Daniel Bell
BCOM/275
August 21, 2014
Bobby Bates

When we talk about demonstrative communication, we are talking about all the little nuances that we as humans portray when communicating with our fellow human beings. This form of communication can be anything from the way we hold or move our arms to the way we wrinkle up our forehead or whole face. It can be as subtle as a crinkle around one eye or as obvious as an arms flung out to our sides. When used properly demonstrative forms of communication can be very powerful in conveying your message however if not kept in check they can send conflicting messages from what is spoken and what is shown in body language. For example when giving a persuasive speech where there is a great deal of emotion involved making eye contact and holding it can show the audience that what you are saying is what you truly believe. On the other hand, if you are trying to get a crowd riled up pumping your arms or raising your hands can get the effect that you desire. On the other hand, if you were a San Diego Padres fan at a Los Angeles Dodgers Game and your winning using the hand rising if you are winning would not have the ineffective and not get the response you desired. Demonstrative communication can have both positive and negative responses for both the sender and receiver that is why it is so important to be aware of what you are doing when communicating with others. For an example of how demonstrative communication can be positive and negative let take a situation like a job interview. Let say that Joe is interviewing for a job at XYZ Corporation. The morning of his interview Joe has a fight with his wife and then is almost forced into the ditch by a preoccupied truck drive. Then when he gets to the interview, the panel who are to conduct the interview are tied up in a meeting and he has to wait for an hour before he is interviewed. When Joe goes into the interview he is already in a bad mood and if he sits with his arms crossed or has a sullen look on his face he will be sending the wrong signals to the panel and may show himself not to be what they are looking for even if he answers all the questions correctly. This can be avoided if you learn to control your emotions and use the frustration to your advantage and turn the negative into a positive. Let use the same interview without all of the negative influences. If Joe just goes into the interview and presents a positive attitude and confidence in his actions then he will have a better chance at getting the job. Another way that body language is used is what is known as mirroring this is when someone takes on the posture and position of another person you are engaged with. This practice can put the individual that is being mirrored at ease if properly preformed however if too obvious it can have a negative effect and put them off. When we are communicating with others, it is important to recognize the demonstrative communication that is being sent to us as we listen and know how to properly respond to what is being communicated to us. This is important in all of our walks of life from social to professional to personal. That guy that just yelled at you for what appears to be without cause may be having the worst day of his life and you just happened to be in the one who catches his frustration. What if your usually dependable co-worker is late, sullen, and a bit short with you may need to take a step back and find out what is going on before just responding without thinking. When we are truly engaged with those we interact with on a day-to-day basis, we have the ability to make or break others days by how we respond to their demonstrative communication. It is our responsibility to try to increase our awareness and understanding of the demonstrative communications that others send us. By doing this it will give us the opportunity to interact in a positive way with our fellow man.