The next frontier...Digital Communications

Like the post title says, this is the next installment of A Paisley Life - Digital Communications Class.
In this class I really hope just to be able to learn more about the current technologies available to me and how to use them. It should be a fun and challenging experience. So here goes nothing.....

Speech Self Evaluation

Well, my speech is done. I reviewed it and now realize I'm a big goof. I can put it in perspective though as I had small children in my audience who are easily distracted and can answer the questions asked in a speech. Even when no response is called for, so let's just say I spoke to my audience. With that in mind, I made good eye contact with my audience members. I used some gestures, perhaps to many, and I was moving around to much. I looked a bit nervous. I had good vocal variety and few extended pauses. I probably should have remembered to breathe a bit more throughout the speech, to just relax. 

As to research on my topic, I feel I used very credible sources even though all were from online sources. I did my best to cite those sources both in the final outline and verbally throughout the speech. I did miss a few of the oral citations during the speech. A point for improvement. My organization of my speech was good, topical with a cross of chronological touches toward the end.

I did rehearse the speech over the past few days but to much rehearsal isn't good either. As I stated earlier, I appeared nervous while giving the speech. I think I was worried that I could not hold the attention of the kids. It felt like I dumbed down my speech and told it more like a story than a speech given to a more adult audience. Even though the kids were well behaved during the entire speech. If I had to do it over again, perhaps an older audience, a bit more practice and some relaxation exercises before giving the speech. Then I would feel better about the end result. All I can truly say is I did my best, and it is what it is.

Speakers: Effective vs Ineffective

The most effective speaker I ever heard was a man who supported something called an ESOP. An ESOP stands for Employee Stock Ownership Plan. I was invited to represent my former employer at the National ESOP Convention in Washington D.C. While at the convention is where I heard this man speak. I don't remember his name but I do remember the title of his speech. It was called The Power of One. I was riveted to this man. He was charming, made good eye contact, didn't rush his delivery and was funny. He made me feel like I made the difference. The choices I made each and every day could help my company make more money. I had all the power. He was wonderful and well worth whatever salary he charged.

On the other hand, the most ineffective speakers seem to be those I currently go to school with. The problem here is nerves. If students could just take a breathe and relax, they would be much better at delivering their presentations. They also tend to avoid eye contact, repeat themselves or the same phrases and say "um" a lot. This is not to say, I am perfect, far from it. Perhaps, I have had more practice at giving speeches or doing presentations. I still get nervous but we are all in the same boat, doing the same thing and hoping all goes well. Just remember to breathe, relax and have fun. Good luck to everyone.

Speech Topic: Queen Victoria

I thought long and hard about who I wanted to give a speech on finally deciding on Queen Victoria. I chose her because she is the longest reigning monarch in British history. After watching the film Young Victoria, my interest in her increased by leaps and bounds. 

Victoria, young and unpopular worked hard to become one of Britain's most beloved monarch while increasing the holdings of the Empire. She along with husband Albert ushered Britain into the industrial age and supported the arts and sciences.

 

Group Project Evaluation

For this week, you asked what did I do well during this group project? My response is this brainstorming. I just kept throwing out topics or suggestions for the group name, code of conduct items and the topic for the paper. I checked my email or blackboard for responses to questions and replied as quickly as possible. I also volunteered to help edit stuff. 

As for the things I can work on to improve for future group project, communication can always be improved upon. I also have issues with procrastination and tend to put things off until they need to get done. I could also work on my research skills and then editing the information down to what is really necessary. For now, I strive to do my best in all things knowing that true perfection is unattainable.

Research

As I traveled back in time doing research on our topic I came across this very intriguing web site. The deeper I searched the more useful information I found. I came to realize how little we truly know about this powerful but perhaps brutal group of people. It will be fun to delve into this pool of knowledge and see what treasures will surface. I feel this is credible research because this site is there to provide unbiased information on our topic and is supported through active research on their part along with archeological support. The logo at right is also from the site listed below.

http://hurstwic.org/history/text/history.htm

My Generation.........X

From this....

I am a member of Generation X, who knew? I was born in the late sixties after the Beatles invasion and the moon shot. The Vietnam War ended, Watergate happened, Reagan was elected, drugs exploded onto the scene and a new disease called AIDS arrived. Some other events were the Challenger explosion, Chernobyl disaster, 1984 LA Olympics and eventually the end of the Cold War. There were bombings in the Middle East, a classmate's brother was stationed at the barracks in Beirut during one. She was so worried, the family could not get in touch with him, this was before cell phones. Scary times. I also remember where I was when the Challenger tragedy happened. I had just finished biology class and had walked into the common area of my dorm to see it happen live on the TV. Shock is a total understatement as to what I saw and how I felt. It was like a bad dream on a sunny day. I will never forget it.

to this in 73 seconds.

My generation is said to be very informal in style. We have a "what's in it for me" attitude. We are considered to have an identity crisis, we aren't sure where we fit in. Where do we belong? We are the first to grow up with the developing digital age. We grew up with more divorce and just more of everything. We also are very adaptable and independent. We strive for a balance between work and play. This characteristic I totally agree with, I feel my generation does try to balance all aspects of life: work, play, family, friends, love and loss. I don’t know if I agree with the fact that we are much more informal. Perhaps that is because I’m closer to the beginning than the end of this group. I grew up taught to respect and honor my elders. Please and thank you, as well as yes sir and no ma’am, were expected. As a girl, I was seen and not heard for the most part. I grew out of that pretty fast. I bumped heads with my mother on many occasions, but that could be because I was and still am a daddy’s girl.

We may be the lost generation but with all we have seen and done, the future is bright.

Groups, Team and Leadership Styles

Skills I can offer to the group (Minimum of 3):

1. Creative thinking
2. Proofreading and editing (I worked in publishing for 18 years)
3. Design and layout (if needed)
4. Organization (not my strongest area)
5. Problem solving (outside the box thinking)

Propose one code of conduct for the group.

1. Everyone needs to communicate with respect on a regular basis with the entire team.
2. If you need help, please ask for it.
3. All ideas are welcome and no judgements offered.

What are my conflict rankings:

1. Avoidance
2. Collaborate
3. Accommodate
4. Compromise
5. Competition

I was surprised that avoidance was still first for me but then again only one point separated 1-4. Actually 3 and 4 were a tie. I have always hated conflict, I grew up in a house with a lot of conflict and yelling so when I was younger, I tried to avoid it. As I have gotten older, my perspective has changed and now I try to see all sides and make a more informed decision or compromise.

Relationships and Conflict

This week is another hard one for me, as for many years when conflict arose, I withdrew. I would definitely have been classified as non-assertive. I hate conflict, even today, I try to avoid people who are in fights. They make me feel uncomfortable. Its as if I am stuck in the middle of two feuding armies and ask to choose between them.When this happens among friends or family, it is all the worse. As time has passed, though, I can now see both sides of an argument. When asked for an opinion I am then better equipped to give feedback. I still don't like it but I'm better able to handle my part in the process of resolution. 

A suppressed conflict that comes to mind was a content conflict, each of us were positive we were correct in our view. I eventually withdrew from the conflict. I thought, What's the point? She won't agree with me. I can't win this fight. I decided to retreat, simply because I was tired of fighting. The result was that we walked around each other on eggshells for a week or so. Eventually, after the emotions calmed, we talked through the issue and the friendship continued.

The other expressed conflict example could be any one of a million between my mother and I. These probably were all value conflicts, usually relating to MONEY. It has taken me years to find my voice with my mother. Do we still argue? Yes. Let just say now, we have the ability to see each others perspective on the issue. We can agree to disagree. Most recently, though, my mother has become as huge support for me. We have come along way in learning how to talk to one another, which I am gratefully for. We just keep the lines of communication open but still have an occasional hiccup.

Overall, I would say I have gone from nonassertiveness to assertiveness. This is a continual process for me and some days are better than others. The point is to keep trying. Isn't that why they say, practice makes perfect. I will always strive for perfection but I also realize sometimes I'm not. I'm okay with that, as long as I did my very best.

Just keep talking........ never close the lines of communication....for that is the only way conflicts can be resolved.

The Art of Listening

I have always thought of myself as a good listener, but after taking the self-assessment quiz, it turns out I can use some practice. We all could. After watching and listening to the TED video, I chose to do the first exercise: three minutes of silence. You would think this to be an easy feat, especially since I live alone. Not true, as I relaxed in my chair, no TV or radio on, just me. I began to notice all those other sounds that I can't control, my dogs breathing, the ticking of the clock in the hall, and the wind outside the house. Silence, can true silence exist in our world of today? I do agree with the speaker that listening is a skill to be taught. Better yet a thing we all should practice doing actively. He offers us five great tips to try and practice. I think I'll try the rest of them over the next few weeks. Perhaps if I practice long enough, then in the future my understanding for complex situation will improve and there will be no more misunderstandings. I can only practice the skills and see where they take me. I've posted the TED video for you to check out. What do you think?

Go listen to the world. What do you hear?

Non-verbal communication

This has got to be my favorite car commercial ever. I chose this as my nonverbal communication video because none of the actors say a single word. Granted the music plays a huge part in this video but the gestures, postures and artifacts used by the little kid alone made a huge impact on me. It made me want to go buy a new Passat. As you progress through the video, you can see his disappointment, frustration, disbelief and finally triumph, all through his posture and gestures. The hunched shoulders, how he drops his hands to his side when his power isn't working.  Then move on to the parents, quietly spying on their charge, the raised eyebrow and grin of the dad after he helps his son triumph over the Jetta. We should all have parents like that. You can even see how proximity to an item makes it seems like the boy's power is increasing. All of this without ever even seeing his face. WOW!

Like I said before, my favorite car commercial ever, and will be for a long time. Just watching it makes me feel happy and powerful. Do you ever get that feeling? Have you a favorite commercial?
I'd love to hear about your choice.

Language

This week I had trouble making a decision as to which article to read, so I read three of them.

1. The Truth About Change
2. Language & Society
3. Wired Words

As I read each article, they began to touch on the same observations. Since studying foreign languages in the past, I found this very interesting. I like language and the use of words. For instance, the use of the plural--mouses--to reference the computer accessory. I still use mice when speaking of them but from the article this is no longer the norm. Technology has changed how we use our words. It has changed the actual words and created new ones for us to use. They also talked of the way our language spreads as it changes. I was surprised that middle-class groups are the group that innovate change and women among them lead the charge for change. Talk about empowerment.

One thing I hadn't heard of before was something called the Northern Cities Vowel Shift, truthfully I'm still not sure I understand what it is. I will have to do some more reading on the matter. I also learned that there are three types of language spread: the cascade, the contra-hierarchical, and finally the wave. The spread can occur faster or slower depending on our society. Languages can make us feel part of a group or perhaps superior to one another. Right or wrong, language plays apart of the world around us. I want to know more about how our choice of words limit our progress in daily life, work and the world. Do we as Americans have less power on the world stage because we no longer use proper grammar? We don't know how to effectively speak and use language? Do we really say anything at all, anymore?

I hope that after reading these three articles I will just be more aware of my choices. Maybe I'll take an extra breath before I speak. As to where or how I might use this new knowledge, that remains to be determined. Where, might be a future job after I'm done with school. It could be in the next five minutes, on the phone with my friend. The point is to learn more about myself, my choices, the world in which I live, and then apply the knowledge. I'm sure going to try.

Perception

A stereotype is for me, a general thought or perception of a group not based on the differences within each individual of the group. For the most part, I would be stereotyped as a fat lazy chick, with no brains, that eats everything in sight, is fun at parties and can't get a job--the female version of Bluto in Animal House.

The fat part is true, I am a woman of size, and I am fun a parties when I choose to be. I really don't enjoy going to parties, I am a homebody. I enjoy my leisure time by doing absolutely nothing, some of the time, if in your mind that makes me lazy, then I'm okay with that. What is untrue is that I eat everything in sight, I'm actually quite picky and on a slightly restricted diet. Brains, I have quite a lot of them, I don't always use them to my full ability but that is my choice. I play word games and my favorite game show is Jeopardy, I'm pretty good at it too. Finally, it is true that I am currently unemployment, after almost 19 years at the same company, I was downsized by our current economy. Do I want a job, absolutely. Could I find a job, NO. Which I why I chose to go back to school, to increase my skill set and make myself more attractive in the job markets of today.

When we communicate with our friends, family, co-workers, and even strangers, somewhere in the grand scheme, a stereotype was used. It becomes harmful when we choose to use only the stereotype to make judgments, form questions, answer questions, and in general, hold a conversation. If we use a stereotype as a helpful starting point, the place where we start to find out the truth about a friend, family member, a co-worker or a stranger, it becomes a living thing meant to be adapted as we learn more about the people we surround ourselves with. It isn't just black or white, right or wrong but somewhere in the middle. If we could all be more open-minded about each other, would the world be a better place to live? Would we be more curious about each other? Would we be less afraid to talk to one another? Could we change our perceptions of those around us? Could we change ourselves and our beliefs? Some food for thought, lets think and talk about it.

Self-Concept

The object which represents the way I see myself is my car. My car is like me in many ways, its sort of shaped like me, its fun like me, and can be open or closed, when its wants to be. I think most of the people who know me well, that see a beetle driving down the road, think of me. I love this car, it is the most fun I have ever had while driving.  
The bug symbolizes the freedom and happiness I feel when I drive it. With the top down, I get the sun on my face, the wind in my hair and everything is open, full of possibilities.

My second object is a baby grand piano. When I was younger, Mom made me take piano lessons, until I broke my wrist a week before my first recital, and that was the end of it. Secretly, I now wish I could have gone back and continued taking those lessons. I wish I were brave enough to take lessons as an adult. I have hidden this desire from my mom and most of my friends. I'm not really sure why. Maybe its a money thing, lessons are a luxury, an expensive one, and I have more important priorities. Someday.....

The beginning...

So here it is, the start of something new, a new skill to learn, a new way to communicate--a beginning. In taking this class, which is require for my program, I am hoping to improve my communication skills, and learn new ones as well. Who knows I might actually like blogging about all the details of my life, but I don't really think that will happen. You have to keep some things to yourself. I am intrigued by nonverbal communication, the study of body language and the positions we choose to place ourselves in. Do you sit near a wall, in the middle of the room, or by a window? Do you prefer to watch people as opposed to engaging with them, or maybe you like to get a feel for the room before you make your move? As to which topics will help me most in the future, listening, perception and intercultural communication are probably the best choices. Any skills learned or improved on will help in my future studies by just being able to better communication in a more effective way and the same goes for my home life and in my future career. I will just have to put the skills to work and practice them often. Practice makes perfect or so they say. Lets find out!