The Office TV Show on Verbal and Non-verbal Communication Essay

The Office TV Show on Verbal and Non-verbal Communication - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that verbal and non-verbal communication is significant in our daily communication with friends, colleagues and other people we come into contact with everyday. Verbal communication is defined as the oral and written communication between people. Non-verbal communication is the type of communication that is neither spoken nor written. These include posture, actions, and body movements that mostly tell a lot more than words. Verbal and non-verbal communication is further subdivided into formal and informal language. Formal languages are often used in a formal setting such as business meetings, conferences, formal letters, memos and such. Informal communication, however, is the type of communication that we use in our everyday lives. In a person’s everyday interaction with other people, it is always important that these forms of communication are maximized. There is a famous saying â€Å"It is not what you say, but how you say it† that exemplifies the effective use of communication. The words that a person say may give one meaning and imply another depending on the tone of voice, posture and other factors that can imply a different meaning to the words one says. The TV show, The Office, exhibits the use of non-verbal communication more effectively rather than the words that were uttered in the scenes. In the episode, the people exhibited a lot of facial cues that expressed the people’s annoyance on the acting manager’s actions. There were also noticeable cues such as the way the acting manager would speak, his posture that somewhat depicted an annoying figure, the way he dressed and a lot of other things that made him somewhat a person to be irritated within the story. There was a segment in the episode that showed one guy crying over a girl he wanted to date, and what it effectively did was to show his anguish. The words he was uttering were a little incoherent but his actions and facial exp ressions showed his anguish. Even if there were no words to back it up, it would have still been understandable. In an office setting, one would expect that a person would speak with colleagues in a formal way especially if they are in a formal setting like meetings and other similar occasions but there are instances that colleagues sometimes become friends or have an easy camaraderie. That is the time that factors such as proximity, boundaries of topic, specific place for conversations and actions become less restrained. In the show, the impression that one could gather from it is that it is a somewhat formal setting with an informal environment. The people were a little less rigid, the stance is less relaxed, words used are less formal, although there were instances that the words and tone of voice indicates a formal type of communication, it mostly showed an easy camaraderie between colleagues. In maintaining interpersonal relationships in an office setting, one has to be dressed according to the image that is not only appropriate but also shows a certain type of individuality. A person makes an impression of another by how they appear to them, as such, appearance and dressing well is a good practice. It shows professionalism and credibility not only to colleagues but also to other people that one may interact with either in a formal or informal setting. In the case of the show, the acting manager may have an authority over others but his posture, the way he dressed and the manner of which he spoke depicted otherwise. It is also important to ensure that one addresses another in a way that is appropriate; the tone of voice plays a big factor as well. There are instances that the tone of voice becomes monotonous when speaking about something that is business related but one must also keep in mind that varying the pitch, tone and manner of speaking gives emphasis on whatever one says.