Course: Interpersonal Communications

Unit: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Deliverable Length: 2-3 pages or 8-12 slides

Choice 1:

Deliverable length: 2-3 pages

James Grunloh, sales representative for Appleton Office Supplies Company, has just entered the office of Bob Croze, office manager for Old Orchard Candle Makers. James, who has just graduated from college and has since started selling for Appleton, is dressed in a two-piece brown suit.

As James enters the office, Bob, a large man around 50 years of age, sits behind a large wooden desk, with his arms and legs crossed.

James: (walking around Bob's desk to extend his hand) Good morning, Bob. It's a pleasure to meet you. How are you today?

Bob: Fine, just fine. You're a little late.

James: Just 5 minutes. I was delayed at the bank.

Bob: (rubbing his nose with his index finger and crossing his arms and legs) Well, alright. What can I do for you?

James: I am here to tell you about our new office forms. I think you will be quite pleased with them.

Bob: Before you go any further, let me tell you that we have just placed an order with one of your competitors.

James: (crossing arms and legs, his voice increasing in speed and pitch) I'm sorry to hear that. You should have waited until we got here. Appleton's prices have just been lowered by 10 to 20%.

Bob: (uncrossing his arms and legs and stroking his chin) They have?

James: (buttoning his coat and starting to rise) Well, I guess it's too late if you've already placed the order. Next time, give us a chance, will you?

As James leaves, Bob sits at his desk with his elbows propped on his desk and holds both hands together in front of his mouth. Regarding the scenario above, answer the following questions:

•What mistakes of his own nonverbal behavior has James made?

?Cite at least 3 examples, explaining James' nonverbal behaviors and the messages they sent.

•What nonverbal cues in Bob has James failed to recognize?

?Cite at least 3 examples, explaining Bob's nonverbal behaviors and the messages they sent.

•Rewrite the dialogue to show how you think James should have handled matters.

?Include at least 3 new nonverbal behaviors from either James or Bob.

-OR-

Choice 2:

Deliverable length: 8-12 slides

You are to create an 8-12 slide presentation on nonverbal and verbal communication.

You are to present your research as well as various experiences of your own. Your presentation will consist of 2 parts.

Part I

Part I will explore a time when you experienced a message that had contradicting nonverbal and verbal language or a person's body language said something different than his or her verbal statement. Specifically, you are to address the following questions:

•How did you choose which message to "hear" or believe?

•What was the communicator's intended message?

•What did you understand the message to be?

•How did you misunderstand the message, exactly?

•Was the communicator's at fault for poor delivery, or did you use various nonverbal/verbal cues to come to your own conclusions about the intended message? Now, consider the unique communication environment of an online class setting, and relate this to your own experience, from the guidelines above. Further your situational analysis by addressing the following:

•What nonverbal communication is used in an online classroom?

•Considering what you have learned from the experience in your presentation so far, what lessons can you apply when communicating with your classmates and instructor online?

•How can you be sure your written messages articulate the messages that you intended?

Part II

For Part II, think about conversations you have with people in different venues, at different organizational levels, or of various backgrounds. When communicating verbally, it is important to choose your words very carefully so that they are properly received and understood by the recipient of your message. You are to address the following questions:

•What are some techniques that you use to be sure you are speaking appropriately to the other person?

•What actions do you take to be sure your message is fitting to the person or the context?

•Then, think about barriers to effective verbal communication. What can get in the way of a verbal message being understood the way it was intended?

Presentation Guidelines:

The following guidelines for your PowerPoint presentation will be used to grade your work as well:

•Limit the number of words on slides. Slides are designed to supplement your presentation, not to be your presentation (in this assignment, it is to supplement your research paper).

?Avoid paragraphs.

?Use bullet points.

?Use succinct phrases instead of sentences.

•Limit each slide to 6 bullet points.

•Simple fonts

?Fonts "with feet" are easier to read (in a paragraph).

?Fonts "without feet" make nice titles.

•Choose color combinations that make your presentation easy to read.

•Limit graphics to 1-3 per page. Too many graphics can be distracting.

•Bells and whistles tend to be distracting for the viewer. Make sure that special effects have a purpose.

•Proofread and spell check your work.