Human behavior is undeniably the primary determinant of human interactions. There exist several ways that people interact in their day-to-day activities, ranging from actual contact to interpersonal interactions. Stewart, Zediker & Witteborn (2005) argue that the knowledge of what happens during human interactions is important not only in elucidating human behavior but also in understanding the strengths and weaknesses that encompass human interactions. Communication is a vital aspect of every human interaction and the understanding of how the various and inter-relational steps in communication will go a long way to unfold how communication impacts individual actions. In essence, one response during an interaction is highly likely to determine the next, hence the need to illustrate the communication pattern during human interactions. This paper will analyze peculiar human behavior as noted down during an hour of observation of various people interacting in a mall food court.
Preview
The analysis entails linking critical interpersonal concepts of human interactions to the data as observed, particularly nexting concept. In effect, the analysis involves finding any peculiar and notable observations ranging from words and interpersonal behavior of individuals in the selected setting, and how one interaction leads to another in a sequence.
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Peculiar Observations
The setting was a mall food court, where I was able to observe various people communicating in seats strategically positioned in the court. Some were conversing, while others were not. Some were momentarily silenced for the better part of the hour in which I instituted my investigation. Key among the observable communication behaviors relating to testing include the following.
The dominant observed behavior in the court was an interpersonal conversation. Typically, the court is full in all corners, with only a few empty tables. But on this day, the court had a significantly fewer number of clients. Most individuals in the court seemed to be in a contemplative mood. The clients were either passively going through the magazines provided at the court tables, or the inertly looking over the menu. Also, there were others who were browsing with their smartphones, probably surfing the court’s fast speed Wi-Fi.
Secondly, I was able to observe the response to arguments between two individuals seated on a bench near to where I was. They seemed to have been engaging in a discussion, whereby the progress of the conversation was driven by every response from either one of them. In essence, the conversation was built on each reaction by either of the conversing parties. In one table, I observed a group of people that appeared to be a family. There were occasional hysterical laughs among the group, which followed a comment from a member of the group. Communication was continuous, and one’s response determined the next and the length of the overall conversation (Stewart, Zediker & Witteborn, 2005). In this case, all the parties in the conversation had a full mandate to keep the conversation going. One’s action’s or reactions had a significant impact on the next communication move.
Thirdly, I managed to observe people seated together but with minimal talk, which was highly likely an occurrence of a long pause. These people seemed to be involved in a very intimate conversation, based on their bodily response when someone made a communication move. Communications were kept at a minimum, with few responses and long pauses in between the interaction. Pausing enabled one to analyze the sentiments or made or questions raised by their counterparts. In effect, pausing was the moment right before the speaker would raise a concern or query something that required a thoroughly stimulated response. The person to whom the concern was raised would then take a moment to sink in the information, and after a while respond back. Also, the speaker would continuously add more concerns even before they got a response. Pausing is essential to internalize a concern before giving feedback (Stewart, Zediker & Witteborn, 2005). While the reaction from a person who has been pausing will determine the next phase of the conversation considerably, failing to respond continuously may abruptly end the communication.
Conclusion
This paper has assessed notable human communication behavior of people conversing in a mall food court. Communication is undeniably crucial in every human interaction and builds up with the response given by the conversing parties. The clients in the food court depict a striking communication pattern known as nexting, which mainly entails how responses keep a dialogue going. Nexting has manifested itself in several ways in the food court. First, there is interpersonal communication whereby some attendants seem to be very contemplative. Second, there were several conversations between and amongst individuals in the food court. The response given from these conversations covertly and directly determined the next communication move. Lastly, there was a considerable number of individuals who portrayed pausing throughout the discussion. The timeline within which the observation occurred was relatively enough to allow one to sink into the discussion before reacting. Nevertheless, there is a need to carry out an inspection that will encompass a longer timeline to enable further observations and a deeper understanding of how actions connect during an observation.
Reference
Stewart, J., Zediker, K. E., & Witteborn, S. (2005). Together: Communicating interpersonally: A social construction approach . Roxbury Publishing Company.
