Goodbye!!!

I just wanted to take the time to say how much I have enjoyed blogging with all of you this summer!!! It was my first experience and I had such fun. Thank you for taking the time to leave thoughtful comments on my blog.

Prof. Perez, this was a fun course and thanks for everything!

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Cheers!!

A Favorite Concept

There were many interesting concepts covered in the textbook. A concept that stood out for me was the importance of listening in chapter 3.

"We were given two ears but only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking." unknown

The text describes listening as the forgotten part of communication and I think it is true that we tend to not consciously listen at times. According to Trenholm, we assign meaning when we listen and it is influenced by our habits, expectations and desires, (pg 46). Active listening takes skill and a conscious effort on our part. If we make the effort to truly listen we can do better in school, at work and in our personal relationships. How many times have we listened to a song, a professor lecture or our friends talk and not really remember what they just said? Good communicators not only know how to speak well but they know how to listen well too!! Trenholm gives many helpful tips on how to improve this skill, such as avoiding distractions, know why you are listening and to keep biases at bay.
When we actively listen – we not only listen to what the other party says, but we reflect on what has been said to verify. This type of listening is very effective and important, so we understand the message.

Listening is my favorite concept since it is a big part of our communication and we have a lot at stake when we do not listen. So take the time to actively listen!!!

What I Learned

This was my first online course and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Through the textbook, I learned many interesting things about communication and how it is influenced. I also learned how to become a better communicator. The blog posts of my peers taught me to see the many different perspectives on certain topics and helped me to better understand some difficult topics.
My favorite part about this course was the weekly blogs, reading what others had to say and getting comments from them about my posts. This being a communication course, it made sense to have us all participate by blogging anonymously. We had a chance to see different views that we may not have seen in an actual classroom. This class was well organized with chapter notes and a schedule that was adhered to, because of our wonderful professor.
My least favorite part about the course is not having some visual examples of what a cultural event paper and journal entry should look like. It would have helped me. There is nothing like a model to get a sense of the end product! Sometimes words are not enough to get the whole picture, visually seeing something can put ideas or concepts into perspective. I missed seeing the various reactions to some topics and the heated discussions that happen in some of my other classes. I can’t think of improving it any further!!
This course has taught me a lot and I have really enjoyed being a part of it!!

Interesting Concepts in this Course

There were some interesting concepts that were brought to light in this class. Some I took for granted and I was not aware it had a specific name. I found the concept that anthropologist Ruth Benedict pointed out, “we are the products of our cultures,” (Trenholm, pg 343) to be interesting. Culture is something that is very hard to shed and it functions out of awareness. We live in a global world and fail to realize how our cultures influence what we say and do. It is important to realize that cultures are neither better nor worse, they are simply different. We share basic similarities such as love, family, friendship and joy that are common among various cultures. Communication is strongly influenced by our culture and we need to become more conscious of it as we communicate. The textbook gave some good examples on how people from different cultures can misunderstand each other. After reading the text, I came to realize how much culture can influence what we say and how we say it!!
Here is a link I provided earlier for those who missed on culture’s influence in communication:
The God's Must be Crazy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66pTPWg_wUw
Another concept I found interesting was nonverbal communication. So much of what we don’t say influences what we do say. Our facial expressions, voice projection, emotions, habits, body language, clothing and touch can sometimes mean more than our words. Trenholm gave some good examples of how nonverbal communication affects what we say. I didn’t realize how I communicate verbally is affected by my different nonverbal cues such as how I dress, my expressions and body movements.

For those who missed it in my post from last week, is a link to a hilarious British comedy called “Mind Your Language,” it shows how different cultures communicate in an English class and their varying perspectives influenced by nonverbal cues!!
1. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1038032130269325008#docid=-3160152744456346475
2.http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6737881634317446434#docid=1038032130269325008

Ch2: What to Look for When Observing Communication

I found Hymes list of things to look for when observing communication useful, (Trenholm, pg38). When observing communication for my journal entry, I found the task to be a little overwhelming at first. I was also uneasy about observing strangers without their knowledge, an ethnographer’s dilemma!! Hymes says it is important to consider the situation where speech takes place, because our communication and what we say or do varies with the environment. For example, our talk at the beach would be different from one at a restaurant or work meeting. We have to consider whether the communication is casual, serious or stressed based on the situation. I agree with Hymes on the importance of knowing who the participants are, observing the act sequences, the tone or spirit (keys) with which communication is done , the instrumentalities (channels) used and the norms regulating the communication and the genre.
However, I do not agree with him about observing the outcome of an interaction until the end. In my opinion, private conversations should not be observed and if they are, the ethnographer should quit before the communication ends, so the people who are being observed are left with some privacy in the end.

Is Communication a Game?

The pragmatic perspective focuses on how people play the communication game. Communication can be thought of as a patterned interaction, since it takes at least two people to interact and can become patterned over time if we continue to interact and behave in a predictable way. It is like a game because communication has goals, rules, challenges and interaction that are found in games too.
While games are over in a short period of time, communication is ongoing and builds on what has been laid down before. Another factor that differentiates communication and games is that communication is influenced by culture, where as a game of chess or soccer does not have cultural influences on how it is played. Cross-cultural communication is very difficult if you do not understand what offends or pleases the other party, since rules are not written down. Lastly communication considers the personality of the person we are communicating with and the context, but when we play a game it is played with anyone and not necessarily based on the personality of the players, for example a basketball game or a video game.
When communicating with someone we need to consider the social and emotional aspects too and understand the consequences of what we say verbally or non verbally. We each have our own unique ways of communicating with others and interpret our interactions in varying ways!!!

“Building Worlds through Communication”

We “build worlds” using communication tools provided by our cultures, they are language, beliefs, attitudes, values, roles and rules. Our culture influences how we communicate with each other and what roles we will play. Communicating the right message in the right way can be the key to building successful relationships. According to Trenholm (pg 31), “we must take our parts in the social drama our culture has laid out for us.”
In the American culture people are encouraged to speak freely, because freedom of speech is a right. This is not the case in the Asian culture, where freedom of speech is not always a right in public and usually not so for women. Asians consider the interests of others and the implications of what they say or do upon their family and society. Their communication puts the interest of a community ahead of the individual unlike the west, so Asians are forced not to dream for themselves. Thoughtful and self-disciplined silence is often valued above speech and verbalizing thoughts in Asian cultures.
However, times are changing and as people become educated, they are beginning to decide for themselves what is right and not allowing their culture to influence what they say or do. Not everyone in a culture may view the actions of speech and disclosure in a culturally normative way. Each individual’s communication behavior will differ based on that individual’s experience and other factors such as acculturation, environmental influences, personality, and participation in cultural sub-groups.
Here is a link to a hilarious British comedy called “Mind Your Language,” it shows how different cultures communicate in an English class and their varying perspectives!!

1. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1038032130269325008#docid=-3160152744456346475

2. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6737881634317446434#

Ch 13: Ghost of Thomas Jefferson

I found the part about the Jefferson affair very interesting. Why are the modern depictions of Jefferson distorted, what do we gain by hiding the affair? Bradford Vivian's view on the Jefferson affair, that it has been framed as a romance to satisfy our desire to humanize and cleanse his memory (cited in Trenholm, pg 377) was something to think about. Why is the affair kept in mystery, is this because Hemings was a slave? The media have portrayed a different Jefferson, a rhetorical act that has influenced what the public have come to believe.
In my opinion, the media have played on the public’s memory by twisting the story to their advantage. I think we need to look back at the time this happened and the context. It may have been the norm for a white slave owner to have affairs with the slaves he owned. Our fascination with such sensational stories is what keeps the media going in producing films, novels and documentaries!!

Moral Dilemmas Facing Ethnographers

A moral dilemma facing ethnographers is trying to be conscious not to affect the data by placing their values and assumptions on it. Since ethnographers observe behavior and practices in other people, they have to be careful about putting their prejudices on to the observations. It is human tendency to naturally judge and categorize people based on outward appearance and behavior. I think ethnographers need to become more mindful when processing information and be active listeners while conducting their research.

Another dilemma facing ethnographers is whether to conduct their research covertly or overtly. If they go “undercover” and observe subjects without their knowledge, ethnographers may feel that they are essentially deceiving their subjects. If they are found out then it raises the issue of trust. On the other hand, if they take on an overt role, subjects are aware of being observed and may alter their behavior accordingly and cause results to be biased. In my opinion, ethnographers need to decide which approach is best suited for the research and work accordingly.

Finally ethnographers face the dilemma of having to make sure that they make accurate observations. According to Trenholm, the key to resolving this is by taking accurate and insightful observations and recording everything in field notes. They need to write down their own feelings and interpretations too, so that it can be used in analyzing the data. I think ethnographers should gather results from a large sample pool to avoid errors and make sure these results can be repeated if conducted again.

The Most Interesting Research Method

Ethnography seemed to be the most interesting research method for me. Observing behavior in a natural setting without imposing our values or assumptions on the data is an appropriate method to conduct research, in my opinion. This type of research method makes you not only hone your observation skills, but also learn more about nonverbal communication. Unlike surveys that give you the answers, you have to come to conclusions based on observations, so it forces you to be involved. I also like the idea that as an ethnographer you can observe people covertly (undercover) or overtly (in the open), (Trenholm, pg 379).
In order to study some aspect of deception, you can use ethnography and observe unobtrusively to learn more. A research question I would frame is:
“How do infomercials using popular stars convince consumers to purchase their products?” I think at some point in our lives we have all purchased something that was promoted by a popular star, only to regret it later!!!
I would use ethnography to covertly and overtly study consumer’s behavior in purchasing a particular product that was promoted by a star. I could also use Rhetorical Criticism to see how deception in communication affects consumers, because it uses, "a systematic way of describing, analyzing, and evaluating a given act of communication" (Trenholm, pg 373). I can use content analysis to study how the content of infomercials and their frequency affects purchasing habits of consumers!!

Ch8: American Coffee-Break vs Japanese Tea-Break

The part I found interesting to read was how communication genres and the rules that define them are culture specific, pg 217. Trenholm compares the American coffee break which is considered informal to the Japanese tea-break (aisatsu) where tacit deals and unofficial paths are carved over green tea and sponge cakes. I found an interesting article this week on the BBC, that talked about how the White House welcomes world leaders and how they are treated in a certain way to build relationships or given the cold shoulder to show they are ‘foes.’
Every act is carefully staged and they make sure no photo opportunity is missed, if it makes the president look good or to show the world who is our new friend. An example of this is the picture of President Obama eating a cheeseburger at a local joint with President Medvedev of Russia. This goes to show that tacit deals are not only part of Japanese culture, but they take place everywhere, including the US and can be during a coffee-break, lunch or state dinner.

Here is the news article link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10470615

“Medium is the Message”

I agree with Marshall McLuhan that “the channel through which a message is transmitted is as important as the message itself and that the channel determines which message will be transmitted and which will be ignored,” (pg307). Today we have access to many different channels such as newspapers, radio, television and internet, so we need to choose the right one to send our messages. For example, an ad for a new chocolate bar would be noticed more in a newspaper or TV commercial than if announced on the radio. We also need to consider what age group is being targeted for the message and send it through the appropriate channel so we may reach them. McLuhan emphasizes that the medium influences how the message is perceived. His idea that television is a “cool medium,” means that the viewer has to put more effort to understand what they are watching. This is because the viewer is bombarded with information, which the viewer takes in sensorily and then has to sort them for meaning, decide which ones to pay attention to and fill in missing details to understand. The viewer has to judge whether what they are watching is the truth or fiction, since some messages are made to look so real!!!

Friendships in Cyberspace

I have never made friendships that existed exclusively in cyberspace. I personally prefer to see the person I am communicating with face to face, hear their voice and see their expressions. It is hard for me to form a friendship with someone I do not know in person, which means I cannot judge anything about the person’s personality. In my opinion, cyber people could claim to be anything so it is hard to trust someone online. As computers and internet access grow around the world, more and more people are communicating globally without ever meeting and some even end up marrying their cyber mate!!! There is a certain mystery about the person on the other end which can be very uncomfortable for some people to deal with. Another factor that makes cyber friendships seem scary is that it is accessible by strangers, so there is no sense of privacy. Face book and web chats are good examples of this.

I agree that it may be easier to communicate at times in writing rather than trying to find the right words to say in a face to face communication. I may be missing out on a good cyber friendship, but for now I prefer to make friends face to face. I will continue to correspond with my friends via email and blogs, since communication is becoming more and more electronic.

Ch 7: “Groupthink”

A topic that caught my interest in chapter 7 was the one on “combating groupthink,” pg 190. It talked about failures in group communication which lead to the space shuttle Challenger’s disaster in 1986. Irving Janis coined the term groupthink as “a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the member’s striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action,” (pg190). This can be applied to our government actions in the wake of 9/11, which has lead to two never ending wars and a financial melt down that is still going steady. Money which could be used to revive our economy and support our children’s education is being used for the wrong reasons. “Collective rationalizations” are used to explain away problems or failures, such as in the case of the BP oil spill mess. They use euphemisms like “friendly casualty” and “collateral damage” to describe errors in bombing innocent civilians. Members are encouraged to stick to a particular course of action, even when information to the contrary is received. Groupthink is very dangerous in the hands of people who are powerful, refuse censorship and share the same morals. In my opinion, a course in Communication should be a requirement for top jobs or positions in government.

Filters

I try not to judge people based on their outward appearance, however sometimes nonverbal cues tell more about a person than what they say. I am happily married and at the time may not have thought of the process I used as filters. The sociological cues (probability of contact), physical proximity, preinteraction cues, interaction cues and cognitive cues (same cultural values, beliefs and attitudes) all played a part in bringing us together. More than physical attraction, it is the compassion, the ability to easily carry a conversation with that person and for them to understand and love you for who you are, matters more to me. When forming friendships I may have used these filters. When we form friendships, I think our ability to carry on a conversation with ease probably decides if we are going to continue that friendship or not. We need to consciously give people a chance to show if they are worth our friendship or not, instead of judging them by their outward appearance. We may miss a rewarding relationship.

Rigid Complementarity

I think all relationships go through complementary and symmetrical patterns, depending on how long the relationship goes and the people involved. In my opinion, rigid complementarity would be most damaging to a relationship. In this relationship one person is dominant while the other is submissive. This type of relationship is common in some marriages (especially in the East, where the husband is dominant and the wife plays the submissive role), parent – child and in friendships. Marriages are a partnership and we must treat each other equally by sharing information, ideas and roles. If the husband always plays the dominant role in deciding everything, the submissive wife may resent this at some point and rebel against this. This is the same in a parent-child relationship, if we constantly decide and play a dominant role, children and teenagers begin to rebel against this control. Any interpersonal relationship has its limits and there needs to be a balance and an appreciation for the other person’s feelings and the context in a given situation.
A person who is always submissive may feel dominated and may or may not be in an abusive relationship; this individual’s self-esteem would likely be damaged the most. This is not to say that competitive symmetry (both fight for top spot) or submissive symmetry (both struggle to relinquish control) are any better. I’d like to end with this quote by Dale Carnegie:
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.”

Ch12 Concept: Culture & Language Style

A concept that intrigued me was how culture affects the way we use language. The textbook mentions teasing, flattery and lying as forms of language that are influenced by culture (pg 355). In my opinion, they should have mentioned “jokes” too. Jokes are culturally based and are very difficult to be translated to another language, since meaning can be lost. What jokes mean, how they are said in that particular language, the underlying meaning, the way they are said, just cannot be translated. If jokes are translated, some people may consider them rude rather than funny. We need to be sensitive when cracking jokes where people from other cultures are around, since not everyone will share the same understanding as we do.
I also want to bring up the point of how English is spoken in many parts of the world, but how an American speaks it is very different from a British or Australian. At times we are left wondering what they said or meant. A dialect is not just another communication tool but it is part of our culture and heritage. Dialects link us to our roots.

Rationality, Perfectibility & Mutability Premises

Rationality- I agree most people are capable of making the right decisions based on sound judgments. There are big differences in people’s analytical abilities, so what may be right for some may not be the case for others. Our democracy, justice system and free enterprise are all based on our assumption that people are rational. Take the “financial crises” we are experiencing it is based on people taking irrational decisions for their own good will!!
Perfectibility- I disagree people are born in sin. In my opinion, every individual is born with a clean slate; they are then molded by society and choose various paths in life. Hard work and individual achievement make up parts of the American culture and it is up to each individual to take up that opportunity and freedom provided in this country to become successful or follow a path of sin. Some religions are based on this premise.
Mutability- I agree human behavior is shaped by environmental factors. If we live in an environment of poverty and crime, we become beggars/ thieves because our environment influences us. On the other hand if we were live in a middle class society, our environment would influence us to go to school like everyone else. What children are capable of here in America and what they do in Africa are all determined by their environment. This is not to say a child in America cannot be a criminal or a child in Africa cannot become a leading scientist someday. It all depends on how far each individual allows the environment he lives in to influence him.

Creatures of Our Culture

I agree with anthropologist Ruth Benedict, that we are creatures of our culture. Humans are bound by their culture, it is their identity. Everything we do is shaped by our culture in some form or another. Culture is something that is very hard to shed and it functions out of awareness. In order to understand others, we must first understand our own culture and how we are influenced by it. We can break through the barriers and understand others better by studying and observing their culture. It is important to realize that cultures are neither better nor worse, they are simply different. To be free from the hidden constraints of culture, we must study it and keep an open mind, because behind the differences there are basic similarities such as love, family, loyalty, friendship and joy that are common among various cultures. We need to experience other cultures and show more understanding, unlike the lady who traveled to Iran and felt very misunderstood.

Here is a link to a video clip I think you will find interesting!!
The God's Must be Crazy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66pTPWg_wUw

Ch 5: Cultural Display Rules

A concept that I found interesting was the cultural display rules that are a factor in nonverbal communication. We are all born into a culture that provides rules on how to live and communicate with each other. Cultural display rules influence how people use their bodies in communication. For example, Asian children are taught not to look an adult directly in the eye as a sign of respect, here in the West we see it as a sign of disrespect. When President Obama bowed too deep before Japan’s Emperor Akihito, there was a lot of debate on the aptness of the act. The media portrayed the act as, “The United States of America bowing low and lowly before Imperial Japan.” It was said that the Emperor “smiled” to communicate his embarrassment.

We need to be more careful when communicating non verbally using unfamiliar cultural displays. There are many aspects of verbal and nonverbal communication we need to carefully consider, if we do not want to be misunderstood.

Checkout Image At: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/usa/news/article_1513396.php/President-Obama-s-deep-bow-in-Japan-causes-debate-Video

Do Men & Women Use Language Differently?

I suppose men and women use language differently in some circumstances. Women love to chat where as men prefer action over words. In one of my undergrad science classes, I learned that the female brain excels in verbal tasks; where as the male brain excels in mathematical and visual-spatial tasks. Women love to give details when they are talking, where as men just say something with very few non-descriptive words and leave it at that. For example, if a woman were asked how her evening was at a party, she would give details on the food, the guests, how they were dressed, what happened and how the place was decorated. A man on the other hand would just say the party was great (or not) and leave it at that. Most women use language to convey empathy, while most men use language to get things done. This is not to say men cannot use language to be empathetic or that women are incapable of using language to get things done.

We have come a long way in how we use language compared to our ancestors and as we become better educated, our use of language is merging. The differences we see may have been imposed by culture and nature; this was discussed in the text in chapter 4 too. We also need to consider the context and subject matter when we say men and women use language differently. For example sports and politics are topics men may want to talk more about, while women may prefer to talk about family, travel or food. Again this is not the case for everybody!!!

Judging Others through Perception

I think it is impossible to perceive others without judging or categorizing them in some way. According to Trenholm, we judge people daily using person prototypes (geek) and personal constructs (attractive, childish). Human beings have a natural instinct to judge so we can decide if our response should be fight or flight. We use our perceptions to better understand someone and to build relationships based on these perceptions. Our society often creates and perpetuates negative stereotypes naively, which often leads to unfair discrimination.
We all need to be more conscious of how we perceive others and should not be quick to judge or categorize people, since it can affect our relationship with someone negatively. We need to become more mindful when we process information and more active listeners. When we judge people based on their looks or how they communicate, we are limiting what that person is capable of and hence see them for what we want to see. In order to make my judgments fair, I try not to be quick to judge someone without learning all the details and re-evaluate my perceptions accordingly. Human interaction is an interesting and delicate subject and we need to be careful about putting people into a “box.”

A Concept from Ch 10

There were several good ideas on how to make an effective public speech. A key concept that stood out for me was the importance of a good introduction that would capture the audience’s attention. Table 10.1 (pg 282) discusses different ways to start a public speech, which I thought was interesting. I think opening a speech with humor, a video or power point with a quote or picture, are some other ways to make a powerful start. Obviously we need to keep in mind the appropriateness of the joke (there is nothing worse than a punch line that has no punch), video, quote or picture to the given audience. We need to keep in mind that the power point slides are there to support us and not the other way around, so keep them simple and don’t read or pack all the information in it. If all else fails, try starting the speech with a personal story, so they audience can see the human side of you. An interesting introduction will definitely keep the audience engrossed and want to learn more and this is necessary for a public speech to be effective.

An Influential Speaker

I have had the opportunity to listen to many influential speakers, in person or through the media. However, a guest speaker I listened to last October communicated in a way I had not heard before. I was taking a course in special education and our professor invited Richard to speak, he was a high school teacher who was deaf. He had two interpreters to assist him as he used sign language to convey his ideas. What struck me was the passion with which he gave his lecture. He was well prepared with creative power points and clearly articulated what people with disabilities are capable of. Richard had a certain presence and enthusiasm as he communicated, that kept everyone’s attention on him. Every now and then he injected some humor and got the audience involved. Through his lecture, I learned that we can become effective communicators if we follow some rules like, keeping it simple, visual, interesting with the right touch of humor, look at the audience, be creative when introducing a topic and move with gestures. He showed us that we are all capable of doing things if we are passionate about it.
One of the worst speakers I heard was someone who just read from her notes for twenty minutes standing in the same spot, in a fast-paced, monotonous voice. She never looked at the audience and judging from the tone of her voice, she was clearly nervous. She had no visuals or humor to share. As a result, some of the audience just chatted amongst themselves, while others began to doze off.

How do we “build worlds” through communication?

According to the social constructionist model, we communicate using tools that are found in our cultures. For example, in some cultures they press the palms of the hands together and gently nod when greeting someone, where as in the west we tend to shake hands or hug when greeting each other. Here in the west, we try to collaborate and talk to each other when solving problems, this helps us to build trust and form lasting relationships. In other cultures, village elders or the husband is involved in the collaboration and women are shunned from discussions, this leads to women feeling undervalued. In the text, John and Judy do not see things the same way, because their experiences are different and are based on different time periods.
Times are changing really fast in our world, when my parents moved they communicated through letters to family back home and now I communicate with my parents via telephone or email. When we write letters, we can read them over again and again, however with a telephone call we can communicate instantly but we may not say the right things or get our ideas across accurately. There are cultural norms that we need to follow when we communicate and this is not always followed. Communication is really an art that is constantly changing and needs to be taught so humans understand each other better.

Introductory Post

Hi All,

I am excited to be in this course and to work with you all this Summer online via this blog. This is my first experience blogging!!!

I am currently working on my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential at SJSU. I will be student teaching this Fall, which I am looking forward to. For those of you who are familiar with what it takes to become a teacher here in CA, I will be taking the RICA this weekend. :-(

I have been busy preparing for it.

I am also working on my Masters in Education. This is my first Communication course and my first experience taking an online class, so I am looking forward to it. I think, communication is an art that needs to be perfected everyday and, this is something I need to expand on when working with students, parents and fellow staff.

Apart from SJSU work, I am also a full time mom of three children and enjoy reading, cooking and watching movies with my family!!!!