Interpersonal Communications Techniques in the Andy Griffith Show
Interpersonal skills refer to the skills individuals need when they interact with other people. Also, the meaning of interpersonal skills has a number of synonyms, such as social skills, soft skills, people skills, or communication skills. I chose the pop culture assignment because I like media related information and relating areas of life to it. The clip I chose to present was from the Andy Griffith Show, called “Citizen’s Arrest.” Some interpersonal communications techniques that are used include kinesics (Wood, 126), paralanguage (Wood, 133), listening for information (Wood, 157), loaded language (Wood, 99) and artifacts (Wood, 129). The most used is paralanguage and kinesics.
In this episode of The Andy Griffith Show, Barney is sitting in his police car and sees Gomer Pyle get in his truck after leaving the post office and do an illegal U-turn. Barney proceeds to pull Gomer over and block his truck in. At this point, it is very apparent that Barney is agitated. The nonverbal communication he is using is kinesics. Kinesics is the study of communication through body movements, stances, gestures, or facial expressions (Wood, 126). Kinesics can also be considered body language and eye contact. Our body language signals a great deal about us and how we are feeling at a particular time. Body language and eye contact are key indicators of how we as a society function. Wood states that attorneys have used body language to sway jurors, and customers tip better if their server maintains eye contact during their stay. Throughout the clip, kinesics is frequently used by everyone in the scene from Barney and his agitation, to Gomer being completely confused and later equally agitated.
Artifacts are used by everyone “to announce their identities and to project a particular image to others” (Wood, 129-130). Artifacts are personal objects with which we announce our identities and personalize our environments (Wood, 129). During this clip, Barney’s artifact is his police
In this episode of The Andy Griffith Show, Barney is sitting in his police car and sees Gomer Pyle get in his truck after leaving the post office and do an illegal U-turn. Barney proceeds to pull Gomer over and block his truck in. At this point, it is very apparent that Barney is agitated. The nonverbal communication he is using is kinesics. Kinesics is the study of communication through body movements, stances, gestures, or facial expressions (Wood, 126). Kinesics can also be considered body language and eye contact. Our body language signals a great deal about us and how we are feeling at a particular time. Body language and eye contact are key indicators of how we as a society function. Wood states that attorneys have used body language to sway jurors, and customers tip better if their server maintains eye contact during their stay. Throughout the clip, kinesics is frequently used by everyone in the scene from Barney and his agitation, to Gomer being completely confused and later equally agitated.
Artifacts are used by everyone “to announce their identities and to project a particular image to others” (Wood, 129-130). Artifacts are personal objects with which we announce our identities and personalize our environments (Wood, 129). During this clip, Barney’s artifact is his police
Cited: Wood, J., Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters, 7th ed., Published by Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. “Citizen’s Arrest,” The Andy Griffith Show. Writ. Everett Greenbaum & Jim Fritzell. Dir. Dick Crenna. December 16, 1963. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwEvysDpNm0&feature=fvwrel