Effective Conversation

Media Disclaimer Analysis  



Analyze a disclaimer found in the media. Explain what it is you found, what kind of disclaimer is used, and how it is used.
I found a social media disclaimer for the company Markit. The disclaimer basically said that Markit is not responsible for the information that the authors on the social media site write. Markit is not responsibile for anything inaccurate or invalid that is written. 
The disclaimer is used to protect Markit from outside comments against the social media, and it is stated that whatever is written, is not an endorsement for Markit. 

Does the disclaimer work in this case, and how would the message change if there wasn’t a disclaimer?
Because of the disclaimer, I think the site is clearly protected from negative outside views via social media. Without the disclaimer, many individuals would be writing in, or possibly boycotting Markit because of things written. 

        

                          


Lesson 4: Extra Credit



In what ways do you feel an individual could gain an improved understanding of others by obtaining better mindfulness in communication? 

-Mindfulness is the state of awareness in which we are conscious of the logics and rationality of our behaviors and assumptions. In order to increase mindfulness, one must become aware of why you do or think what you do, one must act with awareness, and one must develop beliefs and attitudes mindfully. Mindfulness is what allows us to push past stereotypes and assumptions to understand a person better. The textbook gives an example of a cancer patient. It is common knowledge that cancer is not contagious, and will not be spread to somebody through contact; however, a person not practicing mindfulness might be skeptical to touch that ill person, just in case it might pass. A person’s true judgment may be clouded by society’s view of things, but being mindful can clear that up so a person can make decisions on their own. Once a person obtains mindfulness, a conversation can take place to understand and listen to what the other converser has to say, and what kind of person they might be. Another example from the textbook states that one may assume that if a person is blind; their other senses may be impaired too, so one should raise their voice in talking to them. This isn’t true, and most people know this. When one is in a mindful state, they will look past the disability to get to know the other person through effective conversation. I recently experienced a scenario of this while working on Black Friday. A man came into Dunham’s , where I work, wanted to buy a new pair of Crocs shoes. This man was in a wheelchair, and seemed to have a physical disability with the lower half of his body. He asked for my assistance, and if I have been in a clouded state of mindlessness, I would have been skeptical in helping him, thinking maybe it could spread to me, but I did not think that way. This man asked for my help, and I was going to give him my advice and service. I helped him try on different shoes, and helped him pick out the right size and color. He was so appreciative of my help that he gave me a little keychain gift. I learned that when you open your mind to being mindful, you can meet a lot of very nice people that you may not have wanted to associate with before!


Conversation Effectiveness  

View figure 7.3. (Unit 7, page 158.)

-There are five stages in the general conversation process: opening, feedforward, business, feedback, and closing. The first stage is opening which is typically starts a conversation with a friendly greeting. In face to face interactions, the opening stage may involve a verbal greeting, or it may involve a non-verbal sign to initiate the conversation. The second stage of conversation is the feedforward stage. In this phase, there is a question that initiates further conversation. This could be as simple as "Nice weather out, isn't it?" Feedforward is a preview of what the conversation path may take. Thirdly, the business step occurs when the conversation is based around a career or business setting. These talks have a goal in mind, to accomplish a professional aspect. Feedback is the fourth stage in conversation; which is the opposite of feedforward. Feedback is reflecting back on the conversation. This stage typically happens in response to what the other person is saying or an experience that has just happened. The fifth and final stage of conversation is the closing. Closing is essentially the good-bye/the ending of the conversation. Like opening, this could be verbal or non-verbal, but it ultimately says "I am done talking." 

Speaker Cues 11: I generally don't like to have the spotlight as a speaker, and I don't like to interrupt or jump in suddenly in a conversation. My speaker skills are not exactly top notch.

Listener Cues 5

Immediacy 2: I smile A LOT. I like to ask a lot of questions about the other person, and discuss things we have in common.
Flexibility 4
Small Talk 3: This kind of goes along with Immediacy. I am fairly good at bringing up small talk in conversations. I don't have a problem in asking how people are, and what they are up to.
Introducing People 8
Compliment
-giving 1: I am very verbal with giving out compliments. If I like somebody's shoes, I will tell them! I like handing out compliments because they make people feel good about themselves.
-receiving 9
Advice
-giving 6
-receiving 7
Excuse 12: If I say something unexpected or inappropriate, I become easily embarrassed and turn red. I don't like having the attention all on me, especially in a negative way, and I tend to shut down in those situations. 
Apology 10: I don't like to admit that I am wrong, especially if I regret saying or doing what has been said or done. I am not great at apologizing for anything.