What are your main take away lessons from the assigned reading this week? Describe and explain.

Chapter 10

The chapter has delved on “solving problems in groups and teams.” There are some mixed feelings when it comes to solving problems as a group despite the fact that group problem solving offers benefits for the people that are usually involved. Groups make it possible to develop cohesive solutions since there is the presence of diverse ideas, varied resources, and accuracy of results. (Adler et al., 2014). The ability of thinking “outside the box” becomes a possibility. Diversity comes about since the people involved are from different backgrounds and have acquired different strengths along the way. For teams to work better there is the need of there being shared values, interdependence, shared goals and external threats among others.  However, solving problems as a group is not ideal at all times. There are some decisions that would take long if they were decided by a group as opposed to individuals. As a result, it is paramount for the people responsible for making such decisions to decide on whether a certain problem should be solved by a group or individual. Group problem solving goes through the stages of orientation, conflict, emergence and reinforcement. It is important for people involved in a group to have this knowledge to assess where they stand at given periods.

Chapter 13

This chapter was all about “informative speaking.” Adler et al. (2014) outline that informative speaking involves several principles of human communication that help people to understand whatever is being said with ease. This involves the creation of information hunger among the people, ability to define specific informative purpose, emphasizing essential points, enhancing audience involvement and using supporting materials. Visual aids would be helpful when giving an informational speech. They help in the representation of data and models, which make it easy for clarification.  Projectors, whiteboards and flip charts are good examples of favorable visual aids. Adler et al. (2014) propose that when using visual aids, it is good to ensure that “each exhibit you use should contain no more than seven lines of text, each with no more than seven words” (p. 395).

How will they affect the way you communicate?

The information derived from the readings is likely to affect my professional life in one way or another. I have learned of the benefits that come with group problem solving, and as a result, I will give more consideration while trying to solve organizational problems in future. This has not been my strong suit at present and, hence it would be a major change. However, this is not something that I would implement at all times. The problem at hand has to be suited to be solved by a group more than by an individual.

When it comes to informative speaking, I have learned of the various techniques to employ to help make it better. The concept of using visual aids has come out as being an advantage. However, I will be keen on ensuring that I use the appropriate visual aids to ensure that they serve the intended purpose at all times. It will also be very important to have a clear understanding of the differences that exist between informative and persuasive speaking. This will be very important in ensuring that the desired message has been communicated at all times.

In what ways do the concepts in the videos and readings relate to your professional life in education?

“The walk from no to yes” revolves around solving conflicts. The video has demonstrated the importance of involving a third party while solving conflicts. When there is a third party involvement, they usually help in keeping perspective of the main issue at hand. Conflicts will always be prevalent for people that work together. The handling of these conflicts usually determines whether they will escalate or solutions will be derived appropriately. It is paramount that effective communication is maintained at all times to ensure that people find it easy to solve conflicts.

“12 Angry Men” on the other hand, demonstrated a way of dealing with prejudice. The group does not seem to support the highly opinioned man that is not giving the other people in the group an opportunity to raise their opinion. There is the need for any group to work in partnership at all times. One individual should not take the initiative of controlling every issue that is being discussed. There is the need for giving everyone involved an opportunity to contribute to ensure that positive results are obtained.

Reference

Adler, R., Rodman, G., & DuPré, A. (2014). Understanding human communication (12th ed.). Oxford University Press.

 
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