End of the Road

Communication Studies Capstone closes out my Communication Studies courses. A journey that I started almost two years ago has finally come to an end. It has been a long and very stressful journey but it has been a very rewarding one. I will now have my Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies.

The knowledge that I have gain in the Communications field has been immense and I am so thankful for that. Before these studies, my knowledge in communications went as far as journalism and mass media communication. I have learned so much that I will be able to apply to my career. This program is responsible for my change in career from Journalism into Public Relations. 

This course itself has opened my eyes to the world of blogging. I have really enjoyed this class. I was a rookie to blogging and I have learned a lot about blogging and communications itself due to the assignments and discussions that we have had. This has been a enjoyable and very educational class. 

Different Perspectives of Communication

Psychological Perspective -  What ways do people's thoughts affect their communication?

What goes on in a person's mind is very important when it comes to communication. If the sender is trying to relay a message to the receiver and the receiver is either deep in thought on something else, distracted, or couldn't understand what was being said to them, the message does not get delivered If it does get delivered, it is not received successfully. This breaks down communication.

Social Constructive Perspective - How do we "build worlds" through communication?

A specific world built through communication is religion. A person who grows up in a religious family and in the church that is the only world they know. The way they communicate to others, especially those that did not grow up with the same influences would be different.You can also see the difference in a person who grows up in the South compared to someone who grew up in the North. They grew up in different around social influences and the ways they communicate are also very different.

Pragmatic Perspective - How is communication like and different from a game?

Communication is very much like a game. It 's the back and forth responses between two people. A person cannot have a conversation with themselves. How the receiver responses to the sender will determine the sender's reply. Communication is different from a game that in a game there is a winner and a loser. Yes, in a debate or argument there may be a winner or loser but this is not the case with every communication situation. Unlike games, there really is no right, wrong, or rules.

Cultural Studies Perspective - What is the goal of a researcher who takes a cultural studies approach?

The goal of a researcher who takes a cultural studies approach is to find out how a particular culture plays a part in the way that culture or a person from that culture communicates. They will not be looking at just how communication happens within a culture but how that culture communicates with others outside of their culture. 

Communications in All Fields

Alison Motluk’s article, “A Tool for the Real World”  points out the need for well-rounded communication skills across all fields.  Every organization has departments within it. You want to be able to have all personnel of the organization be able to communicate with each other clearly. When communication fails due to lack of understanding one another, it can slow down the organization and its projects or tasks. There should be a way to have everyone communicate with each other so that they can be clearly understood.

Motluk uses the examples of scientists. The main problem with scientists is that they spend too much time speaking to people like themselves (Motluck, 2011). It often makes working together more challenging when you are unable to communicate clearly with one another. It is very important to have strong communication skills in any type of organization. I believe that organizations should also coach their members on how to properly communicate effectively with one another. I work for a therapy facility that offers Applied Behavior Analysis therapy to children with Autism. Our Behavior Analysts supervise all the programs for our patients. When our Behavior Analysts start talking their jargon, we on the Operations side often just end up with blank looks on our faces. Jargon is a technical language that only understood by those with specialized occupational training (Kreps, 2011). In our weekly meetings, our COO often asks them to “dumb” it down for those of us who are not involved in treatment.   

Often times in the situation of speaking to someone of such a status as a scientist like in Motluck’s article, some people are a bit intimidated.  I remember when I first started at my work place; I was extremely intimidated by the Behavior Analysts. “Within organizations, a person’s role is likely to impact how she is perceived by others.” (Ananht, 2010). People communicate towards one another depending on how they perceive each other. If some people are intimidated by others, they often avoid communication or have very little communication. It is important to coach on strong communication so that everyone can communicate on the same level and clearly understand one another. 

No matter what organization you are a part of, without strong communication skills, very little will be accomplished. Even in simple transactions, effective communication is critical. A breakdown in communication will make it difficult to complete the transaction. (Kerps, 2011). There is a need for organizations to ensure their members to be able to communicate effectively with one another. Most organization’s members have interdependent relationships; they have to be able to communicate to be able to work together effectively. Without that, no organization can be successful. 

References

Anant, H. (2010). Interpersonal perception within organizations: an exploratory study. IUP Journal of Soft Skill, 4(4), 34-47. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Kreps, G. (2011). Communication in Organizations. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.

Motluck, A. (2011, January 13). A tool kit for the real world. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19969-a-tool-kit-for-the-real-world.html?full=true#.VSx_GPnF_ng

What Makes A Good Blog?

Blog is the newest way for people to share their life, thoughts, and ideas with the world. Many companies use blogging as a way to promote their goods and services. Others use blogging as a networking tool. Building a successful blog is not as easy as most people would think. There are many steps to creating a blog. It is just not about creating and designing a great blog, but the content of the blog has to be just as great as the design of the blog. There are components and elements to designing and developing a successful blog.

The first step to creating a blog is to determine the hosting site of your blog.  There are several blog hosting sites available. Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr are examples of free hosting sites for blogging. Host websites such as Squarespace and Wix are paid host sites. Depending on the purpose and content of your blog, choosing the right hosting site will make a big difference. For example, if your blogging is more towards photography and artwork, Tumblr would be more appropriate and if your blog is more for business then Squarespace would be appropriate (Narayan, 2015).

 

 

“People need a reason to visit your blog, and if you are not writing about anything in particular, it will not attract much of an audience.” (Williams, 2014. p. 24). The topic of the blog is what brings readers to it. The topic of your blog will also help you determine your audience. Knowledge of the target audience will help the blogger in how he or she communicates with their readers. The audience will also determine how often to post and when to post. For example, if a blogger chooses to have a fashion blog, their readers will be expecting daily posts during fashion week. If there isn't anything on there, readers will look to other blogs. 

The design of the blog would need to coincide with the topic in which the blogger has chosen to write about. The design of the blog should also be a reflection of the blogger's personality. When designing the blog, bloggers need to be creative so that their blog will stand out from others. This is where it would work in a blogger’s favor to self host. Self-hosted blogs allows more flexibility and more customization (Williams, 2014). If the blogger chooses an image for their background, they need to ensure that their text will not get lost against the background image. When looking at Ms. Mika’s blog, the background image is of a room with pictures and a television. Because of the many colors in her background image, she chose white as her text color (Esquibel, 2015).

When writing a blog post, bloggers need to keep their language simple. They should not try to use big words nor should their posts be lengthy. Posts should be long enough to inform the reader but not wordy. Bloggers should write as if they are talking to the reader. Laura’s blog posts are informative without being wordy and she utilizes graphics to break up the text so the reader has a break in between reading. She also writes her entries as if she is talking to her reader, she often uses “you” and “your” in her posts (Mattoon, 2015). By writing the blog as if they blogger is speaking to the reader, it keeps the reader engaged.

Images, pictures, and graphics are able to catch readers’ eyes. Using images that match what the topic of the blog posting can help set the tone and help emphasize a point the blogger is trying to get across (Williams, 2014). Bloggers need to keep in mind that images are subject to copy right. Bloggers need to make sure they have permission before they use the picture on their blog. There are stock images that they can use but not all stock images are free. Websites such as, iStockphoto and Shutterstock allows bloggers to access a library of images that they can purchase with credits or pay a subscription to be able to access the library.

These are all components and elements that are required to designing an effective blog. I can see where lacking any of these components can easily make my blog less interesting to readers. Without having thought through a topic of choice of a blog, readers will not know what to expect. Without a great design, I could either lose readers because my blog isn’t catchy enough or if it is too busy, it would be too distracting for readers. Readers do not want to visit a blog that uses complicated language, so it is important that I keep the words I use to simple everyday language. I also need to keep in mind that my posts should not be lengthy and I should write my blog posts as if I am talking to the reader. Right now, my blog posts are not directed to the readers. That is definitely something I can change about my posts.

References

Esquibel, M. (2015) Ms. Mika’s Blog [Web log]. Retrieved from http://msmikaesq.blogspot.com/

Mattoon, L. (2015). Communicating about Communications [Web log]. Retrieved from http://lauracom480.blogspot.com/

Narayan, G. (2015). The Best Places to Start A Blog (Updated 2015 Edition) – Dear Blogger. Retrieved from http://www.dearblogger.org/blogger-or-wordpress-better

Williams, R.N. (2014). How to Blog Made Easy. London, United Kingdom: Flame Tree Publishing. 

Communication is Irreversible

This communication principle states that one should remember once you speak, you cannot take back what had been said. Because of this, you should always think before you speak on how this could affect you in the present as well as in the future.  “Every communication event is likely to have influences on all future communication events.” (Kreps, 2011. p 14).  You have to take in to consideration on how to word what you want to say so that you are able to speak effectively without doing any damage.

This principle is very important in organizational communication. As co-workers, colleagues, and managers you want to ensure that you deliver your message clearly without offending anyone. Whether you get along with someone you work with, you still must respect them professionally. If you speak too quickly, you can damage your work relationship. This can lead to poor teamwork and effect negatively on work. “The messages we send influence future communication as well as the nature of our relationships with others.” (Kreps, 2011. p 14).  If you talk badly to a co-worker this can damage your work relationship and if you ever have to partner with that co-worker, it will be hard to be able to gain trust and accomplish your job.

In organizations that we are a part of, we must remember that we are there for a purpose. To be able to complete our job and do it well, we must put our differences and personal opinions aside and focus on the goal of the organization. Goals cannot be accomplish when work relationships have been damaged due to not thinking before speaking. No matter how you apologize or admit fault, it often is irreparable.

References

Kreps, G. (2011). Communication in Organizations. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. 

Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

In any organization management is tasked with addressing poor performance. In this case study, an employee has not only performed poorly but has received several complaints from both customers and other employees and has displayed confrontational behavior. Management needs to be able to communicate with the employee about the severity of the situation. The ultimatum for the employee is to either improve immediately or the employee will be dismissed. Management will have to communicate this to the employee tactfully and effectively while anticipating that the employee will be confrontational about the situation.

Management’s first step is to consider the approach they would want to take. They anticipate that the employee will be very upset and will lash out, so they need to be prepared to deescalate the situation. Management should make sure to bring into this meeting the notations of each complaint. It is best practice to have that each situation to go over with the employee should he ask. Management should start off by asking the employee how they are doing and if they are happy with their job. Poor performance and confrontational behavior may due to underlying issue.  An organization’s effectiveness relies heavily on how well its members communicate with one another (Kreps, 2011). Assertive communication along with I-statements will show the importance of the address and resolving the issue. By using I- statements, management will be able to let the employee know that they have concerns about his behavior as well. Inform the employee the complaints, severity of the situation, and professionally inform him that if behavior does not change it will lead to dismissal. Management should then allow the employee to explain himself.

The next step is to allow the employee to be heard. Let them be able to explain themselves. If they begin to get hostile, calm them down and allow them to speak again. Let the employee know that he is being heard. Listening is a way to affirm the value and worth of others. (Cahn & Abigail, 2014).  This will help with addressing the issue. Without listening it can lead to the other person becoming defensive since they clearly see you did not hear what they had to say nor do you care about what they had to say. Allowing the employee to share his thoughts and concerns, may also help the manager and the employee reach an agreement.

The last step would be to put together a plan of action. Once the employee has voiced his opinions and concerns, management can help him in starting to improve his behaviors. It also may work the other way, and the employee may realize that the current job may not be the best fit for him. The employee may decide that it is time to depart with the organization. Managers should let their employees know that there is a partnership. Each organization must enable communication in several directions:downward communication, upward communication, horizontal communication, and diagonal communication. (Spaho, K. 2013). Employees should never feel as if they cannot communicate their feedback to their managers. This will also help the situation end peacefully and effectively. 
There will always be situations where management will have to deliver bad news to their members. There is a way and a how to be able to do so effectively. When an employee already has confrontational behaviors, how management handles the situation can either escalate or solve the conflict at hand. By tactfully communicating with the employee, the end result will be favorable. 

References

Cahn, D.D., & Abigail, R.A. (2014). Managing Conflict through Communication (5th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.

Kreps, G. (2011). Communication in Organizations. San Diego, CA: Bridgeport Education.

Spaho, K. (2013). Organizational communication and conflict management. Management, 18(1), 103-118. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. 

Conflict

When most people hear the word “conflict” they automatically think something negative. Negative attitude toward conflict hinders us from learning how to better manage our conflicts. (Cahn & Abigail, 2014).  Rarely people would consider conflict positive. The positive view of conflict sees conflict as an opportunity. (Cahn & Abigail, 2014). Examples of some positive view of conflict is it is an opportunity to discuss issues that otherwise would not be addressed. Another positive opportunity that comes from conflict is civility. It requires that we be honest about our differences and do our best to manage them rather than suppressing them or ignoring them. (Cahn & Abigail, 2014). People should start thinking about conflict in a positive manner. They should look it as an opportunity to be able to get their voice heard. If they are meeting with a manager it may be a chance for them to address some issues that may be affecting everyone as well.

I believe that many people look at conflict as a negative thing is because what leads up to conflict is negative. The causes of conflict are all negative as well. Because they feel this way, they also believe that trying to solve the conflict will also be a negative process. Most seem to reject the idea that interpersonal conflicts, they not realize their attitudes, beliefs, and emotional reactions may have to undergo change as well. (Cahn & Abigail, 2014).  We go in with negative attitudes which also lead to being close minded.

With good conflict management, the involved parties would be able to walk away satisfied and learned effective communication skills. Some skills for great conflict management are listening and analyze the situation. You must be able to analyze the situation and know what is going on before meeting with the conflicting parties. Understand the view of each party. Being a good listener will help you understand where each person is coming from and it shows that you acknowledge them. Knowing that you are being acknowledged during a conflict is very important. The other person feels that you really are there to help.

References 

Cahn, D. D., & Abigail, R. A. (2014). Managing Conflict Through Communication (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Technology has changed the way we communicate and share information. Communication has come a long way since the invention of the telegraph. Alexander Bell would be proud as to how far technology has taken communicating capabilities. Society has gone from calling one another to being able to see one another through the Internet. Someone in the United States can interact with someone in Japan. Teachers in the United States are now able to teach students in another country. The communication possibilities are endless with the constant advancement of media technology. Here are four media technology examples, their purposes, and how they have changed the way society communicates. 

Social Media

Social media networking sites are one of the biggest media technologies that have shaped the way society communicates. Social media sites have taken social connectivity to another level. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have allowed users from all over the world to communicate. However, the con of social media is that they have taken place of actual relationships. As Sponcil and Gitmu (2013) stated, “Social media sites have created new and non-personal ways for people to interact with others.” (p. 2). Rather than friends and families calling to check in on each other, they just log onto Facebook or Twitter to see how their friends or family members are doing.

Smart Phones

Phones have come a long way since and even cell phones today compared to cell phones 15 years ago are very different. No one ever leaves home without it and no matter where the location, someone is always on their smart phone. Today, most people hardly use their smart phones to call another person. Smart phones do not act as actual phones anymore. Society now prefers to text one another, email or even sends video messages. Users are still able to communicate with one another, they are not physically communicating with one another. There is no eye contact and no words are being spoken.

 Email

Email is faster, less expensive, and reduces phone usage (O’Donovan, 1998).  With an email, a person can add as many recipient as the email host would allow in one email. The great thing about emails is that it allows the user to communicate to more than one person. Email also allows rapid responses from recipients. There are no waiting long periods of time for responses from others.  

Instant Messengers

Instant messengers are usually done online or through an application. Users are only able to message other users that are online. Unlike texting on your phone,  there is no need to use your personal phone number, they would just need either your username or be friends with you on a social networking site. Instant messengers are not only just used by the public but they are often used by organizations for internal communication. Instant messenger allows constant and current communication between users. 

Media technology has made the world a little smaller, families and friends a little closer to one another. Social media sites, smart phones, emails, and instant messengers have given society a quicker and more efficient way to communicate with each other. However, that does not come without any cons. It has changed the way society communicates in a negative way as well. Although they have helped society communicate more, it has taken away from actual human interaction. It is to be said that media technologies such as these four have changed the way society communicates. 

References

O'donovan, T. (1998). The impact of information technology on internal communication. Education and Information Technologies, 3(1), 3-26. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1009618920604

Sponcil, M., & Gitimu, P. (2013). Use of social media by college students: Relationship to communication and self-concept. Journal of Technology Research, 4, 1-13. Retrieved from ProQuest. 

Blogging

Purpose

Blogging is a great way to share thoughts, promote ideas and or a business, connect with people who share your same interests, and it is a way for others to post their works. There is a blog for everyone. You can find blogs that talk about fashion, books, movies, and there are even blogs that exist as a diary to the blogger. Blogging allows an outlet for a person's thoughts and feelings with anonymity; it acts as a safe place for many (Boniel-Nissim & Barak, 2013). 

Design and Content

When design a blog, you want to choose a theme that will represent you and your blog. The best way to determine what the design should be, you have to first look at what your content will be. Once you have decided on what you will be blogging about, you will want to ensure that your design will match your content. The design should be creative, different, but not distracting. You want your blog to stand out from other blogs. You want to give readers content that is worth reading, it is good to keep your voice consistent (Williams, 2014). 

Audience

Knowledge of your audience will help you in how you communicate. Write what your readers want to read. You should research other sources on the subject of your choice and look for what it is others are discussing (Williams, 2014). If you continue to engage your readers with the information on your blog, they will continue to come back. If you are not able to pinpoint who your audience is, your blog will not be successful. You want to appeal to your specific audience's interests. Depending on whom your audience, it will also determine how often you will need to post and when to post. For example, if you have a fashion blog your readers will be expecting daily posts during fashion week. If there isn't anything on there, readers will look to other blogs. 

References

Boniel-Nissim, M., & Barak, A. (2013). The therapeutic value of adolescents' blogging about social-emotional difficulties. Psychological Services, 10(3), 333-341. doi:10.1037/a0026664

Williams, R.N. (2014). How to Blog Made Easy. London, United Kingdom: Flame Tree Publishing.