Similarities and Differences in Communication

This is just a test, I had a problem sending my assignment on 9/27/14 therefore I created a new blog page www.kerebaenglish.blogspot.com and my assignment was sent to that page, but now that my original blog is working again I will continue to use this account in sending all future assignments

 

 

I really enjoyed this communication assignment and learned a lot about myself and my communication style. I always thought that I was an effective communicator and very timid and calm when communicating my thoughts to others. I am an introvert and it sometimes causes me to be harder to gage and figure out. The Listening Style Profile determined that I am people orientated and I am empathetic to the emotional concern of others which is very encouraging to hear. The survey stated that my learning style helps me to build relationships with others but it sometimes can get in the way because I am very trusting of those whom I am communicating with and they could possibly be trying to get over, I can be easily persuaded. I was surprised to hear that responds because I never thought of myself in that light. If you are treated this way for so long it may cause you to eventually turn verbally aggressive which was another survey that was done to help us evaluate our communication. The evaluation stated that I am significantly verbally aggressive which I never saw myself as being that way, but this is why this is such a wonderful assignment to find out something new about your personality and to attempt to change it for the better.

I was also evaluated by my mother and my colleague at the workplace as my alternatives for this assignment. I was really amazed at the way both parties evaluated me and also scored me pretty high on the aggressiveness scale. This is all new to me but it allows me to learn my aggressive tendencies and challenges me to come up with ways that will allow me to fix them. I also learned about my levels of anxiety which were pretty low and this helped to reassure me that I am confident and secure in my position. My mother rated my anxiety levels as high as she stated I am very nervous and second guess my actions at times.

I have learned that I am an effective listener which is detrimental in the field of early learning because you need to be able to listen and learn from your students and their families and then you can successfully engage them and allow them to grow into the best learner possible. I must also learn to tune down my aggressiveness because this is a great turn off to others whom have to interact with you. When you communicate in an aggressive manner people that are listening tend to shut down and tune you out especially if they feel insulted in anyway.

 

Communicating with cultural diversity - Week 3

Culture is something that we are made up of and it defines our being and in some cases can define the way you would communicate and approach a person. I would always wonder why Muslim woman would always walk behind their husbands but I later found out that has cultural significance. I live in an area that is starting to develop more diversity and more varying cultures. This makes me feel comfortable and more freely to openly communicate with my neighbors. I have no problem approaching someone from a different culture or background and asking them questions that may help me to have a better understanding of behaviors because I always use different circumstances to help me to have a better understanding of the children and families I serve. We must realize that our culture is the reason that we act or behave the way we do and we have to be sensitive to parents and their parenting styles even if they are not comparable to our own because theirs are based on their cultural beliefs just as ours are based on our culture and beliefs.

I do find myself communicating differently with people from other groups and cultures. I talk to my colleagues different than I talk to my friends. I have different groups of friends and I talk to each group differently based on their culture or experiences. I have a group of friends that are more professional than the other group so I talk to the group that are more professional in a more intellectual tone. The other group of friends are from my old neighborhood and we can just laugh and be a little more laid back. I also have parents and colleagues that I can talk to openly and comfortably but I still have a certain level of professionalism that I must maintain when talking to both groups. I also talk to my children in my classroom differently. Some children are a little more sensitive and you must watch every word that you use because you can hurt their feelings. I also have some children in my class that you must teach them how to use certain words because they can hurt someone else feelings.

Three strategies that can be helpful when communicating with various groups would be:

1.)    Be open minded in communicating with others and do not stereotype groups or individuals, try to learn something new and positive about their culture this way you will not stereotype.

2.)    Try to withhold judgment long enough to gain a deeper understanding than first impressions allow. (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010, pg. 37)

3.)    Allow yourself to learn from each person and each circumstance by each person it is very important. Don’t judge and this will allow you to have a more willing attitude to be comfortable communicating with a particular person.

Non verbal vs.verbal communication

The television show I decided to analyze was “Seinfeld”. I chose this show because my husband loves this show and I never really watched it I guess because it is an older show and I never was interested in sitting down to watch this show. Now that I have been given this assignment it seemed like a great idea to choose this show since he is always watching it.

The first scene their appears to be two men sitting in a living room talking. One of the guys is sitting at a table reading the paper. The other guy seems to be telling a story with great emotions. The short guy who is telling the story seems upset while getting up pacing the room making angry hand gestures. The other guy sitting at the table reading the paper started to eat some cereal looking not very interested in what the short guy was talking about, even though he was expressing great emotion. The short guy raised his hands in distress and then flopped down on the couch as if he were defeated. A lady then enters the room while the short guy was lying on the couch appeared to be crying. The lady did not pay him any attention and began to talk to the guy that was sitting nonchalantly at the table eating cereal. A third guy enters the room and went straight to the fridge but looking interested in what the other three were talking about. He then goes over to the lady and begins looking at a picture and seems to be angry while looking at it. The characters seem to be friends or family by being closely connected in emotional conversation. The one guy whom is crying seems to be leaning on his friends for support. They seem to not care much about his feelings.

The guy from the previous scene that was eating cereal and reacting nonchalantly is in this next scene with a young lady. They are talking and appear to be in the same room as the group in the previous scene. He seems to be showing her something on a bookshelf and them they turn around and continue talking. She seems too emotional and looks like she wants to cry then she grabs a book and start to show the guy some picture in the book. He smiles and seems like he may be friends with her because they are laughing and talking close. He then goes to the door and the third guy from the previous scene peeks his head through the door and winks his eye at the lady as if he is giving an approval. The second guy tries to keep him out of the door by pushing him as he is trying to make his way in. He is trying to keep the two separated while he is leaving the room for a moment.

After watching the first scene with the volume turned up I discovered that the short guy was not angry he was heartbroken over his girlfriend leaving him. The other guy was very agitated by hearing his cries about his ex because he always talked bad about her while they were dating. The lady that was showing the picture to the other guy was really admiring that it was a Christmas card with a picture attached. I think I was pretty close while watching this scene in my assuming he was angry while looking at the picture. He was not angry but he was letting her know that he could take her picture if she wanted it done. I assumed that they were friends and later found out that was correct.

Now that I have watched the second scene with the volume turned up I discovered that the two are romantically involved. They are both looking at the bookshelf and he is telling her what his plans are in remodeling this area and I did not know that while watching the scene without the words. She looked like she wanted to cry but she was only making a gesture of sadness when he talked about his fish tank, I would have never know this if I would not have looked at it with the words based on their reactions. I would have never known she was a model and the other guy that walked in the room had come up with the idea for the fragrance long before she was modeling it, but the company was not interested in his idea. Then when the second guy tried to enter the room he smells a familiar fragrance he meets the lady and discovers that she is modeling for the company that discarded/ stole his idea of the cologne that he created. I would have never guessed this just based on their non verbal reactions. I did need to listen to their communication before getting the full gage of the show.

 

Demonstrating Competent Communication

The person that I find that displays and demonstrates competent communication  is the Bishop of my church. He is very effective in his delivery and brings every message down to laymen’s terms. I think trying to understand the BIBLE is kind of difficult but having a teacher that can break down the sections to make you understand and really feel the power of the word or scripture is very important. My Bishop has a slight accent because he is from South Africa but he articulates so well that you would never know it. My Bishop is passionate about the word and dedicated to making sure his members understand it and can apply it with every encounter in our life. He can magnify the word and make you feel joy even when you are undergoing the worst possible triumph. He speaks with power, courage and confidence and these traits are important when you are seeking people to worship with you.

My Bishop is very effective based on his knowledge and confidence in his delivery of the word. He is very educated and wants to be sure that we understand what he is teaching so we can go out there and teach the message with the same flow of confidence that he delivers with. He is very interactive and he wants his congregation to participate and exhibit their knowledge to the subject area. He wants to make everyone feel comfortable and willing to answer a question even if they are not on the right flow. My bishop never makes anyone feel as if they are missing the mark or not understanding what he is preaching. He has a way to get everyone involved and excited about the lessons that they are learning about the LORD. There are many interpretations in the BIBLE and he can deliver his message making you agree with him even if you are having a different interpretation.

I would love to exhibit the knowledge and confidence that my bishop displays when he is in front of a very large crowd. I just instantly freeze up and lose my train of thought and feel like I cannot complete my mission I set out to complete. I would love to exhibit some of the same communications behaviors that my Bishop conducts because being a powerful public speaker is a powerful gift to have and can take you a long way in almost any field.