BODY LANGUAGE

This is the topic I'm going to talk about for the GESE exam (TRINITY ORAL EXAMINATION) next Friday. It's a very interesting topic, but I'm so nervous about the oral presentation, ... There are lots of interesting videos in Internet  and very good web pages. Here you have two of them:
http://helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm  
a very good resource

http://www.psychologydegree.net/resources/the-psychology-of-linguistics-and-body-language/

Excellent!

Nonverbal communication: body language

1. Introduction. Has it ever occurred to you how much you are saying to people even when you are not speaking? Unless you are a master of disguise, you are constantly sending messages about your true thoughts and feelings whether you are using words or not. An image is worth 1,000 words. So, first, I'll define what body language is. Then, I'll explain some of the characteristics of this nonverbal language. And finally, I'll talk about the importance of body language in our present society.
2. What is nonverbal communication and body language?
* Body language is a language without spoken words and is therefore called non verbal communication. It is a vital form of communication—a natural, unconscious language that broadcasts our true feelings and intentions in any given moment, and clues us in to the feelings and intentions of those around us.
- Several investigators estimate that at least 70% of the communication between people takes place through body language and the tone of voice. (The best known theory is that of the American psychologist Mehrabian. He states that when it comes to expressing feelings: 55% of the communication consists of body language, 38% is expressed through tone of voice and only 7% is communicated through words. If this is the case we express 93% of our feelings in a non-verbal way!)
* Characteristics of body language.
- Body language, unlike spoken language, is inexact; so you have to be careful about how you interpret it. A certain movement or facial expression may be quite meaningful, or it may mean nothing at all.
- A lot of non-verbal behaviour is hereditary or is taught to everyone in the same way at a very young age. It is ingrained so to speak.
This obviously means that we have to learn to recognise many gestures, which can mean one thing in one society and something else in another. Many body signals are not universal. (In most European countries and America for example, people shake their head when they mean no and nod when they mean yes, but there are cultures, for example in India or in Greece, where they mean the opposite - up and down means no and shaking means yes. The latter could be the evidence that this body language is taught rather than innate. )
- Usually body language occurs unconsciously. It follows that therefore it would be good to become conscious of our own and others' body language. As I mention before, it is important to note that body language has different meanings in different cultures.

3. Why is body language so important?

* When we interact with others, we continuously give and receive wordless signals. All of our nonverbal behaviors — the gestures we make, the way we sit, how fast or how loud we talk, how close we stand, how much eye contact we make—send strong messages. Even when you’re silent, you’re still communicating non verbally. Looking at someone for example means something completely different than not looking at someone. In our contact with other people it is impossible not to communicate.

* You have probably heard many times that people remember more of what they see than what they hear. Long after a meeting, we are likely to have forgotten the exact words someone used, but we may retain a vivid image of the same person's facial expression. The way you listen, look, move, and react tells the other person whether or not you care, if you’re being truthful, and how well you’re listening.

* Through life experience we have learned, perhaps unconsciously, that people often lie with words. But facial expressions and other body language tend to be more honest. When a person's words and body language are consistent, we believe that person. When their words and body language say different things, we tend to believe the body language and doubt the words. When your nonverbal signals match up with the words you’re saying, they increase trust, clarity and rapport. When they don't, they generate tension, mistrust and confusion.

4. To sum up, body language has a larger reliability value When someone says something, information is conveyed through body language at the same time. This extra non-verbal information can support the content of the message or may contradict it. When someone contradict his words like this through his body language, his non-verbal message is almost always regarded as the most true because it is very difficult to lie through body language. However, most people are not very aware of their body language.

How we can interpret body language depends on the situation, the culture, the relationship we have with the person as well as the gender of the other. This means that there is not one signal that has the same meaning all over the world. If you do not take this into account, you may get yourself in some serious trouble!

Body language is one of the most powerful forms of human expression or human communication. You may not be aware of what you are saying with your body, but others will get the message. Make sure it's the one you want to send.

Effective Communication

 

Effective communication: Barriers and Strategies

       While there are many subtleties to communication between people, some basic skills can help you to be a more effective communicator. This document will explore Barriers to Listening, and Strategies for Effective Listening; Barriers to Accurate Perception, and Strategies for Accurate Perception; Barriers to Effective Verbal Communication, and Strategies for Effective Verbal Communication.

      

Accents in the British Isles

Accents in the British Isles

Meet Sean Ruttledge, voice talent and sketch comedian, better known as Mr Seanie. In this video, he goes on a world tour of English accents. How many can you identify?

 

51 English Accents - 1 British Impressionist from Sean Ruttledge on Vimeo.

Meet BBC radio journalists and go around the British Isles listening to different accents. Just click on the map to search for particular voices.

Meet six people from different parts of the UK and abroad who live in the same Suffolk street. One of them mentions "proper English", what does he say about it?

Now it’s your turn to speak about British accents in a five-minute presentation.

Get into pairs and choose one from the list:

Geordie, Brummie, Liverpudian, Cockney, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Cornish.

• Where is it spoken? Find out about the history of the area.
• Look for a video clip or song to demonstrate how it sounds.
• Choose some key words or expressions to teach to the rest of the class.

oral presentations

First of all, Good luck, to everyone!

PublicSpeakingSkills.com shows you a few of the simple behaviors you need become both comfortable and effective at public speaking. It's worth watching it.

Here you have a video with some examples of what you shouldn't do when doing an oral presentation.

There's also some important things to take into account. If you want to revise them, take a look at this webpage.

 

NEUROPLASTICITY

This is a very interesting topic, but very deep and difficult, as well. However, if you´re interested in this issue, here you can find information of your interest.

Definition of Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity: The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment.
Brain reorganization takes place by mechanisms such as "axonal sprouting" in which undamaged axons grow new nerve endings to reconnect neurons whose links were injured or severed. Undamaged axons can also sprout nerve endings and connect with other undamaged nerve cells, forming new neural pathways to accomplish a needed function.
For example, if one hemisphere of the brain is damaged, the intact hemisphere may take over some of its functions. The brain compensates for damage in effect by reorganizing and forming new connections between intact neurons. In order to reconnect, the neurons need to be stimulated through activity.
Neuroplasticity sometimes may also contribute to impairment. For example, people who are deaf may suffer from a continual ringing in their ears (tinnitus), the result of the rewiring of brain cells starved for sound. For neurons to form beneficial connections, they must be correctly stimulated.
Neuroplasticity is also called brain plasticity or brain malleability.

Brain Plasticity--An Overview What is brain plasticity? Does it mean that our brains are made of plastic? Of course not. Plasticity, or neuroplasticity, is the lifelong ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences. As we learn, we acquire new knowledge and skills through instruction or experience. In order to learn or memorize a fact or skill, there must be persistent functional changes in the brain that represent the new knowledge. The ability of the brain to change with learning is what is known as neuroplasticity. To illustrate the concept of plasticity, imagine the film of a camera. Pretend that the film represents your brain. Now imagine using the camera to take a picture of a tree. When a picture is taken, the film is exposed to new information -- that of the image of a tree. In order for the image to be retained, the film must react to the light and ?change? to record the image of the tree. Similarly, in order for new knowledge to be retained in memory, changes in the brain representing the new knowledge must occur. To illustrate plasticity in another way, imagine making an impression of a coin in a lump of clay. In order for the impression of the coin to appear in the clay, changes must occur in the clay -- the shape of the clay changes as the coin is pressed into the clay. Similarly, the neural circuitry in the brain must reorganize in response to experience or sensory stimulation. Facts About Neuroplasticity FACT 1: Neuroplasticity includes several different processes that take place throughout a lifetime. Neuroplasticity does not consist of a single type of morphological change, but rather includes several different processes that occur throughout an individual?s lifetime. Many types of brain cells are involved in neuroplasticity, including neurons, glia, and vascular cells. FACT 2: Neuroplasticity has a clear age-dependent determinant. Although plasticity occurs over an individual?s lifetime, different types of plasticity dominate during certain periods of one?s life and are less prevalent during other periods. FACT 3: Neuroplasticity occurs in the brain under two primary conditions: 1. During normal brain development when the immature brain first begins to process sensory information through adulthood (developmental plasticity and plasticity of learning and memory). 2. As an adaptive mechanism to compensate for lost function and/or to maximize remaining functions in the event of brain injury. FACT 4: The environment plays a key role in influencing plasticity. In addition to genetic factors, the brain is shaped by the characteristics of a person's environment and by the actions of that same person. Developmental Plasticity: Synaptic Pruning Gopnick et al. (1999) describe neurons as growing telephone wires that communicate with one another. Following birth, the brain of a newborn is flooded with information from the baby?s sense organs. This sensory information must somehow make it back to the brain where it can be processed. To do so, nerve cells must make connections with one another, transmitting the impulses to the brain. Continuing with the telephone wire analogy, like the basic telephone trunk lines strung between cities, the newborn?s genes instruct the "pathway" to the correct area of the brain from a particular nerve cell. For example, nerve cells in the retina of the eye send impulses to the primary visual area in the occipital lobe of the brain and not to the area of language production (Wernicke?s area) in the left posterior temporal lobe. The basic trunk lines have been established, but the specific connections from one house to another require additional signals. Over the first few years of life, the brain grows rapidly. As each neuron matures, it sends out multiple branches (axons, which send information out, and dendrites, which take in information), increasing the number of synaptic contacts and laying the specific connections from house to house, or in the case of the brain, from neuron to neuron. At birth, each neuron in the cerebral cortex has approximately 2,500 synapses. By the time an infant is two or three years old, the number of synapses is approximately 15,000 synapses per neuron (Gopnick, et al., 1999). This amount is about twice that of the average adult brain. As we age, old connections are deleted through a process called synaptic pruning. Synaptic pruning eliminates weaker synaptic contacts while stronger connections are kept and strengthened. Experience determines which connections will be strengthened and which will be pruned; connections that have been activated most frequently are preserved. Neurons must have a purpose to survive. Without a purpose, neurons die through a process called apoptosis in which neurons that do not receive or transmit information become damaged and die. Ineffective or weak connections are "pruned" in much the same way a gardener would prune a tree or bush, giving the plant the desired shape. It is plasticity that enables the process of developing and pruning connections, allowing the brain to adapt itself to its environment. Plasticity of Learning and Memory It was once believed that as we aged, the brain?s networks became fixed. In the past two decades, however, an enormous amount of research has revealed that the brain never stops changing and adjusting. Learning, as defined by Tortora and Grabowski (1996), is ?the ability to acquire new knowledge or skills through instruction or experience. Memory is the process by which that knowledge is retained over time.? The capacity of the brain to change with learning is plasticity. So how does the brain change with learning? According to Durbach (2000), there appear to be at least two types of modifications that occur in the brain with learning: A change in the internal structure of the neurons, the most notable being in the area of synapses. An increase in the number of synapses between neurons. Initially, newly learned data are "stored" in short-term memory, which is a temporary ability to recall a few pieces of information. Some evidence supports the concept that short-term memory depends upon electrical and chemical events in the brain as opposed to structural changes such as the formation of new synapses. One theory of short-term memory states that memories may be caused by ?reverberating? neuronal circuits -- that is, an incoming nerve impulse stimulates the first neuron which stimulates the second, and so on, with branches from the second neuron synapsing with the first. After a period of time, information may be moved into a more permanent type of memory, long-term memory, which is the result of anatomical or biochemical changes that occur in the brain (Tortora and Grabowski, 1996). Injury-induced Plasticity: Plasticity and Brain Repair During brain repair following injury, plastic changes are geared towards maximizing function in spite of the damaged brain. In studies involving rats in which one area of the brain was damaged, brain cells surrounding the damaged area underwent changes in their function and shape that allowed them to take on the functions of the damaged cells. Although this phenomenon has not been widely studied in humans, data indicate that similar (though less effective) changes occur in human brains following injury.

They said it!

"The principal activities of brains are making changes in themselves." --Marvin L. Minsky (from Society of the Mind, 1986)

For references and more information on neuroplasticity, see: Drubach, D. (2000). The Brain Explained, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Gopnic, A., Meltzoff, A., Kuhl, P. (1999). The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind, New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University Staff. Brain Plasticity, Retrieved July 28, 2002 from http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/kennedy/research/topics/plasticity.html Kandel, E.R., Schwartz, J.H., and Jessell, T.M. (2001). Principles of Neural Science. (4th ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill. Kolb, B. (Winter 2000). Experience and the developing brain. Education Canada, 39(4), 24-26. Neville, H.J. and Bavelier, D. (2000). Specificity and plasticity in neurocognitive development in humans. In Gazzaniga, M.S. (Ed). The New Cognitive Neurosciences. (2nd ed.), Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, pp. 83-99. Society for Neuroscience. (July 2000). Brain Plasticity, Language Processing and Reading, Retrieved August 3, 2002 from http://web.sfn.org/content/Publications/BrainBriefings/brain_lang_reading.htm Sousa, D.A. (2001). How the Brain Learns (2nd ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc. Tortora, G. and Grabowski, S. (1996). Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. (8th ed.), New York: HarperCollins College Publishers. Tulving, E. and Craik, F.I.M. (Eds.) (2000). The Oxford Handbook of Memory, London and New York: Oxford University Press. General Memory Sites: Memory Exhibit - from the Exploratorium Brain Top to Bottom

Click this link if you´re interested in this article.

Neuroplasticity: Your Brain’s Amazing Ability to Form New Habits

One of the most popular areas of research in psychology these days is neuroplasticity.  Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to restructure itself after training or practice.  In many ways, neuroplasticity is what makes personal growth and development possible at its most basic level.  With the understanding that change is indeed possible, you’re able to focus on the ways in which you’d like to grow instead of whether or not it’s achievable for you.  It’s possible, it’s proven, and now it’s up to you!

We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle
An example of how neuroplasticity works: when you view the brains of people who frequently practice playing the violin under fMRI (functional MRI) they appear to have developed a larger area of their brain devoted to mapping their fingers.  This change is directly related to the quantity and the quality of the practice they’re performing – their brains are adapting in very real and tangible ways unbeknownst to them.
One of the fun sayings around neuroplasticity: “neurons that fire together wire together… and neurons that fire apart wire apart.”.  Effectively this means that when neurons activate at the same time as a response to an event, the neurons become associated with one another and the connections become stronger.  This is why people talk about “neural pathways being set” with respect to increased practice – the more practice you accumulate, the more ingrained or grooved the pathways become.  Of course the inverse happens as well: if those pathways aren’t utilized, the space will be used by other pathways needing room to grow. Use it or lose it!
You can picture this yourself by imagining the flow of water through sand (I’m writing this from a beach in Kauai so excuse the metaphor – but I always find a mental motion picture is worth a thousand words!)  When seawater first runs over the sand, there isn’t a path for it to follow so it starts to form one for itself.  As the water continues to flow over the sand, the pathway forms a real groove in the sand and gets deeper and more defined.  It may start to branch off and take up more room in the sand if necessary, even reforming pathways on top of pathways that are no longer in use if it needs to.  Once the pathways are formed, it becomes more difficult to change the water flow – and if the water ever stops flowing, the pathway will remain for some time in the hopes that it’ll be used again at some point.  (This is why picking something back up after some time of inactivity is easier than starting a new activity cold).
The research around neuroplasticity is burgeoning these days – many people in psychology are talking about the hows and whys around it, and over the last decade a fair amount of research has already been done on the brain and its ability to reshape itself.  It’s no longer considered a theory in brain science, it’s fact.  Up until the 1980s or early 1990s, most scientists believed that your brain developed in your early years (throughout childhood) and then became “hardened” like dried concrete.  One has to assume this is where the moniker, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” came from.  But it turns out this just isn’t true.  You can fundamentally change your brain so long as oxygen and blood is flowing through you.  Which means you have no excuse when it comes to forming new habits.
In Tibetan Buddhism, the concept of neuralplasticity has been around for far longer than Western science has recognized it – the term for it is le-su-rung-wa which means “pliability”; your brain can change based on repeated experience. It’s no surprise then that studies have been performed on plasticity during meditation and have shown that the brain can change based purely on mental training.  This of course has huge ramifications for mental practice and its impact on overall well-being.  If you can think yourself into being more compassionate, or more positive and more resourceful, or calmer and more content, it seems a little too good to be true.  But with some effort, it’s possible.
There are a few interesting things to note about neuroplasticity.  Change takes place rather suddenly in the brain.  A recent study has shown that habits can be formed in as little as 7 days of repeated activity, but can dissipate just as easily.  In other words, change comes naturally and quickly and can disappear just as quickly as it arrived.  It also appears that “learning a variety of new things, rather than simply practicing old skills, may be most effective in terms of brain structure alterations”.  And while neuroplasticity is possible in adults, it appears that in children it’s rampant – which makes logical sense as it aligns with our overall perspective on learning.
In short: this is relevant research to all of us.  It implies that people of any age have the ability to learn new things and form new habits.  Therefore contentment (my preferred term for ‘happiness’) isn’t a state you’re born into, it’s a state you can discover.  And the sky’s the limit for the ability to learn and perfect new things throughout your life.
So what are you waiting for?

For decades, scientists thought that the adult human brain was static and unchanging. But in the last few decades, we have learned that the adult brain is more dynamic than we ever imagined!
This short film was created for the Society for Neuroscience 2011 Brain Awareness Video Contest.

Written, directed, and edited by Neil Losin and Liz Losin. Featuring music by Dan Warren (www.danwarren.net).

This is a very interesting topic, but very deep and difficult, as well. However, if you´re interested in this issue, here you can find information of your interest.

On the other hand, there is a group of scientists? who do not share these opinions  about neuroplasticity. If you are not in a hurry, you can have a quick glance at this web page

To finish, here you have another webpage in which you can find the most frequently asked questions about this controversial issue.

Fine-tuning our writing

Embellishing and finishing a story

It was at the crack of dawn, earlier than usual for the just retired Martin. After a whole life rising at six to go to work, he would these days opt to be at ease in bed until the sun had risen. But that day he was overcome with a weird gut feeling; he wrapped up, got hold of one of his favourite books and proceeded to read it by his chamber window sill. A flock of thrushes were cheerfully chirping outside, in his very well cared for back garden, mainly all over the magnificent old as the hills maple, which Martin’s great grandfather had grown, as stated by his family archives. All of a sudden, there was a cutting painful silence, such an intense silence that Martin was profoundly influenced. He raised himself from his wood rocking chair and looked around through the window. Right below the maple there was a skinny boy, not older than ten, completely dressed in rags, poring over a big book. The scene was so incredibly unbelievable that Martin gave his eyes a rub. For quite some time, he gaped at the little boy, who was profoundly engrossed in his book, as if that was his invariable spot for reading, a hidden corner of his own garden.  Then, Martin crept carefully down the stairs, opened the crystal glass door slowly onto his dearest garden, and again creeping carefully so not to distract the kid, he drew near the ancient maple. Bending towards the cold ground, he intriguingly asked: “It really seems a great book, doesn’t it?” For the first time, the little boy put down his book and looked around and, shyly breaking into a charming smile, gave him an answer: “This is the book of my life.” ……………………

 Martin was really astonished. “How can anyone so young have a book of his life?” he wondered. Curious as he still was, he asked the little boy to read him aloud a few lines. He went on: “A flock of thrushes were cheerfully chirping outside, in his very well cared for back garden, mainly all over the magnificent old as the hills maple, which Martin’s great grandfather had grown, as stated by his family archives.” “What the hell is this? Who are you? What do you want?” All of a sudden, the thrushes stopped their merry chirp and a strong wind blew up some sand into his eyes. When he could open them, not only there was no wind, but he could hear the musical chirp of the thrushes again. However, to his own surprise, he was sitting on his old rocking chair and there was no sign of no one under the old maple tree.

In the mood for Dickens?

	February 7, 1812 Charles John Huffam Dickens, the greatest novelist of the 19th century, was born in Portsmouth... February 1, 2012 Oxford is proud to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth with a stunning selection of activities, perfect for use in the classroom or for self-study. Have fun playing with the 'I Love Dickens' game. 'Feel like an Artist!' and draw the story of his books. Discover more about his life and his work with exciting Q&A activities and crosswords. Enjoy reading a choice selection of shrewd quotes. Satisfy your Dickens-related curiosity in the 'Did you know?' section. And there's more... Be a director or an actor for a day, the choice is yours! There are tips, advice, and scenes from a selection of our Dickens titles from Oxford's Dominoes series for you and your class to act out on stage! Don't forget to send us your videos if you want to share your experience on the web and have the chance to win a set of Oxford Bookworms and Dominoes readers. Visit this new website and enjoy Dickens Oxford graded readers more than ever! So, are you in the mood for Dickens? Say yes and join in now...

So come and learn more about Dickens , enjoy his work, and be ready for a surprise or two as you discover the fascinating truth of his life story... hand in hand with Oxford.