Post 11 : The Organization in Volunteering

From what I have gathered, organizations are collaborations, or functions that involve two or more people that serve to achieve a goal. It is something that you cannot do individually, you have to work together. Organizational communication is the verbal interaction, the sending and receiving of messages, within a particular setting in order to achieve a common goal.

The first example of organizational communication that are to mind was actually my personal experiences volunteering at the Achilles program. The Achilles program is an organization that meets in Central Park a few times a week and assists people with mental and physical disabilities achieve their goal in being able to run and walk, and possibly train for marathons. This organization gives hope and strength to those who struggle with doing activities more than most. The volunteers’ goal is to walk/run/jog with the person we are assigned to and guide them through their activity, giving them encouragement and accommodating them in any way we can. When I volunteered, it took lots and lots of communication. The person I was assigned to and I had to communicate so I could get to know them, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and learn about what accommodations they needed when we would run. This was essential because if I did not communicate properly with them, chances are that they would get hurt while we trained. The overall experience was amazing though because I was able to help people achieve their goals and work towards something they really wanted even though society told them they couldn’t. Most of the people I have trained with ended up running the New York City Marathon and did quite well. I am so proud of them.

Post 13 : Ladies in Power

From this chapter, we have learned that gender communication is the discussions between and about people of all genders. What stuck out to me the most while reading this chapter was the beginning where the author talked about how each gender is depicted, describing their stereotypical gender roles society has given them and the fact that these strict gender roles are still in the mindsets of many. One example that the chapter had given was women and sports, and how unusual it would be for women to play in the eyes of society because athletics are restricted to only men. This also relates top many other hobbies and careers in politics, police work, medicine, etc. However, I believe that society is slowly started to deviate from the normalized gender roles and women are actually finding themselves in power. I mean look at Kamala Harris, she is now the Vice President of the United States. While I believe that women still have ways to go before getting the respect and power we deserve, women are becoming bosses, surgeons, politicians, police officers, etc. I see it more and more every day.

When I think about the rise of “lady power”, I think about one of my favorite shows : Greys Anatomy. I have been watching this show for years and I really enjoy it, and it presents its audience with the idea that women can most definitely be in charge. Most of the women on the show are actually the heads of their department at the hospital they work atL Cardio, Neuro, Pediatrics, General, and Ortho all run by female surgeons. In fact, the chief of surgery is not a man, it is a black women named Miranda Bailey. Greys anatomy inspires me every day because it teaches me that us women can get ahead and actually become superiors to men. Women on this show practically run the hospital and it is amazing to watch. It also shows us women that we can be whatever we want, even if the world has told us that it’s only a mans job. Yes, women can be top notch neurosurgeons or run a hospital.

Grey's Anatomy - Here's to all the women on the frontlines. We see you, we celebrate you, and we thank you 🙏 #IWD2021 #InternationalWomensDay | Facebook

Post 12 : World Culture Day

The main focus on this chapter was intercultural communication, which I define as the communication between people from different cultures that promotes interconnectedness. I believe that intercultural communication and mastering intercultural skills would be beneficial to our society so that there is less division between communities and ethnic groups. If I am being honest, the only time I ever observe intercultural communication anymore is when people go to restaurants that are based on a specific ethnic food group and the waiter is explaining the menu options to the people that wanted to “try it out”. I think Americans tend to stick to their own values and ways of life instead of exploring, accepting foreign language, or open up to new ideas. This is why I admire the elementary school I went to.

In elementary school, we would have something called World Culture Day where families would come with their tables in which they would decorate with streamers in the color of their native flags, plates loaded with traditional dishes from their origin country, while wearing their culturally-accepted clothes. The purpose of this celebration was to embrace each culture and learn about all the different types of traditions and ways of life. The whole day would be students and families visiting each table, expanding their knowledge and tastebuds to new cultures. It was always so much fun, especially because there would not be any class that day. I think that we need more of these celebrations, possibly on the streets like festivals and flee markets do. This would protect and promote the amazing qualities that a variety of cultures have. Below is an example of what one table would look like at the celebrations.

World Culture Day Celebrations At Lancers International School - Best Schools in Gurgaon & Top International Schools | Lancers

Chapter 9 : First Dates

The main focus of this chapter is on interpersonal communication, which is defined as the communication between unique individual, typically to get to know each other more. Examples were given of the relationships usually involved in interpersonal communication such as family, friendships, and romantic partners. When I think about all of the elements of interpersonal communication and getting to know someone, described by the Johari Window as arena, blind spot, facade, and unknown, I immediately thought of a first date. A first date contains almost all of these elements because it contains moments where you learn facts about someone you didn’t know about, self-disclose facts about yourself, slowly open up to this person with more personal details, and build on the knowledge of each other.

I remember my first date and it was really awkward at first. I was shy and it wasn’t easy to come up with things to talk about because you don’t want to say too much too quickly. Thankfully, we went to the movies so we didn’t have to speak. However, afterwards, we went somewhere to eat and that is when we started to really talk. I already knew things about him, he already knew things about me, but we started asking each other questions and it blossomed from there. I think there are certain stages of getting to know someone, and it is a process to eventually get close to them. Y ou cannot become so close on a first date, but it is a great opportunity to get to know someone who wants to get to know you. We went from being shy to admitting things about ourselves we didn’t like to telling each other things we hadn’t told anyone before. It was a fun day and a great example of interpersonal communication.

How to Talk to a Shy Girl (with Pictures) - wikiHow

Chapter #3 Blog : Resting B**ch Face

When we first think about communication, most of us will think about people talking. Talking is known as verbal communication, and while that is a major way humans communicate with one another, nonverbal communication is just as important and useful. Nonverbal communication includes things like body language, facial expressions, hand gestures, clothing, or any other way to communicate other than having a conversation with someone.

The chapter briefly discusses how nonverbal communication can be more difficult to encode than verbal communication, that some forms of nonverbal communication can be misinterpreted or we don’t realize that certain things that we do without realizing can be sending a message to someone.

For example, I intentionally smile at students when they walk into the classroom to make sure they feel welcomed and for them to know that I am a nice person. While it is just a smile, its meaning can be significant. When someone smiles back at me, I feel as if they are telling me that they see that I am friendly and that they are friendly too. A whole conversation can happen with just two smiles. On the other hand, sometimes unintentional nonverbal communication can send the opposite message, even if you did not mean for that to happen. Unintentional nonverbal communication can also send a message as well, according to the chapter. When I had just started high school, I did not make friends so easily. After finally making friends, I find out that they were “hesitant to talk to me” and felt “intimidated”. I was shocked because I think that I am a very nice person. Then they tell me I have “resting b**ch face”. I was like, what in the world is that?

According to Oxford Dictionary, resting b**ch face is “a sullen or scowling expression attributed to or unconsciously adopted by a person when in repose”. So apparently when I was just sitting in class, just relaxing and waiting for class to start, people saw a look on my face that pretty much told everyone to get away from me. So many women on social media and in my friend group have talked about how people had judged them because of how their face looks when they are relaxed and not trying to form any facial expressions. There are memes about it, tweets about it, and there are even scientific studies that prove that resting b**ch face is “real”. Honestly, it makes me mad that I have that “type” of face that unintentionally shows anger and disscontempt because then people don’t want to approach me. I know many women can relate to this and while it may be funny at first, after a while you just want to look peaceful and approachable. I also don’t understand why it is referenced to women. why can’t males have resting b**ch face? I get so annoyed when people tell me that I have it and thought I was a mean person by just looking at me once. My point is while nonverbal communication is useful in sending messages without having to say anything, sometimes you unintentionally communicate nonverbally and it can send a strong message whether you’d like it to or not.

Sally Nixon's illustrations are a celebration of resting bitch face | Metro News

Chapter 2/Post 2 – The Creation of Language

`Have you ever, during elementary or middle school, created a secret language with your best friend? A language that no one would understand besides you two so that the topic of the conversation can be absolutely anything and nobody would know? Well I did, and it was one of the funniest and most entertaining things I thought I could do. The word “hello” was “sherbert” and “how are you” was “flippy floppy flappy”. My best friend Isabelle and I would talk about people right in front off them and laugh about it, and we would talk in our language all day because it was so special to us and hilarious. Like the deaf children in Nicaragua 25 years ago who created their own way of communicating using the gestures that they had used at home, my friend and I had created a new language ourselves. It kept us connected and brought us even closer I think.

I believe that humans, regardless of their conditions and circumstances, can find a way to communicate with one another, just like the Nicaraguan children did. We can move our eyes to direct people, use our hands to gesture, express our emotions with body language, and maybe even sing to get our message across. Whatever it takes, whether it is verbal or nonverbal. In my opinion, a lot would go wrong if we didn’t have language. We wouldn’t know how to express our thoughts to others or not even be able to have thoughts. I can just imagine a group of people just staring at each other not knowing what to do and not knowing anybodies thoughts or intentions. There would be no connections between people because if we cannot express our emotions and feelings, there cannot be any meaningful relationships. Imagine not being able to signal or let someone know on the street that you are in danger because you cannot communicate? How would society establish rules and morals? How would anyone know anything? I think that the world would be completely pointless and full of chaos. My opinion may sound extreme but I think it is the truth. That is the world I picture without language/communication. In Chapter 2, the importance of verbal communication is talked about a lot. This image gives readers other great points as to why it is.

Chapter 4/Post 4 – The Classic Period Vibe

This chapter discussed the Classical Period of Communication, from 500 BCE-400 CE. I had no idea about this time period until I saw the name Socrates. Socrates was indeed a great example of a public speaker, and I know this because freshman year I was in a Classic Literature class where we spoke about him a lot. He was extremely argumentative but very insightful. His main ideology was about ethics, and believed that citizens should focus on justice and being good to one another rather than on economic status and materialistic things. I remember one day, the teacher made us read one of his dialogues, and I was one of the “lucky” ones that had to read it out loud.

How to Get your Shy Students to Talk? Change the Context. - extempore

This image is a pretty close representation of what I looked like in class while reading. I was really shy because it was one of my first classes on campus ever. I wanted to die. I talked low and kept my eyes down at the floor. I am a shy person at times, I can’t help it. Thankfully, none of the kids laughed at me, but the teacher did. The teacher laughed, imagine that. He asked me if that is how Socrates would speak, and I shook my head while my hands were literally shaking. He told me to get into character; “confident speaking, head held high, and assert your message to the audience”.

I forced myself to do this, pretending like I was in my room by myself. I am not an extrovert whatsoever. I projected, made eye contact, and acted like I was in court and winning an argument, which I think sounds like Socrates. My teacher and the class clapped. To this day, I thank that professor and Socrates for helping with my public speaking skills, and it is so ironic that I am learning about him again in a communications class. I think I am more talkative now and a lot more sociable, and I think that experience was a big step for me. It is true, he embodies a lot of the qualities one should have if they want to communicate their ideas to others well. I hope we learn more about him and what communication skills he brought to the table.

The Life and Death of Socrates - A Most Merry and Illustrated History

Blog #1 – Chapter 1 : The Complexity of Communication

My expectations for when I finished reading the first chapter of the WikiBook were that I would gain much more insight on what communication is really about, and I would finally understand the deeper meaning of it I was probably not grasping. After reading the chapter, however, I realized that the study of communication may not be as complicated as it seems. If I am being honest, I feel like the type of people that were being described in the beginning of the chapter; comparing communications with journalism and public speaking. Reading about all of the elements that go into the study of communications like sender, receiver, channel, and message reminded me of journalism class in middle school and learning about who the audience for certain articles were (receivers), who was writing it (sender), what message they were trying to convey (message), and what they send those messages through like an article or video (channels, verbal and nonverbal communication). Going back to what I have learned in my journalism class has helped me understand the concepts talked about in the chapter a bit more.

I think that we all see these concepts on a regular basis. We wave to friends, receive emails from professors, yell at players online who mess up during a game of call of duty whether they can hear you or not, and talking with a friend about a problem you are having at home face to face. We communicate every day, whether it is verbal or nonverbal, or if we are just talking to a television (in which we act as senders and receivers) or to a friend.

While I felt that the material was somewhat familiar, I did come to a conclusion after reading the chapter. Communication is extremely complex in terms of how many ways there are to communicate, and not even my experience in journalism class could help me understand this. There are so many ways you can send a message: through dance, song, writing, facial expressions, hand gestures, noises, behaviors, etc. I cannot imagine how many ways there are to communicate something, even simple things like saying hello. Communication is indeed “limitless’ as the chapter describes. There is an endless amount of ways to communicate something, and its remarkable how people can actually understand the message regardless of how you do it based on their experiences with the way they or their community communicates. That is something I would like to learn more about in this class, how we can infer what messages are being conveyed through different types of communication because of our past experiences with people.

Many Ways to Communicate – AAC Community