Professional Thanks and Support

       Taking a minute to let my colleagues know how they have supported me through this course.  It gives me great courage to say, I enjoyed reading and sharing stories about families and heartaches through discussions and blogs.  I have a passionate for early childhood education and I have a ton of love for children.  I want you all to continue to promote diversity in the classroom and care for the kids as though they are your owns.  Let’s continue to have that solid foundation through communication and encourage them daily.  If we continue to allow our children to practice educational skills and don’t forget about a little fun, we can make a difference in their lives!

       Thanking my colleagues for taking the time to read my blogs and supporting them.  I hope they have been enlightening to you and I wish you all the best! May God bless you and I as we continue this journey together.  For those of you that are going in a different direction, continue to reach for the stars.

                                                    ADJOURNING

 

We have successfully made it through the five stages of team development, from introduction in the student lounge to reading each other inspirational discussion posts and blogs.  Now it’s time for the adjourning stage, a time to come to an end and go our separate ways, this is where we should be able to reflect on our accomplishments and failures.  Our group will split up and go on to other classes or jobs and this will be a thing of the past.  This is all a part of life, as you enter into another class continue to use the skills you learned in this class and it will make you stronger.  In order to make effective decisions you have to work hard as a team and be able to accomplish tasks.

        I have participated in many groups in my life and it was easy for me to adjourn them, the simple reason I enjoyed them and the time we shared together.  There was some groups that wasn’t good in working with, always wanted to give out orders or wasn’t there to work towards the goal.  That’s why the team leader should ensure that there is time for the team to celebrate the success of the project (Abudi, 2013).  That’s why it’s likely we as classmates will meet again in another class or via facebook and be able to say “I remember you”.

        Once you have developed a close relationship with team members, the break up can be hard.  Many members also feel a compelling sense of loss because you have worked so hard to get things done and get alone.  As leaders, one should be able to emphasize valuable lessons learned and pass it alone.  The breaking up of a team can be one of the hardest routine.

        One closing ritual that I experience was on an outing with my church.  We went into the mountains and meet other church organizations.  At the end of the two-week stay we gathered around and held hands and each one was allowed to say a short prayer.  We acknowledge the end of the time together and mark the transition point, because the closings should provide time for personal farewells.  This was a very exciting times in my life, because the reflections generated energy through the group.

        This is time in my life in which I have to accept the adjourning from the group of colleagues in this class at Walden.  Some of my classmates, I have seen come and go and others is my first time meeting.  I enjoyed reading your stories about your conflicts, families, and concerns.  I applaud you for continuing your journey towards your master’s degree and hope you accomplish what you are reaching for. 

        Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it’s all about being and working together.  Once you have worked together as a team you must separate and go your separate ways, which is hard for some people to do.  May God bless you all!

 

                                               Reference

Abudi, G. (2013). The Five Stages of Team Development:  A Case Study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

                Disagreements/Conflicts

 I recently experienced a disagreement with a co-worker, who happened to be a close friend at work about taking orders and giving demands.   Even though she’s much older than I am, she expects me to stop doing my job and help her with her unfinished work.  I know there are different ways to handle conflicts, but when it comes down to not respecting each other, it’s considered to be power dynamics.  This is when one person has power over another and handles the conflict unproductively (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  On the job, the discussion became so heated; our supervisor had to come in between us. 

 The two strategies I have learned about what might help me manage or resolve the conflict more productively is to analyze and focus on the source of this disagreement.  We need to center on a surroundings on how we can express our concerns and be able to compromise, because if these emotions continue there will always be debating issues.

 I always believe compromising is a good substitute to resolving disagreements in your work environment.  We all know that everyone do not like to compromise about particular issues, which leads to an argument, which leads to being written up.  One advantage of compromising is that it lets you and the other person quickly resolves a conflict by agreeing on a decision-making method (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012)

  Nonviolent communication offers powerful skills for compassionate giving and receiving.  I would be able to apply these principles during this disagreement to inform my co-workers of the consequences we could tolerate.   So in order to work together, we must avoid the blame and try to improve the situation.  Therefore, we must be able to increase our communication skills and push our responsiveness towards what we are working towards (Center for Nonviolent Communication, 2013).

                                         
                                                       Reference

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real Communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (2013).The center for nonviolent communication. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org

                Similarities and Differences

I noticed that my average scores from being evaluated were very close to each of my participant’s scores.  As for the communication anxiety inventory, my score was 26 and it placed me in the low category.  This category stands that I feel comfortable when I’m communicating in most situations and feel confident in anticipating such encounters. I agree, I do feel very relaxed when I’m speaking in front of a crowd whether it’s big or small.  As for my two participants (close friend and co-worker), they scored me at 35; this is considered the mild category.  I guess they can see something I can’t, meaning from the description I seem to feel uneasy in some communication situations and somewhat more confident in other contexts. 

On the verbal aggressiveness scale my score was a 76 and it placed me on the significant level, which means I might cross the line and tend to disagree and argue with some individuals.  My participants also scored me as 75, which I do agree and sometimes can get carried away with my words and actions when I speak, but in a respectful way.

Under the listening styles profile my score was Group 1 and it placed me as being people-oriented.  It stands that I’m empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others and this listening style helps me to build relationships, but can also interfere with proper judgment.  I believe you should be concerned and trust other people feelings when speaking in front of a crowd, so we should not be judgmental.  My participants also listed me in the Group 1 Category and both of them stated that I do show concern about other’s people feelings.  But I sometimes let my guard down when trusting others; everyone is not trustworthy and leads to me being stressed.

           I honestly have to admit that the two participants that I used to evaluate me knew me better that I thought.  Compared to the answers I received from evaluating myself, they were so much similar to my surprise.

          This assignment showed me the insights about communication and made me see how other individuals perceive me as a communicator.  We all know that your self-concept is something that comes naturally, your understanding and awareness of who you are, as influenced by your thoughts, abilities, and goals.  There is always room for improvement when working in the field of early childhood and it should be considered.  Communication is used through gestures, symbols, signs, and others means and I come to realize that we all need to learn to listen for information that is helpful and not hurtful.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN COMMUNICATION

Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?   I do find myself communicating differently with individuals from different groups and cultures.  We all know that relationships are all different and in order to communicate with people from different cultural groups, we have to base it on understanding, trust, and shared goals. Everyone has grown up under different customs, values, and humor, but in order to build a relationship with people of different cultures, we have to be active and make a determine attempt to do so.

What ways do you communicate differently?  I sometimes have to be careful when I speak to certain individuals, depending on who they are. Whereas some people that I speak to, I can open myself up and say whatever comes to mind.  We all need to be careful when speaking to people of different cultures, because there is a language barrier. Just like being a hubcap on a wheel, we have to provide the necessary strengths in order to keep it rolling.

Share at least three strategies I could use to help myself communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

1.      Understanding their language and culture differences

2.      Being able to use non verbal  language

3.      Expand awareness of different cultures

                                   Blog Assignment: Honey Booboo

With the sound turned off:

I chose to watch the TV show: Honey Booboo.  This show is something I rarely watch, but when I do, I get my laughs.  The episode I watched was Mama June (June),Sugar Bear (Mike Thompson), Alana (Honey Booboo), Lauryn, Jessica and Anna preparing themselves for a wedding and this particular day the girls go out looking and shopping for dresses. 

What do you think the characters’ relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating? The characters’ relationships in this show are very much alike.  They love to play, eat, laugh, talk about each other and have fun with their mom. After entering the boutique, Mama June watched all her girls try all these different styles of dresses on and afterwards they watched her and became emotional when she walked out with her gown on.

What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing? I feel as though Mama June and Sugar Bear is very much in love.  Their children want to see them get married and be happy, as well as become a family.  It seems as though everyone is on one agreement and wants to make it come true.

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? I assumed that Mama June and Sugar Bear was about to tie the knot and live happy ever after.  Based on their communication, I observed that love was in the air and the children were ready for a stepdad.  I enjoy looking at this show and eating popcorn, it really makes you laugh and snort sometimes like them.

Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well? There’s a possibility; I feel the more you are familiarize with a show, the more comfortable you are in watching it.  Honey Booboo is a comedy show that is portrayed in real life, it’s amazing how some families live and act this way.

**write about my experience in the blog, what I have learned about communication from this experience and insights or “aha” moments I believe would be helpful to my colleagues. It’s very different when you are watching a television show off than watching one on.  Sometime things are being said and acted out that is not what we think is said or acted.  You have to sit back and wonder what’s really going on and realize that everyone has their own different communication style.

Competent Communication

Think of someone (family member, celebrity, or friend) who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context.  What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective?

The one person I could think of who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context would be my 5^th grade teacher, Mrs. Lewis.  She was an excellent teacher and also a great role model for me.  When I entered into junior high school, Mrs. Lewis made sure her class met their expectations.  Mrs. Lewis was more like a second mother to me and showed that nurturing and kind relationship towards her students.  She always carried the most beautiful smile and I was able to open up to her about many issues.

Over the years, as Mrs. Lewis and I became older, we also became closer.  I would sometimes go by her classroom after school and listen to some of the daily stories about her little ones.  She was the chief of her classroom and I admired her for that.  I can truly say that she played a part of where I’m at today and also assisted me to become a successful leader in life.  I am so thankful I was able to gain her trust; something I would pass on to my kids.

Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why

I consider myself as an honest, amusing, and open; love to give advice, and a great listener.  I love to sat back and listen to other people problems and give my true reply.  I know you have to respect other individuals view points and sometimes we don’t be on the same page.  Mrs. Lewis was a magnificent woman that had her own ideas about what she expected out of a child.  That’s why it is so important to be a great listener and understand what a child is saying, once you grasp the situation, the individual will suddenly open up to you.