Presentations

Over the weekend we met with our new groups. We had a problem involoving Jack in the Box and e-coli. It seemed like we had all the right tools to show that our solution was the correct one. It's funny to see all the questions at the end of a presentation. That's the positive thing about presentations is other classmates can help you. Also, getting into these new groups was very interesting. We had to meet new people all over again and discover each of our roles. The group meetings went great and information was passed along without any troubles. Just shows that you can have a successful group with almost anyone!!

Jeff Lindsay

Group Problem-Solving

The other day I had to sit and watch a group talk about a problem. This problem involved an airline that had an important situation happen to their company. Many customers were very unhappy with their business and the way they handled things. This group was very interested in their problem and very good solutions. Even though this group was just formed a week ago, they still managed to communicate as if they knew everything about one another. They found their main solution quickly and were done discussing within 10 minutes. Getting to know your group members and their roles within the group enables you to conduct a productive meeting.


Jeff Lindsay

Crisis Management in COM 320

I was partnered up with group one to present how we would deal with the racism crisis that escalated with the Texaco Executives slandering their African American employees. Apparently my way of dealing with the crisis was to sell my stocks and not come back.... Truthfully, I was assigned to cover the different aspects of what our public announcements were going to be. To start off the presentation I was going to discuss the policy for our public announcements that was developed during our pre-event planning session. Our public announcements were specifically going to be used to honestly inform the public about the situation and what we were going to do to correct it. This was going to be accomplished with two public announcements given by Texaco executives. The first public announcement was designed to inform the public of the situation prior to any outside sources. This would let the public know what is about to be happening within the company and would provide a direct link from our company to the public informing them of the situation rather than having them hear about it through a middle man. The second public announcement was to provide the public with live statements of remorse from the executives that were involved with the tape. During these statements, the executives would not be admitting guilt for that is to be decided within the court room. After the statements of remorse are made, an executive from Texaco would outline the programs that are being implemented into the plant to help inform the employees of what racial discrimination is and how each person can prevent this from happening.

This is what my presentation was going to be over, until I was abducted by complete exhaustion and was not able to make it to the class on time. I guess I should probably do some pre-event planning for my own life.

James Costner

Blogging is a waste of time and resources in Com 320

Blogging is ineffective at teaching any skills regarding small group communication. Primarily this is true because there is no benchmark to measure success, no instruction, no correction, nothing of any kind to make noticeable changes in ones communication style. Students learn by instruction and then correction. Osmosis can be effective in chemistry but in communication it requires lecture. How can a person objectively grade their own communication skills. They cannot because any reflections that can be hoped to be made are hopelessly distorted. Just as one cannot accurately see the world beyond a mirage so to is personal critique in this subject hopeless. Perhaps a student has some notion of their skills based on successes or failures, but to learn solely from mistakes is unacceptable. Certainly no one tolerates a war being fought, a business being run, or other endeavors by simply blundering around in manors as these. This is precisely why humans have communication in the first place and what separates us from animals. Powerpoint presentations are ok but they lack energy and effectiveness. Dont instruct on the five (insert topic here). College students allready know they exist because they experence them all the time, rather give advice of how to become effective at communicating in small groups. Where are the examples, how to sway skeptics, disarm opposition, prevent failure deal with intimidation when communicating with peers. Where are the suggestions of vocabulary tone and mood. Where is the advice and critiques in posture tamber and etiquette. I have seen only a small fraction of what I expected to receive from a 300 level Com class from Purdue.

Small Groups and Alcohol

This weekend provided me with a good example of group think. On Friday night after I got off of work, I met up with a few friends at a local bar. After about an hour of drinking and throwing around random conversations, a mutual acquaintance walks into the bar. One person in our group is friends with this person, one person absolutely hates this person, and there are a few of us who are undecided. Well with the courage that alcohol brings, the one person who can't stand this person speaks up and the other undecided people join in on this view of the person. Now everyone doesn't like this guy other than the one who is friends with him. Most of us don't have any other reason to not like this guy other than someone else in our group doesn't like him. Unless I have completely misunderstood the concept of group think, this should nail it on the head.

James Costner

Negotiation Method

In class Monday we talked about the method that should be used to resolve group conflicts. The most important of the points raised in this method, I believe, is the emphasis on using objective criteria when resolving a conflict. When people argue they always have a tough time staying objective. I know that sometimes people are so biased going into a conversation that most of the points they raise are so one-sided that nothing is accomplished. I can't even count how many times I've walked away from a conversation frustrated because of this exact thing. I think all groups would be a lot better off if they kept this in mind because it helps facilitate productivity even when a group might not be seeing eye to eye.

Sam Brooks

Problem-Solving

In Wednesday and Friday our group did a very interesting activity. This activity was about picking out the most important things in order to survive. It was very tough trying to decide what items should be our first choice for survival. Everyone thought different items should be picked first. There was only about 10 minutes to decide, so time was not on our side. One of the group members said he already did the activity in the other class, so we all followed his lead. Turned out his answers were wrong and proved that we needed to discuss the problem more in depth before making decisions.


Jeff Lindsay

Boo at the Zoo

Well this group has gotten involved in some philanthropic work this fall so here is a rundown of what is going on

Negotiation

Negotiation was the topic of discussion on Monday and it raised some very good points. I like to think that I'm really good with compromise but a lot of times I sacrifice more than I should to reach that compromise. I normally would rather please the other party to avoid the confrontation if it comes down to it. I think I need to be more assertive when it comes to what I want and what I think is fair. The key thing to remember is that letting the other person have their way for the sole purpose of keeping the peace is not really the best option. A good idea could be passed over just because someone is more passive than they should be. I will try to work on being more assertive when it comes to compromises so that we can reach a solution that truly benefits all parties instead of settling even though it is the easiest route to take.

David Brelage

Group Think

I think I have always experienced the phenomenon of "Group Think" but never really acknowledged it (had a name for it) or thought about it being a hindrance to a group. I think that most of us have been in a situation where they have just gone along with what the majority of the people in their group wanted to do. This is "Group Think" and when team members concede to group think, they are severely handicapping their group. Yes, there are some situations when the status quo doesn't adversely effect a group, but most times it does because it eliminates creativity. Sometimes the person that is afraid to speak up in a group, the one who likes to go with the flow, could have the ideas that would take your group from being a good team to a great team. Something I am thankful for about our group is that no one is afraid to speak their mind. At first, when we were first getting to know each other, this was a bit unnerving, but it has become the strong point of our group. Everyone is heard, and most importantly, all ideas are heard. I have learned since taking this class that you need to avoid "Group Think", even if it is like pulling teeth for you, because avoiding it will help your group down the road.

Sam Brooks

Negotiating

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK5fi8qQC6g

In class on Monday we were discussing how negotiations work, and how position bargaining doesn't work and is a waste of time. This clip is set up in an office in a lecture setting, but the last half demonstrates one example with three different negotiations strategies and shows how negotiations can work and what the outcome can be. The first example out of the three is purely position bargaining and it is demonstrated and explained why this does not work. The second example shows how even when one offers something for trade, if you don't take the dominate position it may not work in your favor. The final example displays how if your position is worded properly, you may achieve the results that you were looking for in the beginning.

James Costner

Blog 2 Negotiating with Roommates

Living with 4 people in one apartment can be very frustrating. Who takes out the trash, who does the dishes, who takes care of the bills, who cleans the living room? These are all questions we have to deal with at least once a month, and still have issues with it. Usually it ends in an argument and nobody cleans the mess. The only thing that gets taken care of is the bills because no one wants bad credit. After class on Monday I learned some solutions that could fix our situation. I discussed with my roommates some ways we can fix the problem and we came up with a rotation on the cleaning. That night we actually all pitched in and cleaned up the apartment. Hopefully this agreement stays or we will have to try another solution.


Jeff Lindsay

Neuclear Decision Group Activity

A number of days after the completion of our in class group activity I began to think more critically about our group. It was clear by then that there was something else occurring in class and perhaps something to be learned from this project besides how to address and resolve conflict. Here is what I have concluded. Although conflict resolution was the main lesson this particular day several others were being taught but what were they?
A series of questions arose from this: firstly what type of leadership style does The Dream Team have, secondly were we susceptible and fall victim to group think, and thirdly what kind of social system is in place in the group regarding individuals. More than probable the dream team at that time had a laissez faire leadership style. As we have read this system rarely stays in this state for long, however I believe it will for the following reasons. All members are seniors,this bring with it a confidence not usually seen in underclassmen. With this comes another advantage age. All members also have had leadership or team experience whether it is in collegiate sports, the military, etc. And finally all of us seem to lack an authoritarian nature and have the bad habit of sever procrastination. This contributes to a group that all members are able to voice their concerns however all are to "lazy" to become a clear leader. Yes the group was guilty of group think. Because this group is a goal oriented group and believes that a quick solution is just a good as one that took considerably longer we had it coming. This is simple to correct. It should have been obvious, due to the fact that we completed our task so soon that we fell victim to group think. Simply modify the decision making process so it must include at least three solutions. Finally what type of group member are each of us. Time will make this clearer. I suppose professor Tan whom was watching the group discussions made some interesting observations.

Social Convergence Theory

As we continue working on and preparing our service learning projects, my mind continues to revert back to something I read earlier this year. The reading I keep revisiting in my mind was that of the social convergence theory. This theory outlines how, over a period of time, a group can develop a collective consciousness. This development of a collective consciousness allows a group to work toward a specific goal in a very efficient manner. After multiple group meetings and a collective effort to keep in contact with each other, I can see some chemistry developing between our team members. There seems to be a good understanding of what everyones abilities are, and each member of the group has settled into a role on our "team". I think that these things will all contribute to successful completion of our project.

Sam Brooks

Neighbors of 321

Well now, this is my first blog of the semester due to the fact that I usually don't pay much attention to class work until later on Sundays. This semester has been fairly interesting as far as small group conflicts go. In com 320 I haven't had any problems with my group, but this is not what this blog is about. My main concern lies with our neighbors and ourselves with our poor communication skills in solving conflicts as a whole. In our house we have 5 people that take residence in the manor, and the neighbors consist of two people. Usually two Fridays a month we host a small party for friends and our designated smoking area is the front porch. The neighbor's house is about 4 feet away and their window is on the side of their house where our porch is. This creates problems with noise and our neighbors' needs for sleep. Instead of communicating the problem at a convenient time for both houses, they tend to wait until the problem occurs. We have taken actions to reduce noise problems and yet the conflict remains unchanged. Now instead of loud music being the problem, normal conversation upsets them during parties and throughout the week. We are now planning to take matters in our own hands to resolve this problem, and concepts from COM 320 will provide some of the bases for civilized negotiations between the two houses in conflict.

James Costner