A note of Thanks: EDUC: 6165-7

Hello friends and colleagues of mine. I just wanted to post a little message of thanks and let you know how much I have appreciated your messages/posts. I have most certainly enjoyed reading your blogs as much as you have enjoyed reading mine. I have learned a lot from each of you and I plan to take my knowledge and apply it to my daily life in order to be a more effective listener, communicator, and to be the greatest future teacher I can be. Thanks again for making time to read my blogs! I wish you the best in your endeavors.

Team Development

Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? Groups with the clearest established norms? Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why? What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced? 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? Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

Forming, adjourning, performing, storming, and norming all play an important role in team work and working with others. I feel that each of the above are so important when working in teams and that they are critical in making effective decisions. I have participated in many types of groups. The hardest for me to leave was when I got together with a bunch of people from my job (I was working at a preschool at the time) and once a year we put together a HUGE indoor clothing sale. We took all types of donated items from parents (Clothes, toys, blankets, baby shoes, anything for a baby...) and we tagged every item to be sold. It was a lot of work but it definitely took team work. We made it fun. The way I will adjourn from the group of colleagues I have formed while working on my Masters degree in this program is just wishing them the best. I can/will also keep in touch with a few via facebook. "
Project teams exist only for a fixed period, and even permanent teams may be disbanded through organizational restructuring. As team leader, your concern is both for the team's goal and the team members. Breaking up a team can be stressful for all concerned and the "adjourning" or "mourning" stage is important in reaching both team goal and personal conclusions. The break up of the team can be hard for members who like routine or who have developed close working relationships with other team members, particularly if their future roles or even jobs look uncertain." (Manktelow, 2013) Adjourning is so essential in team work because it's the closing of togetherness. Seperating and breaking up is hard for some people who have worked closely with team members. Some people have a hard time saying goodbye.

Reference

Manktelow, J. (2013). Forming, storming, norming, and performing. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_86.htm

Disagreements/Conflicts

• Think about any disagreements, or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life. Share at least two strategies you have learned about that might help you manage or resolve the conflict more productively, and why these strategies might be effective. For example, could you suggest a compromise? Could you look for a broader range of solutions to your disagreement? Could you use some of the principles of nonviolent communication or the 3 R's to better help you resolve this conflict? I recently had a disagreement with a friend of mine about religion. She is very into religion, considers herself a "Christian" and attends church. My husband and I don't believe in God or practice religion in anyway, shape, or form. We ended up having a heated discussion about this topic. Two strategies that I have learned that might help manage or solve the conflict more productively are: 1.) Change the environment: Create an environment where people can express their feelings and concerns. High emotions will just make the situation worse. 2.) Be a good listener: Be open minded and listen to all parties point of view even if you don't agree. Take in what they are saying, even if you don't agree. Reassure the other party that they have been heard. Compromising is always a good alternative to resolving conflicts but not everyone knows how to compromise or likes to do that. Every individual is different. Some people are not up for compromising because they feel that they always have to be right so they tend to argue, get loud in dicussion in order to try and get there point across. Personally, I'm all for compromise. I think it's a positive way to resolve conflict. In this situation regarding religion it just didn't work out. In order to compromise both parties need to argree and be on the same page and my friend wasn't willing to do that with me. We continue to disagree on the topic and always will.
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Similarities and Differences

My results of the three assessments were:

Communication Anxiety Inventory: Your score indicates that you feel somewhat concerned about a number of communication contexts, but probably not all. This mid-point level of communication anxiety is what we call “Situational.”

Learning styles profile: You are empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others. This listening style helps you to build relationships, but it can interfere with proper judgment because you tend to be very trusting of others.

Verbal Aggressiveness Scale:  You maintain a good balance between respect and consideration for others’ viewpoints, and the ability to argue fairly by attacking the facts of a position rather than the person holding that position. 

I asked a friend of mine how she perceived me as a communicator. She currently lives in Arkansas and I live in Tennessee. Her response was: I have known Stacy Perry for several years.  She is a wonderful communicator, and especially through writing. She is able to share her emotions and thoughts very creatively through writing.  Not everyone has that talent. I feel she is patient when listening, and  can understand others. She also can give advice and guidance when asked for her opinion.  On a person to person level she is not one to start a confrontation but rather to wait and think it through.  She is very caring of others feelings, regardless of topic. She respects others view points even if she disagrees. I  feel she expresses herself through writing better than person to person communication. She does not anger easily, and is always aped to work through issues as they arise.  She is a very unique person with good communication skills.
~TASHA Thompson~

How I view myself as a communicator is: Very open, honest, willing to give advice, a wonderful listener (Probably my strongest point in communication) Not judgemental, I'm very thoughtful and careful of others feelings and know how to respect others view points even if I don't agree with them. Those that truly know me would agree with what I have said above. The one thing that surprised me the most was when my assessment graded me and stated:

You are empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others. This listening style helps you to build relationships, but it can interfere with proper judgment because you tend to be very trusting of others. I never truly realized how my judgement may be affected by me trusting people too easily but that's such a true statement about me.

Two things I learned about communication this week:

1.) How you view yourself as a communicator is not how others will see you/perceive you, people will always have their own thoughts/opinions about how you communicate. Working in the early childhood field with children and families, I need to remember that there is always room for improvement and to always be working on my flaws to improve them so I can be the best professional for those young children and help families as much as possible. 

2.) Communication is not just about talking and speaking to others. It's about using signs, symbols, gestures, postures, and other things. There is a lot more to communication then just using words. 

 

Cultural Diversity

• Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures? I do feel like I communicate differently with others from different groups and cultures. I think I also communicate differently with every individual, including family and friends. The way in which I communicate different is: Every individual is different and so I feel like I have to watch what I say to some people, whereas some people I can be 100% myself around and can say whatever comes to mind. I'm careful with my words and I think before I speak with some people. Often times there is a language barrier between me and someone of a different culture so I have to keep that in mind while trying my best to communicate with others from different cultures.
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•  Share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified: 1.) Developing Awareness of Individual Cultures
• 2.) Accept and understand culture/language differences 3.) Use suitable and effective non verbal language: 

Blog assignment: Wife Swap

I chose to watch the TV show: WIFE SWAP. It's not something I usually watch or am interested in. The episode I watched was celebrity wife swap. I watched the episode that starred Kendra Wilkinson and Kate Gosselin. Kendra has a son named Hank Jr. Kate has eight children: Cara, Hannah, Leah, Alexis, Madelyn, Joel, Aaden, and Collin. 

I watched the show with the sound off to start with:

• What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating? The characters relationships are very different from one another. Kendra is married whereas Kate Gosselin is a single Mom of eight children. They both live very different lives.
• What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?
  I feel like both Kendra and Kate are confused, a little frustrated/aggravated and out of their element at first. They both look unhappy and uncomfortable.  There are tears from Kendra and during some parts of the show both celebrities are smiling and having fun with the children, they both seem to be laid back at one point. So it's a mix up between many feelings/emotions.
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  • What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed? I assumed that both people were switching lives. Kendra was going to Kate's house for a week and Kate was going to Kendras house for a week. Based on the communication I observed I was right about my assumptions on both characters. Although I had never seen this show before, I had heard a lot about it from other people which is why my assumptions were right.
  • Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well? Possibly; I feel like the more you know something or are familiar with something the more comfortable you are and the more knowledgeable you are about it. 
  • Write about your experience in your blog, including what you learned about communication from this experience and insights or "aha" moments you believe would be helpful to your colleagues: I learned that when you watch a show with the sound off, it's very different from watching it with the sound on. You assume things are being said and done that are not. It makes you think and wonder about what is going on in the show. You just want to turn the volume on! :-) I learned that there are many different ways to communicate and that everyone has their own communication style. 
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Competant Communication

Who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context? 

I feel like my Mother in law demonstrates competent communication with a particular context. She is 62 years old and very old fashion (But in a good way of course) and she speaks very proper. She uses and follows specific words and passages when speaking.

What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective? 

My mother in law uses eye contact when speaking, always has and uses proper posture when communicating. She is always very respectful, a good listener, doesn't ever ininterrupt someone when speaking, never degrades others and will only voice her opinion and/or give advice in a positive manner. 

Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not? 

Yes, I would want to model some of my own communication behaviors after my mother in law. She is a great role model and is such a wonderful and positive influence in so many ways but especially when it comes to communication. I do and have modeled some of her communication behaviors before and continue to do so. She has made an impact in my life, especially when it comes to communication. I used to be very afraid to talk on the phone for many reasons. She got me liking to talk on the phone and now I'm comfortable using it thanks to her. I no longer have fears of talking to people on the phone. That's HUGE for me. I look forward to learning so much more from her and whatever I do learn communication wise I plan to share it with my friends and colleagues! :-)