There
are many factors in communication that change how the message is interpreted.
Often times this can have unintended consequences. Two examples that come into
my life and in my line of work is the spatial factor and the paralanguage
factor.
The spatial factor involved in
communication is often ignored within my line of work. There is this thing
called “truck talk” that involves talking without constraints while on the
truck. Generally most Air Force personnel need to keep a high standard of
professionalism in their work environment, but in my line of work it gets
thrown out the window and a blind eye turned away. While the Air Force has been
taking measures to crack down on this and it has improved, there is still that
occasional “truck talk” that involves racial, sexual, and other very
inappropriate comments. The truck usually encompasses roughly a 6’ x 10’ spatial
area and can make some people feel very uncomfortable.
In my
volunteer work my paralanguage played a huge role in my abilities to help
others. I used to volunteer with a group called Samaritans that provided
emotional support for peoples with feelings of distress, despair, and suicidal
thoughts. One of my biggest problems was with my resonance of my voice, which
over the phone sounds very “official,” and “authoritative.” For people trying
to express their inner deepest thoughts and problems, this type of resonance is
a huge turn off; as in, my voice was very deep and full. Most people usually
respond better to a more feminine, thin, and soft voice. My technique to
solving this problem was by removing the bass in my voice which has helped tremendously.
These
were two examples in my life, which were the spatial factor and a paralanguage factor,
which changed how verbal communication gets perceived. These influences had
consequences that were potentially hurtful and yielded unexpected results. By
learning and being aware of these two forms of communication, I was able to
become more self-aware of my interactions with others.
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