Week 14, Question 3

One part I really liked and know a lot about is competition in small groups. I think in any small group or team friendly competition is a good thing. It is natural for us to want to be the best and get done first so in a group setting having a little fun with who can solve a conflict first would be beneficial. The book talks about how completion is good when trying to assign leadership role and I agree. When you put people up against each other they are going to do whatever they can to get it. An example is on my cheer team when we went to camp all 5 stunt groups had a challenge. We started with a basic stunt and tried to see who could come up with the craziest twist on the original stunt. With every group that went the one after tried to challenge themselves to be better than the last.  With competition group members can see how people deal with pressure and quick thinking decisions. By challenging one and other a group can improve on themselves as well as the whole.

Week 14, Question 2

An example of a time I have used/seen collaborative conflict come into action was when my cheerleading team had been asked to do a halftime show at an important baseketball game the night before. We were in Las Vegas and got a call after our team dinner that we had to do a half time routine. We didn’t even have a full squad with us so we had to mix and match pieces of different routines and take an old cheer mix CD and together we all put in our ideas. We all have our strengths, there isn’t one girl who is amazing at a whole routine. We each took a part that we can put together well and taught it to each other. By working together, all putting in efforts and focusing in on the problem and solution we were able to come up with a flawless half time show. By comparing this style to that of competitive conflict I prefer collaborative conflict way more. It offers a chance for everyone to be heard and have their opinion put in so you work as a team and solve problems as a team. I feel as if the other way makes it so one girl picks how it’s done and it makes team members argue with each other, resulting in more conflict.  

Week 14, Question 1

Forum is a public discussion where the audience participate and everyone has something to say.A panel is when a group of experts discus a problem in a non-formal setting that tries to keep the audiences attention. But this kind involves no interaction with the audience. A colloquium is when a group of people well connected with the topic speaks to an audience and solves a problem. This form ends in some kind of closure and the people talk in a structured kind of way. A symposium is when people talk on different subjects that they are experts on. they are medium length discussions that hopefully end in some sort of discussion that the speaker leads as well.

The kind I like the best is the panel. Sometimes I like to hear what someone has to say and it is best to just listen then to say how I feel or what my opinion is on the topic. I like informal settings because they seem to be more personal because they connect with you as the listener more. They make you feel more like a friend talking then being forced to listen to someone who knows it all.

Week 13, Question 3

I really enjoyed learning about emotional barriers this week. I really think emotional barriers are something I can relate to because I am an emotional person. I always seek advice from others when it comes to making decisions that could affect me emotionally. I don’t like to take risk with my emotions so I play it safe. I tend to push others away from me so I protect my emotions. I rather not ask then ask and be rejected. Our books says, “Creative answers require a willingness to take a chance, to think out loud and risk being wrong…Fear of making a mistake often causes us to limit our creativity. In a sense, we have lost our right to be wrong.” (pg.169) I find this interesting because it is something everyone does, they let their emotions get in the way of their creativity. We have to be willing to challenge what it is we think we are experts and “safe” with in order to make our creativity boundaries larger.

Week 13, Question 2

Five cultural barriers to creativity would be keeping everyone happy, staying true to yourself, not thinking beyond the situation, doing what everyone else says is “the right way” & need for doing something. Ideas like these keeps groups from expanding their grounds and ways of process. It limits what the individual really wants to say and input to the group. Cultural barriers keep a group from growing because they want to do what society says to and does. These barriers are based upon how people and groups are afraid to take chances with the fear of being rejected. They play it safe instead of pushing the limits. But it is pushing the limits that makes a good group better or a group to really stand-out among the rest. I think everyone has experienced cultural barriers at some point. I would say I experience mine when it comes to food. I am a REALLY picky eater and I don’t like to push the limits with different kinds of food. I stick to plain foods rather than trying something new. I think at every one of my favorite restaurants I have the one thing I go in and order every time. (BJ’s-Chicken ceaser salad sandwich, Fridays-chicken fingers, Sandwich Shops-Turkey, mayo, mustard….ect.)

Week 13, Question 1

An example of creativity that I have had to go through is working with kids. Every day they come in in a different mood and wanting different things both emotionally and physically for their day. I run a summer sports camp for little kids as well as coach cheerleading to older high school girls. Both jobs make it so I have to adjust to the kids needs for the day. When the kids are hyper and very active I have to adapt the daily schedule to fit them. If we had a calm, relaxing day of just doing drills and practice, I may have to think creatively so that that day they will do more energy burning activities like conditioning and running their routine. Then there are days they come in and don’t want to do a single thing (just as I come in some days not wanting to be there), these days when we are on opposite schedules of needs I have to change my plan or theirs in order to keep everyone happy. Thinking on your feet is a key tool when you are a coach. This chapter talks about adapting and finding a new way to see the situation at hand. A lot of what I do every day is different than the day before and thinking outside the box when a situation arises.

Week 12, Question 3

I found really interesting (and I am very guilty of doing but now I have answers about it) is other influences of the medium and social presence. In this section of the chapter I learned that since message communication takes longer to write we tend to abbreviate words and expressions. Writing a text or an email requires a lot of multitasking, thinking about what it is you want to say, spelling it out and trying to get it done and sent as soon as you can. We take short cuts when we are able to like using expressions “LOL, OMG, HAHA” to shorten the description of the way we really feel. I also found it interesting how we tend to omit statements that might be assumed. By doing these short cuts we cut the clarity of communication in half. We expect the receiver to understand our words, emotions and reaction all while we short cutted our way through the communication process. It is almost like giving someone who can’t read a book, but it has pictures and expects them to figure out what it means and what the overall mission of the book was. We assume because we painted a picture in their head using words that make sense to us that they will work for everyone else.

Week 12, Question 2

This answer is very simple yet complex, the larger the group the high the success based upon communication. Having more people means more ideas. When using CMC, people are more willing to share their thoughts and ideas openly because they aren’t faced to face with the other members, creating a more safe to speak environment. Larger group size also means bringing in many people of many backgrounds who can really share their individual experiences with each other and have a lot of different views. Diversity creates more topics of communication making a group only get stronger because they have so many ways of doing things. By using CMC, members are more likely to be more about their personal identities and will be able to speak their own opinions. There is less pressure put upon group member so they perform at maximum levels. The more the individuals are able to speak their own opinions the more they are able to feel connected as a whole in the group.

Week 12, Question 1

The way CMC differs from F2F communication is the way it deals directly with technology. CMC can help and has been a great addition to our lives in these days and ages. CMC is communication through technology and programs that have been created to enhance the internet. Applications like facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Myspace and even D2L have helped create an alternate form of communication that makes it so we don’t always have to have face to face communication. Not having the direct communication can be both positive and negative to our growth of the world. We are able to connect with those who 20 years ago we wouldn’t be able to, now we can work with companies and people across nations without leaving our bedrooms. The downside I think would definitely be the interpersonal connection between group members. Being able to see body language and hear things like tone of voice definitely makes a group. Over the internet you don’t get a real read on a person or subject. I understand the time is cut when using CMC but without F2F we lose our ability to connect personally with eachother. CMC is hiding behind a computer screen, F2F is dealing with issues and topics head on, the way we were created to take them on.