Week 16 Question 1

1). How does CMC differ from f2f communication? (Think outside the box).


At this age and time, most people communicate by computer more than face to face. In a group communication, for the people who fear the f2f, they might find CMC communication much easier. I think this is because CMC allows us to communicate with one another without placing specific labels on the people we are communicating with such as race and age; thus creating a “great equality’ between group members. The other way CMC differs from f2f is that most of the time in CMC there is no emotional connection where as in f2f there will be some emotional connection. Since they are more tasks oriented than f2f, when time is limited, “CMC groups perform better than f2f groups on tasks that are less involving. On the other hand, if the task requires social interaction the CMC groups perform worse than f2f. In conclusion, I have had a chance to work with the group in both CMC and f2f and both have advantages and disadvantages.

Week 14 Question 3

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that we have not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

One of the concepts I found interesting in this week’s reading was Avoidance. It is one of the five styles of conflict management that involves “withdrawing from the conflict.” It is neither forceful nor interested in solving the problem. In a conflict resolution, when one is displaying avoidance strategy, they are saying “I would rather not talk about it right now.” Depending on the situation, this strategy could also be destructive or constrictive for the group process. “If the avoidance was due to lack of information, understanding or any particular opinion…it could be constrictive for the group process. On the other hand, “if avoidance is the result of disempowered or disengaged, it can negatively impact the group process.” When dealing with avoiders, in my opinion, it is important to communicate clearly what is needed. In addition, the more intense or demanding you are, the more likely the avoider will go into deeper withdrawal; therefore it is good not to be aggressive.

Week 14 Question 2

2). Briefly outline an example of collaborative conflict resolution that you have engaged in. Contrast that with competitive conflict. Which was more satisfying to you? To the other party?

In a collaborative conflict resolution everyone involved have to speak what they think and have to feel they are important part of the solution. They are also responsible in listening what others have to say and try to understand and work toward mutual decisions. An example of a collaborative conflict resolution I have engaged is with my roommate. As anyone might expect, while living with roommate, there is going to be something to fight about. Since both my roommate and I were working fulltime and going to school, we wanted our apartment to be a peaceful place to get away from all the pressures; therefore it was worth our time to work on our collaborative conflict resolution. Whenever we had an issue we communicated it to each other well. We also view the issue from other points of view beside our two conflict one. We really thought hard to find some common ground to balance our two needs. Basically, we worked on the conflict until it was a “win win” situation.

On the other hand, competitive conflict is where one individual or group goes to compete in getting a better price, want, and thing than the other party. I also remember one particular instance where I was engaged in a competitive conflict with my roommate. On our initial meeting, we rented two bedrooms apartment with one master bedroom and one guestroom. We both wanted to get the master bedroom; therefore it was very difficult to find a middle ground. The only solution we had was to use competitive conflict resolution method. I believe both collaborative and competitive conflict resolutions are satisfying depending on the situation.

Week 14 question 1

Although, a forum, panel, colloquium, and symposium are a group presentational format, which can help a group to organize its discussion and facilitate its interaction with a larger audience, they all have key differences. The main distinguishing factors in these forms of public discussion are in the group’s interaction with its audience. In a forum, the members of the audience give reaction speeches one at a time in an orderly fashion; the panel format provides no direct interaction between the panel of experts and the audience; in a colloquium “the discussion is carried on both in front of and with participation of audience members; lastly, in a symposium the speeches are well prepared, practiced, and polished presentations that are uninterrupted by the audience and presented by skilled public speakers. I would prefer colloquium. The reason is that colloquium is more engaging between the audience and the experts. In colloquium, it is highly likely most of the audiences questions gets to be answered.

Week 13 Question 3

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading that has not already been discussed during this discussion week, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.

One of the interesting concepts I found in this chapter was emotional barriers to creativity. It is one of the three barriers “we place in the way of our creative abilities.” Often, our emotions play a big role in our creativity. One of the emotion aspects of barrier is fear of making mistake. The authors’ state instead of taking a risk in being wrong, we usually want someone to approve what we come up with. Basically, this limits to the extent what might others say about it. The other key aspect of emotional barriers to creativity is our assumption that says “… the current standard of knowledge and ways of doing things are the best;” therefore puts a ceiling on our creative ideas. In addition, thinking someone or some group of experts are only qualified to come up with the next best idea also prevents us from being creative. To overcome this barrier, the key thing to remember is that creativity requires risk-taking; one must be sufficiently confident to risk criticism and even failure.

Week 13 Question 2

2). Name five cultural barriers to creativity. What do you think these would keep a group from being creative? Have you experienced any of these personally? Explain.

Cultural barriers to creativity include a requirement for conformity, an expectation of practicality and efficiency, particular arenas for competition or cooperation, an expectation of politeness and following rules for social order, and a reliance on statistical proofs. When we try to answer the question why these cultural barriers would keep the group from being creative, we first have to talk about culture. Culture is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a person's learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted; therefore, the cultural environment one grew up has a strong influence on creativity by supporting or inhibiting it. Growing up in a very cultural household, I have experienced many of these cultural barriers. However, an expectation of politeness and following rules for social order has most influenced me in dealing with my cultural background. I recall one instance where I was helping in coordination of a wedding ceremony. Because most of the setup was cultural based, me and a handful of people were not able to put into practice any of our ideas.

Week 13 Question 1

1). Provide an example of creativity from your own experience. How does it fit with the chapter's discussion of creativity?

Some people are considered to be creative more than others. In my opinion, creativity could be interpreted in many ways. One could interpret creativity as being a solution for an immediate problem or need; on the other hand, one could say creativity is bringing something from non-existence. From my experience, creativity is to “think outside the box.” For example, if we expose two people to work on a problem, one could just be thinking in box, meaning normal or the usual way of doing things; conversely one could look at the same exact problem and think outside the box, which is to come up with the best way of doing it. This very much relates to the text discussion. While, the text talks about creativity being the result of looking at things in a new way, it also underlines that creative thinking to be available for all of us.

Week 9 Question 3

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading that has not already been discussed during this discussion week that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.

The text talks about nine barriers for active listening. Out of those nine barriers, I found the concept of or faking attention interesting. It just means while communicating with someone, to pretend to listen. This happens in many communication situations; it might be because we don’t know how to get out of the conversation, we are not familiar with the subject matter, we are afraid of hurting someone's feelings or offending them; or because we are just bored about the subject. For instance, people get offended when they are communicating with someone and they are not given full attention; therefore one might pretend to listen or give them fake attention because he or she is afraid of hurting their feelings. Overall, most of the active listening barriers are also the basis for pseudolistening.

Week 9 Question 2

2). Give a personal example where you have had selective attention. Why do you think that is? Is there a way you were able to overcome it?

Most of the time, I have had selective attention on a social gatherings; where I am hanging out with group of friends and/or families. Many of us, on this kind of gatherings, while the sounds of people conversing, laughing, shouting, and the music playing, we struggle to have a meaningful conversation with the few people attending. I recall one time where I had selective attention. I was in this family party trying to have a meaningful discussion with a number of individuals and trying to hear what the other person is saying which by itself a pain. All of a sudden, from across the room, I hear my name mentioned. Immediately, my attention is shifted to the direction I heard my name and started to listen in.The reason is that “…we have learned to pay attention to those stimuli that are familiar to us and that have a particular significance for us.” In this case, hearing my name had some significance. When my name is mentioned, I automatically assumed it was important to overhear it. While I pretended to have my attention to the conversation I had with circle of individuals, I was able to figure out what they were talking about. The only way I was able to overcome it was by finding out the context or the whole conversation and disregarding it.

Week 9 Question 1

1). Think of a recent situation in which you found listening difficult. Which one (or more) of the four phases presented the most difficulty for you? Why? How could this have been overcome?

A recent situation I can think of in which I found listening difficult was a few days ago in one of my class. While well-known talkers in my class chatting about the latest NCAA (basketball), my instructor was talking about a less-interesting part of the subject. In this situation, out of the four components of listening, sensing or hearing the message was the most difficult for me. I was listening the sounds that are coming out of my instructor’s mouth; however I was not hearing the message. The reason is that the topic (basketball) was very appealing to me, than my instructor’s topic. Since, sensing is “a voluntary act whereby we chose certain sounds and noises to pay attention to, while avoiding others,” I must give my full attention to those sounds that are coming from the instructor’s mouth and avoid the disruption from others. A good technique for avoiding or overcoming with kind of distractions during class is to sit in the front, or I should choose to sit away from these classmates who bring up topics that are distractive.

Week 7 Question 3

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed this week, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

I found the concept of paralanguage to be fascinating. It is a type of nonverbal communication, in which “the meaning that is perceived along with the actual words used to deliver a message.” This is not what you say, but how you say it. On the whole, it is using a vocal inflection by means of stretching the same words and using different tone, pitch, rate, vocal qualities, pauses, and silence.

If we decide to talk about tone, it is not the words one chooses, but the manner in which he or she choose to say it. When we were little kids, we probably often raised our voice to express anger or frustration. For example, when I was a child, I would ask my parents’ permission to go out to my friends and if my parents said no. I would say “fine!” Then my parents often said “don’t take that tone with me Mr.!” the reason is not the word, but the way I’d say it. It was very disrespectful to talk to my parents like that; transmitting a message that says “I am angry or frustrated at them.”

Week 7 Question 2

2). Explain proxemics and chronemics. Are there universal rules for all cultures regarding these concepts? Give personal examples if possible. Give examples of personal experience in other cultures regarding these two concepts.

Proxemics is the study of how people use the physical space. It is “the ways we structure and use and are affected by space constitutes proximity.” Depending on the different setting and the culture the use of space varies. For example, in one African culture when people gather in the church women and men does not seat at the same raw. The physical space is divided in to two between genders.

Chronemics is the study of the use of time. This too, it very much varies in the different setting and across cultures. The use of time could affect many aspect of the nonverbal communication. It affects the willingness to wait, punctuality, the willingness to listen for long or short period of time. For instance, in many European cultures, time is a very sensitive factor in one’s daily life; if a meeting is scheduled at a certain time, all parties involved are expected to be “on time” or punctual, on the other hand, in the culture I came from, being late is customary.

Week 7 Question 1

1). Return to the eight principles of nonverbal communication. Pick two principles, and provide new examples of how they operate in a group or team.

I must say that this chapter, “Verbal and Nonverbal Communication,” is one of my favorite chapters thus far. From the eight principles of nonverbal communication, the two principles I picked are “It is more likely to be believed than verbal communication” and “Cultural norms and expectations guide the group.”

1.In my opinion, it is only natural for people to pay attention on what we do than what we say; thus our actions speaks more for us that our talk. For instance, if I invite you to my house for a dinner and I cook my favorite dish, I ask you how it is after you take your first bite and you say “man it is really good!” and I see in your facial display an unpleasant look, I am more likely to believe your facial communication than your word.

2.Having been exposed to many different cultures, I relate to the principal that “Cultural norms and expectations guide the group.” In the culture that I grow up in, when a group or member of group engaged in conversation with his or her superiors, he or she shows respect by not looking straight on the eye. Whereas, in western culture it could be interpreted as guilt or not having confidence.

Week-4 Question 2

According to the text, white men privilege is the “assumption of social, economic, and political power in this country has long resided with upper-class and upper middle-class white European males of wealth and privilege.” I think this concept contribute to the many underprivileged groups to not have the courage to claim or to have the right to earn the privilege. Basically, having this privilege, gives the white men an advantage; thus to the non-white men it is disadvantageous.

I agree with this concept. There are many reasons why, people get rewarded, promoted, as well as earn privilege; but we have heard or seen stories when white men get the privilege over women or non-whites just because they are white. This happen, not because all people are racists or white men are superior from others, but it is because they held the power for long time. Whether it is in politics or in many other organizations, the assumptions we have limits our decisions.

Week-4 Question 1

I have been a member of a group that has been stereotyped. I have experienced stereotype in a different forms. One of a group I belong to is African American (black) and I believe it is the group that is most stereotyped. We all have heard (positive as well as negative) black stories of stereotype and it surely exists. One, that is typical for my group is that “we are only good at sports or music and not so good in academic.” But, as far as the group I belong to concerns, that is not the case. Most of the group members have a professional degree; with medical field, law, as well as business. Even though, we all love sports and play sports, that does not mean we are not in to education.

My experiences reflect to the idea the book discuses; “stereotype can be damaging.” They create an image that is not true or right to that group and “disallow for the valuable differences and positive contributions we all receive from each unique individual.” If people allow themselves to see a group such as mine, on the stereotypical eyes, they can fail to notice a great deal of value.

Week 3 Question 3-Groupthink Concept

From this week’s reading one concept that I found interesting was groupthink. It is a concept that was identified by Janis. It is defined “as a strong concurrence seeking tendency among the group members within a group that leads to a deterioration in the decision making process” (Harris 56). It basically refers to flawed decision-making in a group. To the most part, groups experiencing groupthink do not consider all alternatives and they desire unanimity or solving immediate problems at the expense of quality decisions. Groupthink typically occurs when groups are highly organized and when they are under considerable pressure to make a quality decision. Some groupthink symptoms that are discussed in the text are: Illusion invulnerability, collective rationalizing, unquestioned morality, emergence of mind guards…etc. Some negative outcomes also include limited original solution never reevaluated (Not examining early options), not consulting with all members, not seeking expert or outside opinion, being selective in using outside opinions.

Week 3 Question 2: Group Norms

“Norms establish the accepted rules of behavior.” (Harris & Sherblom) Basically, norms guide the group members thinking and actions to pursue the ways that are accepted, valued and trusted to the well being of the group. Norms also function in giving the member of the groups’ a feeling of connectedness with the other members. In addition, when one conforms to group norms it will bring a sense of belongingness and it shows commitment to other group members; as a result, it might also increase the loyalty of the group members.

A few years back, a group of friends and I dined with a man who was visiting from another country. He came from a country where burping was a compliment to the cook. After we had a very good meal, he loudly burped. I felt that was a violation of a norm of dining with people. Nobody actually said anything to him directly, but I could tell through facial expressions almost all of us felt a violation of a norm. The reason being is that we all had a background where burping in front of people (especially while they are eating) was impolite.

Week 3 Question 1: Group Norms

There are certainly group norms at SJSU. According to Harris & Sherblom, “norms can also be explicitly stated or implicitly understood with the group.” At SJSU, by looking at how students are expected to behave in class, we can identify both explicit and implicit forms of norms. For example, students are to come to class regularly and in a timely fashion, they are to come prepared, they are to read the assigned readings, they are to demonstrate a positive attitude, they are to ask relevant questions, they are to participate in discussions, basically, the students as well as the faculty members at SJSU are expected to create a learning environment.

There are also group norms in the group of individual I spend time with. In these groups the norms are implicitly understood. For instance, everyone is expected to respect, trust, and support each other. Respect: treat each other with dignity and value each others opinion. Trust: have confidence that whatever you share with the group it will stay confidential. Support: be there when one of the group members goes through any kind of hardship.

To identify these norms, I watch closely how the other members of the group act and what their expectations are. In essence, when one members of the group go against the group norms, some kind of penalty is imposed in that individual. I get use to these norms by dedicating and committing myself in those norms and the values the norms carry out.

Week 2 Question 3 - Pick one concept from the reading assignment this week (Ch.2) that you found interesting or useful and discuss it. Please discuss

One of the concepts I found interesting from this week’s reading was Wholeness and Synergy. Wholeness is defined as “the result of people working with each other is different from the result of those working in isolation.” In a small group or team there is no “I” which makes everyone responsible to equally contribute for achieving the group’s goal. Everyone in a group has unique gift, talent, and place that are useful toward completing the purpose of the group.

Synergy is “created through the mixing and incorporating of each other’s thoughts and messages.” It is important to realize that just like we have different body parts; hands, feet, arms, legs, etc that works towards making us whole, individuals are like those body parts that complete the group. When these individuals and their talents utilized to making the group whole and achieve its objective, then synergy exists. Over all, groups are team; and like one of my professor said it stands for Together Everybody Achieving More.

Week 2 Question 2- Explain how entropy and equifinality impact small groups.

Groups are defined as two or more people who work regularly with one another to achieve common goals. For a group to achieve its intended goals and become high-performance group, the members need to be able to use their collective skills and behaviors to become an efficient model working towards a common goal.

The impact of entropy could easily jeopardize the group from reaching its goals. When entropy surfaced within any group it has high probability that the group will begin to crumble. Entropy also causes the group to become disorganized and unruly. People will interrupt one another, don't listen, speak simultaneously, and eventually instead of aiming for the common goal of the group, individuals will try to address their own goal.

On the other hand, the impact of equifinality might have a very positive outcome on small group. Individuals in a group might have different ideas, but all those ideas bring about the same common goal of the group. So, in essence equifinality operates as the glue to keep the group focused on the big picture.

Week 2 Question 1

Small groups, must manage and maintain the sufficient degrees of interdependency in order to reach to a common goal. When parts of the system do not function well, the intended goal of the group will not be attained or be a success.

The importance of understanding interdependence and interrelationships can easily be shown in nearly every school group project I have had as a college student. Most of the time, it's very rare that a student would take initiative towards the group project, and only when does deadline approach all the students get together. A student can also take initiative early, but because the project is due weeks later there's a lot of empathy towards the project from the other members. The active student is stuck with wanting to do the project, but does not have the group support to get it started.

I also see the importance of understanding interdependence and interrelationships when I sometimes play soccer. The players must have an understanding of each of the individuals in their team. The team/group functions as a system and each player is parts of the system. The coach demands the interrelationship of those parts to achieve the specific goals and objectives.

Introduction

What’s up all! For this class purpose please call me Nathan. This is my last semester at SJSU majoring in Business Management with a minor Communication Studies. I work 32-40 hrs a week and go to school full time. With my other free time I sleep:) I am fascinated about Communication Studies because I grew up in a bilingual home. I have often thought about how remarkable it is that people usually succeed at understanding each other’s language and non-verbal communications.

Getting by college life is difficult, but the difficulty level raises a few notches when you work full time. For this reason online class is very helpful. My first online learning experience is COMM 181F-Internet Communication class with Professor Ted Coopman. It was very interesting as well as engaging class. A little intimidating at first, but once I got the hang of it was one of the best experiences.

I love sport, music, books as well food. I am looking forward to working with all of you this semester. Remember "Education costs money, but then so does ignorance.":)