Sunday, April 29, 2018

Conflict and Group Roles

Group Oriented Role
I believe my skills are best in the initiator role, as well as the recorder role as well. Personally, I think I am best at  recording information, as I have a hard time jumping into the role of a leader unless I am in a group in person. I am good at writing down information we will need, and keeping it organized.

Maintenance Role
When it comes to the maintenance roles, I believe I am best at the Follower role, as well as the observer/interpreter. I am good at paraphrasing, as well as understanding where my group is coming from and what they are trying to say. I also enjoy being directed to where I need to go. For example, I enjoy it when people request me to do something as it makes me feel like I know for sure what I am supposed to do.

Specific Skill
My top skill would be editing. I love to proofread, as errors jump out at me like a mummy at a Horror House. I call myself a "Grammar Nazi" and I am always quick to fix a mistake. I will automatically do it, too. Even if that job was assigned to someone else, I would still sit down and fix any mistakes I encounter.

Proposed Code of Conduct
I propose that a part of our Code of Conduct shall list that the group members should always treat each other with utmost respect, and not cut anyone down for mistakes.

How do I handle Conflict?
According to the worksheet, my highest ranking was "Accommodate" with 18 points. This is true, because I am always trying to work something out with the other person so that the conflict does not become worse. It this means I have to give something up, then so be it. I want everyone to get along and agree, so an accommodation is very important in my mind.

Friday, April 20, 2018

Conflict

Describe a time when you decided to express your feelings in a conflict. Why did you decide to speak up? What were the results? Where you able to resolve the conflict? If so, how? If you did not resolve the conflict, which of the conflict strategies presented in your textbook do you think could have or would help resolve the conflict? You should consider utilizing some of the terms about conflict in your answers (pgs. 142-148).

Not too long ago, a friend and I got into a pretty nasty argument. I was not agreeing with her actions and attitudes towards me or other people, so I spoke up and asked her why she was acting in such a way. It instantly became a Destructive Conflict, as she became defensive towards me, and I to her. She basically told me that I was treating her awfully and being mean to her, and I told her that her actions and attitudes towards me and others was quite unfair. I told her that I felt like she didn't need me or others, and that she made me feel like I was completely inferior. Even to this day, I still feel like she secretly doesn't want me around, and that little argument solidified it. It ended with me walking out before I said something I would regret. 

This conflict arose because I felt as if she was treating me and others unfairly, and she would even take her anger out on me in forms of snapping and harsh words. I decided to speak up because I have deal with people who treated others like this, and I knew that if I let it go it would only get worse. I spoke up because I knew there needed to be a change. 

Somewhere closer to an hour later, we began speaking again. At first, it was long messages over the phone explaining what we were feeling and why we were acting how we were. This turned our Destructive Conflict into a Constructive Conflict. We focused on the issue that we had on hand -- our feelings. We discussed what we wanted to see or how we wanted to be treated, and we eventually resolved the problem. Sure, we marked it off as a misunderstanding, but we both took note of how the other felt. I still feel like I am walking on eggshells by her, however, as I believe that she still doesn't want me there unless she needs something, but we are at least on good terms. 

To many arguments today are Destructive Conflicts. People are attacking each other, insulting each other, and they make it seem like a competition. This isn't helping anyone, and it is actually causing more harm than good. I believe people should take a deep breath and try to resolve problems by turning it into a Constructive Conflict. This is so much easier, and it focuses on the issue, is based on respect, and actually helps product a resolution. Conflict is a normal, everyday thing. How it ends all determines on how people handle it.

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Interesting Subjects from the Readings

For my posting, I decided to use the article "13 Questions to Ask Before Getting Married." I found this article very interesting, and it really spoke to me, especially since my brother is going through a rough marriage.

The first point that really stood out to me was on page 1: "Did your parents throw plates, calmly discuss issues, or silently shut down when disagreements arose?" I find this point very interesting, as it is something that even I find important. I believe that if a person's parents fought by throwing plates, then that person would also do the same. I would find this to be very important before getting married because I personally wouldn't want to be with someone who blew up violently or even just shut down when a problem arose, because I would be then questioning what I would do in that situation. I would much rather just discuss things calmly to keep the peace.

Another big question to ask before marriage would be "Will our experiences with our exes help or hinder us" on page 2. This would be a very important thing to ask, as it would distinguish whether or not two people would be able to get past some things that they were dealing with with their exes. For example, they might have gone to a special water park with their ex, and now they don't want to go there. Another would be that maybe their ex had treated them horribly for a long time, and now that is all they know. It would be best for someone to learn from their exes and not be constantly reminded about them or even act the same way their ex acted.

Lastly, another important point was also on Page 2: "Can you deal with me doing things without you?" This is so important to me! If your are getting married, it is important that you aren't "backing" out of your social life completely. You still should be cable to go our with friends or even hang out with your family without your significant other. This could be a controversial subject because some people may think that a couple stays healthy by doing things together, not apart. But I believe that it is important to have some "alone time" because it helps a person relax and calm down without any interruptions.

Monday, April 2, 2018

Nonverbal Communication Experiments

  • In normal conversation, vary the amount of space between you and your partner, either moving gradually away or moving gradually closer. How does your partner respond?
In this experiment, I actually used my best friend Jasmine. She and I have known each other for 7 years, so I thought she would respond the best with this experiment.
When I went to visit her last week, we decided we would go to Walmart and get an oil change done on her car. When we were waiting to pick it up, we got talking on our favorite Harry Potter books. At first, I started to move further away, taking small steps at a time, each of them roughly thirty seconds apart. At first she didn't notice, but as I got further away, she followed me and kind of smiled. 

"What, do I stink?" was her response. I laughed as if it were a joke and we dropped it. I didn't want to reveal it was an experiment. 

Later that day, we were talking about our homework assignment in our General A&P class. I slowly began stepping closer and closer to her, all the while acting like nothing was going on. She instinctively backed up, and at first she didn't even notice. But as I kept getting closer, she shoved me gently and exclaimed, "Would you get outta here?!"

It is easy to see that my body language and positioning was a big factor in how she was feeling, and her personal space is very important to her. I found it rather entertaining how a little distance change could effect someone as much as it did.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Listening - Julian Treasure

I found Julian Treasure's TED talk to be very inspiring. I understood that the main idea was to touch on how we as a population are losing our listening skills. We speak to each other and listen, but we do so without "hearing." We do not seem to comprehend what others say as much as we used to. I would have to agree with him, as it seems that many of the people I speak with tend to listen "blankly," or seeming as if they really aren't paying attention.

I decided to try his method of "Silence." I am a little hard on hearing, and have been since I was a young girl. I found that I have a hard time hearing some of the things people say to me, but I am too embarrassed to ask what they had said. I believe that if I could perhaps reset my ears every day, it might help me listen to people more.

Upon trying this method, I found that sounds were much easier to hear. I was able to pay attention and hear everything said to me when I spoke with my friends, and I was even able to understand my coworker, who always speaks really quietly. I think this method would be very helpful in my life. Everything is hard for me to understand sometimes, and since this method helped me today, I think it will definitely help me later in life too.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Who am I?

5 things about myself I am proud about:

1) I am a very Caring person.
2) I LOVE to help others.
3) I try to include everyone, even if I am thought of as "odd" for doing so.
4) I am decent at drawing.
5) I am very calm and cool headed when need be.

Which do I do best?

This is a very hard concept for me to touch on. I have a hard time thinking about things I do best, but I will give it my all. I believe I am best at sympathizing with people. I have been through a lot in my life and I tend to use that to help me understand people. I like to be there for others, and that is usually what makes me such a caring person.

5 Things I believe in:

1) Everyone should be included.
2) People should be heard out and understood.
3) Everyone is EQUAL.
4) Everyone and everything deserves a chance.
5) There is no such thing as "perfect people."

I mostly believe in the "People are Equal." I believe that we are all human, and should be treated as such. There is no "Bad" people at birth, but there are no "Saints" at birth either. We may make mistakes, and we may do good, but in the end we are all human, and we all should be treated that way.

Finally, I believe I should also include that I do not see myself as "Above Average" or "Below Average." I see myself as a normal person, and I do not like bragging about myself. I do not like being better than anyone, but I do like being recognized for my work.

Friday, February 2, 2018

LP 2 - Louis Braille Link

https://www.biography.com/people/louis-braille-9224001

While searching for some decent information to include in my speech, I stumbled across this web page by Biography.com. I have learned from my time in High School that this web site is usually a pretty reliable source. The authors of this website use credible information, as well as appropriate citation information. This website is tied directly with A&E Television, who claims to strive for accuracy so it is apparent that they want their information to be correct. Moreover, the author is also unbiased. They state the facts like they are and do not put their own opinions in the articles. They also organize their articles in such a way that the information is easy to understand and read.

Finally, the date on this article is fairly recent. This articles was published on December 22, 2015. Because Louis Braille was born in 1809, it is rather unlikely that there is many articles that are fairly recent, or ones that have brand new information on Louis Braille. The information in this article seems to correspond with some other webpages I have covered as well, therefore leading me to believe that this information is accurate and not too old.


LP1 - Louis Braille

Louis Braille was a French inventor who, at the age of 3, injured one of his eyes with a sharp tool while playing in his father's shop. This caused him to go blind in one eye, and the blindness slowly spread into the other eye. Louis Braille, after studying at the Institute for the Blind Youth in Paris,  later invented a complete code to recreate the alphabet to allow the blind and visually impaired read.

For my speech, I will inform my audience about who Louis Braille is, and why he is important as an inventor.

Thesis:
"Louis Braille's invention of the Braille Code was a revolutionary change to the world, as it allowed the blind and visually impaired to read."