Presentation Reaction

On Thursday, I didn’t get to present my research proposal. I am doing it on Body Language. If you could take a look at the research proposal below that’d be great! I haven’t had any new ideas yet because I wasn’t able to talk about it with everyone but I’d definitely appreciate some feedback. I’m also not sure what area of body language I want to focus in: romantic, confidence, greetings or if I want to look at it as a hole, which could be difficult because the topic is so broad. Right now, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with the project but I’m sure I’m not alone. The argument I want to make is how the knowledge of body language can change your perception of others versus not having that knowledge and what you may think otherwise of a person. I want to make sure my inquiry question is strong enough.

Research Proposal

Body Language: How do the interpretations we make with body language change our perception of others?

I made this Wordle to highlight the most important points of my topic. Body language is the use of nonverbal communication through subconscious or conscious movements and gestures. First, I chose words that define body language and how we take a look at feet, arms, eyes and how defensive or open someone is and make interpretations based on that. Next, I chose a few words that focus on sub-topics such as greetings, romantic, confident and nervous nonverbal communication. I will be taking a closer look at a few books, “What Every Body Is Saying” and “The Definitive Book Of Body Language”.

I have previously looked at a few body language books just because I thought it was interesting a few years ago. A friend of mine got me interested because they were able to tell me about the gestures I was making subconsciously and I thought that was a good base of knowledge to have when you’re talking to anyone. That made me think of my inquiry question and how this knowledge can change the way you see someone.

I will be gathering information by researching online and looking at books I can find in the library or the bookstore. I think that’s the best way for me to gain knowledge because I have looked at a few of these books before. Most of the people in the field are authors and that’s why I’ll be taking a closer look at some of them.

Anyone could be interested in learning about body language. It can enhance your confidence when talking to people as they get a better understanding of nonverbal communication.

Inquiry #2

Inquiry Topic: Body Language

Inquiry Question: How do the interpretations we make with body language change our perception of others?

I have chosen body language as my topic for the inquiry project because I think it is interesting how language can be defined from movement instead of words. I have looked at books and articles a few years ago that really describe movement in a different way and how to identify these movements and apply them to your every day life. We think about how we move our bodies, how close we sit to another person, our facial expressions or how our eyes move and what they focus on. When you have that background knowledge, meeting someone for the first time is seen from a different perspective.

            I am interested in this topic because if you know enough about it, it can really change how you interact with others. It can give away more than your words can. You can be saying one thing but your body language can be saying the truth. You can know so much more about a person by what they don’t saying, knowing what different body movements mean. I don’t think body language is exactly a science because actions can always have different meanings, but I think it’s, of course, common enough that you can interpret it in the correct way. I’d like to know more about the different forms of body language because I don’t remember too much about what I read a few years ago. I already know some of the forms you can identify body language with but I’d like to revisit the meanings behind them. I know I can find information in books they sell at the bookstore because I have read them myself and I can also find information online.

I came up with this topic because it is something I have been previously interested in. One of my friends used to be very interested in the subject and they would teach me different definitions on movements based on what I did myself. After I started to hear about the studies of body language, I became interested and wanted to learn more. Since I have learned previous information I’m able to understand concepts but I need to learn more to describe it effectively and am still able to do research for this project.

The questions I have about this topic are just what the most common forms of body language are and how to define them and apply them to our lives and how we interact with other people.

You can think about body language in many forms and narrow down the topic. You can think of it in the sense of meeting someone new or interpreting it with someone you already know with friendships, every day life interactions or loving relationships and how their body actions speak louder than words. I’m not sure what area I want to focus in yet but it will be one of the three I listed above.

http://www.wikihow.com/Read-Body-Language

This website shows the most common signs of body language and how to observe them. If you’re able to know some of the basic ones, it is easier to interpret how a person may feel.

http://psychology.about.com/od/nonverbalcommunication/gr/bodylanguage.htm

This is just one of the books I’d like to take a look at and maybe buy from the store. I have been recommended a few and I think those will be the best places for me to get information and research.

http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/body_language.htm

This website gives lists on subtopics of body language. It’s important to understand the different kinds and I could definitely use this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUXtGQkJcQ0

This YouTube video is really interesting! It shows a lot of different kinds of body language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc

Ted Talks: Body Language Shapes Who You Are