Chapters 3,9,& 10 by Keyla Cabrera

Keyla Cabrera

Blog for Chapters 3,9&10 

 

     Starting the year as a freshman in college has been a difficult, yet amazing process. The main hardship I had to overcome  was getting used to my new life as a full-time student with a full-time job, but this transition from high school to college has had its good side since I’ve met so many new people from different parts of the world and had the chance to experience their cultures.  Trying to familiarize oneself with other traditions and beliefs could be challenging due to the different gesticulations and interpretations. According to different data sources such as census and surveys, there are approximately 650 ethnic groups across 190 countries.  As individuals and citizens of the world, we must understand with so many different ethnicities come variety and diversity. For instance, as a Hispanic, it’s normal to greet someone with a kiss on the cheek, however individuals from Asian countries such as India and China will consider this rude since to them this is a sexual expression. The different greetings shouldn’t be taken personally or as a rude action; there should be understanding and respect among all no matter race or ethnicity.

   

            Up until now, in this course, three chapters have been discussed. The chapters are: Intercultural Communication, Communicating in Groups, and Group Leadership and Problem Solving. Communication is key not only between family members, but also in jobs and school. It will help you grow as an individual and open more doors full of opportunities. To get started, my group was assigned Chapter 9 (Communicating in Groups) to read, present, and discuss. My section focused on: Healthy Groups Have Ethical Groups and Healthy Groups are Interdependent.  Reading and analyzing the sections made it easier to understand that not all groups are ethical and positive. Healthy groups should have goals, honesty, values, etc. An example of an unethical- unhealthy group would be criminal gangs because, yes, they make so much money; and yet, they are risking themselves and society. 

       Furthermore, the other topic that I discussed was Interdependent groups which are members of a group that rely on each other’s skills and knowledge to accomplish a goal. An example of this would be an orchestra where each member should play their instrument at the correct time for the music to be balanced. If one of the members didn’t play accordingly the piece wouldn’t sound the same or as good. 

       Additionally, not only did I gain knowledge from my sections but from others such as the stages of group development. First, the formation which is like an introduction and where each person is assigned their role depending on their skills. While this is occurring, positivity and a great state of mind is very important. Any conflict or disagreement should be discussed or put aside for everything to flow nicely. It’s critical to keep a positive mindset and be judgment free.  The second stage of group development would be storming which occurs when ideas begin to be shared. Storming happens rarely because sometimes members just agree to avoid problems. Lastly, the last three stages of group development are norming, performing, and adjourning or transforming. These happen when trust and comfortability forms among colleagues. 

      In my opinion, this chapter is about things that we all know, yet some don’t practice such as: respect, honesty, values. It doesn’t matter what stage in life you are whether you are in grade school or working you are always going to have to communicate and collaborate with others. Knowing how to reach others and share your thoughts correctly is crucial. At some point, a situation will arise where you are going to have to step in and handle it, therefore an individual should have leadership skills. This skill includes being honest with yourself and with your companions. A good leader should be respectful and a good listener open to hearing  everyone’s opinions and trying to get the best outcome for everyone.  A leader should be confident, considerate, understanding, and compassionate to encourage others to speak their minds; be outspoken. It’s important to be confident to lead others and for them to trust you as their leader. 

       In the others’ presentations, I realized how creative and original my classmates are. They explained their sections thoroughly and had visuals describing or giving an idea of what their section’s ideas were. I really enjoyed the videos each person showed because this way we had another form of media to gain knowledge from. The idea of showing short but informative videos was great because this way the presentations were more fun and easier to comprehend. One of the resources that my team used was Google Slides and it was quite practical. By using Google Slides, we all collaborate, and we can all keep each other on track since we can view what others have done. I believe that having groups and presentations is better than having to go through the whole book and completing worksheets. The presentations made it more fun; this way we get to know each other more since this virtual learning is making it a bit impossible.  I’m a visual learner, so the PowerPoint presentations with the visuals made it easier for me to seek in the information given to me. Overall, it was entertaining, and I hope to do it again. 

     I’m looking forward to this course and to continue learning the importance of communication and other types of skills. I believe and know that this course will help me improve in a way that will benefit my social and professional life. From what I can see, this class will help me prepare for the real world and for how to react to real-life situations. I look forward to other group projects not only for myself, but to get to know my classmates, as due to everything that’s been happening in the world, getting to meet new people has become a bit more challenging. Hopefully, this semester continues its smooth pace and I get to learn some more useful things along the way.