Michael Arango Presentation Experience

 Group 1 Chapter 3 Experience

I really enjoyed Group 1’s presentation on intercultural communication. Every speaker brought plenty of useful information and personal experiences that helped illustrate how forms of communication can vary between different cultures. Blephca explained well how these forms of communication can clash and cause misunderstandings between people of different cultures, and that this occurs in both verbal and nonverbal communications. I enjoyed all the different examples that were provided in the video she showed. 

Claudia brought some great examples that helped me understand how certain elements of our cultures can change how we live in and view the world. I found it very interesting how many cultures have different methods of taking care of their babies based on what their beliefs considered to be dangerous, such as spirits or impure surfaces. The video about differences in Hispanic cooking was a great way to illustrate these points as food is something that we all take part in but experience in many different ways based on our culture. I find that the best way to familiarize ourselves with a new culture is experiencing their cuisine.

The explanation of what traits can determine the co-cultures we are a part of was very detailed and taught me that we take part in many groups that can be overt or subtle in the traits they are defined by. I can identify many groups that I belong to based on my age, race, and gender. I can communicate and work with people and groups that grew up using similar technologies to me and I hold values that are based in Cuban culture due to the family I was raised in. Nomy’s description of the issues children with disabilities experience was very helpful to show how people still try to live their lives despite the traits they are born with and that we shouldn’t let those things define us and control what we can do. 

I was very interested in the following section because it broke down how our culture can determine how we handle certain situations in our lives. The differences between individualistic cultures and collectivist cultures can cause a divide in how a group makes decisions and works towards its goals. Some cultures focus on context outside of verbal communication to make their points while others value speaking their thoughts and being upfront about issues. I have seen this both ways based on the area I’m in and the group I am communicating with. I am more inclined to low context communication because I have trouble with nonverbal gestures and have to make a greater effort to read those messages in certain situations. I’ve also seen how masculine and feminine roles define my culture and these expectations still remain in my current generation. 

The following section explaining the barriers that can get in between people of different cultures was very well informed and I was able to see how these can come up in many places. I have experienced these many times while traveling to different countries. My first time traveling to a new country, I was quickly overwhelmed with the barriers of communication and language that made it hard for me to just get a meal. This along with the anxiety of worrying how to handle the different customs and norms made it very frustrating and it took some time for me to feel more comfortable with going to an unfamiliar location. I learned that I had to do more research ahead of time so I could be prepared to communicate with people in a different culture. This let me feel more comfortable talking to people and helped me experience more parts of different places and cultures. Removing any assumptions of a culture and entering with an open mind are very helpful in breaking these barriers.

Group 1 made great use of visuals and diagrams to demonstrate their points and I was able to follow along very easily. They had many useful examples that helped make certain concepts easier to understand. I appreciated them ending with the message that we shouldn’t let these differences keep us from coming together and that everyone should be working together towards a better future.

Group 2 Chapter 9 Experience

My experience working on the presentation was very unique for two reasons. I had never taken the role of a leader or organizer in a group and had to learn how to be more proactive with communications so nobody was out of the loop on what the task was. I also never had to teach material to another group which changed how I absorbed and reworked the content from this chapter. 

I enjoyed learning about how many different types of groups there are and what kinds of communication take place in them. Group communication is something that I have less experience with and this chapter helped me see how many requirements there are for a group to work effectively. This is something I think is useful for my position since I have to communicate with a larger group for my assignments. I know I have to work cooperatively with my group members and help keep people on track with our tasks. 

I believe that having to prepare the information of this chapter to present it helped make sure I was learning the content and so I can explain it to somebody else. Finding a clear way to present this information while also creating new examples that supported the points of the chapter allowed me to understand it more clearly. I will definitely put this method to use when I’m studying other subjects.

Group 3 Chapter 10 Experience

Group 3 gave a very detailed presentation explaining all the nuances of effective group leadership. I always considered the position of leadership to be a single person’s job, but it makes sense that a team is a combined effort of all members making decisions for the entire group. All members share a responsibility to keep the group focused on their goals and maintain effective group dynamics.

Their presentation had excellent visual aides to demonstrate all their concepts. Their visual theme was very consistent and professional and made all the information feel cohesive. I will make sure to focus on deciding a theme for my presentation that embodies the theme of the content.