Communication Goals

According to the assessments this week, my husband (Brian), my friend (Paula), and I assessed my communication anxiety levels, verbal aggressiveness, and listening styles. 

(My husband, Brian, and I at a soccer game!)

The area of communication anxiety had diverse answers.  My husband grouped me in the low category.  He stated that I was confident and comfortable.  He also said that I act comfortable in a variety of situations.  My friend, Paula, placed me in the mild category.  She stated that I appear as though little rattles me, but she knows from conversations that I get annoyed when interacting with some people that say rude comments about people with special needs or make racial comments.  I placed myself in the moderate category.  This stated that I have situational anxiety.  I would say that this assessment was correct.  I feel comfortable speaking to others in most situations; however, I feel uptight when discussing hot topics for me (such as special education or racial issues).  It annoys me when others make rude comments about people with disabilities or are racist.  I often state that I disagree and tell them why.  However, I have to make an effort to stay in control and not to stoop to their ignorant level by yelling.  My verbal aggressiveness scores were moderate and low.  I have to make an effort to remain calm in these situations. 

My communication goals were: to know my audience, choose the appropriate communication channel, and demonstrate receptive body language. 

Hopefully by improving these skills, I will become an effective communicator. 

Think about the cultural diversity you see in your colleagues at school, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, and also, possibly, within your family. Consider all the aspects that make up culture, including race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, varying abilities, and so on.

My family is very diverse.  Within my family we are blessed to have differing religions, races, political affiliations, sexual orientations, and varying abilities.  My family is very honest with each other.  I think that it is important to treat others with respect.  For example, I like to learn about other cultures.  My professional background is in special education.  I also have a child with special needs.  I have noticed that many people treat him very differently.  He has white matter loss in his brain, developmental delay, speech issues, and has a slower processing speed.  However, when some people talk to him they speak very loudly and slowly to him.  His hearing is fine.  However, personally I have noticed that I use more hand gestures with him and we use many signs.  He responds well with multiple forms of communication.  I also used signs and varying forms of communication while teaching special education as well. 

As for other forms of differences, I try to be open-minded and accepting.  I respect the differences in others.  I think that it is important as a teacher, to learn about personal families and not base your judgement on a generalizations.  For example, I have two brother-in-laws.  One is African-American and one is Caucasian.  When people see a photo of Stan (my sister's husband; he is African-American), they ask if we get along.  I love Stan.  He is an awesome brother-in-law, father to my niece and nephews, husband to my sister, and person.  He watched my oldest son while I taught the first year after he was born.  Not many men would do that.  He is great with my kids.  However, I have never been asked if I get along with my husband's brother (who is Caucasian). 

I do think that I communicate differently when I speak to adults versus children.  I am much more quiet when talking with adults.  I tend to not speak as openly with adults.  I enjoy working with kids and like to listen to them, help them gain skills, and gain life experiences.    I also enjoy working with older individuals.  I like to learn from them.  However, I have noticed that I often use signs with them too.  I am not sure why, but I think is is a subconscious gesture. 

I enjoy differences!  My oldest son, Noah, began to like the band KISS from watching Scooby-Doo.  Noah loves music.  My husband and I only knew the populat songs by that band, but Noah wanted to go to a concert.  We took him to the State Fair (a kid friendly venue) to see KISS.  I would say that I misjudged the other concert-goers.  It made me realize that just because you listen to a certain type of music does not mean much about your personality or home life! 

• Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?
• If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

Communication (Week 2) TV Show!

For this assignment, we had to record a television show that we normally do not watch and watch it without the sound.  We had to use other methods to determine the situational context and their expressions to gather information.  Since my kids are little, I normally do not watch any shows except on Nick Jr. or the Disney channel.  We also watch a lot of Disney or superhero themed shows.  When I do a have few minutes to myself I actually prefer to not have any sound to give my ears a break from the constand sound! 

For the assignment, I chose to watch PTI (Pardon the Interruption) with my husband  on ESPN2.  This show had two commentators that were discussing several events that occured in sports that week.  Without the sound, I thought that the two mean were fighting about a specific play involving Blake Griffin.  There were words on the right hand side that stated what the men were apparently supposed to be discussing.  They showed a clip of Blake Griffin being hit in the head while playing.  One of the men used vivid hand gestures and shook his hand in the emblem stating "no".  The other gentleman shook his head in agreement.  I assumed that they were talking about the foul that occured in which Blake Griffin was awarded two shots.  I thought that they were talking about how the foul was bad.  The second man looked annoyed at the clip.  His brows were furrowed. 

However, when I listened to the same conversation with the sound on, I noticiced that they were discussing Blake Griffin's "flopping" habit and how it is not good acting.  The first man stated that he did think that Blake was fouled but he over reacted.  The other man disagreed with the man and sad that Blake is a constant "flopper".  Obviously, I do not watch a ton of professional basketball so I did not know a lot about the situation. 

I think that if I had been watching a show that I knew well like iCarly (since my son loves it), I would have been able to read their expressions better.  I am familiar with thier body movements and facial expressions.  This familiarity makes it easier to read people more accurately.   

 

The reasons why I do not watch television much!  I love it!  They are my entertainment!

I also watched a show that I hear a lot about that I have never watched.  It had two women and a small child.  They were walking in a big city.  They were walking in close proximety.  They seemed to not be communicating.  One of the women was texting on her phone while the other one was talking to her.  They did not appear to interact with the child.  The next scene showed the women talking to a man.  The man appeared to be asking questions.  One of the women had her arms crossed and appeared annoyed.  The other woman began to cry.  The woman who was not crying did not pat the girl on the leg or offer any type of empathetic gesture.  The man continued to talk.  In the next scene, the woman who was crying entered an apartment.  A man was there.  She laid on the bed by him but they did not hug or kiss.  They appeared to argue and she left the room.  She went into a large closet type room and the other woman entered.  She appeared to be asking the crying woman some questions, but again offered no signs of comfort.  Then the show was over!  I have to admit that I was a bit releaved. 

The show was Kourtney and Kim Take New York.  

In the show, they did not really interact with the baby.  Kourtney held him, but they did not really talk to him.  They met with a medium.  He was asking questions and telling them about social interactions and things he "sees".  Kim begins to cry about the loss of her father and her divorce.  Her sister does not really comfort her at all.  When they arrive at the apartment, Kim sees her husband. You can tell that she does not want to be with him at that point.  She had her arms crossed and rolled her eyes.  She left the room and cried in another room.  Kourtney entered and asked her why she was crying.  Kim explained that there were problems with her marriage. 

I have to admit that I do not like reality television.  A lot of times the behavior annoys me.  A lot of my friends watch reality television and enjoy it. However, it is not for me.  My life does not resemble this at all.  Interesting experience! 

Communication 6165

Blog Week 1 6165

For your blog this week, think of someone (e.g., family member, celebrity, politician, friend, or professor) who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective? Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not?

My Dad and my uncle, Roger. 

On Tuesday of this week, we had the funeral visitation for my uncle.  Since he was a loved individual and was very young, the funeral home was packed with people.  The death of a loved one often makes people uncomfortable and they do not know what to say to the grieving family.  During this time, I listened to my father “chat” with people and make comforting remarks to people.  He is very much aware of the feelings of others and can “read” people well.  He makes good eye contact, is an active listener, and is very honest.  My father is very knowledgeable about numerous topics and people often look to him to advice.  I would definitely wish to model my own communication behaviors after my father.  He relates well to people, is comforting, and he makes people feel that what they have to say is interesting and important to him.  I love talking to my Dad! 

*On a side note, my oldest son had a hard time watching my parents and grandpa cry at the funeral.  I talked to him about why they were sad and I thought that he understood.  At the funeral, he gave my Aunt a hug and told her, “I am sorry for your sad times, but I hear Heaven is a beautiful place”.  I also admire the honesty and youthful approach that my son takes when talking to others.  He is a good boy!