Variation in Communication

Variation in Communication

          Since beginning this communication course, I have become more aware of how I communicate with others. I have realized that I do communicate differently with people of different groups. With my colleagues and friends I am more relaxed, my vocabulary changes, and I might make jokes or ¨risky¨comments 😉 When speaking to my classroom parents or my boss, I am more careful as to how I stand, eye contact, and proper vocabulary.

          I also feel like I speak differently when speaking to my Hispanic colleagues and friends than when I talk to my Caucasian friends and coworkers. With Hispanics I feel more comfortable being myself and saying things without them getting offended. Many people here sya things with a double meaning. It has been the case where my foreign coworkers get offended by something said when the rest of the group understands it was said just joking around.

            I feel like I can be a more effective communicator if I work on my listening skills, eye contact, and the platinum rule.

            When people are speaking to me, I have the bad habit of thinking about what comment or point I want to make once they finish and not really listening attentively. I know that is an area I need to work on.

            Also, when in a conversation I tend to look around at my surroundings or look down to my phone or anything else to distract me. I know that I don´t do it to be rude but the constant eye contact is a little intimidating to me and sometimes makes me feel uncomfortable. So, although I know it makes me uncomfortable, I need to work on eye contact to be able to really focus on the conversation at hand.

            Lastly, the plantinum rule will help me in all occasions and situations where I might be having a conversation or any type of dialogue with someone. All of these strategies will hopefully guide me in being a more effective and respectful communicator. 

TV Clip. An assignment on communication perceptions.

          The activity that we were assigned for this blog was to watch a TV clip once with no sound and then with the sound turned on. We had to answer some questions based on what we were witnessing.

 

• What do you think the characters’ relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

 

          While watching the video clip, it looks like there is a mother and daughter at a restaurant. I think they are mother and daughter because there is a big age gap between them and they seem very comfortable with each other.

 

• What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

 

          It seems both women are arguing. They both have a fierce look on their face and their hands are waving back and forth. The one who I believe is the daughter breaks eye contact easily and looks around all the time. The older lady looks very sternly at the younger one and never breaks eye contact. The younger lady crosses her arms across her chest and leans back in her chair giving the impression that she is not interested in what the older woman has to say.

 

Watching the show with the sound turned on.

 

• What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?

 

          Because of their age difference I assumed they were mother and daughter but I was wrong. It was a mother and her son`s girlfriend. They were arguing because the girl wants the son to leave his mother`s house and the mother refuses to allow him. Their body language clearly shows they were arguing.

 

• Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you knew well?

 

Yes. I would have been able to know who the characters were, what the problem was, and what they were arguing about. Either way it was very interesting to watch.

 

          Doing this activity has brought much attention to two different things for me. The first is recognizing that nonverbal communication such as body language and facial gestures tells a lot about the type of conversation that is happening. The second is that you can´t make assumptions about the first thing you see. Just as I thought the relationship between the two ladies were mother and daughter, it turned out to be a mother and young lady with no personal relation. This was a great activity to do.  

Communication Skills

          Communication Skills

          Someone that I feel has very good communication skills is a coworker named Carolina. Carolina is one of our school’s psychologists. When she speaks to you individually or in a group setting, she makes you feel comfortable and she also is fluent and confident in what she says. When she calls you into a meeting she is prepared with notes that she would like to go over, she looks at you in the eye, and she explains everything very clearly. When Carolina is finished talking, she allows time to repeat something you might not have understood or if you have any questions. Also, when you are the person speaking, she is not writing or looking at her phone or busy with any other distraction, she looks at you straight in the eye and gives you her undivided attention. If I could adapt any behaviors of hers, I would like to be able to give someone my undivided attention. When having a conversation with someone or a group I tend to interrupt with ideas and comments when someone is speaking instead of waiting until they are finished. Being able to wait until the other person has finished and listening intently is something that I will continue to work towards because it shows respect for the other person and what they have to say.