Interviewing

            One concept that I think could use further discussion is the idea of interviewing as it is something that many of use will be delving into after graduation and when we finally enter the job market. In short, interviewing is a form of two-way communication have predetermined purpose in which participant ask and answer questions. Interviews are used to do such things as orient new employees and evaluate job performance. With that said, it is always important to prepare for an interview especially if it has occupational purposes. You want to have a clear understanding of all your work content skills, transferable skills and self-management skills. Not only that, but you want to be able to successfully rely these skills in an intelligible manner to your interviewer. To help with your interview, you also want to have a well structure resume and cover letter that directly addresses the needs of your employer. 

Chapter 5: Nonverbal Communication

Out of all the chapters, I found chapter 5 to be the most interesting as it discussed nonverbal communication. I believe this was the most interesting to read as it gave me insight on how to better understand people. It is one thing to decode spoken messages and a completely other thing to be able to interact and decode others through their facial expression and actions among other things. As weird as it sounds, its almost like your able to read another mind if you are able to correctly interpret their physical actions. They may be saying one thing to your face, but saying a completely different thing with their hands or with their body proximity. I believe that this chapter has also made me a better communicator because I can now better communicate with others without words. I am more aware of my own nonverbal actions. In this chapter I also learned about emblems, illustrators and regulators among other things.

Deception Research

I found chapter 13 to be quite interesting as I have taken both Qualitative and Quantitative Research courses in my college career. With that said I am very much familiar with research methods. In terms of doing a research study on deception, my research question would be something along the lines of “How do college students ages 18-21 recognize when they are being lied to?” I made this research question very specific (college students 18-21) so that it would be easier to conduct my survey. For this research study I would most likely used mixed methods; and utilize both survey and performance research. The surveys would give me a general idea of what facial expressions or body movements others most commonly use to identify deception. I would then test my results by conducting those specific facial expressions or body movement in performance research. Those who I conduct my performance research on should have no idea about my study as their knowledge make affect my results.

Audience Fragmentation W9/D3

While reading chapter 11 the concept of audience fragmentation (also known as demassification) caught my attention as I was able to relate it to my own experiences with media. Audience fragmentation is defined as separate specialized audiences. Rather than everyone being placed in one single mass audience, people are now separating themselves into smaller audiences based on such things as interests, beliefs, political standing, etc. By having audience fragmentation everyone may not be exposed to the same information that could widen their knowledge. This made me think of the different news stations we have today: FOX News, ABC, CNN, NBC, Etc. Each of these news stations cater to a specific audience. For instance, FOX News is known to be Republican and therefore, much (if not all) of their topics are caters or biased toward the Republican standing. Because of this bias viewers are only given specific perspectives on news reports rather than given the full coverage. Because of the bias that audience fragmentation can have I do not always see it as beneficial, especially if it is about the news. It can, however, be beneficial for ratings. It can also be beneficial if one is wanting to target a specific demographic.

The Medium is the Message W9/D2

I do agree with Marshall McLuhan’s idea that the medium is the message. The medium in which a message is delivered can affect two things (in my eyes) who it is received by and how it is perceived. For instance, messages that utilize more new media and that use more electronic/technological channels may be better received by younger generations as people my age and younger are more familiar with the informational and digital age. Messages that use social networking sites, smart phones, and television are not only perceived as being more trendy, but they are used more often by my generation and my preceding generations. While messages that use more old media, i.e., print media and radio may be better received by older generations as that is what they are more accustomed too.

            In terms of cool media, I do see television as being cool media as you need to have a certain level of attractiveness and charisma to be well received by the audience. While in radio or print looks don't really matter.

Cyberspace friendships W9/D1

I have not made friendships solely through the use of cyberspace. I have, however, developed friendships online. For instance, I have met people on vacation and then later built relationships through keeping in touch on social networking sites like Facebook. While on vacation I only knew them for a short period of time so at the time I only considered them acquaintances because I did not know them well, but as we got to know more about each other online I now consider them friends.

            I believe that friendships built in cyberspace are different than those developed through f2f contact as some may feel more inclined to be open through media. For example, because there is no pressure of talking to someone face to face, they may find it easier to talk openly to that person. Also, friendships made online are different in that one can control what they let the other person know. One might expose only their more attractive attributes online rather than letting others see their true selves. I believe this idea relates to the term uses and gratifications where people who use cyberspace focus on building a particular identity online. Because of this I would suggest that those who make cyber friendships be very careful.

Workplace Relationships W8/D3

One idea discussed in chapter 8 that caught my eye was workplace relationships and how to promote professionalism in workplace relationships. This concept caught my attention particularly because it is something that I can personally relate to as I currently hold a job as an elementary art instructor and am a member of a sorority. In the reading Trenholm explains that although we may feel inclined to want to build intimate relationships with our coworkers or group members, we aren’t paid to have fun or hang out with them. Withthat said, workplace relationships must be kept professional. In my experience, I would think that it is also important to keep work and organization relationships professional because mixing your personal life with your professional life can get pretty messy. For instance, in my sorority those who hold positions and who have to get work done shouldn't bring outside squabbles or disagreements into meetings where we have to handle business. I am not completely against creating relationship with coworkers or fellow group members as long as you know where to draw the line.

Organizations & Environment W9/D1

From what I understand from this weeks reading, organizations can be connected to their environments through culture where culture is defined as a particular groups or a particular environments ideas, beliefs, and morals among other things. The contexts of a groups or an environments culture can affect the organizations climate, which is also defined as an organizations identity. With that said, the relationship between an organization and it’s environment needs to be cohesive. In my opinion a successful organization needs to cater to or at most be accepted by the environment. In terms of a University and a local community I would say that the school should offer resources or obtain organizations that suit or cater to the town or city it is in. For instance, because San Jose is so immensely diverse in terms of culture, race, language, education, and SES it would be good if the school had numerous organizations that served this diversity. 

Relational Maintenance W8/D3

            One set of concepts that I found to be most interesting from chapter 6 was the relational maintenance strategies, which are basically behaviors people use to keep their relationships at a desired level. Although, many use a variety of techniques to maintain their relationships, five strategies have been identified as being the most used: positivity, openness, assurance, networks, conflict management, and advice. After reviewing these strategies and reflecting on my own personal experiences with maintaining relationships I have to agree that I too use these techniques most often. With that said, the strategies that I employ are also often affected by the kind of relationship I am maintaining. For instance, I may employ particular strategies for a friend, a different set of strategies for best friend, a different set for a family member, and so on. Generally, however, these five strategies can be used to productively maintain any sort of relationship. 

Duck's Theory W8/D2

            Like many, I too use filters to eliminate people from consideration as both potential romantic partners and potential friends. Personally, my filters can range from superficial things like age and looks and social status to more in depth characteristics like personality, goals, and beliefs. I believe that those who have goals, good intentions, humor, and great communication skills are most attractive. In contrast, I see those who are unmotivated, ill-intentioned, ignorant, and have horrible communication skills to be unattractive.

Duck’s theory makes perfect sense to me, and I very much agree with his concept. Furthermore, I have utilized all four of this filters including the sociological and preinteraction cues. In terms of the sociological cue, I have eliminated a potential relation due to the fact that I could not see how we would be able to get to know one another if there were little chance of us running into each other. Basically, I eliminated the individual because it would be too much work to, well, make it work. And in terms of the preinterest cue, I am sure many of you, including, myself have elminated another only because you were not physically attracted to the other. With that said, I am sure many of you, like myself, have reconsidered the relationship after looking past superficial traits and getting to know the person. I have done so with people who I elminated based on low attraction after finding that we very much connected intellectually. The  intellectual factor alone drew me back in.

Role Relations W8/D1

After reflecting on my own personal experiences with role relations I have come to the conclusion that competitive symmetry can be the most difficult to change while rigid complementary may prove to be the most damaging to the self-esteem of the particular individuals involved.

Competitive symmetry reminded me of sibling rivalry or of friends who are constantly trying to compete with one another. I believe that this role relation usually develops between individuals who have similar personalities. Because of the similarity many may feel that they have to prove something; prove that they are better. This role relation can also occur between those who are innately competitive, and because the competitive trait can be innate, I would assume that is why it can be the most difficult to change. Although those in a competitively symmetrical relation could discuss amongst themselves solutions to their competitiveness, I believe that there will always be an underlying sense of competition between one or both those involved in the relationship. They may no longer voice the competitiveness, but it could continue to show in their thoughts and actions.

In terms of rigid complementary, I drew on my experiences and knowledge of parent to child relationships. As stated by Trenholm, although there are advantages to this role relation, problems can occur. For instance, the individual in the submissive role can resent the constant control of the dominant individual or the dominant individual can tire of always being in charge. Although those who find themselves in rigid complementary relationships can easily find solutions to their problems, for instance children and parents can mature and eventually become equals or close to equals in a relationship, I believe that great damage can be done within the time of rigid complementary relationships. For instance the constant nagging or put downs from the individual in the dominant role can lower the self-esteem of the individual in the submissive role. Or the individual in the submissive role can be conditioned to never voice their opinion or always cater to others while the individual in the dominant role can become too used to always having control.

Culture and Role Identity W6/D3

One idea/concept that I found interesting in chapter 12 was the idea of how culture can greatly affect our role identities. Culture tells us who to be and how to act and through we can be stratified by age, gender, and ethnicity among other things. Basically we are put into categories among other things and expectations/standards are placed on us. Each culture has there own sets up beliefs standards and identities. The book uses the example of age. In Ghana, age is equated with wisdom and is therefore respected, while in America youth is valued more than age. The book also explains that gender roles are also culturally derived. This idea of how we are affected by cultures standards and expectations led me to think about those who do not necessarily fit into those expectations. For instance, gender roles. In most places both boys and girls have expectations on how to act and look. But what if a boy finds themselves interested in playing with Barbies or girl finds herself more interested in wearing boy clothes? What happens then? The stratification of a person because they do not fit into a specific identity made by the culture could lead to subcultures, like the gay community, or mixed races.

Three Premises W6/D2

            I do agree with Larry Samovar, Richard Porter, and Nemi Jain’s ideas that most Americans are capable of having the three basic beliefs about human nature: rationality premis, perfectibility premise, and mutability premise. While I believe that humans are capable of such things as discovering the truth through logical analysis, achieving goodness through effort and control, and being able to improve their physical and psychological circumstances, I do not believe that all humans exercise these premises. For instance, in terms of the perfectibility premise not everyone has the control or wants to make the effort to improve or perfect such things as their grammar or their physical bodies. Some people are just too lazy, too unmotivated, or just uncaring of such things, but they are, however, still capable of achieving such goals. A few institutions that are based on these premises that the book listed are democracy, trial by jury and free enterprise. Other practices and institutions that I can think of that practice these premises are churches, schools, and exercise facilities. 

Creatures of Culture W6/D1

            After taking into consideration the information gathered from both this class and my ChAD 67 class and combining it with my own personal experiences with culture, I do agree with Ruth Benedict and her belief that we are “creatures of our culture”. From utero (our mother’s bellies) we become subject to the beliefs of our culture. We are exposed to I from the time of conception to the time of birth and even further exposed as we get older. Our families and society transfers cultural beliefs, morals, and practices, and we accept it as a child because that is all we know. But as adolescents and adults things change a bit. As we get older I believe this is when we start to modify the our identity that was placed onto us by our culture to suit our own needs and wants. As adults this is when we begin to explore new cultures and beliefs and this is how I believe we can break through the limits of our cultures. For example, say one grows up as a catholic, this is their religious cultures. But this person grows and experiences the world maybe they begin to practice Catholicism less and less. Maybe they mix their Christian beliefs with some elements of Buddhism. Or maybe they become a Buddhist all together. I believe that the limitations of culture can be broken through maturity and exploration as well as having openness to new things.

Paralinguistics W5/D3

The concept of paralinguistics, which is the study of sounds, really caught my attention as I was reading chapter 5. The sound of ones voice as they speak, despite what they are actually saying, can really give away a persons mood, emotion, or true intention. For example. a person can say “I’m okay”, but if their voice is a bit sad and monotone it could reveal that they may in fact not be okay. In addition, I also thought it was interesting how the book stated that some accents rank lower that others in terms of credibility and intelligence. Those accents that are more similar to that of standard English, or that of our own accent will come off as being more intelligible than others. For instance, I’ve witnessed people preferring European accents over Asian accents. As an asian American myself I know that people think that Asian accents are “fobby” while they categorize European accents as “attractive”. I could never figure out why people thought this way, but after reading this particular section in the reading I have a better understanding of their ignorance. 

Nonverbal Displays Across the World - W4 / D2

There are plenty of cultural, regional, and even societal nonverbal gestures that I know of. There are even some nonverbal displays that take on different meanings depending on age group that I know of as well. For instance, small children in American society may understand the peace sign hand gesture as a command for silence or as a reminder to be quite, while the rest of society may understand the gesture as “peace”. Another nonverbal display that I can name, is the head nod. While in American culture one would nod their head in agreement, in the Indian culture excessive nodding means that you come from a high or wealthy status. In India some even take etiquette classes and learn that by nodding your head excessively when in conversation you let others know that you are wealthy. This is head nod difference is one that I found to be most interesting. 

Misinterpretations - W5/D1

Yes, I have definitely misinterpreted nonverbal communication. In fact, because of nonverbal communication’s ambiguity I am pretty sure that people often misinterpret others. An example of one of my misinterpretations occurred through the nonverbal area of kinesics, paralanguage, and proxemics. When I first met a girl (who is now one of my very good friends) I read her stiff body language, soft and uninterested voice, and quite demeanor as being stuck up. I thought that this girl made herself very unapproachable. And while her body language did read as unapproachable, I later found out that it was not intentional. I also later came to find that she was far from stuck up. She was just a very shy girl. And they is how she unconsciously displayed her shyness. So I mistaken her shyness for being stuck up.

In terms of better reading others nonverbal behavior I think it would be helpful for people to read multiple forms of nonverbal behavior instead of just concentrating on one. For instance they can read both voice and body language. 

False Memories - W4/D3

            One of the most interesting concepts that I came across in chapter 3 is the idea of false memory. As I read the section, I thought about all the instances of possible false memories in my life. Often times I find myself trying to distinguish between my short term memories.. did this event occur in real life or did it occur in just a dream? I thought that the example story the reading gave was extremely intriguing. I have watched plenty of biographies and news stories that explain how those who are being interrogated for a crime will falsely confess to it because that circumstances under which they are in are so stressful. After reading on this concept, it makes me wonder if they were victims of false memory as well. I just find it so interesting that our minds can play tricks on us like this. And it makes me wonder how many of my childhood “memories” are just simple fabrications. Inception! 

Gender and Communication- W4/ D2

I absolutely agree that men as well as women you language differently. The book did a wonderful job at explaining the reasons as to why men and women communicate the way they do. The reason that I most agreed with was gender roles effects on how males and females communicate.

From birth, from the moment we find out the sex of the baby, I feel that society places standards to which the baby must fit into. For instance, its okay for boys to have rough physical play and play with guns, but it is not okay for a boy to be overly sensitive or to cry. Having this rule or expectation placed on the boy at such a young age will inevitably affect the communication style he will come to know and use. By saying he should not cry, maybe this will affect how he expresses his feelings as a man in the future. The same would go for females. If a young girl is told to play with dolls and taught to care and love her barbies.. she may grow into a young lady who enjoys expressing her emotions and socializing with others.

Another aspect from the reading that I completely agree with is sexist language and how that too affects how genders communicate. Different cultures place different meanings to words. And I appreciated the example of words the books uses: girls = innocents and less responsible; whereas women could mean more responsible or ladylike. 

Perceptions of Others - WK 4/ D1

I actually think that this question is quite difficult to answer and I found myself really reflecting on my own life and how I perceive others. Is it really possible to perceive others without in some way judging or categorizing them? In my mind, no we cannot. We are always using some sort of schemata or utilizing some part of our social construct to recognize people, remember them, figure them out, understand them better, etc. The way in which we judge isn’t even always so drastic, we may just perceive a person we just met by categorizing them simply by gender or by race. And I don't think that doing things like that necessarily leads to stereotyping or assumptions about the person, we simply just judge/recognize them through such things. On the other hand, I believe it is quite easy to make our judgments more fair: 1) do not stereotype, 2) have an open mind, 3) always be willing to learn more and to retrieve more information.

Attitude W3/D1

When public speaking or communicating in general our goal is often to persuade a person to view things in and to agree with your perspective. This idea is also known as changing ones attitude. Attitudes are basically our mental structures that cause us to act in certain ways. In the reading we learn that attitudes can affect the way we think, feel, and behave. There are three dimensions to the concept of attitude: 1) cognitive dimension, 2) affective dimension, and 3) behavioral dimension. Cognitive dimension consists of everything we know or believe about an issue. In my opinion, cognitive dimension is affect by our social constructionist perspective, a concept we learned in chapter two. Affect dimension consists of emotional reactions to the object or situation. And behavioral dimension consists of what we think should be done. You see many public speakers, especially those who are running for office, trying to change their audiences attitudes on a subject. I think that if the speakers has a credible, positive, and intelligent attitude to begin with and if they make good use of Aristotle’s three rhetorics, they should have no problem changing anyones attitude. 

Building Ethos W3/D2

The first admirable speaker that came to my mind was Ellen Degeneres. Ellen encompasses amazing communication skills. Ellen is well liked, funny, relatable, and just an all around good-natured person. And probably one of her best characteristics is that she is down to earth. I believe that out of the three rhetorics, ethos is probably her strongest suit. Ellen could possibly build her ethos in terms of attractiveness, power, and credibility, by doing the following: In terms of power, Ellen most often plays up her good character and I think this is why so many people like her; because she has an amazing ethos. To strengthen her power I think she should work on better distributing her power through aristoles three rhetorics. She should put more effort into exposing and using her pathos and logos when she speaks. Through gaining credibility she will also be more trustworthy and credible to her audience thus affecting and strengthening her relationship with her audience; her audience with find her more attractive .And in terms of credibility, I believe that Ellen is doing wonderfully as it is. She remains to be a good person who avoids conflict and works hard. 

Best/Worst Speaker W3/D1

One of the best speakers/communicators that I know personally is my sister Nikki. There are several traits that contribute to her way of communicating: 1) She is open minded, 2) she tries her best to remain unbiased and to see all perspectives of a situation, 3) the style of the speech (the words she choices, her “voice”), 4) she speaks with confidence, and lastly, 4) she is a very attentive listener. As stated in this chapter being a good listener is key in any type of interaction or communication. And I believe that Nikki’s amazing listening skills has a great affect on all of her other speaking attributes. For example, Nikki tries her best to listen to all points of a situation without any biases or prejudgments. This in turn, gives her a better perspective on things.

I can’t pinpoint anyone in particular who I think is a horrible speaker, but I do know what traits a horrible speaker has; the number one trait being terrible listening skills.  I strongly dislike anyone who is closed minded and unwilling to hear anyone else’s opinion or understand anyone else’s perspective. Being unwilling to listen makes two way communication (or any type of communication for that matter) almost impossible because only one person is transmitting messages without there being any receiving or feedback. 

Symbols W2/D3

One of the more interesting concepts from the reading, for me, was the idea of symbols and using symbols as a means of communication and interaction. This concept stood out for me particularly because it overlapped with a discussion I recently had in my ChAD 60 class on symbolic communication and representation. Symbols are a more abstract way of communicating. It is the innate and unique human ability to attach meaning to such things like signs, pictures, and physical objects, among other things. I would even consider things like American Sign Language as a use of symbols to communicate. When I first read on the concept it made me think about slaves and how many of their master forbade them to speak to one another and so slaves developed a means of communication through their bodies. Many of you may know this as “step” or “stepping”. I just think the concept altogether is so interesting and even quite advanced. 

Pragmatic Model WK 2/ D1

When first going over the readings section on the pragmatic model I definitely agreed with it’s comparison to the game of chess. And I do believe that there are elements of communication that has patterned interaction. In fact, as I read on about the pragmatic model I got into thinking about my own experiences with communication and its patterns. I specifically thought about my relationships with people: my parents, my friends, my girlfriend, my siblings, and how each of these different relationships is like a separate game. They have different rules, different standards, and most importantly different reactions and interactions. For example, I know through experience I know that particular communicated messages on my behalf will receive certain reactions from the particular person I communicated to. If I cry (message 1), it will receive the question “What’s wrong”(reaction 1) in return. Not only that, but there are specific ways in which one communicates to receive specific solicited reactions. For instance, If I cry in a pitiful manner, I want people to react in a way that shows that they feel bad for me. My communication solicits attention. With that said, I guess communication isn’t like a game, in that you can never fully predict what reactions you will get. You can assume the reactions through past experiences, but you can always be surprised with the turn out.

Social Constructionish WK 2/ D1

The social constructionist perspective believes that one does not directly experience the world, but instead experiences the world through the influence of their culture. It is stated in this model that we construct our world through communication, specially communication between our culture and its constructs and ourselves. For example, say a small southern Christian community young boy is told that homosexuals (for instance) are horrible people with bad intentions. This idea is drilled into his heads from the time he can even process information to the time he graduates high school and gets ready for college. He gets into UCLA and moves to the big city where he is bound to run into more than just one gay man or woman. Instead of experience these people himself, instead of truly getting to know them enough to form his own opinion, he automatically hates homosexuals because of what he has been brought up to believe around him. The messages communicated to him as a young child has created a false world for him. I guess the best way I can describe the social constructionist model is that it’s like wearing rose colored glasses. You see only what you want to see, or at least what you’ve been conditioned too. This can sway either way.. it can bring happiness to ones life or the opposite.

Style - WK1 / D3

Although I found all of Cicero’s Five Canons of Rhetoric interesting, the concept of  “style” stood out the most. In short, style is the language one uses to present their ideas. It is said that classical writers believed language should be clear, lively, and appropriate for the audience. This is something that I completely agree with. Using just the right words and approach towards the audience is vital in gaining both their attention and respect. For example, it would be inappropriate to write a letter to the Dean of Admissions using the kind of language you would use to right a text to your best friend. Another good example, is when and when not to use slang. If you wanted to receive a good grade on a class term paper it would not be smart to use slang. Aristotle’s ethos, logos, and pathos is also a part of the concept of style. These three persuasion rhetorics directly relates to three (for lack of better words) sub-concepts of style: plain style, middle style, and vigorous style. Plain style is built by ethos; it is where you would convince the audience of your good character by using good sense. Middle style is built by logos. And lastly, Vigorous style is based on pathos; where you try to hit an emotional/personal cord with your audience. 

WK 1 / D2

You don’t have to be morally good to be an orator. I mean, anyone can speak lies or deceptions and still be a public speaker. Take a few politicians and many celebrities for instance. I do, however, believe that in order to be a successful orator it is definitely key to have good morals and be ethically right. And with that said, I absolutely believe that there is a connection between goodness, truth, and public communication, there is especially a connection between the three when the public communication involves persuasion. It is difficult to persuade anyone without speaking the truth because the truth supports your claims validity. The truth is evidence and evidence is extremely important when trying to persuade another. Of course, you could lie and create false truths, but in the end I believe those lies will catch up to you and no one will ever take you seriously again. So in the long run, yes, there is a distinct connection between goodness and truth and public communication.

Powers of Persuasion WK1/ D1

            I admire a lot of speakers and/or writers, many of whom are my sorority sisters. When I have conversations with them, or when I hear them give speeches I am always inspired by their words. One of the key reasons as to why their words are always so inspiring is because they use a lot of emotion (pathos). They relate situations or instances or events to their own lives and to the lives of their audience. I find that I heavily rely on pathos myself when I give speeches or when I try to give advice to another person or when I am in the act of persuading. Another very persuasive characteristic of my speaking/writing is in my choice of words/style or “voice”. I like to have the “voice” I use relate to my audience. For example, if I were talking to a classroom of school children I like to talk in a very friendly, approachable, yet authoritative manner. Or if I were talking to a peer I’d talking more relaxed. “Voice” also depends on the situation I am in as well. I believe this characteristic fits into the idea of pathos and it can be a very effective tool of persuasion. 

Introductory Post

Hello Class!
My name is Erica or "WobbledyWa". I am currently in my fourth year here at SJSU and am working towards my BA in Communication Studies with a Child Development minor. After graduation, I plan to apply to a few grad schools with the hopes of getting into an extended masters program for speech pathology (crossing my fingers!). So far, I have very much enjoyed all of my communication studies courses, and after taking so many comm classes I now understand why communications is so broad and can be applied to just about anything. I have specifically enjoyed my courses in internet communication and interpersonal communication. I feel that all of my communications classes have helped me to become a better speaker/writer as well as aided in my in better understanding how to relate to interact with those who are different than myself. This is the second online class that I have ever taken. I took my first, two semesters ago with Professor Perez and I have enjoyed the blogging aspect of it thus far.

Happy Spring Semester!