Student: Nicholson, Erick
Instructor: Joseph Larkin
Class: Communication 1010-005
Assignment: Reflection paper
Reflection paper for communications 1010
This class was a great opportunity to refresh what I know about communication effectively with others in a business setting and with a little more thought I can also think how to apply them to my personal and school life as well.
I enjoyed the chance for the personal improvement proposal that I had to right. It gave me a chance to think critical about one of my weak points in communicating. That is in a group setting, and to think of ways that I can improve, so as to get the fullest out of these types of events.
Instructor: Joseph Larkin
Class: Communication 1010-005
Assignment: Reflection paper
Reflection paper for communications 1010
This class was a great opportunity to refresh what I know about communication effectively with others in a business setting and with a little more thought I can also think how to apply them to my personal and school life as well.
I enjoyed the chance for the personal improvement proposal that I had to right. It gave me a chance to think critical about one of my weak points in communicating. That is in a group setting, and to think of ways that I can improve, so as to get the fullest out of these types of events.
Student: Nicholson, Erick
Instructor: Joseph Larkin
Class: Communication 1010-005
Assignment: Proposal for improving communications - Improving Communications in a team
Project.
Overview
There are many areas of communication that I could improve on, but the one that stood out to me was communication in team projects. Whether that be school or work, and for me more so for work, sense I work as part of a care team and on a values and ethics committee for my company. I tend to do one of two things when in a group setting; they are dominate the group or fade into the background and agree with what every one else is saying. I can interact one on one easily but as the book says “two people working together can resolve deputes only by persuading each other, giving in, or compromising.” (Leading and working in teams, p.187) I would like to learn how to communicating in a group setting with out it becoming a zero sum game. In order to achieve this goal I will look at the different ways the book says there are for interacting in a group setting as well as what makes up a group and when to be proactive.
Description of the problem
I find it hard to strike a balance between talking too much and not talking at all when in a group setting. Part of the problem is at time I’m unsure of the informational content and context, this tends to make me want to agree with those that sound like they know what’s going on; or to question every thing they say until it’s a stalemate in speaking. These does not promote understanding or good will among those in the group and will make it hard for all involved to work together and work with me in the future. Another problem that has been brought to my attention is the way I tend to phrase my replies in virtual communications, that is email and other forms of electronic communications with my team members and superiors. All of this can negatively affect my relationship both working and personal with my coworkers, even those I’m there to work and not make friends, we do all spend a great deal of time with each other and work inevitable spills over to the personal.
Resources and Constraints
The text tells us what makes up a group, that is typically any number of people over two that have a shared purpose, interact over a period of time, become interdependent and take in the identity of the group or organization that they represent. (Leading and working in teams, p.187-188) Taking this information I can now look at almost every interaction at work as a team event and start to apply some of the things that the book talks about. In the section on leadership and influence in teams, the text mentions three styles of leadership approaches. I like and think I need to work on the one titled “Contingency Approaches”, which is “based of the idea that the best leadership style is flexible-it changes from one situation to the next”. (Leading and working in teams, p.192) I hope this will help me strike a balance between challenging every thing said and just going along with the crowd.
When it comes to communications of the electronic variety as well as face-to-face communications, the book talks about using I language (Personal skills, p.114). I think this will be more useful then the way I’m currently communicating with coworkers, right now they tend to get defensive and I had no intention of making them feel that way, so I hope by applying these principals to my interactions and by being as clear and unambiguous as possible will make our interactions smoother and more productive to both party’s and to the company.
Recommendations
In order for me to find a balance in team interaction I need to start by making sure I and those involved clarify the interests and need of the team and by extension the company we are working for. This was talked about in negotiation but applies just as well here. (Interpersonal strategies and skills, p. 132) With out this first step I cant know if we are all on the same topic and heading in the right direction, this also allows me a chance to look up any thing if I don’t know the subject matter so as not to be combative while in a group environment. This step will also help me be better prepared and less likely to just agree with what the majority want’s and at the same time keep me from becoming argumentative because I don’t know or are afraid of being viewed as incompetent.
Another thing that the textbook mentions is to consider your audience, whether that audience be an individual, work group, school or personal group. By doing this I will also help with how I phase my replies to those that I interact with. Knowing them and their backgrounds in the company as well as the field that we are discussing lets me know how much explanations might be necessary as well as how much jargon can be used or not used. This applies to more than just mine and others knowledge of the subject but to their personal situations as well, if I know they are having a bad day I can take this into consideration and soften my language use or even let them take a few minutes to get what’s bothering them out so we can move on without what’s bothering them interfering the rest of the day. The inverse of this is that when they are not distracted or are just in a very upbeat mood this would be a good time for us to talk about things that may be hard, or maybe it’s the time to encourage them to take on more responsibility.
One more thing that the textbook and this chapter help stand out in my mind is how useful it is for the goals of the individual and the team to be similar or as close to inline as possible. This allows the two to work towards a common goal and tends to make the whole work smarter as well as harder. (Leading and working in teams, P. 200) Lastly, the point made about creating desirable norms early really popped out to me when reading this chapter. (Working in groups, p. 202) It’s a great point for me going forward, I cant expect to just change over night but when starting any new team or project in work or in school I must create these traits or norms as early as possible to set a pattern to be followed by my self and those I’m working with. This will not only help in the few interactions at work or school but it will help set a pattern that I can learn to follow in all my life’s interactions with others and prevent me from creating any new bad habits in communicating with others. In the effort to improve I have talked frankly with other coworkers to find out what it is that I’m doing or not doing to in team things and in my phrasing and how they think it can be made clearer and more understandable.
Summary
I have the tendency to dominate or hide in a team interaction or projects as well as having been told that my phrasing of words is not all ways clear as to what I’m trying to get across. My goal is to clarify the interests and goals of the team and or company that we are working for, so that I can make sure I’m prepared ahead of time. Even if that means doing a great deal of research on my own time. This will allow me to be informed in a team setting and not hide. I also intend to keep constant open communication with my coworkers as to how my clarity and phrasing is coming along and ways they think I might improve.
I’m looking forward to see what improvements this will make in my interaction with my other team mates as well as how this might help me improve in all aspects of communications in my business and personal life.
Work Cited
Adler, Ronald B., Jeanne Marquardt. Elmhorst, and Kristen Lucas. Communicating at Work: Strategies for Success in Business and the Professions.(SLCC Custom Edition) New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Instructor: Joseph Larkin
Class: Communication 1010-005
Assignment: Proposal for improving communications - Improving Communications in a team
Project.
Overview
There are many areas of communication that I could improve on, but the one that stood out to me was communication in team projects. Whether that be school or work, and for me more so for work, sense I work as part of a care team and on a values and ethics committee for my company. I tend to do one of two things when in a group setting; they are dominate the group or fade into the background and agree with what every one else is saying. I can interact one on one easily but as the book says “two people working together can resolve deputes only by persuading each other, giving in, or compromising.” (Leading and working in teams, p.187) I would like to learn how to communicating in a group setting with out it becoming a zero sum game. In order to achieve this goal I will look at the different ways the book says there are for interacting in a group setting as well as what makes up a group and when to be proactive.
Description of the problem
I find it hard to strike a balance between talking too much and not talking at all when in a group setting. Part of the problem is at time I’m unsure of the informational content and context, this tends to make me want to agree with those that sound like they know what’s going on; or to question every thing they say until it’s a stalemate in speaking. These does not promote understanding or good will among those in the group and will make it hard for all involved to work together and work with me in the future. Another problem that has been brought to my attention is the way I tend to phrase my replies in virtual communications, that is email and other forms of electronic communications with my team members and superiors. All of this can negatively affect my relationship both working and personal with my coworkers, even those I’m there to work and not make friends, we do all spend a great deal of time with each other and work inevitable spills over to the personal.
Resources and Constraints
The text tells us what makes up a group, that is typically any number of people over two that have a shared purpose, interact over a period of time, become interdependent and take in the identity of the group or organization that they represent. (Leading and working in teams, p.187-188) Taking this information I can now look at almost every interaction at work as a team event and start to apply some of the things that the book talks about. In the section on leadership and influence in teams, the text mentions three styles of leadership approaches. I like and think I need to work on the one titled “Contingency Approaches”, which is “based of the idea that the best leadership style is flexible-it changes from one situation to the next”. (Leading and working in teams, p.192) I hope this will help me strike a balance between challenging every thing said and just going along with the crowd.
When it comes to communications of the electronic variety as well as face-to-face communications, the book talks about using I language (Personal skills, p.114). I think this will be more useful then the way I’m currently communicating with coworkers, right now they tend to get defensive and I had no intention of making them feel that way, so I hope by applying these principals to my interactions and by being as clear and unambiguous as possible will make our interactions smoother and more productive to both party’s and to the company.
Recommendations
In order for me to find a balance in team interaction I need to start by making sure I and those involved clarify the interests and need of the team and by extension the company we are working for. This was talked about in negotiation but applies just as well here. (Interpersonal strategies and skills, p. 132) With out this first step I cant know if we are all on the same topic and heading in the right direction, this also allows me a chance to look up any thing if I don’t know the subject matter so as not to be combative while in a group environment. This step will also help me be better prepared and less likely to just agree with what the majority want’s and at the same time keep me from becoming argumentative because I don’t know or are afraid of being viewed as incompetent.
Another thing that the textbook mentions is to consider your audience, whether that audience be an individual, work group, school or personal group. By doing this I will also help with how I phase my replies to those that I interact with. Knowing them and their backgrounds in the company as well as the field that we are discussing lets me know how much explanations might be necessary as well as how much jargon can be used or not used. This applies to more than just mine and others knowledge of the subject but to their personal situations as well, if I know they are having a bad day I can take this into consideration and soften my language use or even let them take a few minutes to get what’s bothering them out so we can move on without what’s bothering them interfering the rest of the day. The inverse of this is that when they are not distracted or are just in a very upbeat mood this would be a good time for us to talk about things that may be hard, or maybe it’s the time to encourage them to take on more responsibility.
One more thing that the textbook and this chapter help stand out in my mind is how useful it is for the goals of the individual and the team to be similar or as close to inline as possible. This allows the two to work towards a common goal and tends to make the whole work smarter as well as harder. (Leading and working in teams, P. 200) Lastly, the point made about creating desirable norms early really popped out to me when reading this chapter. (Working in groups, p. 202) It’s a great point for me going forward, I cant expect to just change over night but when starting any new team or project in work or in school I must create these traits or norms as early as possible to set a pattern to be followed by my self and those I’m working with. This will not only help in the few interactions at work or school but it will help set a pattern that I can learn to follow in all my life’s interactions with others and prevent me from creating any new bad habits in communicating with others. In the effort to improve I have talked frankly with other coworkers to find out what it is that I’m doing or not doing to in team things and in my phrasing and how they think it can be made clearer and more understandable.
Summary
I have the tendency to dominate or hide in a team interaction or projects as well as having been told that my phrasing of words is not all ways clear as to what I’m trying to get across. My goal is to clarify the interests and goals of the team and or company that we are working for, so that I can make sure I’m prepared ahead of time. Even if that means doing a great deal of research on my own time. This will allow me to be informed in a team setting and not hide. I also intend to keep constant open communication with my coworkers as to how my clarity and phrasing is coming along and ways they think I might improve.
I’m looking forward to see what improvements this will make in my interaction with my other team mates as well as how this might help me improve in all aspects of communications in my business and personal life.
Work Cited
Adler, Ronald B., Jeanne Marquardt. Elmhorst, and Kristen Lucas. Communicating at Work: Strategies for Success in Business and the Professions.(SLCC Custom Edition) New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.