Sunday, March 24, 2013

Generation Y



         The generation I belong to would be "Generation Y."  That is being born between 1977 to 1998.  This generation understand a lot more about technology because they grew up in this environment.  Technology has always been part of their life, and the people in this generation probably would have a hard time without it.  They prefer to using online sources to learn, and taking online courses.  The primary source of communication is through technology, for example text messages. This generation is also more creative at solving problems.

         "Generation Y" people are individualistic, creative, and they like to write their own rules.  They work well in a team, and they strive for balance in their work and life.  They value in achievement and are confident in their ability to get things done within their time period.  

         This generation is most ethnically diverse generation ever.  More Hispanics and Asians along with other ethnics are growing.  The perceptions of other ethnics are changing also.  Generation Y is more open to accepting other diverse backgrounds and beliefs.  

         There has been lots of violence around the world that occurred.  The world is more concerned about violence now, and more cautious.  Since the attack on 9/11, and terrorism attacks, and school shootings people globally are taking violence more serious.  

Friday, March 15, 2013

Group Skills


Skills I can help with in a group

1.  Organize:  I like organizing the things I do, and writing the plans down so I know exactly when and where it is.  I like to plan ahead of time to make sure there is enough time to get things done.  

2.  Active listening:  I know it's hard to listen to what others have to say.  I am a person with little words, and I don't like to cut out others.  I listen to what others have to say, and I take their opinions into consideration.  

3.  Leadership:  I may not be a person who can speak their mind all the time, but I know the limits.  I want everyone to give out their ideas, and I will listen to what others have to say.  I do not make all the decisions on my own.  When it comes down to the team, it's all about team work.  

Proposed conduct:
What I think would be a great idea is everyone updates each other, whether it's through email, text, phone calls, or meet ups.  Have a day and a specific time that everyone must update.  Even if you don't have anything, at least let the group know.  This way we all will know how much work we got done, and what we still need to do.

My Conflict Rankings:
  1. Collaborate:  15                
  2. Competition      9 
  3. Compromise      13
  4. Accommodate   13 
  5. Avoidance    12
In a way I do think this is true, but then again it depends on the situation of the conflict.  Most of the time in a conflict I want everyone to cooperate, and agree.  I don't like to see the other people lose, but neither do I want to lose.  I like to look for a solution that will make everyone happy, but it is the hardest to do also.  It's hard for everyone to agree on one thing I know that, but I like to make it fair.  

Friday, March 8, 2013

Conflicts!

Describe a time in which you suppressed or censored your feelings in a conflict. Why did you decide to do so? What was the result? Next, describe a time when you decided to express your feelings in a conflict. Why did you decide to speak up? What were the results? Where you able to resolve the conflict? If so, how? You may want to consider utilzing some of the terms on conflict in your answers (pg. 226-233).


    I am a person who don't like conflicts.  I don't like arguments because it never goes anywhere.  


   One time that I suppressed my feelings in a conflict was with a person I knew.  She always want everything her way.  One day we decided to meet each other and do a cook out.  All the cooking was my ideas and recipes, she was just simply there to help me prep.  At first she would just let me do what I had to do, but then as I started cooking, I keep hearing her say to the other people, "Is it going to be good?"  She kept coming to me telling me to do this and do that.  She would tell me to not do this and not do that. Just ordering me around telling me how to cook my things.  Of course I respected her, so I didn't say anything.  All I kept saying was it was going to be ok.  I was trying so hard to show assertiveness in this conflict.  I could hear her blabbing her mouth saying that what I am doing is wrong, and it's weird, and it's not right.  I just began to ignored her, and thought to myself to just get it over with, and be out of here.  I decided to not say anything because she was older than me, and people respect her.  I didn't want to get into arguments with her, because I knew it would just be embarrassing.  


    The time that I did express my feelings in the conflict did not turn out well.  Even though I spoke the truth, the other person just couldn't handle it.  This kind of conflict are what they call flames.  Online insults. I don't like online insults because it's pointless.  That's why I never cared to express my feelings on it.  This time I had to because it was people who were really close to me.  It was also an interpersonal conflict.     A conflict with two or more people.  I thought I could let them know what I thought, since we were so close.  They always say things to me that are inappropriate,  and I don't say anything back.  Of course when expressing your feelings online, it's harder to tell what the other person's really feeling because you can't hear their tone of voice.  It seem through words that one of them was expressing aggressive feelings towards me.  They both said I never want to hang out with them, and just said I was making excuses.  It was only this one time that I had made an excuse not to hang out with them.  It's a legit excuse too.  I didn't want to get into argument over something like this, but I had to tell them what I thought is the truth.  So I had to tell them that it's not true, and every time we get together I do hang out with them, so if that's what they think than they can go ahead and think however they like to.  One just kept messaging back to me, saying that I was getting mad, and that I shouldn't be like that.  She said I was putting words in her mouth.  I typed back to her to exact words that she wrote to me.  Afterwards, she said that the conversation was getting too out of hands, and she was not going to be in it anymore.  She left.  The other person wrote back, and said she was just joking, and apologized.  The one that apologized to me, we didn't have any thing else to worry about.  The other one who just left, she and I never resolved it.  We just don't talk about it anymore.  So did we resolve it?  I don't know.       

Friday, March 1, 2013

Listening?

In your essay, first describe what the main message of Julian Treasure’s video was. Do you agree or disagree with his main message? Next, try one of the 5 exercises that Juilian Treasure suggests to improve your listening. Describe for your blog audience which exercise you tried and the results. What did you hear? What happened? How do you think these exercise(s) could improve your life and your ability to listen?

       The main message of this video is that we should listen to the physical world around us, and connect with it to fully be living.  Listening is a skill  we need to learn to live in peace.  After I watched this video, yes I think I do agree with it.  We live in a world of multitasking, and we are so busy, and so is everyone around us.  We just rush through everything, and we don't take the time to listen to our situations.  Yes, like in the video maybe that's why there are fights, and wars.  One of the exercises I did was the acronym exercise.  I applied RASA to the exercise.  Receive, appreciate, summarize, and ask.  First of all, I had my husband sit down with me, and talk to me about how he felt about kickboxing, and what plans he had.  My husband likes kickboxing, and MMA fights.  I sat down with him, and we shut off everything around us, and had our kids play in their rooms.  I followed the steps in the RASA exercise.  When he talked I paid attention, and I would make sounds like "uh huh" or "hmm" or "oh ok".  When he would say something I wanted to go more in depth with, I would say "so" and "by the way".  Whenever I was lost or confused I would always ask him questions.  There were times when I wasn't listening, I would bug in about something else, and he would forget what he was going to say.  We would try to get back on track.  I heard a lot of kickboxing noises as he mimics the moves he showed me.  We carried a pretty good conversation through this listening exercise.  I think these exercise would help a lot to improve my life.  If we actively listen, I think we could understand each other more.  It will make life easier.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Artifactual Communication


What meaning do you think the artifact is supposed to express? What do you think this artifact illustrates about the potential buyer’s identity or personality? Which demographic groups do you think this artifact will appeal to? Examine the advertisement carefully for the other nonverbal communication systems being used by the advertiser (body type, age, gender, posture, gestures, color, touch, spatial relations, facial expressions, etc.). Identify and discuss the advertiser’s use of some these nonverbal systems to sell her/his product. What is advertiser trying to make the viewer (reader) think? How do you know? 


         The meaning I think this artifact is supposed to express is happiness, and satisfaction.  The colorfulness of this artifact expresses a new experience.  I think this artifact illustrates about the buyer's identity as someone with confidence in life, and knows where they what route they're taking.  The personality of the buyer is bright, forward, and down to earth looking for something to express their personality.  This might just be the perfect item for them to illustrate their identity and personality.  The demographic group that I think this artifact will appeal to is women.  Looking at this photo, since she looks younger, maybe in her late 20's, it will most appear to younger women.  It's attractive, and fashion all together in one package for younger women.  This woman in the picture has a positive gesture, and posture.  Her facial expressions definitely shows confidence and happiness.  The color of this artifact is so colorful that it grabs the eyes.  The advertiser is trying to make the viewers think that perfection along with confidentiality all comes in this package.  They are trying to make them think that this artifact will surely satisfy the viewer.  I know that because the woman in here shows how good it looks, and how happy she is to wear this piece of artifact.  The way she shows off the matching earrings and necklace to attract her audience.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Do you speak American?

What information did you find interesting in the article you chose? Why? What did you learn that you did not previously know? What information did you find fascinating and wanted to learn more about? Finally, how will you use this new information in the future? Where? How?      

            The article I read on Sez Who? is called "Like, Quote Me."  Surprisingly, it was a very good article.  I thought it was going to be a bored, long article that I probably will not be interested in.  It had many interesting things about it.  One of the information I thought was interesting is that I didn't noticed the word, like, was such a popular part of English grammar.   It's funny, because after reading this article, I realize that it just may be true.  It was interesting for me, because I never realized that I may just be one of those people that uses the word, like, a lot.  I may never even catch myself doing it.  
            What I learned that I didn't know before is that the word, like, can surely put out many different meanings to a conversation.  The information I found fascinating, and wanted to learn about was where it originally came from, and who came up with it.  I mean, in the article it did say that probably in the 1970's or maybe earlier people started using like quotative.  I actually want to know more from where it came from.  In the future, I would use this information to help determine my conversations, and to use it to better my conversations.  For example, instead of saying:

           He was like, "I am so going to quit my job tomorrow."  - In this sentence, it sounds like I am saying it from what I think his attitude was.

I could say:

         He said, "I am so going to quit my job tomorrow."  -In this sentence, it sounds like it's the exact word he said, or what I heard what he said.

This is how I would use this information in the future.  



Friday, February 8, 2013

Stereotype!

First, define the term stereotype (in your own words). Then answer the following questions in your blog posting. How are you most likely to be stereotyped? What characteristics of the stereotype would be generally true about you? What characteristics would be completely untrue? What does this tell you about the role of stereotyping in communicating with others? Finally, why are stereotypes harmful? How can stereotypes be helpful to humans? 

         Stereotype is when you categorized a group of people, place, or event.  When I meet people, they tend to ask me where I am from, and what is my ethnicity.  Sometimes, people make prejudice stereotypes, and sometimes they make good ones.  I would most likely to be stereotyped as not a fluent English speaker, or that I don't understand English.  Especially if they know I am not born in the United States.  Other stereotypes I've heard about me are that I am quiet, shy, and I keep to myself.  There has been some I consider to be prejudice stereotypes about me.  I don't think about it, because I don't want it to linger in my life.  One negative stereotype I had once was, how are OUR men like?  Someone once asked me that.  To me, men are all the same.  
        The characteristics that are generally true about me are that I am a shy person, and I am quiet at times.  I do keep to myself, if you are a stranger.  The characteristics that are not true about me is that I don't speak English fluently, and that I don't understand English.  It's funny, because whenever a nurse calls me from the hospital about my kid's they usually have an interpreter.  I don't say anything, because I don't want to be rude.  Sometimes the way the interpreter interprets to me makes it more confusing.  This tells me that the role of stereotyping in communicating with others is important.  Especially when you are dealing with some of another culture or gender.  Some people don't know how to separate fact from inferences.  Sometimes they just assume things to be what they think it is.  
       Stereotypes are harmful because our world is so diverse now that there are so many different kind of people.  Everyone is different.  If you don't know about a culture, and you communicate in the wrong way, it could lead to big problems.  It can be helpful to humans because we can all learn to appreciate each other.  We can learn about others before stereotyping.  Maybe stereotype can help us learn more about each other.