Kristen was the first student to post a blog on their group's web site and the first person out of 50 of you to post a blog. On top of that, it is an excellent example of what I expect to see on your blog and so I wanted to share it with all of you.
Take a look at Kristen's post here
*round of applause for Kristen*
Good job!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Looking forward
A few observations from today's presentation:
Now that the teams have introduced themselves, what's next?
Many of you have mentioned that you have worked in or still belong to teams. But then, if you look further back in your life, you will realize that since kindergarten, or perhaps going even further back than that, you have been put into small groups to accomplish small tasks, play fun games or find a new friend. In other words, we are all socialized into group settings.
That's great! So why take a class on Small Group Communications?
My hopes for this class is to sharpen your skills as a communicator within a small group working environment, to help you understand your roles wthin a small group and to correct flaws in your communication habits. So this is NOT JUST ABOUT WORKING IN A TEAM OF 5 PEOPLE!
The blog will be one toll that you will use to reflect on your own behaviors, growth and habits as a communicator. Other ways of achieving the goals I set for you will be through the service learning project, small group tasks, and other activities plan for this class.
My goal is that at the end of this semester, each of you will have a better understanding of yourself and also be able to excel in a professional team environment. I hope all of you will strive for excellence in your work - mediocrity will definitely get you a B or less in class.
Over the next few weeks, there will be less of the lecture format (vertical hierarchy - me talk, you listen) and more of the team friendly environment (a horizontal hierarchy where the best idea wins). I look forward to see how your team evolves, adapts and changes and how you as an individual participate in that change.
- seems like many of you are well versed in computer/technology. And perhaps the reason very few of you blog is because you don't like writing (since there aren't many liberal arts students in the classes)
- many of you bring with you experiences of working in diverse small groups
- you are energetic, enthusiastic and looking forward to working on the Service Learning Project
Now that the teams have introduced themselves, what's next?
Many of you have mentioned that you have worked in or still belong to teams. But then, if you look further back in your life, you will realize that since kindergarten, or perhaps going even further back than that, you have been put into small groups to accomplish small tasks, play fun games or find a new friend. In other words, we are all socialized into group settings.
That's great! So why take a class on Small Group Communications?
My hopes for this class is to sharpen your skills as a communicator within a small group working environment, to help you understand your roles wthin a small group and to correct flaws in your communication habits. So this is NOT JUST ABOUT WORKING IN A TEAM OF 5 PEOPLE!
The blog will be one toll that you will use to reflect on your own behaviors, growth and habits as a communicator. Other ways of achieving the goals I set for you will be through the service learning project, small group tasks, and other activities plan for this class.
My goal is that at the end of this semester, each of you will have a better understanding of yourself and also be able to excel in a professional team environment. I hope all of you will strive for excellence in your work - mediocrity will definitely get you a B or less in class.
Over the next few weeks, there will be less of the lecture format (vertical hierarchy - me talk, you listen) and more of the team friendly environment (a horizontal hierarchy where the best idea wins). I look forward to see how your team evolves, adapts and changes and how you as an individual participate in that change.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
group of 100 japanese - prank / social psychology
This video illutrates what how people are forced to conform in critical situations when careful deliberation of choices is impossible.
As we figure out the unique norms that make up our groups in the following weeks, I will like us to also reflect on how conformity can hurt the goal(s) we have set for ourselves. Under what situation(s) is conformity a bad thing? What are some of the principles that we hold dear and are willing to stand up for? How might those principles affect the dynamic within groups?
I am a person who has difficulty saying "no" to someone else, especially if the person asks politely. In a group setting, this surfaces in a bad way in terms of the types of project that I took on. For example, there was one time in one of my gender class where i had to partner someone to work on a project. She was very interested in working on research that looks into how culture affects the reception of pre-natal care treatment in the U.S. Specifically, she wanted to examine how pre-natal care treatments were perceived by hispanic groups. My research interest was getting women to understand investment - nothing to do with pre-natal care (except the payment part perhaps). But I agreed to work on the pre-natal care project anyways. Why? Because I didn't want to seem like a member of the group that is difficult to work with.
The effects of conformity manifested in negative ways for me. I was not interested in the project, dragged my deadline (because I was not interested) and really just hated the whole process. I wished I was more honest and not try to take on something that I didn't like doing. In the end, it didn't turn out to be a good paper. We got it done, but that was it. I felt like it was a waste of time. The paper never went anywhere, not even to a conference - that was how bad it was.
Conformity is needed to keep identity within a group intact. But always ask yourself: how much are you willing to conform without hurting the overall goal? If it is detrimental in anyway, voice out your differences - it's better to be heard than to suffer in silence.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Small group communication theories
Key: decipher the role of communication in small groups as dictated by each theory
Systems theory: communication acts to keep different components within small groups in check
Structuration theory: communication within a small group is influenced by the structures/experiences in our lives
Symbolic convergence theory: narratives within a small group help to create a symbol in which every group member can identify with
Social exchange theory: assumes that people are motivated by costs and benefits (similar to economic theory). It is important to communicate the pros and cons of goals to group members and help each member perform to the best of their potential by meeting their needs.
Functional theory: Communication helps group members by promoting rational judgments and critical thinking, as well as preventing group members from faulty decision-making and flawed problem solving. Communication is thus instrumental because it provides the means through which group members can achieve their goals.
Systems theory: communication acts to keep different components within small groups in check
Structuration theory: communication within a small group is influenced by the structures/experiences in our lives
Symbolic convergence theory: narratives within a small group help to create a symbol in which every group member can identify with
Social exchange theory: assumes that people are motivated by costs and benefits (similar to economic theory). It is important to communicate the pros and cons of goals to group members and help each member perform to the best of their potential by meeting their needs.
Functional theory: Communication helps group members by promoting rational judgments and critical thinking, as well as preventing group members from faulty decision-making and flawed problem solving. Communication is thus instrumental because it provides the means through which group members can achieve their goals.
The Process (a.k.a. Designing The Stop Sign Video) - ORIGINAL
A classic video depicting corporate red tapes and the hilarious ways that group work can become hazardous.
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