Liz Valdes

       Blog for Chapters 3,9, & 10 💬

       Starting a new course, let alone a semester long class, with people from different cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities can be quite challenging. As you try to familiarize yourself with new people, you must be cautious in the way you choose to communicate. You must understand that people from different ethnicities have communication gestures that for their culture might be considered “rude” or “strange,” but for you, they may seem normal. For instance, an example of this might be when a Hispanic greets an American. A common form of saluting someone or acknowledging them is by kissing the person’s cheek. The first time I did this to my American friend, she was caught off guard since this is very unusual for her culture. Typically, Americans will acknowledge a person’s presence by clapping their hand or simply saying “hello”. Another example is Asian culture. Asian people tend to be very quiet and keep to themselves. As a Cuban- American this is very strange to me because my Hispanic household tends to be very noisy, and people like to talk a lot. I, however; understand that this is their normal and I shouldn’t take it personally or as a rude remark.  

                                            

        So far into this course we have discussed three separate chapters 3 (Intercultural Communication), 9 (Communicating in Groups), and 10 (Group leadership and Problem Solving). Communicating with your peers is essential for the development of a functional group.  I’m going to begin my blog by discussing what I learned thus far. My group (number #2) was assigned chapter 9. For my section, I talked about the commencing stages of group development. This includes forming, which is characterized as an introduction where members of a group try to establish what their role is, what the outcome trying to be achieved is, and what their peers are like. Members of the group evaluate their individual skills, competency, and what their capabilities are to achieve the goal. As members interact with each other, a positive attitude is essential. Any disagreement or discord is put aside during this time. Make sure to keep a positive mindset, free of any negative connotations or judgmental tones.

                                           

         On the other hand, storming is the second stage of group development, where sometimes tension can begin to arise. Typically, I like to think as this stage as a “tug of war”. As members begin to get comfortable, they are outspoken with their ideas. This can lead to disagreements between individuals, which can cause a split between members of the group and ultimately negatively impact the group dynamic. Although, on the rare occasion that storming doesn’t occur, group think will. You might be wondering what group think is… well group think is described as when individuals of a group are influenced by other opinions and let their judgement be swayed to avoid conflict. One should not be pressured into “group-think” because it causes a decline in creativity. To avoid this from happening, we should keep in mind to treat others how we would like to be treated. What I mean by this is that you should respects other’s beliefs and opinions. As members, we should always try to come to a compromise that benefits both parties, instead of letting a little bit of bickering interfere with the goals trying to be meet.

                                                                   

                                               

                                                        

                                    

Other information that I gained an understanding of is the last three stages of group development which consist of norming, performing, and adjourning and or transforming. Norming is when trust begins to form between classmates. Productivity occurs as individuals join forces and focus on the objective being met. A person feels more at ease sharing their ideas and bonds form. Performing is the actual action of working together in a peaceful environment. In this stage, the group reach their upmost capabilities. Lastly, adjourning and or transforming is distinguished as the completion of the goal. During this time, there is a sense of accomplishment.

                                            

                                            

        I honestly believe this chapter is full of information that will be helpful to anyone. Whether you are in school working in a group project or in the real-world, having to collaborate with others, and knowing how to convey your thoughts is pivotal. Situations will arise where you will have to communicate with others around you. It is also crucial for a person to learn leadership skills. Examples of those skills include having accountability for your actions and being honest with your fellows. To be a good leader, you must be respectful towards others, be an active listener to encourage those around you to be outspoken. Having empathy is also another important characteristic as well because being understanding and compassionate is a basic human emotion. A major key point one should also acquire is being confident in your ability to lead those around you. If you don’t have confidence with yourself, you cannot expect others to follow behind you.

                                          

                                            

                                                   

                                                  

        While the different groups were presenting, I noticed how everyone was so innovative. The way they choose to use resources, such as videos, to further integrate the information inside the presentation they created. I think creating the PowerPoint and or Google slides is such a smart one to have every student collaborate. In my opinion, I think this was a better way to learn the information inside the chapters. Instead of having to read the book word by word, which would have been boring and dull in my opinion. I also tend to be more of a visual learner, so the images explaining the text were also helpful. This assignment also gave me the opportunity to match the faces of my classmates with their names. Which is always nice, since I am taking my other 3 courses fully online.

                                                   

                                                

I’m looking forward to keep learning in this class and being able to improve my professional language skills. I think this class would not only better my communication with others, but further prepare me for the real-world. I look forward to my next blog post and I hope everyone stays safe and healthy during these times.