Power & Control in Nonverbal Communication

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Non Verbal Communication Essay 1 - Power & Control Power and control is portrayed in non verbal communication in a number of different ways in many different situations. Different people portray power and control in different ways. Power and control are often portrayed when someone wants to assert themselves as the more dominant figure for instance if a boss walks in to an employees office he may stand over the employee and speak while the employee is sitting at his desk rather than sitting down and being on the same level of the employee. This situation would reflect the boss’s power and control as he is the dominant figure “towering” over the “lower being” employee. An example of a situation where I used non verbal communication to exert power and control would be when I was recently tasked with coordinating and leading an event. During set up I asked all of the people working the event to gather around the stage and I went on stage and directed each of them to their stations and tasks I needed them to do. By standing on the stage above them and using hand gestures to point out areas that needed to be addressed and completed I established myself non verbally as a leader and at that point someone who was in charge of them. By having this power and control I was able to successfully direct the event’s set up to the people who were there at my disposal to set up the event and establish my position as a leader and the person who was directing this event. By asserting myself in this way I feel I was able to successfully instruct everyone on their jobs and tasks which lead to a successful setup and a successful event. If I had wanted to give up some of the power I could have stood at eye level with the participants instead of going on stage or I could have shared the power and leadership responsibility with another person if need be. Non verbal
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