Saturday, November 30, 2013

LISTENING: Never Important Enough



Complete the Lesson 3 assignment “Reflection of Ethics” on page 142 in the textbook Human Communication.
Ethical Choice Point
-Since Pat is a friend, I would first confront her about the lying. It isn't fair to anybody. Pat is cheating me, the company, and even herself by claiming she is capable of certain tasks. If she insists on handing in her resume as is, she is not fulfilling her own ethical obligations as a friend and employee. For myself, and the company's best interest, I should inform them of the deceitful resume that Pat is portraying; but because she is a friend, the decision becomes more difficult. I think that if Pat is willing to cheat me out of a job after the confrontation, she doesn't deserve the job anyways. At this point I would probably give her an ultimatum, or just let it go and move on. 
        
         1) Initial Response: Give a two-minute editorial addressing the difference between confirmation and disconfirmation as they relate to communication. 
        -Confirmation is a communication pattern in which another person's presence is acknowledged and accepted in a group scenario. Disconfirmation is essentially the opposite of confirmation; it is the process of ignoring another person or denying acceptance of that person due to their sex, race, or other discriminatory aspects. An example of disconfirmation is present in the Amish community. If a member of the society violates a rule or moral, the entire community will "shun" the violator. Disconfirmation is an act of ignoring somebody that has supposedly done wrong in hopes that they become more like you. Disconfirmation is seen in racism, hetero-sexism, ageism, and sexism. There are many ways in which one can avoid disconfirmation-yet it is still apparent in today's society. In racism, disconfirmation will exist in both individual and institutional levels-both may involve knowledge of discrimination, but racism can occur unconsciously. In heterosexism, like racism, individual and institutional patterns may occur. Heterosexism is often seen in religious settings and takes place when a certain individual or group believes that gay men or lesbian women are deserving of condemnation because their sexual preferences are wrong. Ageism is seen commonly in younger people. Ageism refers to the prejudice behaviors that one holds against an age group. In some Asian and African cultures, elders are viewed as respected, but that is not the case in many other worlds. Slang is used often times to represent the views against older people such as "old hag" or "old coot". This same view can be reversed with older people looking down on "irresponsible hooligans". Sexism is another aspect of disconfirmation. Sexism can be an issue in the work place, or even during everyday tasks.With all forms of disconfirmation, it often times goes unnoticed by the offender.
            Confirming messages will often times build up a relationship with positive reinforcement whereas disconfirmation will give an individual a bad first impression, and will likely damage a relationship.
        
         2) Follow-up Feedback: Use encouragement as in Lesson 2. Pick a student editorial that you believe is particularly strong. (VISIT SOMEONE ELSE’S BLOG!) Use their comments section to make our comment. In addition to encouragement, pick a phrase or sentence from the student's editorial and elaborate on it. Strengthen the student's editorial with your comment.  
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           First off, disconfirmation is a form of communication where you would ignore the feelings and messages that they convey. Confirmation is the exact opposite, this is where you sympathize with the other person and acknowledge their opinions and feelings. The main differences between confirmation and disconfirmation in communication is that disconfirmation takes many terrible forms such as racism where someone discriminates against someone else of a different race through racist language and non-verbal hate gestures. Other examples of disconfirmation are ageism, where certain age groups are discriminated against for age group qualities. Other forms include heterosexism and sexism. All of which make communication difficult and are vulgar ways to exclude fellow human beings. Confirmation takes multiple forms as well. These forms can be especially effective when you take into account cultural identifiers, such as race, nationality, age, and sex. Becoming sensitive to these characteristics, allows communication to take a confirmation path.

This is Michaela Campbell's blog for this section. I highlighted the section that I commented on. I liked her use of strong language and connotations to deliver the message of how negative disconfirmation is.
        
                          
       
Nonverbal Communication  

Write 100-300 words using complete sentences, proper grammar, and correct spelling. 
        
         Describe some of your 'staple' non-verbal expressions. Do you believe you are easily understood when employing these expressions? What are the advantages/disadvantages of these expressions relative to speech?


Personally, I use a lot of sassy non-verbal expressions. From how I stand, to the way I raise my eyebrows, my personality shines through a lot. I think I am understood in certain situations, but when I am first meeting people, things get a bit muddled. I will often times stand with my hands on my hips with my hip popped out to the side. This pose can come off as dramatic and diva-like. In reality, it is just the comfiest way for me to stand! The advantage of using my sassy expressions is that people can get a sense of who I am, but the disadvantage of that is that it may seem overbearing at times. My facial expressions are another non-verbal that can tell a lot. I use sarcasm quite often, and that can come across in my face when I don't necessarily mean it to. If I am thinking a retort, it may show on my face. This can go along with the diva-like attitude, but truthfully, I am just thinking through my facial expressions.
        


Complete the Lesson 3 assignment: “Building Communication Skills” exercise on page 109 in the textbook Human Communication.
Hot--Warm--Tepid--Lukewarm--Chilly--Cold--Frozen
High--Medium--Low--Lower--Lowest? (I can't even think of anything other in between these two!)
Good---Fair--Average--Poor--Bad
Popular--Cool--Invisible--Uncool--Unpopular
Sad--Unhappy--Okay--Good--Happy 

It is safe to say that it is easier to look for the extremes in life. In people and situations, it is a lot harder to pick out the middle ground in descriptions. People have a tendency to use extreme words such as good or bad, but never anything in between. 
        
         Answer the following: “Do you listen to people differently depending on the person speaking? Does your location or setting impact your listening potential?”
-Yes. I hate to say that I do, but I do. It is not necessarily the people talking, but the situation and topic being spoken about. Quite honestly, as long as the speaker presents a unique conversation, I have no problem listening to the content. If the conversation is about something that intrigues me, or is just interesting in general, I will listen intently about what is being said. At times, it doesn't matter what the topic is if I am in a positive or upbeat mood, I am capable of listening more effectively; however, the same goes for me when I am in a negative, tired, or low mood in which I am hardly capable of listening to anyone or anything. If the topic is related to something which is boring to me, or is repetitive, I have a harder time listening to that speaker. With people that I am familiar with, I will often times tune in on certain parts of the speech and tune out others. The more familiar I am with an individual, the more I can predict which route the conversation will most likely take. With an unfamiliar speaker, I feel that I spend the beginning portion of the speech is figuring out what is being said and what direction the speaker is taking. From there, I can relax and more-so enjoy what is being said. In a setting where there is little distraction from the speaker, I can generally focus more on what is being said. If there is a lot of distraction around me, I cannot always listen.  
        
       
Extra Credit  


What are some of the benefits of effective listening? 
-Effective listening is a wonderful way to get to know people. By listening and absorbing the information that somebody is telling you, you are able to build a relationship by remembering and using what you have learned. Effective listening is also respectful! In a formal or business setting, it is important to take in and understand the information you are being given. Another benefit of effective listening is personal. Listening intently gives you better understandings of directions which can help you succeed in assignments and other tasks.
        
         The answer to this question should be in the form of a short essay of fewer than 200 words

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