Week 14 Post 3: Group vs. Individual

3). Pick one other concept in the book that you feel needs further discussion?

Another concept I found interesting was individual versus group decision making and factors that relate to group productivity. Working in a large company I feel that there are definitely times where individual work is more beneficial and there are times where group projects are more efficient. My company rewards people for being individuals and for leading teams of people but I think sometimes it is harder for them to identify when group work is better. Our text offers good tips such as using groups when there is adequate time for group members to meet. Another good time is when the decision is complex.

Week 14 Post 2: Attraction Filter

2). What concept/s in this class have you found most interesting? What was it about that concept/s that you found interesting?

One concept I found interesting was Ducks Attraction filter. The filter is made up of cues that can eliminate partners as the relationships grow. There is the sociological or incidental cue where proximity or frequency of interaction can either turn the partner on or off. Then there is the preinteration cue, the interaction cue, and the cognitive cue. I like how it also reinforces the idea that a first impression is very important. I think it is really important people we are a very judgmental society where the first time you meet someone could very well be the last because we are all so busy we have to have such a good impression the first time to make time to meet again.

Week 14 Post 1: Ethnography

1). (Regarding Chapter 13) Which of the research methods listed in Table 13.3 seem the most interesting? Assume you want to study some aspect of deception. Frame a research question. Which method would you choose to answer the question. Why?

I always thought ethnography was a really fascinating way to research something. It sounds so hard to immerse yourself in a culture so different form your own, but I think it also stands to be one of the best ways to learn. For example, if you want to learn a new language it is often best to go to the country where the language is spoken. Ethnography is the same way. To study deception, I would pose the following research question: Do gang members hold themselves and each other to a personal set of values that would be put off by deception in their group. Do research this, you could immerse yourself in a gang culture and process interviews.

Week 13 Post 3 - Social Effects

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

One concept from the reading that I found intriguing was the section on social effects and social challenges. The book mentioned how with every new technology there is a new set of social standards that needs to be learned. The example the book gave was cell phones. Now, it’s possible for us to be in a situation where we are fielding a very personal call in a very public place. For example, you’re in the grocery store buying food when your friend calls to tell you she broke up with her boyfriend. This is a situation we never would have needed to function in before.

Week 13 Post 2: Mediums

2). Do you agree with Marshall McLuhan that the medium is the message, i.e. that the format or logic of a medium is as important as its content and, in fact, determines what content will be broadcast through that channel? Evaluate his idea that television is a cool medium.

I do agree with Marshall in that the channel through which a message is sent is just as important as the message. Some pedagogy researchers have found that some students are visual learners, and some are verbal learners. It could be the exact same information and it’s all about the presentation that gets people to retain the information or not. I also think that some forms of the medium have a big affect as well. For example, commercials. Somebody in the advertising business could tell you a lot more about it than me, but it’s pretty obvious that things like color scheme, actor appearance, and word choice has a lot to do with what messages people pay attention to.

Week 13 Post 1: Cyberspace Relationship

1). Have you made friendships that exist exclusively in cyberspace? If so, how are they different from f2f relationships? If you have not formed cyber relationships, why not?

Because I am not on Myspace or Facebook, I initially didn’t think that I had any cyberspace relationships. However, I recently joined Twitter and have been “following” one of my favorite DJ’s called woody. The Woody Show used to be on Live 105 in the mornings and I listened to it every day on my way to work. After so many months and years of listening to this guy talk every morning, you start to really feel like you know them. Unfortunately he was recently fired form the radio station so now I follow him on Twitter. He talks about the job hunt, his wife, his baby due in a couple months, all the things you would normally talk about with a friend. This kind of relationship is different than face to face because it’s completely one sided. He doesn’t know anything about me, so while the relationship is entertaining; it is not in any other way beneficial to me.

Week 12 Post 3: Telecommuting

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

One concept I found interesting was telecommuting. This is basically working from home through a home computer with a VPN system to connect you to your workplace. Some advantages are that the company can save money by not providing work sites and they can offer jobs to candidates that may not be local residents. On the other side of the argument, it creates a separation between the employee and the workplace, and it can also prevent a person’s promotion because they may fall off their bosses’ radar. For me, as much as I like working from home, I have to say that I do think that it is not as productive and actually creates a tension between yourself and the people working in the office.

Week 12 Post 2: Etiquette Rules

2). Review the etiquette rules suggested in the text. Respond to each one. Have you ever been bothered by cell phone, answering machines, or beepers? What do you feel about call waiting? Is it rude to put people on hold to take another call?

I think that some of the etiquette rules in the text are relevant, but some may be a bit out dated. For example, to always identify you in a conference call seems a bit redundant. As long as the information is getting across clearly, it may not even be important that everyone know who exactly is speaking. In terms of cell phones, I agree that they should be used discreetly. I hate it when I am in the SJSU library and people are talking full force on their cells. I think that just because it isn’t explicitly labeled as not allowed doesn’t mean that it isn’t rude. It’s hard for me to say whether I think it is rude to put someone on hold to take another call because I personally chose not to do it because it makes me feel uncomfortable, but I have no problem when someone else does it to me.

Week 12 Post 1: Organizations affect on Environment

1). How are organizations tied to the environment? What is the relationship between the school you attend and the city or town in which it is situated? What, if any, ethical obligations does an organization like a college or university have to the local community?

Organizations depend on their environments, and can sometimes have a negative affect on them as well. An example of this is when pollutants are released into the local lands and streams. Not all affects companies have on their environments are negative. For example when a new company sets up in a town, they produce jobs which stimulate the local economy.

I think that San Jose State had a huge impact on the city of San Jose, and even the bay area as a whole. It is such a commuter school that it brings people from as far away as San Francisco and Gilroy and even further. I also think that the school creates a huge haven for diversity and sets an environment when different ethnicities can gather in a place of learning. I think that San Jose State does a good job of fulfilling their ethical obligation to the community by hosting all sorts of events and conferences that bring people together.

Week Eleven Post 3: Relationship Disclosure

3) Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that we have no already discussed, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.

One topic I found interesting in chapter six was the concept of rules for disclosing. In this section the authors talk about relationships disclosure and offer certain guidelines such as how self-disclosure is not appropriate in all relationships. They suggest that a person should assess the level of the relationship before disclosing personal information. I think this is really good advice because sometimes people tend to get way to personal way to early in the relationship and that could be a turn off for the other person in the relationship. The author even mentions that this can sometimes put a burden on others when too much is disclosed.

Week Eleven Post 2: Filters

People use a lot of different filters to eliminate people from consideration as potential romantic partners. Some characteristics or behaviors that lead me to judge someone else as unattractive include people that are overly aggressive (often rude), or unmotivated men. Duck’s theory on relations dissolution discusses the four kinds of work involved in the dissolution of a relationship. I think that anyone who has ever been through a breakup can validate Duck’s theory. In the intrapsychic phase, the couple focuses in on their thoughts and feelings in the relationship, pretty much deciding if it’s more bad than good. In the next phase, the dyad talks about it to each other. In the third phase, they talk about it with others and in the final phase they review the entirety of the relationship.

Week Eleven Post 1: Symmetry Patterns

I think that the competitive symmetry pattern would be the most difficult to change in a romantic relationship. I think this way because when I think competitive, I think stubborn and stubborn people are extremely hard to change. I think that it can also be the most damaging to the relationship because nether person is happy. In a submissive relationship at least one of the persons are happy and that can translate a little more in the relationship. I also think that the most damaging to self-esteem is the submissive symmetry. T forces one person to feel potentially worthless enough to not have a say in their own lives.

Week 10 Post 3: Culture and Images of the Self

“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 concept I found interesting in this weeks reading was the idea of culture and self image. According to our text, culture affects basic notions of human nature, including the extent to which the individual self is valued (352). Our self image, both on an individual basis and as a cultural group has a large affect on our actions, specifically our methods of communication. For example, someone with a poor self-image may speak and communicate with others in a way that degrades them or the other person. Even body language can represent a hesitancy that communicates a message that the sender might not actually intend. As a culture, we communicate as a large group and how we feel translates into how other cultures feel about us.”

Week 10 Post 2: Rationality, Perfectability, Mutability

The rationality premise is the belief that most people are capable of understanding the truth through logical analysis. Some social institutions that represent this idea include democracy, trial by jury, and free enterprise. The perfectibility premise is based on an old Puritan idea that humans are born in sin but are capable of achieving goodness through effort and control. The mutability premise assumes human behavior is shaped by environmental factors and that the key to human improvement is to improve their physical and psychological circumstances. I do believe in these to some extent, but definitely wouldn’t hold them as the basic pillars of mankind. I think that the one I can really get behind is the mutability premise. I am a huge believe that nurture (or the environment in which someone lives) is more powerful than nature (their genetic tendencies).

Week 10 Post 1: Creatures of our Culture

1). Do you agree with anthropologist Ruth Benedict that we are "creatures of our culture" and that our habits, beliefs, and impossibilities are shaped by our culture? If so, how can we break through the limits of our cultures?

I not only agree completely with Benedict, but also think that anyone who denies it is ignorant of their surroundings. Everything we do is a direct reflection of the way we were brought up, even down to the basics. You don’t see anybody in San Jose, CA eating insects out of local trees but in other cultures in other countries it’s a perfectly acceptable way of finding food. Even the way we dress is a reflection of our culture, or even deeper that that to the fact that we get dressed at all in the morning!

To break through these limits we have to encourage an extremely open minded culture – but even that will still make us creatures of our culture. As a collective group of people we need to be open to other cultures to break down limitations that we have grown accustomed to.

Week 7 Post 3: Object Language

One interesting thing I found in chapter five was the concept of object language. Object language is defined as, "all intentional and nonintentional displays of materal things, such as implements, machines, art objects, architectural structure, as well as the human body, and whatever clothes cover it" (133). What the authors are trying to describe here is that objects in your person say as much about you as the words you say. If you have tatoos all over your body and piercings in your face and wear all black when you go to geometry class, people may think that you are not as intelligent as the person with short hair and glasses sitting next to you.

Week 7 Post 2: Non-verbal Japan vs US

While I have not travelled around much of the United States, I did have the opportunity to go to Japan about three years ago. While I was there, I did notice a lot of different nonverbal displays, some obvious and some much more subtle. One big difference between American nonverbal communication and Japanese nonverbal communication is pointing. In America, pointing is very common hand gesture used to draw attention to a certain person of thing. In Japan, they do not point with one finger, and it is actually considered rude to do so. In Japan, they point with their whole hand and that is their way of nonverbally drawing attention to something.

Week 7 Post 1: Nonverbal Perception

1). Because nonverbal messages can be ambiguous, they are open to misinterpretation. Have you ever been wrong about the meaning of someones nonverbal message? Describe what happened. How can people increase the accuracy with which they interpret nonverbal message?

There have been many times that I have been wrong about the meaning of someone's non-verbal, in fact, it probably happens to me everyday. I think a situation that perpetually repeats itself as a misinterpretation of nonverbal messages is communications I have with my boyfriend. After four years of dating, I like to think that we can read each other pretty well but that is not always the case. For example, sometimes he will sleep facing away from me and oftentimes I will interpret this as his being bothered by something when in reality it is just that it is more comfortable for him. I'm sure this happens all the time in all sorts of different relationships, but it is something that can be improved upon. To help increase the accuracy on nonverbal interpretation, it's important to not rely completely on the nonverbal message. Sometimes it is just impossible to tell, so if you base all your assumptions on one nonverbal action, you really can decrease the accuracy of your perception. Also, just being more familiar with nonverbal concepts can help you to understand situations with more objective clarity.

Week 6 Post 3: Expressiveness

3). Pick one concept from the assigned readings, other than what has already been discussed this week, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

One concept from chapter three that I found interesting is the idea of expressiveness in language and social identity. The book defines expressiveness cultures as cultures that are, “open when it comes to displaying emotions. Hugging, touching, and crying may not be out of place, even in the workplace” (97). I have some good examples of this because I have travelled to Japan where their expressiveness is very different that ours here in America. For example, couples are rarely seen holding hands and families don’t often hug. I think that even some very old traditions such as bowing and hand shaking go far in showing the cultures preferred expressiveness culture.

Week 6 Post 2: Language of the Sexes

2). Do you agree that men and women use language differently? In what areas?

I think that anyone who doesn’t agree that men and women use language differently is delusional or just has no experience communicating with the opposite sex. They use language very differently in almost all aspects of communicating, from expressing emotions, getting what they want, or accomplishing a task. I think the real tricky question on this topic would be, why? I think it’s part of the ago old question or nature versus nurture. Am I more sensitive than my boyfriend because I was brought up that way, or because of the estrogen in my body? Does he talk less than me because that’s what he’s used to, or because that’s how he likes it? Chapter three made a good point about how our the culture of our sex defines our communication skills, and I think it’s a really interesting note on the topic.

Week 6 Post 1: Perceive without Judging

1) Is it possible to perceive others without, in some way, judging or categorizing them? If so, how? If not, how can we make the judgments we do make, more fair?

I take this as a purely semantics question - yes, I believe it is possible to perceive others without judging them, but I think that's its extremely difficult and rare. To be able to perceive others and remain completely objective is something that I think needs to be mastered. I believe that scientists, people that specialize in human behavior, have learned to remain objective but in everyday life I don't think that we even make an attempt to hold our judgments. Acceptance is really the best way to eventually get to where our society can be an objective group of people. The more we know about each other, and accept our difference the less we will feel the need to judge.

Week 4 Post 3: Communicating in the Public Sphere

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

One concept from the reading that I found really interesting was the idea of communicating in the public sphere. The book looks at this concept and compares it to communicating in the private sphere. The public sphere is communication as a member of a group with a topic that applies to many people. The private sphere is communication with only our own interests in mind. An example of communication in the public sphere would be a mayor, speaking at a town meeting. He’s speaking as a member of the community, to other members of the community about issues that affect them all. An example of communication in the private sphere is when a teenager asks their parents for permission to do something. They are only focused on an issue that directly affects them, with no concern to any group they may be involved in.

Week 4 Post 2: Speaker Characteristics

2). Consider a well-known speaker, for example, the current President of the United States. What is the speaker's strongest characteristics as a speaker? Is it credibility, attractiveness, power or all three? In what ways could the speaker build ethos in these areas?

I will use President Barack Obama and describe his strongest characteristics as a rhetorician. I think that his strongest characteristic as a speaker is his ability to arise emotions in his audience. Pathos is an emotional appeal, the concept of arising emotions in your audience for more persuasive power. President Obama has a huge advantage because of the historical power of his candidacy, but he holds it well. He manages to arise emotions in people of all race, and both genders. I think that he definitely has the other two modes of persuasion as well, pathos and logos, but his powers of emotional appeal are undeniable.

Week 4 Post 1: Influential Speakers

I am not sure if this is an accurate example because I didn’t hear this speech live, but I heard the recording and I definitely think that this is one of most influential speakers of our time. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of the best rhetoricians in our countries history. He was eloquent and good at using the three modes of persuasion, ethos, pathos, and logos. A good example of his skills with pathos, emotional appeal, is his most famous speech after Pearl Harbor. Aristotle once warned rhetoricians of the dangers of emotional appeal because if you arise emotion in the mass public, you must be able to control it or you will end up with riots. President Roosevelt’s speech arose the pride in his country and directed it into appropriate masses to support the war effort. One of the worst speakers I have ever heard is definitely President George Bush. In looking at the five canons of rhetoric, I think that he fails in every way. His arguments are not convincing, his material is never well organized or easy to follow, his language selection is way too simple for a leader of his status, and his delivery is extremely poor.

Week 2 Post 3: Communication Models

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

One concept I found interesting in chapter two was the small section on how models help is understand communication. The whole chapter is on different perspectives or models of communication and this is just the preface but I thought it did a lot to explain why people use models to understand challenging concepts.

"Models stimulate creativity; by building models, we may find out interesting things that we might previously have overlooked" (23). Almost every concept we can come up with can be modeled. By creating models, we are forced to think about, and analyze every step of the way which inevitable leads to future studies, either about something we may have missed or ways to improve a current process or model.

Week 2 Post 2: Patterned Interaction

2). Consider the pragmatic perspective. Does it make sense to think of communication as patterned interaction? How is communication like a game? How is it different from a game?

This is an interesting question because answering either yes or no to the question, "Does it make sense to think of communication as patterned interaction?" brings many exceptions to my mind with either answer.

In many contexts, yes, communication is a patterned interaction. In some formats, like interviews, questionnaires, or surveys you are asked something and expected to respond with an answer. Typical conversations often begin with "Hi, how are you" and the recipient typically answers "Good, how are you?" In these situations I could definitely see how communication could be filled with many instances like these and definitely be seen as a patterned interaction.

On the other hand, communication is way too diverse and deep to try and compare it to a game. In chess, there are rules and in certain situations you only have one or two options. Communication is so much deeper than that. To use my earlier comparison, person A could say "Hi, how are you?" and person B could instead say, "It's fantastic! I just won tickets to a Britney spears concert and I am so excited, let me tell you all about it!", or they could say, "Fine" and effectively end the conversation. There are no set rules or regulations in communication so it's hard to compare to so something like chess, as chapter two attempts to do.

Week 2 Post 1: Online Social Networking

1). Consider the social constructionist perspective. How do we “build worlds” through communication? Think of some ideas we talk about in our culture that may not exist in other cultures. How do these concepts contribute to our happiness or success (of the lack of these) in our culture?

According to chapter two in our textbook, the concept of building worlds through communication looks at how communication is more than a conversation between two people, but is in fact something by which the human race could not survive without. With communication, cultures are able to share ideas, concepts, and symbols of themselves and the world around them.

One mainstream idea in our culture is the idea of online social networking. This is a humungous part of our culture, especially now with MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn, but even before those networking websites e-mail was the way to sty electronically connected. These electronic means of communication affect our culture to great extents, but the majority of the world remains unconnected. LinkedIn for example plays a huge part in connecting people in the business world, affording them opportunities that they have otherwise missed. MySpace allows friends, coworkers, classmates, and even families to post pictures and comments about what’s going on in their lives.

Week 1 Post 1: Steve MacMillan, CEO

A speaker that I really admire is Steve MacMillan, President and CEO of the company I work for, Stryker. Stryker has always been a very successful company with 9 strait years of double digit growth, but with the turn of the economy, it is feeling the effects of it’s customer’s capital freezes. Steve MacMillan spoke at the national sales meeting and really used a persuasive speech to get the sales force to forget 2008 and convince them that 2009 will be a more successful year.

His power to persuade these hundreds and hundreds of people to not give up and to continue the fight definitely came from the ethos mode. According to Aristotle, a speaker relying on the ethos mode must be able to convince his audience of his credibility through a demonstration of his intelligence, character, and goodwill. For MacMillan, he can show his practical wisdom and shared values with the sales force through the experience he has gained in the past. He is good at showing his character because he is a generally likable guy and emits a certain friendly quality that people can relate to. He can also show goodwill easily because what’s good for him is good for his audience so it’s easy for them to believe he wants what’s best for everyone.

I think that I have the ability to persuade people because I think that I am good at relating to people, and involving them in what I do. Aristotle has a theory on Enthymeme that I can easily relate to. It essentially means that the audience is provided the premise but then expected to make their own conclusions. It’s a way to make the audience feel involved and feel a personal connection, and this is something I really like to explore when trying to persuade.

Introduction

Hi All, My name is Nicole and I am a Communication Studies major with a Justice Studies minor. I work full time at Stryker Endoscopy, a medical device company. I usually take between 12-15 units a semester so online classes like this are perfect for my schedule.

My communication goals are simple – I want to learn how good communication skills can apply to us on a day to day basis. I want to know how to use what I learn in these classes in my everyday life. Skills like these can really improve your life because it can help your personal relationships, your job interview skills, and your general appeal to the public.

Good luck to everyone this semester, for many of us, it’s the last!!

Bye,
Nicole