Strategies to Communicte

There is so much cultural diversity throughout the world it is impossable not to see it. Trying to communicate with someone from another culture can be difficult becasue you do not want to insult them. I think a conversation with someone from a different culture that you may not fully understand would not convey all the intended information.

The three strategies that could be used to help communicate better are. Perceptions, self concept  and
stero-typing. Perceptions is "a cognitive process through wich we interpret  our expierences and come to our own unique understandings"(O'Hare & Weimann 2012, p.36). To be able to use perception I would be thoughtful when I seek answers don't let first impressions be the last. Sterotyping an individual or group can be damaging. The saying dont judge a book by its cover is true in stereotyping. An open mind needs to be kept to be able to effectivly communicate. I know many people that ride Harly Davidsons. Most people sterotype them as criminals, mean, dirty and uneducated. Many of them are very educated, and have influential jobs, such as lawyers, doctors, police. Also a persons concept of themselves influences conversations. If you do not feel good about yourself, you will portray that in a conversation.

By having a better self concept, perception and sterotyping you can have a more effective conversation.

References
O'Hare, D., & Wiemann, M, (2012). Real Communication. New York : Bedford/St. Martins.

Week two "Happy Endings"

For this blog I watched a show called "Happy Endings". First I found it very difficult to watch without sound. I could not concentrate on the program without the sound, I kept looking away, looking outside at my dogs, and everywhere but the tv. I needed to really think about what I was doing to be able to watch.

While watching the show without sound, the characters seemed to be friends that worked together, but by watching their facial expressions and body language they didn't all seem to like each other and they were sarcastic and patronized each other. Their facial expressions were not nice and there seemed to be certain characters in charge of the group, of they led the group.

When I watched the show with the sound my assumptions were partially right. They were being sarcastic to each other but they cared for one another. Their facial expressions were more for teasing each other than being mean. There wasn't a leader in the group just some of the characters were more prominent than others. Their body language expressed what they were saying most of the time, other times they were being sarcastic.

I found this assignment interesting. I realized that paying attention to someone or something even without sound is more important than I thought. I found that I seem to listen without looking. My A-HA moment is, I thought back to my professional life and discovered that I tend to look at other things while having a conversation. I multi-task too often and I need to be look at people when we talk. This is an area of my communication that I really need to work on. When I was young I didn't trust people that didn't look at me when they spoke. I don't want to be viewed that way, I am going to be very conscious of my future conversations with others.

Communication week 1

When I try to think of someone that is a good communicator, there is no one in my family that I think of. Journalist and great communicators, the only celebrity I think of is Oprah. I feel that her understanding of others, the way she uses her words, her body language make her a good communicator. She rarely takes sides, she may give advice, but doesn't judge anyone. She listens to everyone, and is patient until they are done. She also makes good eye contact with whoever she speaks too.

I would like to have her patience to listen to people. One problem I have is that some people are long winded and it is hard for me to be patient and listen to them. Especially when they are talking about something that I either have no interest in or is off topic.

Being a talk show host or even a journalist takes very special skills. Listening is one of them and I think one of the most important. This makes us knowledgeable about a topic we will be discussing or writing about, and gives us more credibility.

"GENIUS IS ETERNAL PATIENCE"
                                 MICHAELANGELO