The Seinfeld Episode
When young people meet their elders, they should address them with respect and courtesy. However, Aaron seems to lack these critical values when he meets Jerry’s parents. He addresses them like his colleagues and does not employ the basic communications virtues. In contrast, Monica and her colleagues embrace excellent verbal and non-verbal skills that make the conversation fruitful. Therefore, communication cues are essential in a conversation since they develop the intended meaning in a conversation.
In the Seinfeld episode on the cultural dimension, several communication failures occur. The first communication breakdown factor is poor physical distancing between the individuals. While conversing, Aaron moves quite close to Jerry’s parents, making them nervous and afraid (ICCSMU, 2009). Moreover, another communication failure occurs as a result of the poor complementing nonverbal cues. For instance, Aaron points a finger at Jerry’s father’s face while still not observing the required distance (ICCSMU, 2009). Aaron tells Jerry’s father that he likes visiting France and making more friends. All this time, Jerry’s parents seem afraid and uncomfortable. Therefore, Aaron lacks essential physical spacing clues, developing the communication failure point.
Another communication failure is the lack of opening and closing conversations. Understandably, culture dictates that when one enters a house and meets unfamiliar people, they must be courteous. In the episode, the moment Jerry introduces Aaron to her parents, Aaron tells them that he likes making new friends (ICCSMU, 2009). He does not give the parents time to introduce themselves. Moreover, Jerry’s mother is surprised when she notices that Aaron wants to leave (ICCSMU, 2009). Aaron does not embrace the closing remarks by excusing himself and telling them bye, as culture outlines. Furthermore, Aaron guesses Kramer’s name and moves quite close to him to the point of falling due to fear (ICCSMU, 2009). Connectedly, poor opening, and closing of the conversation exemplify communication failure.
There is a lack of greetings, a significant illustration of communication failure. When one meets other people in a normal setting, they are expected to greet them first before introducing other topics. In the episode, Aaron goes straight to asking Jerry’s parents whether they like traveling, making friends without even greeting them (ICCSMU, 2009). The parents remain perplexed and unsure of how to respond to Aaron. Thus, the lack of greetings in the video contributes to a communication failure.
Friends TV-series
The characters greet one another, introduce each other, apologize, complement one another, start and end a conversation in a culturally accepted way. When Will arrives at Monica’s house, they hug one another, having a small conversation about how each is fairing since they last met (Obezmiliana, 2013). Moreover, the characters introduce themselves and others is a courteous manner that makes one comfortable and part of the group. For example, Monica introduces Will to Rachel Greene as a friend who they studied together in high school to make her have a clear picture of him (Obezmiliana, 2013). When Rachel seems not to remember, Monica further elucidates that Will is the guy who used to be fat in high school.
The characters apologize in a good way, making the angered individual calm. Rachel says that she is sorry for unknowingly making Will’s life miserable (Obezmiliana, 2013). Will accepts the apology and forgets all about how Rachel made his life miserable. Moreover, the group complements Monica for offering the best dinner ever (Obezmiliana, 2013). Arguably, the compliment makes Monica happy, hence eager to call them next time. Lastly, the characters commence and terminate the conversation in a recommended and predictable way. For example, when Monica comes to notify Joey and Rachel that she will have a Thanksgiving party, she starts the conversation by mentioning the people that should be expected at the party, including Mr. Will (Obezmiliana, 2013). Finally, she says goodbye and leaves the house after delivering the intended message that both Joey and Rachel should attend the Thanksgiving ceremony the following day. Therefore, the characters in the conversation embrace an excellent deal of communication.
The individuals utilize conversational repair when dialogue does not go well by asking for forgiveness. As mentioned above, when Rachel realizes that Will gets angry by remembering what she did to him while in high school, she apologizes, telling him that she did not intend to hurt him (Obezmiliana, 2013). First, she inquires whether she wronged Will and subsequently requests him to forget all that happened several years ago, while they were in high school. Moreover, the characters crack jokes when they realize that one of them is unhappy. For instance, Will realizes that Joey is unhappy when he verbally attacks Rachel, he sarcastically asks for more yams (Obezmiliana, 2013). Therefore, the characters repair their conversations by begging for forgiveness and embracing laughter.
Will’s body language, facial expression, and tone of voice indicate that he is angered? He hates Rachel, and when he sees her, he loses his temper to the point of smashing the flowers (Obezmiliana, 2009). His facial expression and low but deep voice tone exemplify that he is devastated by Rachel’s presence. Another pragmatic feature that Will lacks to demonstrate is asking questions. He could have asked questions regarding why she was ridiculing him while they were in high school.
Conclusively, the social and environmental background dictates the behavior of a person and how individuals relate to one another. As presented in the first episode, Aaron has poor communication skills and etiquette. Moreover, Monica and her colleagues have an exceptional level of conversation skills. While talking, they can listen to one another’s interests, understanding the exact information presented by different girls. Thus, people should embrace good communication abilities to deliver messages and the intended meaning appropriately.
References
ICCSMU. (2009). Week 13-Cultural dimensions. Youtube. Web.
Obezmiliana, A. (2013). Thanksgiving clips from friends. Youtube. Web.