ANOTHER FINISHED LINE...

CONGRATULATIONS ON ANOTHER FINISHED LINE,...

Almost There, so More Grace...

For every one who has enabled me to learn, Praise-El children say:

                                                                             

And I also say:

ADJOURNING....an essential stage of TEAMWORK

Research shows that as a group progresses, it goes through five specific stages which are: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning ( O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012). All stages are vital and have their indelible impression on the lifespan of the group. The adjourning stage is exceptionally a cumulative, evaluation, celebration and soul stage of the work. I use all of these adjectives because the adjourning stage is usually characterized by these descriptions. 

Praise, the Youth Coerper

I remember my stay in what we call Family House. The family House is a building that houses a  body of transiting christian youth corpers. My country has a policy that enables every first degree fresh graduates to socialize, encounter work experience and have diversity exposure in various locations of the country. A national body sends a list to each university of where every final year student should be headed upon completion of their program. Most posting sends people to locations that are distant and unfamiliar. You are required to serve the nation for one year in that location. The goal is to enable the spirit of service, patriotism, and work culture in fresh graduates. 

Youth Corpers

It begins with one month of camping for everyone. And usually the outgoing set meets with the incoming group in each state and they take off from there. The family house is a house that welcomes those who were Christians on campus and those who choose to join them. Usually, accommodation, after the one month camping is tough as you have to fend for yourself, but the Family house, a body of Christians, uses the opportunity to reach out to people. Somehow, I had accommodation provision from a family friend but had to go and stay in the family house because I was appointed the welfare secretary when the new leadership team was appointed. 

The family house residents went to our various places of posting for work daily, such as schools as youth corper teachers, and other offices that chose to welcome corpers. We always began our day communally with prayers, sharing the word from the bible and we had a great time fellowship-ping. We made a general meal daily, also have evening devotions before we went to sleep. We had chores and duties. We did community cleaning more rigorously at weekends and we also cook twice daily at weekends. 

We had goals and collective projects such as improving the building  that housed us ( it was an uncompleted building, being built by these ordinary corpers and each set contributes), rural evangelism, annual concert and national conference. We all participated accordingly and spirits were always high in family house. We were young school leavers with great prospects in the face of economic hardships, so the leadership usually focuses on faith, resilience, righteousness, diligence and such values during exhortations. We did form, I was not cognizant of the storming stage but it occurred here and there. We met established norms which we had to imbibe, and they were pleasant and helped the communal living. Family house was fun, we were family.

At the end of our service period, emotions welled up, A lot of us were already so bonded, some were engaged to be married, some have already secured good jobs with credible established companies, and some were yet to have anything at all. We encouraged ourselves as we had been doing. We had a party with awards and  recognition of contributors. This is a norm that every set must undergo. We were very emotional as we were to part with each other.

It was hard to part because we had become a family. It was a mixed feeling. Yes a stage of our lives which we all at one time longed for has just been accomplished. Well then, how about the new family we had formed, It was not very exciting separating. We had to say goodbye and we tried to keep important contacts ( Abudi, 2009). 

The adjourning stage of the teamwork is essential because it reveals the true nature of the team spirit of the team that has existed.  It is like examining the emotional social and physical well being of the group.



Reference:
Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York:                                              Bedford/St. Martin's

Strategies For Conflict Resolution

"Conflict comes about from differences - in needs, values and motivations. Also, conflict is not a problem in itself - it is what we do with it that counts"( Conflict Resolution Network.).

I understand the place of relationship with families and I love to maintain good relationships with the families that we serve in our school. Because I have been privy to some families',  needs and sometimes, I am considered a confidant. Lately, one of the parents that we serve and who enjoys coming around withdrew conspicuously. I attempted to reach her and I felt like I was hitting a wall because she did not seem to budge. Last week, as I read through the resources for the week, I resolved to confront any issue that may be stifling our relationship. I did this based on our very good rapport before now, we were like families. On that note, I invited her for a dialogue and I was shocked at what she revealed as her reason for withdrawing. She referred to something I said that I was not even aware of that put her off to that extent.   

"A relationship operates like savings in the bank; whenever an issue arises, the parties can dip into their account of goodwill to help deal with it. Often not a discrete activity, bridge-building takes place all around us, sometimes without us even perceiving it" ( the third side) .

On dealing with the issue which began with discovering what was the reason for the withdrawal. There was no way I would have known what the issue was if we had not talked with each other.  The strategy I employed today is known as negociation.
"Negotiation, sometimes called “direct” or “unassisted” negotiation, refers to any dialogue involving two or more people in an effort to resolve a dispute or reach an agreement" (Association for Conflict Resolution). At the end of the day, i expressed my need for friendship and she expressed her need for  emotional support.
We both decided to put the past behind and forge ahead. We arrived at a solution that fully satisfied both sides of the issue, in a win-win manner. References
http://www.acrnet.org/Page.aspx?id=691

http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3

http://www.thirdside.org/roles.cfm

EVALUATING MY COMMUNICATION SKILLS

My communication self assessment outcome was exciting to me because of the nature  of the test. It was fascinating to me to not be sure of the category we will eventually arrive as i answered the questions as sincerely as I could. My communication anxiety level recorded low, my verbal aggressiveness scale recorded moderate and my listening profile style recorded me as one who is "people oriented". As I saw each outcome, I sought for what I could do to make a better target for myself from wherever I currently may have found myself.

Amazingly, the two people whom I asked to assess me are my husband and my secretary. The two of them scored me on the same category in all three communication areas. But much more interesting is that they did not differ from the categories that my self assessment placed me.

 The interesting disparity amongst all three of us comes in degrees within the level for both communication anxiety and verbal aggression levels. My self assessment revealed that my communication anxiety is on 31, my husbands' revealed 30 and my secretary revealed 26. The verbal aggression places me on 61 in my self evaluation, 62 in my husband's and 66 in my staff's.

What I think I of the disparity in comparison to what I have learned in this course, I think understanding culture dimensions in communication came to play. Enculturation in particular is my explanation. Enculturation is the process of transmitting a group's culture from one generation to another. Husbands are well respected in my social context ( Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, 2011).  It is obvious that I can only be viewed as less aggressive with my husband and more, with my secretary; also my husband thinks I have a little bit of communication  anxiety and my secretary thinks I have much more less anxiety. Worthy of note is that my self evaluation came midway of the other two people.

This week's evaluation makes me realize that I am not far from who I think I am in comparison to who I am viewed as. Also, that effective communication is much more that what we say.

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
  
Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

• "Communication Anxiety Inventory
   
• "Verbal Aggressiveness Scale"  
• Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.
  
  "Listening Styles Profile-16"
  • 
    

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE

There is a saying I've heard since I was a kid. It says...       'When in Rome, behave like the Romans'

My living environment may have diversity because most modern societies now are diverse in some sort or the other. Moreover, I have learned that even I as a social entity am diverse in variety of ways; and even my family is diverse from those with whom it has close similarities in terms of common nationality, ethnic background, religion, political affiliation and social status. However, the kind of diversity I am experiencing is vastly different from the ones I have come across in my on line studies' resources and materials and classroom. This is simply because, the United States is a country made up of several nationals.

Back to my locality, I find myself communicating differently with people of different groups. It almost comes naturally, its like an intrinsic intention to ensure that you are understood and it is born out of an assumed understanding of what gets across these group of people. 

The ability to behave appropriately based on knowledge  about the other plus an intrinsic motivation is known as intercultural communication competence (Beebe,Beebe, & Redmond, 2011).

Competent Intercultural Communication: 

I may be a director, but I do a kind of routine class visit every now and then. when I go into the day care class which comprise of children between age 1 and 2, I have a communication style that enables me get connect with them, otherwise, I would feel awful and afraid if they don't respond to me ordinarily ( they are capable of that when they are not used to you). I usually come in with a captivating familiar rhyme. I come in acting the rhymes the way their teachers and care givers would act it. I get on the mat and I become like one of them. They are usually very passive at the beginning. I just continue linking one rhyme to the other and before long, some of them begin to respond. Eventually, they all start participating and eventually, we all have great fun learning time. In this communication, we engage a lot of high context cultural behaviors when we act out the rhymes with ourselves and we all understand. sometimes I am crawling on my furs and they can tell where I am going. Some other times, I just chant... This way, la...la....la, ..... and they can tell its outdoor time. They love it outdoor a lot!

Every one gets on their fore in search of our little missing dog.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITY.

 










Another instance that I remember was when I went to Asia for a brief holiday, U.A.E to be precise, I found myself adapting my English language to suit what I was hearing them speak. They had this intonation which is not what I am used to using in my country, but I found myself adjusting my speech because I want to be understood, otherwise I would give them a tough time understanding me and I do not like to get into such situations. I always want to be understood and I think most humans do.

Creating A Third Culture 

My husband & I are from different ethnic group with their unique various cultures. As time has evolved, we have had to generate a 3rd culture which is what my own family now operates. It is like a blend of both  backgrounds, at least the aspects we both admire, like the respectful nature of the Yorubas and the expressive bold nature of the Ijaws. 

View in addition pls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrJTf97Ev8o


Reference
Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

THE FEATURES OF NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION

 

I was not a regular with TV shows or programs before I started my Walden program, but Walden program has made time for entertainment even stricter. I chose to look at a Nigerian movie so that I can contribute our kind of context to the class. Its about 2 hours home video, but I just caught in on a brief period, 3 scenes to be precise.

Movie seen with sounds turned off.
Scene 1: Three young females sat down playing a local game and suddenly a car arrives in the horizon and all three of them ran to receive the passengers which happened to be a young man and a young woman. They all showed excitement on their face and the swiftness of their movement. All five of them walked back a short distance to the house. The compound had a man who sat down and and conversed with them all and a woman also came in from within the house and joined the conversation. They were all happy, and these was depicted by their grins, laughters and eye contacts. The car passengers brought some gifts and cash for the residents, especially the seeming papa  and mama figures after which they left.

Scene 2: Two young men came visiting. The elderly Man is always seated, while the elderly woman comes in to meet the conversation. This time, the atmosphere seem tense. The elderly woman seem to dictate what happens. She kept talking and one of the young females was very displeased and offended as expressed by her countenance. The two young men eventually left. The elderly woman acted as though to hurry them away.  

Scene 3: The unhappy and offended young woman, is seen expressing her disgust at the two elderly people. She seem dissatisfied that the young men had been hurried away. 

My Interpretation of the Scenes:
The elderly man and woman are the parents of the younger women and the relationship is in scene 1 is cordial, but scene 2 & 3 are non cordial.

What they are feeling in scene 1 is happiness, family togetherness, while scene 2 revealed contrary. Scene 2 seem to depict that the elderly woman is in charge.

 Movie  Scenes with voicing confirmed that they are a family but revealed that the father figure is blind. For the first scene, I was not sure if the young man or the young woman that arrived in the car is a member of the family that was visited. I just knew one of them was. It would have been clearer if I heard the conversations.

For the second scene, I was also unsure what the bone of contention was, I assumed, it could be business or  relationship issue. Again, the voicing would have made it clearer. At the end, I could tell the elderly woman, being the mother is dictating to her daughters the kind of dates she approves for them.

If it were a show that I knew well, maybe, it would have been more predictable.

This week, one of the things that I learned about non verbal communication is that it could be ambiguous. One can imagine he knows what is said only to find out that he/she may be completely wrong because the situational context is what determines the interpretation of behaviors (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012).
Secondly, my accurate guesses like happy and cordial versus unhappy and non cordial atmosphere were strengthened by the fact what I saw beyond what I heard is one of the things non verbals do, they reinforce verbal messages.


Reference
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

MEET A COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR

I met an instructor on-line that I will never forget because she both impacted and inspired me. I will like to hold back her name because I met her in the course of my studies with Walden but for a more coherent reading, let's call her Dr. K.

My experience with Dr K was so intriguing because I felt like giving her Hugs of Gratitude and appreciation after each grading. Being a first time online student at graduate level was not funny because a lot of things were completely strange and I was without understanding. Dr.K was my second course instructor and I so enjoyed that course. Dr. K graded each week's work by stating the specific areas that needed improvement, providing aids like a link to a resource that could help overcome noted challenges, a detailed comment to deepen understanding, very direct and specific comments inclusive of instruction on how to solve it. In addition to correction, affirmation of what you have done well is also clearly stated and what specific thing you did well is appraised. She just makes sure that you are not guessing what she means, you have been supported to understand what she means. At the beginning of each work graded, she puts up  exhaustive summaries like:

I graded all your work for the week--beautiful work!

 Infant and Toddler Development for Week 2:

Content: Good thorough responses to each section.

I especially liked the content on language development--very good.

Very well done with good graduate-level writing.

See suggestions for improvement listed below:

  

Section 3: You need a resource. See instructions document on Application Assignment Page. Do not just use the text. You are supposed to do research on a topic.

You are not doing the reference list correctly. I suggest that you contact Walden Writing Center for help.

You are being graded with application rubric—so you need all of the required parts on the application rubric

                                          OR

Some of your responses were less than the minimum.

To earn a straight A, all responses need to be thorough.

Please work on reference list.

See sample reference list on APA template in doc sharing.

Contact Walden Writing Center for help:

On the left side of the Home Page of the course, you will find the Walden Links. I will copy the links here from Walden Links on left side of Home Page:

• Walden Writing Center
  http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/
• Ask a Writing Tutor
  writingsupport@waldenu.edu

 Please copy and paste application rubric after reference list. It is located in doc sharing. 

                                                             OR

Comment:

You did not copy the application rubric for grading.

I saw a link for it, but you need to copy and paste the entire application rubric at the end of your document—It is in doc sharing.

Contact technical help if you need help in finding doc sharing documents.

In doc sharing:

They are listed on the right side in an index.

Quick notes and Write Ups were very good.

Reflection was short. You need 1-2 pages for reflection.

You also need to cite correctly in APA format—You are not doing citations correctly.

See my help in reflection section

Then, every item or area refereed to in this general summary gets a detailed highlight of how better to do it the next week within the body of the work. For example, where I entered one or two sentences as responses, she would put, this is too minimal, it should be more. Her mode of correction makes me want to learn, and though it will take me into lots of searching out for myself, her approach makes me want to go all out for it.

Up to the 5th week, I was yet to know how to paste the rubric. She was patient about it, teaching me each week till I got it right.

My experience with that course enabled me to grow confidence in the handling of technical matters in the course. She inspired me such that I would like to be like that with everyone who works with me. That I would be attentive, decipher these needs and meet them. It enabled me feel a sense of worth and confidence that I was learning. Of course, I will say it again and again, She made a role model and mentor of herself for me just from that course.