TOASTMASTERS

Toastmasters let me see and experience several ways in which speeches delivered. The atmosphere was diverse. Diversity included gender, ethnicity, economic status, and age. It is amazing to witness all these individuals gathering for a common goal. As an observer, I was fortunate to see a number of speeches delivered differently. Formality of speeches depends on the targeted audience and environment. The veteran speakers of this chapter took great pride in mentoring rookies. The environment was friendly and receptive. This is attributed to the goal of all individuals present. The experience was very invaluable.

CHAPTER 16

Developing self confidence takes time. Besides being aware of nonverbal behavior, use it to emphasize your points. Observing people who convey self confidence helps in delivering a speech. Put perception to work. Make it beneficial. Rehearsal builds self confidence. It enables subject comprehension. Feelings of anxiety are akin to challenges. Control your feelings to maximize effectiveness.

CHAPTER 14

When developing a speech, choose an article of general interest. Several steps in preparing a speech are choosing a topic, fielding questions to be answered, research answers to questions, and organizing your speech. Researching answers may be done online and offline.

CHAPTER 13

Public speaking should be systematically approached. The needs of your audience should never be in doubt. Practicing the speech should assist you in satisfying such needs. Make sure you do not waste the audience’s time. Practice your speech several times. You may practice in front of a mirror. Recording your speech is also very helpful. When analyzing your speech, make sure you implement the corrections. Have fun and be enthusiastic when giving a speech.

WEEK FOUR: ARE YOU LEARNING?

What I'd like to know is: (1) Are you learning?? (2) Are you enjoying the New Media technologies that we're experimenting with in this class (your blog, for example)? (3) Is there one thing in particular that has stood out for you in terms of valuable course content? and (4) Are you finding value in the class itself?

Yes, I have learned quite a few things. This class also added to the notion we are capable of fine tuning ourselves. Joanne was very inspirational in my reception to new ideas. Thanks Joanne. Prior to this class, I heard about blogs. However, I never participated in any forum via blogs. My eyes were pried open to good usages of myspace.com. Many things stood out. Communication is interconnected. In order to comprehend something, it helps to look at the entire picture. Working with pieces of communication is frustrating. This is one of the most resourceful classes I have ever taken. Thanks classmates.

LEADERS: MOTHER TERESA

Thinking of leadership and leaders, Mother Teresa comes to mind. I strongly believe she epitomizes the concept.

“Towards the end of her life, Mother Teresa was a friend of kings and presidents worldwide. But it was with the poor that she chose to spend most of her time, traveling to war-torn areas such as Beirut and drought-stricken nations such as Ethiopia in her ongoing quest to find new persons in need of love and support. Today, Mother Teresa's work is being carried on by the 3,000 + members of the Sisters of Charity. With missions worldwide, the Sisters of Charity minister to the poor on six continents, continuing the selfless legacy that Mother Teresa spent her long life establishing.” (http://myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=M_Teresa)

CHAPTER 18: PERSUASIVE SPEAKING

Persuasive speaking modifies thoughts, feelings, and actions. The purpose is to change listeners. Effective persuasion skills are needed in today’s environment. Thought and action is the purpose of persuasion. Persuasion speeches focus on facts, values, and policies. Three types of persuasive speeches are proposition of facts, proposition of value, and proposition of policy. Proposition of facts speeches include what is or what is not. The degree of good or bad is covered by proposition of value. Proposition of policy speeches focuses on what should be. Persuasive process involves attempts to alter beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes. During persuasion, individuals choose to act differently.

WEEK THREE: TOTAL GROUP CONSENSUS

The group consisted of friends and coworkers. We all agreed on a passionate job for less than desirable salary.

Scenario: Two job offers.

Job title: Mortgage broker
Salary: $75,000 annually
Predicament: Stressful, unhappy, and long working hours.

Job title: Senior care provider.
Salary: $50,000 annually
Predicament: Rewarding, relaxing, and set schedule.


Both job scenarios were briefed. We all weighed the benefits of health over money. Participants were instructed to freely voice their opinions with good taste. Tension was almost nonexistent. The common theme of the group seems to be contentment. Money earned under stressful conditions was unattractive. Everyone voluntary agreed stressful, unhappy, and long working hours is not good.

CHAPTER 17: INFORMATIVE SPEAKING

Informative speeches inform us of what’s happening. Four types of informative speeches are messages of explanation, description, definition, and narration. During messages of explanation, caution should be taken to avoid over condensing. Inexperience speakers usually commit such transgression. The aim of description is to form detailed mental images of objects, people, and places. Definition covers questions like “what do you mean?” This is a request for clarification or elaboration. Narratives serve as “teaching moments” and alternate ways for information. Narrations require clear conveyance. To be effective during informative speeches, a speaker must create information hunger, seek balance, emphasize key points, involve listeners, and provide information memorably.

CHAPTER 12: LEADING OTHERS AND RESOLVING CONFLICT

Conflict is a part of everyday life. Conflict is a result of our beliefs, experiences, and values. Leadership is the ability to influence others in a negative or positive way. Groups require effective leadership in order to accomplish goals. Leaders are considered designated or achieved. Designated leaders are appointed while achieved leaders voluntarily perform roles. Several leadership styles are x, y, autocratic, laissez-faire, and democratic. Type X leaders hold very low regards for workers. Type Y leaders show extreme confidence towards workers. There are four theories of leadership. Trait theory indicates individuals are born to lead. This theory remains unproven. According to situational theory, leadership is contingent upon situations. Functional theory states several individuals should lead. Transformational leaders bring new vision to groups.

CHAPTER 11: GROUPS AND TEAMS

Groups are collections of individuals coming together to perform a task. The performance depends on the sharing of views and information. Individual performance is the focus of the group.

Teams are groups. Teams have a working definition. Members of a team have complementary skills, are committed to common causes, performance goals, and hold themselves mutually accountable. Groups do not require mutual accountability. Teams and groups possess a sense of shared purpose.

Groups accomplish imposed task under supervisors. Success is determined by individual performances and evaluations. Teams usually perform at higher levels than teams. This results from collaboration.

WEEK THREE: BLOG AND GROUP EXPERIENCES

My experiences have been meaningful and challenging. We definitely do not think alike. This is what makes us very unique and interesting. There are some accepted norms individuals to all cultures. There are also universally accepted norms. We sometimes need to delve deeply into the reasons behind racism. Racism, I strongly believe is driven by power and fueled by ignorance.

So far, our group communication has been working. Problems receiving information from fellow group members scantily exist. The group seems to be firing on all cylinders. Thanks Group C. My colleagues’ emotional intelligence ranges from average to above average. They do possess positive behaviors. Everyone seems to process information very well. They are very receptive to new ideas and information.

Differences of opinions are discussed. Through consensus, we determine the needs of the group. Our decisions are made very easily. We understand the importance of time and the project. As far as dynamics, our influences are very positive. In our last get together, we fielded certain responsibilities voluntarily. We understand the concept of placing members where they benefit the group.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. were good leaders. Both these individual fought and died for civil rights. Battling overwhelming odds, their selfless sacrifice contributed to major advancements in the struggle for civil rights and common human decency. For the things they championed, great communication skills were prerequisites. Dr King gave one of the greatest speeches in our history.

GOOD LEADERS

Not everyone desires to be a leader. Some people are very comfortable with certain responsibilities. There are also those who have the potential to lead at the top, yet refuses to do so. Those who aspire to become a leader should be groomed. Being a strong communicator helps in a leadership position. It definitely does not make a strong leader.

GOOD LEADERS

There is no magical or instant solution to being a good leader. There are many qualities which identify a good leader. Good leaders are fair, nonjudgmental, and knowledgeable. They use tact when addressing any and everyone.

Good leaders are dependable, disciplined, committed, take initiative, practice unquestionable integrity, and unselfish. Courage and enthusiasm are also qualities of good leadership. Good leaders assist subordinates in developing their full potential. Good leaders are proficient, make sound and timely decisions, and have a sense of responsibility to their people.

As an effective leader, it is very important to set the example. It is very important for people to know that you are reachable and approachable. Effective leaders know their people, train them as a team, keep them informed, do not over task, and take responsibility for their actions.

Inspiration is provided to take advantage of capabilities. Qualities of leadership also determine the performance of those led.

CHAPTER TEN: INTERVIEWING

Interviews are planned and involve face to face interaction. Several purpose and goals are accomplished through interviews. The six types of interviews are information gathering, appraisal, persuasive, exit, hiring or selection, and counseling. Interviewers collect information during an information gathering interview. During appraisal, assessment of the interviewee’s performance is the objective. Attitudes and behavioral changes are the focus of a persuasive interview. Exit interviews are conduct when someone leaves an organization. Hiring or selection interview is used for employment. Counseling interviews provide guidance. The stages of an interview are opening, middle, and end.

WEEK TWO: COMMUNICATION ASSESSMENT

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION: We have excellent communication at work. There are several things we ask ourselves whenever we communicate. As far as improvement goes, we try to fine tune the little things as time goes by.

DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION: Downward communication is addressed thoroughly to the targeted parties. Our belief is that no one should have questions on the nature of the mission. If there are questions, those questions are fielded and disseminated to all involved.

COMMUNICATION IN MEETINGS: Most of our communications are clarified during meetings. After the brief is given, it is the responsibility of each leader to brief his people. After each leader brief his people, a verbal confirmation is given up the chain of command. This is a requirement. Failure to do so constitutes a breakdown.

FEEDBACK: Feedback comes in the form of questions and assurances during the brief. A part of our feedback is the assurance of comprehension.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION: Our external communication is usually done by memo. It may come in the form of email or standard letter. These methods are followed up by verbal conversations.
We generally have very few problems in this area.

CULTURAL / GENDER COMMUNICATION: We have a melting pot. Marines are highly encouraged to learn other cultures. I believe that we perform well.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION: During these times we do a lot of electronic communication. As far as I know, we have very few problems with electronic communication. Most of these take place on secured sites.

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION: We may be masters at nonverbal communication. We have hand and arm signals for nonverbal communications. We also delve into mannerisms. It is a big indicator of what may be going on.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION: We have great written communication. Besides the everyday communication, our written communications are usually directed to outside agencies.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION: Our interpersonal communication is somewhat average. We all understand the mission at hand. This takes precedence over everything. I’m not saying we have hearts of monsters. Whenever the time is available, we do take the opportunity to know each other.

VISUAL COMMUNICATION: Our business also depends on visual communication. This is very important to us. We do a great job at visual communication. It is everything to us.

CHAPTER NINE: RELATIONSHIPS IN CONTEXT.

Life context makes relationships very interesting. Every relationship starts out with strangers. Uncertainty characterizes such a relationship. We usually communicate to reduce such uncertainty. Several strategies to reduce uncertainty are passive, interactive, and active. Observation occurs during passive strategy. Interaction allows us to approach an individual. When active, we acquire information from a third party. Our interactions are limited with acquaintances. Usually some of these acquaintances develop into friendships.

Three types of relationships are romantic, family, and work. Romantic relationships, as do most relationships, develop in stages. Most of our early relationships are with family members. At work, we develop relationships to our benefit.

CHAPTER EIGHT: UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS.

Relationships are very important. Many people believe that technology robs us of meaningful personal interactions. Relationships satisfy three basic needs. Those needs are inclusion, control, and affection.

Many attempts have been made to measure inclusion. Inclusion comes with highly personalized nature. To what degree of interaction should an individual go to be accepted in a community? Desires for control seem natural. We have a will to influence our environment. This could be detrimental to relationships when both parties are miserable. Affection plays a very significant role in relationships. It is the underlying dimension of interpersonal relationships and proves crucial to our existence.

Relationships are complex and always changing. Relationships may stabilize at any stage. The several stages of relationships are initiating, experimenting, intensifying, integrating, bonding, differentiating, circumscribing, stagnating, avoiding, and termination.

The initiating stage may be brief. This may occur through countless means. Some examples are social settings, stranger to stranger encounters, school, and workplace. In the experimenting stage, individuals find out the basis for their relationships. Friendships intensify in the third stage as individuals concentrate and build on common grounds. During the integrating stage individuals start feeling closeness for each other. There is a need for doing things together. Special relationships move to bonding. Bonding comes in several forms such as rituals, history, and intimacy. It is healthy to differentiate. In the circumscribing stage, individuals should continue to feed energy into their relationship. During stagnation individuals find themselves going through motions. The avoiding stage is seen as the fight and flight stage. Tensions in the stagnating stage may lead to a combination of fight and flight. The terminating stage is seen as a breaking off or letting go stage.

CHAPTER SEVEN: LISTENING, FEEDBACK, AND CRITICAL THINKING

We have an ethical responsibility to listen. In doing so we are required to consciously understand and remember the message. Listen ranks as one of the major communication problems. Three sets of skills involved in listening are cognitive, motivational, and social.

Four types of listening are: appreciative listening, comprehensive listening, critical listening, and empathic listening. The motivation for appreciative listening is pleasure or relaxation. Listening to music or comedy involves appreciative listening. Comprehensive listening involves directions, lectures, and descriptions. Critical listening is used when deciding to accept or reject a message. We are listening empathically when trying to understand the feelings and points of others.

During feedback, we send out conscious and unconscious messages to individuals. These feedbacks may come as evaluative and non-evaluative. Feedbacks strongly influence directions and outcomes of interactions. In critical thinking we assess the validity of the message. There are many factors which may influence the validity.

http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2006/06/altruistic-horizons-our-tribal-natures.html

“In fact, while the models of Freud, Marx, and Machiavelli (also Madison, Keynes, Ghandi etc.) have attracted legions of followers, clearly influencing sociological, historical and psychological events, I believe a much stronger case can be made for tribalism as a deeply motivating force in history. After all, should not any theoretical explanation of our nature apply across the long span of time when human nature actually formed?”

David Brin has a very good point. If for centuries we subscribed to certain cognitive beliefs, without evidence usually produced as in physical science, tribalism should be seen in the same context. Believe it or not, tribalism is in the same context.

Tribal Nature Impacts on verbal and nonverbal levels

Nonverbal communication

For generations, countless tribes have practiced nonverbal communications. These included gestures, drawings, and many others. Through the evolving nature of tribes, there are countless related ways of non verbal communication at our disposal. Tribes have evolved from the use of smoke, fire, and sun. Artist, including performers, communicate through their work.

Verbal communication

Verbal communication requires certain rules to become effective. Over the years these rules have changed. Examples of this may be seen in the ancient languages. The labels used to represent meaning changed with the needs of the tribe. Through the nature of tribes, changes have impacted these languages. Several romantic languages came from Latin. Writers and poets not only use words for sounds but also to produce images. The evidence of changes is evident in their work.

http://www.churchofreality.org/opinion/herd.htm

“People are Herd Animals, Reason vs. Instinct”

“I believe that I have found the answer as to why people perform below their intellectual capacity. The answer is that people are herd animals, and that when behavior is viewed in relationship to the herd mind, a lot of things can be explained and understood.”

First and foremost, even though we are tribal, individuals are still the single units of the whole. People are far from herd animals. We cannot truly equate the mental capacity of a few thousand individuals to that of billions. An act considered to be substandard by the whole is not indicative of accepted behavior.

Yes, I do agree that much of our knowledge come form other people. Along with knowledge also comes contamination. Irresponsible behavior and lack of initiative have been contributors to erroneous knowledge. In the end ignorance is a portion of our cost. Group think is a highly effective method for suppressing the truth.

www.groveton.com

There is a great deal to say about this article. I was born in Belize. Complexions in my family are cover by just about every skin pigment. In my opinion and from experience, diversity is a beautiful thing. Last week, I watched a documentary called “Shadows of Hate”. Both themes are somewhat similar. The cycle continues to repeat itself. We as “educated adults” continue to poison the minds of children. Yes, I do find this article very offensive. Extreme ignorance seems to be a derivative of such learned behavior. The oppressed are also oppressing. If we think along these lines, who does America really belong to?

WEEK TWO: JOB INTERVIEW

The subject of my interview is Peter Aruil. Peter, a production coordinator was born and raised in San Diego. A search for new opportunities, stability, growth, challenges, and excitement brought him to the company. For Peter, a type a personality and team player, stability manifests in forms of family support, self improvement, and higher achievements. Work ethic and being company oriented are a few of his assets. Pete is somewhat impatient. He handles pressure, mistakes, and conflict very well and has no adverse termination. Challenges were welcomed at his last place of employment. Peter is committed to the company’s cause, dislikes unreliability, and has no issues working overtime.

Daily, Peter solves complex problems at work. He was very instrumental in developing programs for cutting operations cost. Difficult decisions for Peter are a weekly occurrence. At the present, the most difficult decision is a pending trip to the altar. He can do many things for this company and will immediately fit in.

Emotional IQ Test

My emotional IQ test is average. Apparently improvement is needed in comprehending and dealing with my emotions and those of others.

“Emotionally intelligent people have an easy time overcoming difficulties in their lives and they are generally able to control their moods. It’s easy for them to motivate themselves to overcome obstacles and reach their goals. In addition, they find social interactions to be quite easy and fulfilling, for several reasons. They are comfortable allowing themselves to get close with others, and feel comfortable being vulnerable enough to establish intimacy. They also report having an easy time offering support to others; likely due to an empathetic nature and a clear mind when it comes to offering good advice. Perhaps by working on your problem areas, you can become more confident in dealing with your own emotions and those of others.” (http://www.queendom.com/queendom_tests/transfer)

AVATAR COMMUNICATION

When communicating through your avatar, do you feel less inhibited and freer to say what's really on your mind? Does the anonymity that an avatar provides make you more comfortable?

Communicating through an avatar doesn’t really change my level of inhibition. I have no problems sharing what is on my mind. One of its advantages is the written word. It really makes you think whenever you put words on paper.

How does it feel to communicate with others using your avatar? Do you feel authentic, or is your avatar a "character" for you?

In heart, the avatar is an extension of my character. I do feel authentic communicating through this medium.

What, in your opinion, is the value of having an avatar (if any) and why do you think they're becoming so popular in the world of online communication?

There is a social value to having an avatar. This social value is created and held by people like us. In order for you to join a certain network, prerequisites are required. Prerequisites are highly valued. In this case the avatar is the prerequisite.

YAHOO AVATAR AND ANSWERS.COM

ANSWERS YAHOO . COM

http://answers.yahoo.com/my/my;_ylt=Aupj8fYIFmpojoINwiR0_TFFzKIX

AVATAR

http://avt1.avatar.vip.dcn.yahoo.com/pcm/cc5ffd378f91264avt12.html

CHAPTER SIX: NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication refers to all kinds of human messages not expressed verbally. We constantly say something. Keeping still expresses something. To truly grasp the message, an individual has to keenly observe the messages. People indicate thoughts are more intellectual than emotional. Nonverbal communication is learned and practiced at unconscious levels. Non verbal communication is open to misinterpretation just as verbal communication. Some types of nonverbal communications are: facial expressions, gestures, body language and postures, eye gaze, and appearance. Facial expressions are responsible for a huge portion of nonverbal communication. Certain facial expressions are similar throughout the world. Waving, pointing, and the use of fingers to indicate numbers are also common. Posture and movement also relay messages.

CHAPTER FOUR: COMMUNICATION AND PERCEPTION

We tend to acquired data from others. This data is the result of sifting, filtering, and personal choices. During communication, we tend to observe sex, attire, gestures, and postures. Perception may be a derivative of these observations. All these observed characteristics influence our opinion of others. Perception of reality is less important than reality.

CHAPTER THREE: SELF CONCEPT

Self concept has to do with the conscious reflection of our identity. Several components of self concept include physical, academic, social, and transpersonal. Self concept is cognitive in nature. It includes learned beliefs, opinions, and attitudes concerning our existence. Research indicates that self concept is a basis for motivated behaviors and may also be related to self esteem. It is possible to change self concept. This is accomplished through self reflection.

CHAPTER TWO: MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION

People are sometimes concerned with offending others during multicultural interaction. Behavior takes precedence over focusing on the task at hand. During exchanges, inexperience results in patronizing and undue assumptions. These assumptions include expertise, values, behaviors, and assimilation. We should treat others as equal during multicultural exchanges. Listen with genuine interest. Give an individual benefit of doubt. Discovery and knowledge about your subject are advantageous.

25 MINUTE CONVERSATION

Around 7:00pm, I conducted a 25 minute conversation with Joanne. She certainly is an interesting person. From the start, the conversation flowed easily. There was no indication of strain or compulsion. We both agreed that the conversation was smooth. The basis of our conversation might have done the trick. My partner seems to be a highly efficient and intelligent individual. I truly look forward to working with her.

GROUP WORK: ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES

What are some advantages and disadvantages of group work?

In group work, all members usually receive similar grades despite their level of contribution. Members of a group benefit or sink together. The likelihood of academic theft decreases. There is also a disadvantaged place on stronger students by weaker ones.

CHAPTER ONE: NO OPPOSITE

There are quite a few things I discovered in this chapter. Things which happened in the past, but I was not aware of are different types of communication, channels, opposites, and dynamics. I remember one students post about occasionally playing poker. The section on communication has no opposite describes the poker scenario very well. Does anyone care to comment?

ASSESSMENT OF PERSONAL WORKSTYLE

ASSESSMENT OF PERSONAL WORKSTYLE

D: 18 I: 24 S: 24 C: 25

Tieger Assessment of Personality Type (TAPT)

Results: I S T J

NLP Style (NeuroLinguistic Programming)

Results: Visual

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

Generally, we can place the barriers to communication into three categories:


ENVIRONMENTAL: Some common environmental barriers are noise, hearing loss, uncomfortable temperatures, and distracting activities.

VERBAL: Some encountered verbal barriers are ambiguity, unsual words, and different languages.


INTERPERSONAL: Yes, I’m aware of my interpersonal barriers.

How can you minimize potential barriers in your own communication with others?

I must be very aware of what is going on, leave personal beliefs and impact at a minimum, and seek or creative environments which are conducive to listening.

HUB 420 WEEK ONE

3. Do you assess and/or judge others based upon the way they communicate with you?
I favor assess to judge. Assess seems to be a more active term and considerate term. We have a tendency to form opinions upon initial contact with an individual. At first word, some individuals do seal their fate. What about the ones who communicate more by listening and gestures? Do they also initiate fate? Yes, they do. Would anyone care to comment on this?