Today my Business Communications class went to the market! Our goal? To observe nonverbal communication in a variety of areas: eye contact, facial expressions, posture and gesture, attire, voice (tone, variety, loudness), use of space (arrangement of objects in), and proxemics (territory/personal space). There could be no better place to do this than
Mercato Centrale (Central Market). Here’s a little history about this famous market:
The year 1860 marked the reunification of Italy, an historical event of major significance to the country. Florence was named temporarily as the capital of the reunified Italy, prior to Rome being made the permanent capital. Serving as capital would naturally result in many important events and visits by dignitaries, so the historic center of Florence was completely restyled in preparation. Part of this restyling resulted in the Mercato Centrale, which was built in an extremely old neighborhood that was also extremely unhealthy (tuberculosis, etc.). Therefore, the market was built using the most innovative materials of the day, cast iron and glass, in the hopes that this would create a sanitary space. Construction began in 1870 and was completed in 1874.
The market is enclosed and built on two levels. Filled with many inner alleyways, it has the feel of a small city. Students were to walk around both floors with their partners, and they were given a handout on which to record their observations. In addition to nonverbal communication, the students also observed a lot about food that they had never seen before. At different stalls they saw whole octopi, cow stomachs (tripe), a pig’s head, pigs’ feet, chickens with the feet still attached, lots of innards of all types of animals, and cow shanks complete with fur and hooves. The Italians let nothing go to waste. And as you can see, some of the students made some pretty good nonverbal facial expressions themselves!
The market itself is a beautiful, grandiose place, and we all had a fantastic time.
Buon appetito!
Today my Business Communications class went to the market! Our goal? To observe nonverbal communication in a variety of areas: eye contact, facial expressions, posture and gesture, attire, voice (tone, variety, loudness), use of space (arrangement of objects in), and proxemics (territory/personal space). There could be no better place to do this than Mercato Centrale (Central Market). Here’s a little history about this famous market:
The year 1860 marked the reunification of Italy, an historical event of major significance to the country. Florence was named temporarily as the capital of the reunified Italy, prior to Rome being made the permanent capital. Serving as capital would naturally result in many important events and visits by dignitaries, so the historic center of Florence was completely restyled in preparation. Part of this restyling resulted in the Mercato Centrale, which was built in an extremely old neighborhood that was also extremely unhealthy (tuberculosis, etc.). Therefore, the market was built using the most innovative materials of the day, cast iron and glass, in the hopes that this would create a sanitary space. Construction began in 1870 and was completed in 1874.
The market is enclosed and built on two levels. Filled with many inner alleyways, it has the feel of a small city. Students were to walk around both floors with their partners, and they were given a handout on which to record their observations. In addition to nonverbal communication, the students also observed a lot about food that they had never seen before. At different stalls they saw whole octopi, cow stomachs (tripe), a pig’s head, pigs’ feet, chickens with the feet still attached, lots of innards of all types of animals, and cow shanks complete with fur and hooves. The Italians let nothing go to waste. And as you can see, some of the students made some pretty good nonverbal facial expressions themselves!
The market itself is a beautiful, grandiose place, and we all had a fantastic time. Buon appetito! 
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