Favorite Concept

3). Pick a favorite concept that we have covered through this course and post about it.  Explain the concept to refresh our memories.  Tell the class why you have chosen this concept, and what it is you like about it.

My favorite concept that was covered during this course was the concept of Collaborative Conflict. I chose this concept because when we had to post a discussion on it, it made me reflect back on my past experiences of when I used it and when I didn't. Learning about this concept made me realize the importance of Collaborative Conflict and how it should be used in the future whether it's with my peers or coworkers. I think this concept is very beneficial in any type of communication process which is one of the main reasons why I love it so much. It's always better to come together as a group and try to work things out rather than having a competitive rage with one another. Many people use competitive conflict in a negative manner, which ultimate hurts you and the rest of your group members. 

This concept is most important to me because through Collaborative Conflict, you are able to resolve problems in certain situations as a group. Our class is about small group communication in general, so this concept is definitely an important factor to be using when you are faced with small group communication in the future. Another reason why it's my favorite is because it describes the positive effects of communicating within a group together which leads to a positive/desired outcome. I truly believe that if everyone knew how to use this concept, there would be less arguing when it comes to group communication whether it's big or small. Throughout this course, we have learned many concepts of communication barriers that deals with many negative issues and problems. With the concept of Collaborative Conflict, many of these barriers can be avoided or solved. I'm really glad we covered this concept in detail in this course because I was also able to relate this concept back to my observational group project. I definitely plan to use this concept not only in the workplace, but to use it in my everyday life. 

Favorites, Improvements and Learnings

2). What have you learned throughout this class?  What was your favorite thing about the class?  What was your least favorite thing about the class?  How can this class be improved? 

I learned a lot of techniques to use in my future career when it comes to professional communication. I thought that this was the biggest privilege I gained through this course because it prepared me to be ready for the real world. We all know how important communication is; especially when it comes to the professional world. I am also glad that I took this course for my last semester. During my time here at SJSU, I was always a bit afraid of taking a "P" related course online. Because these classes require lots of practice, I was hesitant at first to sign up for this class. But after communicating with the professor and seeing how helpful she was, I decided to sign up for Comm141P. I'm so glad I did because not only did I learn a lot from our discussions and readings, the observational project was the "cherry on top" to completing the learnings of this class. 

One favorite thing that I really enjoyed about this class as a whole was the flexibility. I think I can speak for most of us (and other students on campus) that we purposely take certain online courses because of our busy schedules. Having a full time work and school schedule can be very stressful; especially when it comes to taking classes. I was glad this course was offered online because I was able to "pre-set" my schedule ahead of time so I knew what had to be done on certain days. This brings me to my next favorite thing about this class. This class was well organized and structured in a way that we can see the whole entire course schedule prior to even beginning. I think this is incredibly beneficial because I did take advantage of this and was able to work on certain discussion posts on days I was able to. This took a huge work load off my shoulders because there are a lot of days when I can do discussions, but there are many days where I would not be able to. The great thing about this class was that there were no surprises during the whole entire schedule. Everything that was to be done was listed, and if anything changed, we would be informed on the homepage. 

My least favorite thing about this class would probably be reviewing our past quizzes and exams. I'm not sure if all online courses go about grading quizzes/exams the same way, but after getting a "not so good" score on a couple of my quizzes, I wanted to know which ones I got wrong and why. Even though there was an overview of the chapters we were tested on after each week, I would've liked to know which ones in particular I missed because some questions do appear in our exams. This confused me a bit because when I came across these questions, it took me a lot longer to answer because I didn't remember if my answer was right or wrong. Because of my personal experience with this, it would be my only suggestion of improvement for the class. Other than that, I believe that this class was well organized and taught in a great/effective way. 

Group Observation Project

1). Discuss your Group Observation Project.  Was it a useful exercise?  What did you learn?  What was good about the project?  What can be improved?

After completing the Group Observation Project, I thought it was a useful exercise in which we were able to relate and link our learning from the texts to a real life situation. During the course of observing my small group, I noticed some concepts from the text that they would continuously use during their meetings. I thought this was a useful exercise because I noticed that I was able to describe what concept/method of communication they were using (both negative and positive) amongst themselves. Prior to taking Comm 141P, I would not have been able to point out these certain styles of communication. It was rewarding to know that I had the ability to distinguish what type of communication ultimately helped or hurt them. 

I learned that I am able to put my learnings from the text and apply them to certain situations. In this particular case, I was observing a group of cheerleaders at a high school. Through my observations and time spent with the group, I learned that this group uses many concepts of small group communication in order to function well. I was also able to determine the flaws they were using that made the communication process a bit more difficult. 

An improvement I would've made is to have attended more meetings outside of their practices. Although I attended one of their games, it would've been nice to observe how their communication styles change outside of practices. It would've been very interesting to see how the interact with one another during school hours when cheerleading isn't their main focus. If I had more time, I definitely would have loved to go on their campus during school hours and observe the group in a different setting. 

Overall, I thought this project was a great way to experience real life situations of small group communication. It's different being the outside observer when you were normally used to being part of the group. It was a great experience because I was able to play a different role as an observer rather than a group member. This made me see a lot of things I had never experienced before. It was interesting to see the interactions within the group and be able to observe their behaviors. As students, I believe that we are usually the ones being observed rather than being the ones observing. This is why I thought the project was great because we were given the opportunity to play the role as an observer and look inside a group process without being part of it. It definitely helped me see more in detail on what works and what doesn't. This was a great project to experience in Comm141P and believe it can help students practice their new knowledge on small group communication to  a real life experience/situation.  

Rewards & Punishments Concept

3.) Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed during this discussion week, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it. 

A concept I chose to discuss for this week that was not already discussed was the Reward-Punishment Power. I thought this was most interesting because I was curious to see who is able to give these types of rewards/punishments to fellow group members. I also learned a lot on how this type of power should be used and when it's appropriate to use it as well. Prior to reading this chapter, I assumed that rewards and punishments were given out amongst a group depending on how good or bad the group process was going. I ultimately thought that this concept would be a simple pat on the back or encouraging words to help a group grow to success. I wasn't aware of the sacrifices some individuals or even groups make in order to achieve certain rewards. The text used a great example of this sort of power with the trash hauler and trash hauler boss. Although the trash hauler may disagree with the boss, he/she will constantly support the boss in hopes to get a raise. This example shows how this type of power can be extremely dangerous if it isn't used properly. There are many situations where an employee may be very dissatisfied at work and strongly disagree with their boss but aren't able to admit or say anything because of their future benefits and/or raise. When it comes to financial rewards, it's hard to state your own opinions when someone is in charge of your paycheck. This is usually the result of the Reward-Punishment Power that bosses tend to have a hold of. I learned that within the work place, this type of power is mainly used by the head of department or whoever is in charge of your employment. Maintaining a good relationship with whomever it might be (boss, coworkers, group members, etc.) is needed when it comes to obtaining rewards. However, when the participation of group members evolve around reward and punishment, the idea of good and effective group process may be executed. This concept was very interesting to read about because it shows that sometimes sacrifices are made in order to have a good outcome for yourself or group. 

Collaborative vs. Competitive Conflict

2.) Briefly outline an example of collaborative conflict resolution that you have engaged in. Contrast that with competitive conflict. Which was more satisfying to you? To the other party?

Collaborative conflict: A time I have engaged in collaborative conflict resolution was when my group members for a school project were on a deadline. We had trouble finding certain times to meet up and would always post pone the work week after week. When the due date was approaching within a few days, we were all extremely panicked and scared of what had to be done in order to complete the project. Everyone had to sacrifice their work/school schedule so that we can come together as a group and discuss what our further actions would be in order to complete this project. Luckily, being in a face-to-face meeting with one another allowed the communication to go smoothly and we were able to disperse the work amongst each other. During our meeting, we all talked about what we're good at, what we're comfortable with and what tasks must be completed by each person. Collaborative conflict resolution came to play because we were all discussing together in order to reach a positive solution for our project. Without collaborative conflict resolution, we probably would've failed the project if someone in the group had directed and assigned work that we weren't able to do or felt comfortable doing. Together as a group, we were able to get all our work together and turn the project in on time. We all had a great feeling of success that we were able to figure this out together and find a way to succeed.

Collaborative conflict resolution is explained as a win-win type of strategy for any kind of group. It takes a lot of time and energy because it's seen to be one of the best ways to resolve important conflicts. This type of conflict resolution requires participation from all group members to share, think, decide and figure out as a group how to create a solution. "Collaboration is less likely to result in destructive conflict when it is done fairly and when all members feel empowered through the process" (Sherblom, 208). The author explains this process as most helpful and effective because everyone in the group is able to share their view points on the issue and give their ideas together in creating a solution. 

Competitive conflict: Competitive conflict occurs when there is a win-lose situation. This can either become very destructive or very helpful depending on the situation you and your group are put in. Healthy competition can be a result of competitive conflict if you are striving for the best for both you and your group members. Amongst all the different types of competition, conflict will most likely rise if you are self-involved. Competitive conflict is beneficial in many ways if it is used in the correct manner. Using competitive strategies should only be used within a group when everyone has a mutual understanding of the limits and "rules of the game". If these rules and regulations aren't understood, the competition can only hurt yourself and the members of the group. It can eventually lead to people attacking one another in order to "win" the competition. "The key to constructive resolution of conflict resides, finally, in maintaining mutual respect among the group members themselves regardless of the immediate issues in conflict" (Sherblom, 212). Competitive conflict should only be used if the respect is mutual amongst all group members. I believe that the author warns us that this type of conflict can go either really good or really bad depending on the understandings per group. It's always better to be safe than sorry when dealing with competition which is why this type of conflict can become destructive rather than lead the group to success. 

Through my personal experiences, I believe that both types of resolutions work depending on the situation. I personally like collaborative conflict resolution because it involves a team effort to reaching success. As all group members work as a team, we are able to encourage one another because we all have the same goals. My experience with my group members for our school project was a perfect example of using collaborative resolution. Without the encouragement and communication between me and my group members, we would have never been able to find a solution to the problem. I believe that multiple ideas are better than just your own, which is why I see collaboration more effective rather than competition. Competition can help too, but I feel it's too risky when dealing with groups. As a group, everyone should have a say in the decision making process which ultimately leads to success and solutions. 

Forum, Panel, Colloquium & Symposium

1.) (Regarding Chapter 11) Distinguish among a forum, panel, colloquium, and symposium as a mans for making a public presentation. Which one would you prefer? Why? 

Forum: The text explains forum as a format to speak and listen to a larger audience. The forum provides the ability for all members of the audience to participate in discussion as well as examine the topics after presentations done by the group. This type of format allows the audience to give their input and reactions on the presentations one at a time. The goal of a forum presentation is that it ensures that everyone's opinions, viewpoints, thoughts, preferences and perspectives are all heard. 

Panel: A panel is explained as a public format where a group of experts (usually ranging from 4-8 people) discuss the issues in front of an audience. Unlike the forum, this format is done without the interaction of the audience, rather, the experts take charge of the presentation as they lead their audience. This type of discussion is unique from the others because it often uses humor and informality in order to keep their audience's attention.  

Colloquium: A colloquium is explained as a type of public discussion where a group of experts are chosen to discuss and lead the presentation which ultimately leads to discussing the problem solving format. These experts usually moderates the discussion in front of an audience. Although the experts are leading the discussion, they will often encourage members of the audience to participate by asking them to ask questions, ask for their thoughts and opinions, etc. A colloquium usually has the expert open the discussion with opinion statements, then eventually transition to having a more interactive and public discussion with the rest of the audience. The comments made from the audience go back and forth with the experts which allows everyone's voice to be heard. 

Symposium : The symposium format is led by two to six speeches on different types of issues and problems. Whoever is giving the speech is usually someone of an expert background that is able to provide information on the complex and technical issues to their audience. All speeches that are presented are required to be well prepared and practiced prior to the initial presentation. The biggest difference I see with the symposium format than the others is that it typically runs on a faster pace. The text explains that the symposium should not go more than an hour, rather, stay around the 30 minute mark. The time limit of these presentations allow the audience have time to discuss the issues. The symposium is based on time, which the moderator will explain as they introduce the issues and addresses the problems on the specific topic. 

All these different types of presentation are quite different but share the same idea of including the audience for discussion post presentation. However, one that caught my eye the most which I would use in a public presentation would be the format of a Panel. I chose panel because I felt that the styles and techniques used for this type of presentation would most likely encourage audience members to be more engaged because it's less formal. The fact that they use types of humor as interaction is seen to be very beneficial for those who may be nervous to participate or give ideas to the certain issues that are brought up. Being in an atmosphere that is comfortable where there is no pressure to be completely serious is a great way to open up your ideas to the experts without any sort of pressure or judgmental feelings. 

A Creative Group Climate

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed during this discussion week, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.

A concept I chose from this week's assigned reading was the concept of "A Creative Group Climate". I found this to be very interesting because it showed us the various amounts of ways that we are able to keep a positive group atmosphere when practicing the act of creativity. It shows us the do's and don'ts on what must be present in order to maintain that strong group climate. The text states that group creativity is constantly dependent on the climate of the group process. Climate plays a huge role on the group process because it increases the probability of any group's success. A few qualities that are attained in a creative climate are: commitment, mutual rust and respect. Along with these important qualities come openness and sharing. Openness must be maintained through the communication process as it helps solve problems and is an important part of creativity. The importance of openness must be accepted through a group leader, facilitators or members because it makes people who have emotional fears and concerns more at ease. The more openness that is present in the group climate, the more comfortable people will be if they feel uneasy or are simply scared of the boundaries of being "safe". Sharing also plays a huge role in creative group climate. "Sharing relevant information, resources, and responsibility is a cornerstone of a creative climate" (Sherblom, 174). What the author is trying to say through this statement is that without the act of sharing your own information, responsibility, ideas and input, that trust will never be made. This is incredibly important when dealing with group members because if the trust isn't there, it creates a barrier in communication. I've seen a lot of times where group members are either too selfish to share their ideas or even too scared to share their ideas because they don't trust one another. Without sharing, it defeats the positivity in creative group climate which will ultimately hurt the groups' goals.