veronica orelus- post #1

 This project was a class presentation made into three groups, each group focused on communication, teamwork and leadership. I had the responsibility of helping my classmates stay organized and understanding their positions and what each person’s role was in their groups and helping them stay on track. After listening to each group and seeing them work together throughout the project I realized it was much more than just that. This presentation helped me understand how important communication is in everyday life and how affects teamwork between people. The first group focused on the nature of communication, communication context and communication sittings. They talked about how communication changes depending on the environment, situation and the people involved. Communication settings are interpersonal communication, group communication and public communication. This part of the presentation made me realize how people communicate differently depending on where they are and who’s around. For example, the way some people talk at home with family and friends is very different from how they would talk during class or a professional setting. The group explained that communication is not only about speaking but also about listing and understanding.

One thing I took away from group 1 was how important communication is in relationships and everyday situations. The group explained the communication can happen in many ways such as word, body language, facial expressions and tone of voice. This helped us understand people are always communicating even when they are not speaking directly. This presentation showed me that strong communication skills are very important for working successfully with others. Group 1 also talked about culture and communication. Daniel explained that in some cultures talking about work or business at dinner is considered disrespectful and in other cultures it may be completely normal. The group also talked about handshaking, eye contact and time management. These things may seem but could have very different meanings depending on the culture. This taught me that people should try to show respect for different communication styles instead of judging others other too quickly.

Another important topic that was discussed was code-switching, sex versus gender and how sexual orientation can influence communication comfort levels. Code-switching happens when people change the way they speak depending on the people around them or their setting. This part of the presentation taught me the importance of respect and understanding when communicating with others. Jeremiah also talked about family communication and how parents work together to make decisions in a household. This part connects to communicating in real-life situations because families communicate to solve problems and support one another.

 

The second group talked more about teamwork, accountability and communication in group settings. One thing I took away from this group was how important communication is when people work together. If group members don’t communicate misunderstandings can easily happen. The group explained that people should communicate directly with whoever is making decisions so that everyone understands the goals for a smooth outcome. This reminded me of this project because communication was very important while working together in groups. Kimberly discussed healthy groups she explained that groups become stronger when members have discipline and take responsibility for their task and work together to meet their goal. I strongly agree with this because I noticed that the projects worked better when everyone participated and stayed involved. When people completed their parts on time and with one another the project became more organized and less stressful.

During this project I learned many important lessons about communication, teamwork, leadership and problem solving. Each group focused on different topics which all came together and helped me better understand how communication affects everyday life. Listing to everyone present their topics helped me realize that communication is one of the most important parts of working together. Without communication groups become more unorganized, confused, and unsuccessful. As project manager I learned how important leadership is during projects. A leader makes sure everyone stays on task and understands role within their groups. With this being my first assignment as project manager helping everyone was great, I made sure my team knew that I was their support system whenever they needed me. I also made sure that they knew even if you’re working in a group, I am willing to help wherever you fall short