PRESENTATIONS 3,9, & 10 EXPERIENCE

Maria del Valle Ortuno

PRESENTATIONS 3,9, & 10 EXPERIENCE 

Our first presentations were given in Speech class the other day. This event was significant for a class whose primary goal is to communicate. Despite the fact that it was early and we had some technological challenges, the results were fantastic. Everyone did their best and properly shared some intriguing facts from chapters 3, 9, and 10 of the COMM5 speech communication book. In this blog, I'll discuss what I learned and found fascinating from each of the three groups.

The day began with a presentation by group one on Chapter 3: Intercultural Communication. Despite the fact that it was early in the morning and they had to break the ice by presenting first, group one began with enthusiasm and professionalism. They discussed culture and how important it is to keep it in mind when communicating. I realized that any of us could be talking to someone whose culture is so different from ours that our communication is affected. There is also the chance of culture shock, which occurs when a person experiences discomfort when engaging in a new cultural environment. Furthermore, they demonstrated what a dominant culture is; this is the culture that is held by the majority of empowered people in a society. This struck me as particularly intriguing, especially in today's world. Nowadays, we frequently find ourselves conforming to the expectations of a particular group, in our case white males. Due to these circumstances, other civilizations must support the dominant culture. We learned from the presentation that people come in a wide range of races, languages, genders, sexual orientations, faiths, socioeconomic level, generations, and disabilities. As a result, it is critical to keep them in mind at all times, since just because they are not the majority does not imply we should avoid communicating with them. Group one said that we need learn about and embrace other cultures in order to communicate and share more effectively. 

 

Next up was group two, who presented chapter nine: Communicating in Groups. T his group performed admirably, and I'm not just saying that because it's my group ( maybe I am). Apart from joking, I can say that we communicated really well within the group; the group leaders were on point, and everyone fulfilled their allocated tasks. You could also sense the positive energy in the group and how you always had someone to go to if you needed help. Group two then moved on to discussing the various types of groups. Social groups, for example, are made up of people who really care about each other's well-being and like spending time together; interest groups, on the other hand, are made up of people who join together because they have a shared interest, hobby, or activity – such as a book club. Learning about the various sorts of groups was really beneficial to me because it is critical to understand your roles when working in a group. They also discussed how to be the most effective in a group and the difference and importance of team roles. Group two also mentioned virtual groups, which is a term that we are all very familiar with. They explained five ways to improve virtual group communication, which I thought was really interesting and important given that the majority of classes are now online. These included using the best technologies available and ensuring that all members of the group understand and know how to use those. Also, because you are not seeing the person face to face, developing ground rules and regular opportunities to evaluate the technology and its use are critical. They then discussed the characteristics of a healthy group, which include being formed around a constructive purpose and being distinguished by ethical goals, interdependence, cohesiveness, productive norms, accountability, and synergy. Finally, they mentioned the stages of group development, which are as follows: forming, storming, groupthink, norming, performing, and adjoining. Finally, they addressed group conflict, which I thought was really important for the future because, after all, we are all humans and conflict is natural to occur, so knowing the type and how to resolve and even avoid it is critical. 

 

The third and final group of the day presented chapter 10: Group Leadership and Problem Solving. Even though they had to present the last ones, they still had the energy to give us a great presentation and teach us about a wide range of topics. To begin, they explained how leadership works in groups. To accomplish this, they defined leadership as the process by which an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Additionally, they taught us how to organize efficient meetings, which I believed was really crucial for the future. This is divided into three categories: before the meeting, which includes measures such as preparing and distributing an agenda and handling meeting logistics; after the meeting, which includes steps such as drafting and sharing a meeting summary or minutes, and rebuilding damaged relationships; and finally during the meeting, which includes steps such as keeping focused, asking questions, and taking notes. Further, group three demonstrated the six processes of systematic issue resolution. These are the steps: 1. Identify and define the problem, 2. Analyze the problem, 3. Establish criteria for judging solutions, 4. Generate a slew of options, 5. Evaluate and decide, and 6. Implement and evaluate the agreed-upon solution. I thought this was a great intriguing and necessary skill to master not only for working in groups and communication, but also for dealing with any situation that may arise. Finally, group three showed us how to evaluate group effectiveness using key criteria, which I found really beneficial for a more professional approach to group work. 

Finally, I hope you enjoyed my first experience listening to and presenting in my speech class as much as I did. Even though I believe we can improve, I consider we all did an excellent job. I have to say that I'm shocked by the class's support and positivity, and I'm grateful for it.