SPE 145 Blogpost 1

Put yourself through the reflexive cycle.  How do you come across to others nonverbally?  What impression do you make?  What impression do you want to make?  What do you do well and what needs improvement?  This post should be 350 words. Deadline: 3pm Feb. 7th

Last semester an acquaintance of mine stopped me on my way to class and told me that I walk around campus with a mad face on. I had explained to her that I wasn’t mad and that the night before I had hardly gotten any sleep. I really did not pay the comment any mind until several more people told me the same thing on several other occasions. I then realized that I had to do something about it because I am not a mad person and I did not want to come off as such.  This reoccurring situation started me on the path of the reflexive cycle.

In the reflexive cycle there are five phases; they are inventory self, change self, inventory others, transact with others, and reflect. Inventory self is when a person becomes more aware of the nonverbal messages they send. When I realized that I was walking around with a mad face on I completed the first step of the phase. Change self is when a person make the necessary changes they choose to their nonverbal messages. After phase one I began to make a conscious note of walking around with a smile on my face. I also would smile at people walking by. Inventory others is when a person observes others nonverbal messages.  

After phase two I noticed that my change in my nonverbal messages was working and people in passing would smile at me, before I got the chance to smile at them. I felt good to know that I was more approachable. Transact with others is when a person is able to interact with others verbally and nonverbally. This happened when not only did I receive smiles from people in passing, but they began to say hi as well. The last phase, reflect is when a person looks back on the entire process. Looking back on it now, I’m happy that my acquaintance had made me more aware of my nonverbal messages, so that I may be more approachable.