Nonverbal (18 minutes) Public, Crafted Verbal (25 minutes) Public, Crafted Nonverbal (25 minutes) |
2:45 P.M.-3:00 P.M. | Driving home. Listening to the radio. | Mass, Crafted Verbal (15 minutes) |
3:05 P.M.- 3:30 P.M. | Reading snail mail, checking email, checking the GU Blackboard, responding to COML 508 discussion board threads | Mass, Crafted Verbal (10 minutes) Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (15 minutes) |
3:30 P.M.-5:00 P.M. | Riding my motorcycle to the school’s football game eighty miles away. An occasional thought about the weekend. | Intrapersonal, Crafted Verbal (10 minutes) |
5:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M. | Watching the j.v. and varsity football games. An occasional short conversation. | Interpersonal, Crafted Verbal (10 minutes) |
10:00 P.M.-11:30P.M. | Riding my motorcycle home. An occasional thought about the weekend. | Intrapersonal, Crafted Verbal (10 minutes) |
11:45P.M. 6:00 A.M. | Sleeping. I estimate five hours of dreaming during my sleep. | Intrapersonal, Preprogrammed Verbal and Preprogrammed Nonverbal (300 minutes) |
This experiment provides several new insights regarding aspects of my daily communication. The first insight is rather obvious. My job requires an inordinate amount of communication. A number of instances occur throughout my workday during which I am simultaneously engaged in a number of different levels of communication. We tend to think of the levels of communication as being distinct; however, my log clearly indicates movement from level to level within a communication transaction, and simultaneous engagement in more than one level of communication. This insight illustrates that the levels of communication are not static, but are rather, dynamic structures.
The second insight is similar to the first. Just as we might tend to think of the levels of communication as distinct and static, we also might tend to think of verbal and nonverbal messages as distinct and separate communication systems. My log would indicate that just the opposite is true. Verbal and nonverbal messages work in concert as one message system. When we read Griffin’s (2009) description of Barthes’ work in semiology (pp. 323-333), we might tend to conclude that certain visual cues, such as sweat on one’s brow, or perhaps tears running down one’s cheek operate as a distinct messaging system apart from the verbal cues that may accompany them. However, unless the receiver of the message also has access to the sender’s verbal cues and has some knowledge of the sender’s history (context) with sweat or tears, the receiver might easily misinterpret the nonverbal cue. In such a case, we might turn to Griffin’s (2009) paraphrase of I.A. Richards’ theory that meaning is not in words or in actions, but rather meaning is in people (324-325).
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