This week I decided to go to Starbucks off campus and people watch. I decided to choose an off-campus location, so it wasn’t full of people just studying. The Starbucks I went to was very small with only 3 tables. I could pretty much hear everything everyone was saying. Honestly, I felt a little guilty listening in on their conversations so much. I sat in the corner away from people so I didn’t look “creepy” as some would call it. I saw many different forms on communication and uses of technology while in the coffee shop.
The first group of people I noticed was 3 people dressed very nicely. They all had their computers and 2 of them even had a tablet as well. I assumed they were at Starbucks for a business meeting. One man led the conversation, so I figured he must be the lead on this project, or in some way above the other two. The other man was talking or texting on his phone a lot. The body language of the other two didn’t seem to be annoyed by this, so I thought it might have been a work phone call. The 3 people were there longer than I was, so I didn’t see the interaction of how they left.
Another group I saw, was two women in their mid 20s maybe. This was one of the few conversations I couldn’t hear very well, so I watched non verbal’s very closely. The women seemed as if they knew each other well, because they would touch each other’s hands frequently. The one woman that I could see the face of kept rolling her eyes. However, she also seemed very sympathetic when she rolled her eyes. The women also never got out their phones or technology while I was there. I thought this was so rare. I honestly find it hard to not take out my phone even during a serious conversation. It was very interesting to watch their body language, and how I made up a story in my own mind of what they were talking about. I assumed the woman who I couldn’t see the face of, was telling a story to her best friend about a boy who did her wrong. After they left, they both gave each other a hug and got I their separate cars.
This experience was very eye opening. I was very surprised how much I ended up taking away from the conversations. My favorite conversation I watched was the one between the two women. I enjoyed this because I couldn’t hear what they were saying. This activity really brought to light how much body language can teach you about a people and the type of conversation they are having. I do not know if I got their conversation even close to right, but I would like to believe that I got what they were feeling throughout the situation.