Group Participation and Contributions

I believe that I did many things well during the time I was working on the group charter project.  I was proactive with beginning the work which shows my good time management.  I made my introduction to the group shortly after the assignment was given and I started threads to help organize discussions.  I aimed to stimulate conversation with my posts and offered help where it might be needed.  I also created the Google Docs file and provided group members with a link to the file.  Early on when I noticed that the group members were not contributing I sent emails in an attempt to motivate them.  I believe that when I attempted to motivate and organize members that I was displaying strong leadership skills.

Although this experience with group work did not offer many interactions, there are probably some things I could improve on in the future.  It is possible that I could be too task-motivated.  I felt anxious about my groups lack of communication and after some time I moved on to complete portions of the work by myself.  After waiting a considerable amount of time for the other members to contribute, I resigned from the group.  I worried that I was being impatient, but after discussions with my instructor I was given an alternative project.  I regret not being able to use much of what I learned about working in groups on this project but I am certain what I learned will help me in future classes and life experiences.

Group Project Contributions

The skills that I can offer my group include:

• Leadership Skills - I can help organize group discussion and meetings.
• Editing Skills - I can proofread and format our project.
• Computer Skills - I can help with the use of most online services such as Google Hangouts and Google Docs.
• Design Skills - I can help design our logo and create a visually appealing document.

My Proposed Code of Conduct:  Actively participate in group discussions.  Check email and discussion board on a daily basis.

My Conflict Rankings:

1. Collaborate
2. Compromise
3. Competition
4. Accommodate
5. Avoidance

Interpersonal Conflict

About two months ago in one of my classes I suppressed my feelings during an interpersonal conflict.  There was a student in my class who asked a question during group discussion about a particular company.  This student was confused about where the earnings for this company went because he believed it to be a foreign company.  I informed him that I believed it was an American company and he then aggressively said to me “You're wrong, it’s not an American company”.  I was taken aback by his aggressive response and decided to accommodate his opinion on the matter.  It seemed that he might have been upset about my disagreement.  The conversation came to an abrupt end when I kept my mouth shut.  If I wasn't as intimidated by his aggressive response or if I felt the resolution to this conflict was more important I might have supplied him with factual proof.  I didn't think it was worth the conflict.  His response style was defensive and seemed destructive.

A recent example of a time when I decided to express my feelings in a conflict was at the movie theater.  This was a conflict me and two friends had about where to sit in the theater.  I am quite particular about what I believe to be the best place to sit.  This movie was in 3D and I prefer to sit in the middle of the theater height and width-wise to obtain the best view.  The middle of the theater was already taken so we were trying to decide what area would be second best.  One of my friends wanted to sit towards the front, but I assertively told him I thought sitting too close could ruin the experience.  I decided to speak up because I thought I might have more experience with 3D movies.  I believe that my friends accommodated my suggestion because they either thought that I might have more experience or recognized that I care more about the presentation.  The conflict was easily resolved and seemed to be a constructive, albeit short, discussion.

Artifactual Communication in Advertising

The advertisement I chose as an example of communication artifacts is one for Haribo Starmix.  Haribo is one of the biggest manufacturers of gummy and jelly sweets in the world.  The primary artifact seen in this commercial is business attire.

This commercial gives me the impression that Haribo is trying to market their candy to adults.  Small children do not have much direct buying power so the presence of successful business people in the commercial gives it an appeal to the parents of candy eating children.  People working as business professionals, especially those with children would probably find this commercial appealing and amusing.

I believe the artifact (business attire), along with the children’s voices are supposed to express to the audience that you don’t have to be a child to enjoy this candy.  It effectively shows grown adults expressing their excitement for the product while also demonstrating how their children might enjoy it.

This commercial uses a number of additional nonverbal communication systems.  The business professionals all engage in exaggerated facial expressions, eye behavior, and gestures.  Because the business people are embodied by children and children’s body movements are very overt it delivers a clear and humorous message.  The advertiser uses these childish gestures and expressions to dramatize how the target market's child might interact with the product.  I believe the advertiser is trying to make the viewer believe the product will entertain and excite their children.

Deceptive Communication

I have personally been a victim of deceptive communication in an online environment.  Against my better judgment I once sent money to a person selling a car part on an online discussion board and never received the item.  The seller of this item assured me that he had sent the item up until about 30 days after my payment had been sent.  At this time he stop responding to communications and disappeared completely.  I later found out that the service I used to send money only offered protection during the first 30 days after a payment had been sent.  I believe it is likely that this “seller” was aware of this rule and deceptively continued to assure me that everything was okay up until he could safely cut and run.

I believe that people often provide false information about their background, professions, appearances, and gender in both online and real life environments.  It’s likely that some people justify their deceptions by deeming them as harmless.  Of course there are also bad apples who regularly deceive and trick others for their own personal gain, but I don’t believe most people do.

Another experience I have had with a person using language deceptively was again when buying automotive parts.  I believe the seller was misleading in his description of item’s condition.  The consequence of this deceptive communication was my purchase of an item I would have otherwise not been interested in.  The seller used superordinate and basic terms during the sale instead of subordinate terms which would have better and more accurately described the condition of the item. 

Making Meaning from Sound

The main message of Julian Treasure’s TED presentation was that conscious and effective listening results in clear understanding.  This is the main point in his presentation which supports his proposal for more listening education in our schools.  I completely agree with his message.

Of the five exercises to improve conscious listening as suggested by Julian Treasure, I chose “silence for 3 minutes”.  I personally spend a lot of time listening to music so this is probably a good exercise for me.  When I am reading or very involved with homework I will often have total silence but I am not concentrating on the sounds.  I tried this exercise and I found myself also doing “the mixer” exercise because it is only quiet here, not completely silent.  I could hear the fan running and a clock ticking.

At this moment I am not certain this exercise will improve my life or ability to listen in the long term.  I am also not certain that I am immediately able to listen more effectively after the exercise.  In a way the silence exercise seems like meditation which I think could potentially have a positive effect.  However, the mixer exercise is a bit odd to me because if a listener was engaging in this activity during a speech they would be concentrating on other sounds and not the speaker.  I understand that it’s not meant to be exercised during a speech but I feel like practicing this could develop into a bad habit.

I agree with Julian’s main message, but I think I chose two of the weaker exercises.  The fifth exercise, RASA seems to be the strongest one in my opinion.  I think actively listening, showing appreciation, summarizing concepts, and asking questions can result in much better understanding.  

Changing Expectations and Self-Concept

When I see others’ expectations of me change I first assess myself to gauge the realistic nature of their expectations based on my self-concept.  If the person is someone I believe knows me well I would then give consideration to the matter. 

I would probably have been considered a classic under-achiever in the past and have lately been making a real attempt to apply myself.  I feel good about it and am confident that recent changes in my behaviors have helped improve my self-concept.  Going back to school was a difficult step for me to take, but since I made the decision I have felt much better about myself.  I am a more confident and positive person now.  I believe that my family and friends have taken notice and seem to expect more from me.  I’m much more accepting of high expectations now that I feel as though I am a more capable and responsible person. 

I feel that my behaviors first change when someone changes their expectations of me and then my self-concept.  If I succeed in meeting someone’s high expectations or if I am able to disprove someone’s lowered expectations I feel accomplished and change my self-concept.  If I fail to meet someone’s high expectations or someone’s lowered expectations prove to be accurate I experience feelings of failure and alter my self-concept.  A self-appraisal of my performance after others’ expectations have or have not been met helps me better understand myself.

Aaron, how did you do? Sincerely, Aaron

I feel that I did a good job overall on my informative speech about Ernest Shackleton.  I have very little experience with public speaking so I did my best to be well prepared and keep in mind best practices.

After viewing the recording of my speech I believe that I could have improved upon my use of eye contact, particularly during points I intended to emphasize.  Also, I think I could have incorporated some hand gestures and more vocal variety.  I feel that I successfully avoided too many vocal pauses and distracting mannerisms.

I think that I chose credible, reputable, and scholarly sources of information.  I decided to omit citing my sources orally because I did not use exact text from the authors.  I do however think that I could have increased the credibility of my speech by orally citing some of my sources.  I believe that I did a good job organizing my information and presenting it to my audience in an understandable way.

I spent a lot of time preparing my outline and speech.  I rehearsed enough to become comfortable but not too much so that it sounded like a canned presentation.  I do wish that I would have managed to deliver my speech more naturally.  I didn't expect to feel nervous, but once the audience was in place and the camera was recording I noticed my breathing rhythm change.  Overall I am happy with my speech and hope to use what I learned to further improve my communication skills. 

Let the research begin!

My informative speech on Ernest Shackleton is intended not only to inform people about his travels but to explore his qualities as a hero and a leader.  Because my speech will have a strong focus on his character, I have decided to begin my research with a case study on his leadership skills written by a professor at Harvard Business School.  The case study is titled Leadership in Crisis: Ernest Shackleton and the Epic Voyage of the Endurance and was written by Professor of Business Administration Nancy F. Koehn in 2003.  This article contains information about his early planning and preparations along with detailed accounts of his ability to adapt in the face of adversity.  I believe this case study is a credible, unbiased source of information because it was published for use in the education of students at one of North America's premier colleges.  The article contains many examples and testimonials of Shackleton's strong character.  I believe this source of information will be valuable in supporting my thesis.

My Informative Speech on Ernest Shackleton

I chose to give my informative speech on Ernest Shackleton not because of his discoveries but because of his incredible adventures.  The stories of his travels show a triumph of the human spirit that I believe could be inspiring for almost anyone.  Shackleton never gave up even when faced with what might be considered some of the worst conditions ever endured.  I find his strength and perseverance to be inspiring and I hope to deliver an informative speech that might inspire others.

• Specific Purpose Statement: To inform my audience about the heroic British explorer, Ernest Shackleton, who explored Antarctica.
• Thesis: Ernest Shackleton was a British explorer who traveled to Antarctica where he proved to be an extraordinary leader and survivalist.

Oral/Interpersonal Communication and Me

Hi, my name is Aaron Gregerson.  I am enrolled in the Marketing program at MSTC and I've taken Oral/Interpersonal Communication as a required course for the degree.  I hope to learn more about communication theories, strategies, and skills to help improve my ability to communicate effectively. Communicating my thoughts, opinions, and ideas clearly are what intrigue me most.  I'd also like to learn more about effective communication in groups as this has been challenging for me in the past.

After reviewing the textbook I believe the topics on Adapting to Others, Working in Groups, and Language and Delivery will be the most helpful to me in the future.  Adapting to Others intrigues me because I often feel that people don't understand where I am "coming from".  It's probably fair to assume other people feel the same way I believe it would be valuable to have a better understanding of how different individuals and cultures communicate.  The chapter on Working in Groups intrigues me because it has proven to be challenging for me and improving my skills in this area is very appealing.  Language and Delivery also seems like it would be a helpful chapter because I often feel as though I am being misunderstood and I suspect it is because my tone or style of delivery.

I believe this course will help me in future studies, especially ones involving group work and at times when I would need to clearly communicate certain points for discussion.  I hope to gain employment in a marketing career, hopefully in the creative department, and being able to explain my creative decisions effectively would be a highly valuable skill.