Body Language

I wasn't at all surprised, to learn, that 93% of the meaning contained in a message was in the voice tone and body language. I didn't realise it was quite that much, but I have always thought that the way people say something and how they move, while saying it, said more than the words that were spoken.
I do not know whether it is because I have spent many years working in retail and tourism or whether it is because I have always been an observer, or maybe it is a mixture of both?
I have also found with experience it is not just humans who do it. I have had to learn with our dog, for example, to use a certain tone in my voice when telling him off about something or calling him to come to me, otherwise he won't listen.
I have also found it interesting, sometimes at work when its been quiet, watching people and guessing what they are thinking by they way they are moving, or guessing the relationships between people who walk into the store together.
People watching is actually a fun thing to do and I often wonder how many other people do it? and has anyone ever watched me while they have been people watching?

Establishing social presence: Having some fun!

For an individual activity we were asked to select one cartoon, one joke with a punchline and one small sound bite and to make sure it was something that made me laugh. Not one for telling jokes (always messing up the punch line) I decided to take this as a challenge.
Now I say 'not someone for telling jokes' but this does not mean I am not a joke sort of person. I can turn a lot of situations into something to laugh about, I am just no good with actual jokes. I find the most simplest things can bring a smile to my face and the one thing that never fails to put a huge smile on my face is the sound of a laughing child/baby. I am not sure why but it gets me every time, no matter what my mood is.
So that was my sound bite, a laughing baby.
Now the cartoon? I had to trawl the Internet for this and found the following, which I think shows, because of the simplicity of it, how easily things can make me laugh.

I also found the following which I thought was funny, considering the course I am doing doing.

Now for my joke with the punch line?

This one was hard because as I mentioned jokes with punchlines do not work with me telling them so I decided to go with a invoice, I received from www.1-daysale.co.nz, which I thought funny and thought absolutely brilliant, as it was so unexpected. I mean I was expecting an invoice but not what was written on it.

Your product's been delicately removed from our shelves and has just been sent on its merry way! Our staff are rather distraught over its departure, Billy's smiling in these photos www.1-day.co.nz/billy or www.1-day.com.au/billy, but truth be told we've given him a few days off to attend a counselling course for 'emotional and psychological detachment'. He's currently putting on a brave face and holding it together - he reassures us his undies are changed daily and he's focused on the next task at hand.
Ray on the other hand, Billy's right hand man and our Warehouse Head Honcho, jumps for joy every time a parcel leaves the building - it frees up space for all the new stock! He was so excited when your parcel left today that he accidentally put petrol in his diesel Ute and stuffed the mechanics. Luckily your package won't be travelling with him - it's with Courier Post - a far more reliable source, and it's on its way today, to your home or workplace.

It just seemed so random, but makes me want to buy more off them in the future. Which also makes me think why don't more companies do stuff like this?

Learning Styles and Group Roles

I have come to some realisations about myself this week, some I already knew about, and others that have been kind of surprising.
The one I knew about was the way I learn. I found out while at high school, many years ago that I had to see things being done to be able to learn them myself, that I couldn't learn from listening to instructions or by simply reading words on how to do it. I would have to be seeing it or hearing it and physically be doing it at the same time.
It was something that, at the school I went to, the teachers wanted us to find out for ourselves which way we learnt. Not that it made much difference to the way the teachers taught us once we did find out.
So I have always known what I need to do to make myself learn. Thus being the reason I feel like I struggle a lot while studying, over the past year, and usually end up asking a lot of questions.
What surprised me about myself, while studying over the past year, is my role within a group. I am usually the shy one in the group. The one who sits and listens to a group discussion, nods my head, and generally goes with whatever the group wants and doesn't add much until the group has broken up and then I may mention something to someone. I do not particularly like speaking in front of a lot of people and presenting stuff. I had a fear of people openly rejecting my opinions.
But while doing courses, through the Open Polytechnic, I have come out of my shell. I have found myself working within a group and pushing the group forward when needed, adding my opinions, and getting the job done when it has to be done. I ask questions, when I do not understand, with the risk of looking silly. I like to keep on track, so I guess if it means I have do go ahead and do things so we can, then I do.
It makes me wonder what my future group roles will be. Will I be able to carry this kind of confidence over to my every day life or will it stay being an online personality?

Social Networking

As I was flicking through, last weeks New Idea, at work, a few days ago, I came across an article which had the title "Is social networking a must-have tool for women?".
Just the title had my attention. It made me wonder if social networking was considered a must have tool for women.
I had never considered whether I could live without it. I mean, I have lived without it in the past, but could I live without it now that it was part of my every day life?
Could I cope if my phone and internet were cut off?
My answer? Yes I could cope without it. I would probably miss not keeping in touch with all those friends and family members that I wouldn't be in touch with if it wasn't for Facebook, but I am old enough to remember the days of writing and posting letters. So I think I would cope.
I went on to read the article, which asked two New Zealand identities, how they felt. One said that after resisting Facebook for years, she decided to just as an experience and she is now hooked. While the other, who has never joined a social networking site, feels she is not missing out on anything and doesn't feel the need to ever join one.
It leaves me wondering if the second was asked to just trial Facebook or Twitter for a month, would she still feel the same? would she be able to shut down her page and never use it again?

Second Life

My Second Life experiences have gone much smoother and relaxing since the first time I had a go at using it.
I have since figured out how to find Koru and the Open Polytechnic meeting place, after playing around with all the icons, logging in, in advanced mode and generally being nosy about everything. It was definately a feeling of relief when I not only discovered how to get to Koru, but I also made my first friend from the course - Kezia Burnell, who, in her own words, saw me and decided to stalk me. Which if she hadn't I would've walked all over Koru wondering where I was suppose to be!
I have since met three others and I am looking forward to meeting everyone else and I am even more, with excitement, to the day when I turn up and everyone from our course has made it there at the same time.
Second Life, I can see now, does have its advantages when doing courses, as it gives you a chance to meet everyone and feel like you know them a bit better. It almost gives me the feeling I get when I am in an actual classroom, being able to see my classmates and having course related discussions with them.
 And if I can feel like that about a course why wouldn't it also be helpful for doing meetings for work?
Could it also, like Facebook, be a great way to meet up with family and friends, who you do not often get to see and talk to?
I think I could do more with Second Life than I had originally thought.

My first Second Life Experience

Second Life, a second world where you can create another life for yourself and do things, be someone who you are not in real life. It is something that I have never done before and had never even considered doing before.
My very first experience with being in Second Life was a bit unnerving.
I had created my avatar, Kristjana30, and was wondering from island to island wondering how on earth I was suppose to find my fellow students in a place called Koru, as it wasn't part of the destinations offered.
I was getting random friendship requests, which I wasn't accepting, and then something happened which spooked me out and made me wonder whether I really wanted to be doing this whole Second Life thing.
I had just landed at some destination when some guy asked me if I wanted to take this to the bedroom!!!
I very quickly replied "No Thankyou" and was starting to think about getting away from there when he went on to explain that he wasn't talking to me - his wife was also there.
Whoops.
It left  me wondering, is this what alot of couples do to get romance back in thier lives?
Is this what role playing was now becoming?
What else do people get up to here?
and do I want to be apart of it?