My environment

A question found in the textbook by Ivy states; how does the environment communicate something about people (Ivy 62)?  My environment is my bedroom, someone who may not know me can learn a lot about who I am simply from glancing at my room.  The connection between people and the environment is made for two reasons, 1. the choices you make about the environment in which you live or work reveal a good deal about who you are and 2. your nonverbal communication is altered by the environment in which you communicate (Ivy 62). I will now use these two reasons to describe "my environment."

By first glance of my room, one can tell it is all neural colors; relaxing and calm giving the room a warm, home feeling. Warmth goes beyond temperature, it is how we perceive and desire comfortable, welcoming context (Ivy 68).  The shelves are full of items which people can use to find out what I enjoy such as scent, who my friends are, the music i enjoy, the classes I am taking, etc. On my desk, there is the basic work equipment, my laptop, bulletin board and lots of sticky notes. I use sticky notes to stay organized and the bulletin board as a schedule to write down dates and assignments.  Additionally, about four bottles of tanning lotion are on my desk, providing others with the info that I love to tan.  In conclusion to describing my room, it is always tidy; my bed is made every day, cloths are always put away, and things are in their space.  These are all choices in which I make to reveal who I am.  

In describing my room, everything I listed can be coincided with nonverbal communication.  First, my color scheme, brown, tan and black, nonverbally reflexes on the type of space I enjoy.  I decorated it warm and comfortably to provide me with a soothing atmosphere and not one I will easily get distracted in.  Next, my shelves, Burberry, DNKY, and Fancy Love perfumes are "my" scent; they are subtle and light on the nose.  I have fun, crazy photos of my friends, showing I enjoy having a good time with the people I care about.  My iPod is always on my iHome, and playlists indicate exactly the type of music my ears enjoy hearing. As for the sticky notes and tidy room everyday, they nonverbally are expressing, I am an organized person and rather a neat environment over a cluttered space.  

I like to categorize my room as welcoming.  The door is always prompt open, whether it is cracked for semi-privacy, or widely open for no privacy.  People coming in an out are always a pleasure, whether its to sit and watch a movie, study or get ready for a night out, my door is always open.  I enjoy the "environment" in which I communicate to others; it provides them with a lot of information about who I am as an individual.  

My Reflective Cycle

Inventory self- Inventory self-means becoming more aware of your own nonverbal communication.  Before this class I never noticed how much nonverbal I actually use.  I talk a lot with my hands and noticed that my eyebrows assistant in a lot of my conversations.  Although, talking with your hands can be very helpful at times, it can also be too much and cause a big distraction.  The "talking" with my eyebrows, when I am listening to someone can lead to misinterpretation and possibly be seen as a rude gesture.  However, on a positive note, I am ALWAYS caught smiling during conversations as well, perhaps a little to smiley.  

Change self-When in conversations or when listening I need to become more aware of movement and facial movement.  The talking with arms and hands will be a little easier to "change" than my eyebrow movement because I cannot visually see my eyebrows.  I am going to try and focus on only using hand motions when I am accenting or emphasizing. As for my eyebrow movement, if I catch my self-doing it, I will apologize and continue trying to prevent it.  

Inventory others- when I view others, a big nonverbal attribute I notice is their posture and position of their arms.  For example, when I see a girl standing with her hip popped out and hands crossed, to me, she is sending off the "leave me alone" or "not good mood" vibe.  Where as a girl standing, talking with her hands, head bobbing and smiling reveals she is into the conversation and is in a good place.  

Transact with others- Interacting with others is the best way to pick up nonverbal communication.  By viewing others and having others view you, it is a good way of letting each other know the different cues you are putting off.  By asking friends to observe your nonverbal cues, it will assist you in correcting your flaws and allow you to continue your good nonverbal actions.

Reflect, Assess, and Re-Inventory Self- It is hard to view all the nonverbal cues I give off.  However, doing this exercise and going through each phase I was able to come notice some nonverbal flaws.  I plan to work on those the best I can. I know it will be difficult to maintain because I have made them a way of communication.

Before taking this class I never took notice to my nonverbal communication.  I am about to enter the work place and find it is very important to understand nonverbal cues, good or bad.  Having people judge me off poor nonverbal skills is not a way I wish to be judged. Throughout this class I hope to learn the proper nonverbal cues in which people will look at me in a positive way.