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.