Final Week DQ1

Amongst all of the concepts that we have discussed this semester, I was most drawn to the concepts within organization. There were focuses on organizational communication and organizational culture development. As an avid traveler, I often experience a sense of culture shock when entering different parts of the world. The change in environment creates influences that sometime adjust my interactions with others, including nonverbal behaviors. Organized cultures and their communication develop from influences and interactions.

The additional concept that I was very intrigued by was organizational communication. Communication within an organization has a structure based upon its members. In addition, communication within an organization generally has a specific purpose that is estbalished for the benefit of the organization as a whole. The study of organizational communication also provided me an opportunity to evaluate the different mediums in communication and review the use of them in my position at work. Some communication mediums are more often used in specific environments. In addition, the evolution of technology has made less effective mediums in some circustances not as appropriate.

Week Apr 19-25 Discussion 3

Instead of picking a specific concept from the chapter, I wanted to discuss organizational communication generally. We are so often involved in and depend upon organizational communication. For example, any of us who have held a position in a professional office structure have experienced organizational communication. There are levels of management and structures within an office environment that also have structured communication. This form of communication is reflected through different mediums such as e-mails, face-to-face, conference calls, etc.

I have spoken at numerous career days since being a comm major at SJSU. The aspect of my studies that most frequently surface when I talk about the use of my major in the work place is organizational communication. The structure within an office to implement effective communication amongst the staff and more importantly from management to the office. The study of organizational communication is very diverse, and must be understood moving beyond the professional sector. All organizations have a great dependency on communication. The organizations would include universities, non-profit organizations, etc. Moreover, organizational communication also must be recognized as internal and external, and informal and formal.

Week Apr 19-25 Discussion 2

It seems the convenient new technology that we use regularly provides a nuisance in most situations. I have been bothered by cell phone use on numerous occasions and have also witnessed others imposing upon those they are with due to cell phones. When I was younger, I worked at a local retail store. Often times, as I was in the middle of a simple conversation with a customer that I was checking out, we would be interuppted by their cell phone. There are so many people that do not have any etiquette when it comes to using your cell phones in these circumstances. Mid-sentence they would simply disregard everything around them and start a phone conversation the moment it rings.

This same dependency is apparent with call waiting. There are times where I think the use of call waiting is not rude, but there are definitely times that I think it is. For example, one of my girlfirends once called me and was venting emotinoally about something she had recently gone through. I listened to her for over an hour describe everything she was feeling and everything she had done. As I started to respond to her situation, she then interrupted and placed me on hold to answer another call coming in.

It is important for people to be aware of proper etiquette when it comes to cell phone use, pagers and call waiting.

Week 4.19-4.25 Discussion 1

There are a few different distinct ways that organizations are tied to the environment. Often times an organization purpose or growth will directly reflect the environment which surrounds it. Many organizations feed off of the symbolism or recognition of its environment. The relation between the environment and organization is apparent through SJSU. Situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, this organization draws from technology and business growth, as that is what surrounds it. Often, the structure of classrooms or themes in curriculum are drawn from the universities surrounding environment. For example, being situated in the heart of Silicon Valley the students and staff of SJSU must embrace diversity. The city of San Jose is an extremely diverse community. SJSU embraces this through the holidays celebrated on campus, the recognition of diverse world leaders, and the accomodations that the campus provides for all students. In addition, the university has an obligation to represent the environment that it embraces with respect and unbiast faces. Organizations, such as SJSU, have an obligation to allow their organization to be open to all of those in the environment which it is tied to.

Week 6 Discussion 3

I am sure this concept has already been shared, but I needed to write about it and actually tie it in to some of the concepts that were mentioned in comments responding to my blog. The sapir-whorf concept of the foundation or nature of a person's language determines their thoughts. When I responded to the discussion questions about judging a person, I explained how judgement, to me, is a negative term. I received a few responses from others describing that judgement does not have to be taken in a negative context. Throughout my life, I was always taught that judging a person is not right and that you should not judge others. However, many people believe that judging does not have to be a negative thing, if it is done in a politically correct manner. If I were to look at the term judging in the linguistic foundation of my classmates, I would realize that judging can mean simply the same thing as developing an understanding of a person based upon their background.

Imagine this concept amongst different languages. I think of those I may interact with to whom English is a second language. Certain concepts or terms that I share or use in conversation can provide a completely different context for them.

Week 6 Discussion 2

The thought of men and women communicating differently depends on more than just gender. I think it depends on cultural background and upbringing as well. Through my experiences I have noticed that there are a few differences that are presentin the communication style of men and women. Women, generally speaking, have a more accessible sensor. They are able to adjust their tone and reactions more easily than men when interacting with other people. In addition, I think it is often more challenging for women to develop an effective tone to show control, while men may often find a challenge in demostrating emotion in their communication. Although, I do not think this always comes down to gender, but instead the personality and demenaor of the speaker which is oftened shaped by upbringing and cultural background.

Effective characterisics of a speaker in both men and women are not determined just by gender but by other contributing factors. I think it is more effective to look past gender and look at these other contributing factors when evaluating the presence of male and female speakers.

As I thought more about the differences in communication between men and women, I thought about different interactions and circumstances. As an example, I will share some thoughts in regards to parenting. For years there have been studies about different styles of parenting and a major part of parenting is their communication with their children. In most cases, one parent assumes the role of "bad cop" and the other assumes the role of "good cop". I don't necessarily think that gender of the parents plays a major role in who assumes what role, however in traditional homes I do believe that gender can effect the different topics that a parent will be more or less upset about. When I dug deeper and looked a communication of men and women within a family dynamic it was interesting. I would love to hear more thoughts from others on this particularly too.

Week 6 Discussion 1

The term “judgement”, in my opinion, can be a harsh word. I think that we subconsciously always identify a person upon getting to know them. Once we perceive a person, we attempt to understand aspects of their background or lifestyle through their mannerisms, communication style and maybe even their appearance. In most cases my initial perception of a person allows me fine tune my communication style and find a common ground with that person. I think that it may be possible to meet someone and not “judge” them, however to not categorize them to some degree may be more challenging. In most present day interactions, there is extensive diversity which allows an individual to communicate effectively with a person of any background. Therefore, we categorize a person to a certain degree to establish a common ground.

For those who consistently categorize those they communicate with, it is extremely important that any perceptions that they develop about another person are fair and subtle. There is only so much validity that can be present in a perception unless you know a person more than just a simple acquaintance or friend in passing.

Week 5 Discussion 2

When I enrolled in a community involvement class at SJSU, I worked with a gentleman from Sacred Heart who was an extremely influential speaker. He shared a story with us the first day about why he started in the non-profit industry. His speaking style touched on ethos and pathos. He motivated me to get involved. So many people from our class were immediately drawn to him and what he shared. There was an obvious genuity that radiated from all of his thoughts. I will remember that first day of class for a long time. There were so many factors from his speech that made him an inspirational speaker, and drew to me to admire him. He was open, effective, and slow paced. His story that day inspired me to prioritize what is important in life, and to always do what you can to make a difference.

Week 5 Discussion 1

Reading this discussion question, I have to resort back to my former mention of Barack Obama. He is a very influential and powerful speaker that represents the strongest of each of the mentioned characteristics credibility, attractiveness, and power. The ethos that is present in Obama's speaking ability is the foundation of these characteristics. His credibility has been built from the passion that is present with every reaction he imposes. There is an attractiveness that has developed due to his demeanor and emotion. Attrativeness in speech can also develop the ethos in speech. These three characteristics enhance an audience's emotional draw to a speaker, and therefore naturally further build their ethos.

Week 4 Discussion 3

One of the topics from this chapter that I related to the most was Ethnography. For a former class of mine, I wrote a research paper based upon my ethnography. Our class was able to choose the type of research that we wanted to conduct, and I was immediately drawn to ethnography. This provides an individual the opportunity to immerse themselves in the environment of which they are trying to learn more about. A major aspect of ethnogrpahy is observation. I think that this is one of the key ways we can learn about a specific culture. When you are able to observe communication patterns, interactions, and behaviors, you can learn so much about their background and lives.

Week 4 Discussion 2

It is an interesting concept to see communication as a patterned interaction. Although I think this thought is sufficient, most of the times a social interaction comes so naturally that you hardly notice a pattern in communication at all. Within communication you react and respond to anothers thoughts and actions. This makes communication, in my opinion, most similar to almost a game of tennis. One person serves, and the other makes the necessary motion to meet the spot the ball was hit, and two send it back. In communication one person makes a statement, and we adjust our mindset to understand what they are saying, while getting to that point to be able to respond.

On another note, I do not think that communication is dominantly about winning, as a game is. It is about understanding, interaction, and learning about one another and each others thoughts. It is about expression and influence.

Week 4 Discussion 1

Worlds are created through communication when it is used as a source of influence. Think about all of the diversity in our world. Different cultures over time have evolved through the influence of different mediums of communication of other cultures. In addition, relationships develop through communication. Our world can become one when news and tradition is shared through communication. Each of us have the ability to adapt to a different place than we may be used to. To do so, our main tool is communication. We learn to communicate with those in our worlds when we do not even speak the same language. World are created through communication, because relationships are developed and cultures carried on.

Discussion Question #2

I believe that to be an orator you must be morally good. Your words in this role provide guidance an insight for many, and therefore the foundation of your thoughts and insights should be good. However, in public communication, your words can be effective regardless of the goodness in your thoughts. The core of public communication is providing your audience an opportunity to feel connected to words and identify with your stance. The lack of truth, however, in your words can diminish the value of your communication. In regards to public communication, you must have an obvious degree of truth to be truly effective, and although goodness does not have to be present, it provides a more valuable connection to the audience.

Discussion Question #1 Blog Week 1

I have recently found a speaker who genuinely moves me. His tone, poise, and emotion are admirable. Barack Obama has earned the trust and hope of millions of Americans. His power to persuade others mostly stems from pathos and ethos. When speaking, he knows how to draw on the emotional desires of the people. His presence over the past couple of years has provided him the opportunity to establish a liking based upon his knowledge and moral ground, which plays on ethos. In regards to myself, I think that I draw on these same points. I always want to draw my points of persuasion from what an individual can relate with emotionally. In addition, I work to establish ethos. It is much easier for me to persuade others through speaking when they can clearly see my moral stand. I think that overall Barack Obama’s power to persuade fits perfectly within Aristotle’s classification scheme. He is a distinct combination of both ethos and pathos that make him a strong speaker.

Introduction

Hi All,

I am looking forward to this semester and the discussions we will be having. I am avid blogger, so I would love to read different thoughts of intirgue. I currently work full time in real estate, and despite what many may think, it is great! I love what I do and the interaction I have with diverse groups of people everyday. This is my last semester here at San Jose State, as a Communication Studies major, and I am excited to graduate and focus on the next chapter of my life.