Similarities and Differences

Self-assessments give an opportunity to learn more about yourself.  The result of scoring can give feedback to assist in becoming a better “you”.  I think the one thing that surprised me is the similarities between how I evaluated myself and how others evaluated me. I can be my harshest critic at times. In some circumstances, however, being content with your self-adequacy is sufficient (O’Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D.I., & Teven, J. 2018, pg. 69). I have learned so much about communication since the first week of class choosing two is difficult. With that being said, as educators and administrators we must have the ability to actively listen, absorb information relayed to us, ask clarifying questions and continue to express our expectations. I am

realizing the importance of truly listening; listening effectively is something very few of us do, but the importance is key to effective communication. Communicating through our tone, caring demeanor and body language provides a sense of ease among children and families. I am very direct so I am learning to continuously not allow my facial expressions, body language, etc. not intimidate my staff and individuals I come in contact with daily.

Reference:

 O’Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2018) Real communication (3^rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Cultural Diversity

                                                               

Understanding cultural differences has to do with recognizing yourself as a cultural being, and are, to a great extent, influenced by your own culture, which also may have been influenced by your training (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010).  Working within the military sector, I interact with people from different groups and cultures daily.  I do not treat them differently, however I am aware of their cultural differences through relationships that have been built either by daily interactions or caring for their children.  This class is teaching me the importance of active listening which is important for relationship building. A few tips to remember when communicating with other cultures:  learn about the culture beforehand (if possible), expect differences, be patient, be upfront about the communication barrier, speak slowly and proper. Once again stepping out of our comfort zones, striving to connect and educating ourselves makes a difference.

Reference:

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). Understanding and appreciating cultural differences. Retrieved from https://class.content.laureate.net/ef8c32caf949f164677063c1f6f82b9d.pdf 

Taylor, Maureen. (2019). How to communicate well with other cultures. Retrieved from https://www.wikihow.com/Communicate-Well-With-People-from-Other-Cultures

Nonverbal Communication

I have to be honest sitting down to watch TV for an hour was challenging for me, I am constantly busy while at home.  I chose “The Morning Show” for our blog assignment.  GMA had advertised this show a few weeks back and I thought it looked interesting, plus I love Reese Weatherspoon. The show stars, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Weatherspoon and Steve Carrell. It began with several phone calls @ 03:00 a.m. and (Mitch)Steve Carrell seeming to be very tense. Alex Levy(Jennifer Anniston) is clearly an early morning news anchor attempting to rise at 03:30 a.m. and begin her day. On her route to work she seems distracted and her facial expressions show annoyance when she sees a billboard of her smiling. During this time there is breaking news in reference to Steve Carrell (whom was her co-anchor) being fired from his position at the news show. The show skips to a scene with Reese Weatherspoon at a rally arguing with a man that is present. Watching the show with no sound brought me to the conclusion that a majority of the characters worked together within the news industry. The characters seemed to express anger, despair, at times rage, and sadness through their non-verbal behavior while watching with no sound. At one point a character from “The Morning Show” traveled to where Reese Weatherspoon lived. It was difficult to watch with no sound because I was constantly wondering what was being said between the characters.

When I turned the sound on I figured out Steve Carrell had been accused of unprofessional conduct within his workplace. As the show progressed it showed the detrimental effects of Mr. Carrell’s firing on Jennifer Anniston. Reese Weatherspoon was invited to “The Morning Show” to discuss her argument at the coal mine protest. The tension between Anniston and Weatherspoon was apparent during their conversation. The show progressed through Anniston going to Carrell’s home and expressing her anger to him about his misconduct and leaving her alone on “The Morning Show”.  It concludes with the president of company asking Weatherspoon to meet him to discuss her working for the network.

Watching a TV show with no sound can be a challenge. My first assumption was all the characters had a dysfunctional working relationship. Not being able to hear what is being said, could make the non-verbal cue be interpreted differently than if one knew the extent of what was being spoken.  This assignment gave me insight on how non-verbal cues can be interpreted when communicating with others.

Competent Communicator

When I think of individuals that demonstrate competent communication, the person that comes to mind is my flight chief.  He always represents himself in a professional, confident manner while making one feel at ease during the entire conversation. His ability to actively listen, ask questions and give answers is part of his success as an effective communicator.

I have taken many communication techniques both verbal and non-verbal from my daily interactions with him, he has been a great role model.  I tend to communicate my frustrations through non-verbal cues, I am learning to not allow my body language to be an expression of negativity.