I would like to thank all of you who have participated in our blog assignments. I have found them to be uplifting, insightful, and inspiring. The collaborative learning process that we have been going through has taught me many valuable lessons. I have gained a great deal of knowledge from reading my colleagues blog posts, comments, and discussions throughout this semester. Thank you for your input and sharing your professional knowledge with me. It’s been a pleasure learning with you!

"Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." - Marva Collins

Week Six Blog Assignment

For this week’s blog assignment I have been given several questions to answer. Below are those questions combined with my answers.

Are high-performing groups hardest to leave?

I am not sure how to answer this question. I think it would be difficult to leave a high-performing group. Accomplishing things give you a feeling of pleasure and importance.  Leaving a group like that would be hard because you would also be leaving behind that feeling of accomplishment.

Groups with the clearest established norms?

I think that groups that already have established norms in place would be easier to leave. They already have a “normal” way of adjourning and therefore, it is easy to leave. It is likely that you would feel closure leaving a group like this because you have already gone through the steps.  

Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why?

I would say that the playgroup that I attend is the hardest to leave. I feel this way because my son really enjoys being there and does not like to leave. He always gets upset when it’s time to go. He’s only one so I can’t really explain that we’ll be back next week.

What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced?

In a group setting, the closing rituals that I have experienced are pretty similar. The leader usually goes over the results of the meeting. Next they go over the things that should be accomplished before the next meeting. She/he then asks if anyone has any comments or concerns.  Finally they say something along the lines of “ok, see you guys next time”.

How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master's degree in this program?

Getting a degree online is very different from getting a degree on campus. Because of this I will probably write some farewells on my colleague’s blog sites. I will thank them for their insights and how they have helped my grow professionally and personally through their stories and comments.

Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

Projects as well as conversations need closure for people to feel good or complete about them. Adjourning is a necessary phase of all meetings so that the team members know what is expected of them. 

In the past few weeks I have learned a lot about my personal communication styles. I have also learned how to be a more effective communicator. This week the focus was on conflict resolution. I explored several useful websites that were full of great tips and strategies on how best to resolve conflict. Some strategies I have learned in helping to resolve conflicts are:

o   Be aware of the whole picture

o   Try to understand the other person’s perspective

o   Think before you speak

o   Try to find more than one way to solve the issue

o   Take time to respond

o   Utilize empathetic listening

Here are two of the websites that I found to be the most helpful:

The Center for Nonviolent Communication:

https://www.cnvc.org

The Third Side website:

http://www.thirdside.org/

Do any of you have any suggestions or insights you gained this week pertaining to conflict resolution?

This week I had to take some personal communication style surveys. They evaluated how I perceive myself as a communicator. I also had to choose two people to take the surveys with my in mind. I then had to compare their answers with my answers.

My Results:

The results were interesting. I learned that I am a good listener and people-oriented. I also learned that I need to work on my confidence level when it comes to public speaking.

Their Results:

The two people I chose were my best friend and my husband. I have known my best friend for almost 20 years, and I’ve known my husband for about 8 years. The results from their surveys were surprising and comforting. My husband’s answers were almost identical to my answers, a testimony to how well he knows me. My friend’s answers were pretty different from mine. She perceives me to be much more confident than I really am. It was nice to know that she has such a high opinion of me. It was also nice to know that my husband knows me so well and on such a personal level.

The surveys made me focus on my communication skills. The surveys helped in developing my personal and professional communication skills. 

Week Three

Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

Yes, I do communicate differently depending on who the listening audience is.      

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If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

I find that when I am communicating with friends and family I use low language, which is more casual. When I am in a more professional setting (parent meetings, speaking with co-workers, etc.) I use high language which is more formal.

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

Remember the Platinum Rule: “Do to others as they themselves would like to be treated” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011, p. 114).

Try to learn key words or phrases and become familiar with gestures of respect/disrespect in various cultures.

When communicating with parents who speak a different language than you do, get a translator if possible. This will help diminish misunderstandings and will ensure that you will be able to clearly communicate with the parents. I found it helpful when using a translator to speak to the parents and face them instead of the translator. I think this shows the parents that you respect them.

References:

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Interpreting Non-Verbal Communication

This is the show I chose to watch.

For this assignment I watched “Dating Rules from My Future Self.” I first watched the show with the sound turned off, and then re-watched it with the sound on.

Sound Off: 

I was able to assume a great deal about what was going on just based on the non-verbal cues of the actors. I could tell when a female character probably liked a male character. I could tell when the main character in the show was upset or excited about something based on her body language and facial expressions. At times it was hard to tell what is was that was either exciting or upsetting her, others it was very clear.

Sound On:

I was able to truly understand what was going on 100% of the time because I could hear what they were saying and knew what facial expressions and body language went along with certain happenings. I could hear the jokes and phone conversations that were difficult to decipher with body language and facial expressions alone.

Conclusion:

I was surprised at how much information I was able to gather by just watching the show (without sound). I could assume a lot of what was going on, most of my assumptions were proven correct when I re-watched the show with the sound on. I also decided that although this exercise was fun, I prefer to watch TV with the sound on. I enjoy hearing the jokes and know exactly what is going on!

For your blog this week, think of someone who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective? Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not?

The one person who always comes to mind when thinking of effective communication is my husband Jon. He is always great about listening to what you have to say and then communicating his thoughts on the matter. I have always had a hard time articulating my true feelings and saying what’s on my mind. During our first years together Jon helped me with my communication skills. If I wasn’t being clear or giving enough information about how I felt about something he would ask me more detailed questions. He would also call me out when I was holding back and not being open about something. I am now able to be more open and direct in my communication. I am still working on my communication skills, but I know that they are so much better than they used to be.