Communication on TV

I chose to watch Modern Family. What I learned from this activity is, we read a lot into facial expressions and body language and I believe we don't put so much emphasis on the words that are spoken. As I sat and watched the show in silence, I was making assumptions of feelings based on the characters body language and facial expressions. When I went back and watched the show with sound, there was definitely times where I was correct about the character's feelings but, there were many other times that I was off how they were feeling or what the situation was about. If I had been watching a show that I regularly watch, I believe my assumptions would've been less or at least correct. Watching a show that I normally watch allows me to know what the relationship is between the characters and know the characters individually. This helps avoid assumptions and allows me to understand more what might be going on even if there is no sound. Although this might seem like a positive thing, I think it could also cause people to miss things because they think they already know what is happening based off the body language and facial expressions and miss the wording. Just because you know the character, does not mean you know everything that may be happening. 

In my time working in the mental health field, I was taught that children read a lot into our body language and facial expressions and due to that, they receive only a small amount of the language we are speaking. This was evident in this activity. I believe this is important to remember when working with children and families. We may say all the right things but, our body may not match our words and could cause the relationship to dissolve.