Communication Evolvement

I can truly look back and say that this course has truly enlightened me and brought new meaning to my communication with others. My journey throughout this course has raised my level of awareness and has motivated me to improve on my communication skills both personally and professionally. Furthermore, it was a pleasure working with such a supportive group and each of you has inspired me in someway. I thank you all for your opinions, suggestions, and perspectives. I wish everyone great success in the future and hope that you all can meet all your goals personally and professionally. Please remember that communication is an evolving cycle that continues throughout your lives and there is always room to improve on your interaction with others.

Team Development

When I sit back and reminisce about the groups that have participated in, in the past year I realized that somehow we have formed a bond and a mutual respect for one another. One particular group I was in was definitely hard to leave because the team was a supportive environment where everyone was able to demonstrate their strengths and was accepted for their weaknesses. Those who had weaknesses, was better informed and equipped once we said our good byes. I think when people are able to work cohesively and able to complete a task successfully, the goodbyes can be more emotional. Especially, since you have crossed obstacles and hurdles to complete a mission for a specific goal. One of the groups I was in had a luncheon for all the team members at a restaurant. This is a time to congratulate one another and thank each other for a job well done. Other groups I have been in, you complete the job and you move on to the next. In those instances the team did not work cohesively, it was more of get the job done and over with.

                 

I have met many people while taking my master degree. However, I have not formed a bond with any colleagues personally. At the end of my degree program I would definitely thank all my colleagues for the support and inspiration that they have provided me with through my journey. Although we may not know each other personally we all share a common bond through this journey and have been supportive as well as insightful. It’s important to have an adjournment because you are able to look back and recognize things you could have done better personally and as a team. It is a time to reflect and celebrate your accomplishments.

Conflict Resolution

 

Conflict is inevitable in our lives. No matter how well we get along with people, we are bound to have some sort of conflict in the relationship. One of things that my twelve year old daughter and I disagree with is chores. Basically, like a lot of children she doesn’t think she should have to do them. Therefore, we often go back and forth arguing about her doing them and why she needs to do them. Her argument to me is that I tell her too much to do at once, and it stresses her out and doesn’t motivate her to do chores. In order to eliminate my stress as a parent and her stress as a child, I decided to have a conversation with her on ways we could solve this issue.

 One of the things I learned about conflict resolution is that respect is always shown even to those who are younger than us. Meaning, just because I am the parent doesn’t mean I am always right. Dealing with issues in an objective way rather than pointing the finger is important in conflict resolution. Keeping this in mind, I decided to listen to my daughter express her needs to me. Having an open discussion allowed us both to see our perspectives and respect one another’s opinion. After listening to my daughter express how stress she gets when I tell her to do too much at once, we both agreed that if I wrote a list of things to do each day, she would be able to follow it and do her chores without feeling so stressed. As a result, of our compromise, I am happy to say my daughter has been doing her chores. She looks on the chore list everyday and checks off the chores when she is finished. In the end the conflict that frustrated both of us was able to get resolved because we both made efforts to respect each other and develop a solution that offered us both compromise.

What would you have done as a parent if you was face with this conflict with you own child?  What approach would you have taken?

Evaluating My Communication Skills

After evaluating how I communicate with others and how others view me as a communicator I noticed there were some differences and similarities. For example, my supervisor viewed my listening style as action oriented. Conversely, my husband viewed my listening style as content oriented. On the other hand, when I completed the evaluation on my listening skills, it concluded that I am a people oriented person. One of the things that surprise me the most is that I am considered a people oriented person. Since I am more of an introvert, I never perceived myself as being people oriented. After reviewing the evaluations I was able to recognize that different relationships require us to communicate differently. Understanding that there are differences in the way people communicate is important on a personal and professional standpoint. Another important lesson I learn through this exercise is that communication is a never ending learning experience. Therefore, it is important to make goals whether personally or professionally to improve on the blemishes and strengths we have when communicating. We should always dissect and work towards improving our flaws and building on our strengths in order to communicate effectively.

Communicating Effectively

Everyone is different and therefore when I find myself communicating with people who are different from me I communicate according to the situation and the person. For example, if I am communicating with a child I may use language that the child may understand based on their age. If I am communicating with someone who doesn’t speak English I might use symbols or pictures to illustrate what I am saying.

One of the things that help me to communicate effectively with people who are different is to ask questions. Asking questions is very important when communicating with people of different groups. In order for me to understand a person perspective, it is important for me to ask questions to clarify and understand where the person’s perspective stems from.

Another important thing to do when communicating with groups that are different is to listen without judgment. Often times people are quick to judge when the other person doesn’t think the same way we do. Being open and not judging is an essential part of communicating effectively.

Lastly, being open to learning something new can create better communication with others. Being open is not only beneficial for me to learn from others but it also lets the other person feel comfortable enough to express their thoughts and ideas. If I am listening with an open mind then the other person will feel more open to share their perspective.

Analyzing Communication

The blog this week required me to watch an episode of a show I have never seen without the sound on and make assumptions based upon non verbal cues and the way the characters communicate. After watching the show with the sound off, I then watched the show with the sound on to evaluate whether or not my assumptions were correct.

I decided to watch an episode of a show called “Baby Daddy”. Based upon the way the characters are communicating, it appears that the characters consist of four friends. Three of the friends are roommates. There is a knock on the door and they open the door to find a baby. The look on their faces when they saw the baby was complete shock. There eyes bulged out and their mouths were open. There surprise look meant they did not know who this baby belonged too and they had no idea how to care for a baby. Their eye brows was raised, shoulders up and hand out as if to say what do we do with this baby. One of the guys tried holding the baby. He held the baby away from him like an object with his eyes looking confused and he appeared uncomfortable with the idea of holding a baby. It was clear without the sound that all three men had no idea how to take care of a baby. There is a knock on the door and there is a young lady who appears to be a friend. She clearly had experienced with babies because she automatically walked in and looked at the baby pleasantly while smiling. She then picked the baby up and hugged her to soothe her.

After watching the show with the sound on, I was surprised to see that my predictions were spot on. The only thing I was not able to figure out while watching the show with the sound off is who dropped the baby off. The baby was actually dropped off by one of the men ex-girlfriend. He had no idea he had a baby. The mother ran off and left the baby at the door.

This activity affirmed to me that communication is not only based on verbal cues. I was able to watch a show I have never seen without sound and was able to get the synopsis of the storyline. Although I didn’t fully get the whole story I think I was able to get the main idea without hearing the verbal cues. Taking part in an activity like this allowed me to appreciate that communication can be achieved with  non- verbal cues and has made me more aware of the non-verbal cues when I am communicating with others. 

Demonstrating Competent Communication

Although, I never depict myself to model a person, since I am big on being a unique individual. With that said, there are some individuals that are admirable to me and one of them is Oprah Winfrey. One of things that I enjoy about watching Oprah is she always displays effective communication. She demonstrates eloquence when she speaks, respect towards others and their views, and she gives a sense of comfort when she is conversing with others. Oprah has interviewed many individuals in her lifetime, from celebrities to pedophiles. Throughout all her interviews she remains respectable and at times she may not agree with the person; however she still allows them to tell their story. The behavior she exhibits as a communicator is something I would definitely implement into my own life personally and professionally. Sometimes when you are communicating with someone, you may not agree with their opinion but it is important to listen to the person’s views without bias, this something Oprah is able to do.