Blog 9

Language is of huge importance in our daily lives. Language is used to express ideas, feelings. It is described in the book as being very powerful and I find this to be very true. The book mentions a situation where you are walking past a group of people and you think you hear your name. Our names are very important to us and so if we hear them spoken, we are going to want to respond to that in some way. Verbal language can easily be misheard and therefore misunderstood and can cause problems. There are many instances in my daily life where I hear someone wrong and I am appalled by what they say and then I confront them and they didn't really say what I thought. When you aren't sure if you heard something right, you should always ask to be sure that you have the correct information. Words are a major part of language. The words we use describe things, explain situations, and just help us to get a point across. Every word has a different meaning and some words even have more than one meaning. This can make learning a language difficult for many people. Words in some languages have different meanings then the same words in other languages. It is important to realize this especially when you are traveling in other countries. I like how the book talks about how there are gender differences in how language is used. The book talks about language causing stereotypes to become worse. If people watch the language they are using, some of theses stereotypes could be not so harmful to the different genders. The language that we use that is sexist or racist can be so harmful to others and we may not even realize it. This is the main reason why we need to watch the language we use. We need to be considerate of other people.

**Have you ever been in a situation where you didn't watch your language and you hurt someone's feelings because of it?

Blog 8

This chapter does a great job explaining self-concept. Self-concept is a really important thing to think about because it plays a big role in how we communicate. As communication is something that we do every day, we need to be good at it. One thing that the book says we can do to better our communication is to enhance our self-concept. There are six guidelines that the book lays out for the reader to get them started in enhancing their self-concept. The first one is to decide what you would like to change or improve about yourself. This is very important because you can't really do anything to improve your self-concept without first deciding what needs to change. Another guideline is that you need to make a commitment to change. When you make a commitment, you make yourself more determined and then you can move to the next step which is setting goals for yourself. Once your goals have been set you should then decide how you are going to reach them. It is great to have goals and make a commitment, but you really need to put the effort in to make the changes you want. You should realize that making a change will probably take time. It is not something that can just happen overnight. One other guideline that the book talks about is how you should associate with positive people. When you surround yourself with positive people you will usually have a better attitude and a better outlook on life. When you have positive people around you, it is easier to discuss problems that you have and get them solved . It is also easier to get support. Positive people are more likely to realize that you need help and give it to you.

**Can you think of any other guidelines that you would suggest for improving self-concept?

Blog 7

The way in which we perceive things can greatly differ from the way someone else perceives them. Why is this? Well, there are many reasons why, and chapter 2 explains some of them. Culture is a major reason why people perceive things differently. People from different cultures are raised and taught in different ways and this causes them to have very different views on everything. In certain cultures some sort of gesture might be perceived as disrespectful, while in others it means nothing at all. These perceptual differences can really cause problems for people while travelling throughout other countries. A tourist might not even think about the differences in perception and do something to really upset someone that would not have caused any problems in their own country. The other major reason why people perceive things differently is gender. Men and women are completely different in the way they think and act and this causes many perceptual differences. The book talks about the "gender gap" which is described as men and women not understanding each other and really not even speaking the same language. This can be a huge problem when trying to get your point across to the opposite gender. Many males have a hard time perceiving things in the same way as females and vice versa. Perception can often be very wrong. Someone might get into huge trouble just because of a little perception error. I think that when you get into trouble because of how you perceive something, it makes you really think harder about things. I know that I definitely have tried to reconsider the way that I perceive things because I have been in trouble a few times for incorrect perceptions.

**Have you ever perceived something a certain way and it was a wrong perception of that thing? Did you get in trouble for your incorrect perception?

Blog 6

Persuasive speeches can be very easy for some people to give because they have a natural ability to sway people's thinking. However, for many of us, when it comes to giving a persuasive speech, we aren't sure what we should choose for a topic. We think that we won't be able to persuade people to change anything. Chapter 12 does a really good job of explaining how we should choose a topic for persuasive speeches. The book says that you should choose a topic that you are interested in. I totally agree with that. If you are trying to talk about something that you have absolutely no interest in yourself, how are you going to persuade other people? When you are speaking about something that you feel very strongly about, people will notice your enthusiasm and connection to the topic and will be more likely to really listen to you. Another great suggestion that the book gives for choosing a topic is to select an issue that is current but not of common knowledge. People will want to know more about it because it is current and perhaps affecting them. A persuasive speech that is about a current issue will be more likely to grab your audience's attention and make them want to listen to what you have to say. You will have a better chance, then, of persuading them if they are listening. Persuasive speeches usually are about a topic that has opposing viewpoints. The audience might view the topic one way and the speaker the other way. That is why it is important in a persuasive speech to really give your audience a reason to listen to your side of the argument because they will often be very set in their ways and will need motivation to listen. Persuasive speeches can be very well presented if enough research, thought, and time is put in to them.

**What do you think is the most important thing to think about when choosing a topic for a persuasive speech?

Blog 5

While reading chapter fifteen I thought about how communication is changing and how that change is affecting groups. The big one that the book talks about is technology. We can see that technology is changing and becoming more advanced every single day. I believe that technology makes communication in a group easy and more versatile. Groups can meet together using teleconferencing, videoconferencing, and interactive computer conferencing. Using these forms of communication allows people to hold meetings while everyone is in different locations. This helps with costs of traveling to meetings and also many inconveniences that people may have with meetings. I know that many people don't like relying on technology especially for important meetings, but these forms of communication can be very reliable with the right equipment. I have been involved in a few teleconferences and I really like how I can talk with people who are from all over the US at the same time without traveling to a meeting. I use interactive computer conferencing every single day to talk to my boyfriend in Europe and it is really a great form of communication for us. I also used videoconferencing in high school when I took a class via ITV (Instructional television). Without that form of communication, I wouldn't have been able to take calculus because we had no teacher capable of teaching it from my high school.

**Have you used any form of teleconferencing, videoconferencing, or interactive computer conferencing? If so, what did you like/dislike about it?

Establishing a leader is very important in groups and organizations. Leaders serve many purposes in a group. They can be mediators, discussion starters, planners, etc. Leaders posses strong qualities that help them to excel in their position. They are usually disciplined, good communicators, have integrity, are honest, dedicated, responsible, fair, and assertive. Leaders help to keep a meeting flowing smoothly. They also guide or direct the group towards their goals. Throughout my life I have been the leader of a few different groups and the job is not easy. There were many things that I did as a leader that people were not happy with. I often had to overcome many obstacles to help get our goals accomplished. However, being a leader has definitely made me all around a better person.

**Have you ever been a leader of some group? What were the challenges you faced?

Blog 4

While reading chapter five this week I really learned why nonverbal communication is so hard to interpret and understand. Most nonverbal cues have multiple meanings. This makes interpreting them very hard. The book gives the example of a frown. A frown can mean so many different things. It can indicate sadness, anger, pain, discouragement, etc. Perception is a big part of nonverbal communication and it can often lead to the wrong interpretation. I really like the examples that the book gives for improving the nonverbal communication that we send. Self-monitoring is a great way to make sure that people are perceiving our nonverbal messages correctly. I am definitely going to try to monitor my nonverbal communication so that I am not perceived in a way I don't want to be.

**Can you think of another good example of a nonverbal cue that can mean more than one thing?

I really like how chapter eleven demonstrates how to increase your listener's knowledge of your topic. Effective organization is very important because it makes your speech easy to follow and understand. Another thing that is described is planned repetition. I think that repeating things definitely helps a listener to grasp the concept and remember it. The book really goes into detail about choosing language carefully. I think it is good that they really go into depth about this because I feel it can make or break your speech. If you are speaking to a group of middle schoolers, you will not use complicated words because they probably wont know them and will not understand what you are saying. As a speaker you must know the level of your audience so you can correctly match that level with the language you use.

**Have you ever listened to someone talk about something that you knew nothing about? If so, how did it make you feel?

Blog 3

Chapter six really helped me realize why I often times don't listen very well. The six barriers to effective listening that were described in this chapter definitely apply to me. I started thinking about how many times I have criticized a speakers appearance and behaviors during their presentation. I have missed many messages and main points because of this. I also get bored during many presentations because I find the topic uninteresting. If I tried harder to find something that interests me about the topic, then maybe I would learn something new. I know that for me the most common barrier to effective listening is failing to adjust to distractions. I get easily distracted by anything going on around me and it takes my attention off the speaker. It really can be a problem especially in the classroom when I need to be paying attention so I can learn.

**What is the most common barrier of effective listening for you? How does it affect you?

In Chapter nine I learned a lot about the structure and parts of a speech. Organization is very important when writing a speech. If a speech is not organized it is hard to give and hard for the audience to follow. I believe that when writing a speech you must have a clear purpose and specific main points. An audience needs to know exactly what they are listening for in your speech. In my opinion, writing the introduction is the easy part if you know your topic and main points. The hard part is supporting the main points and tying them to your main topic when writing the body of your speech. An audience needs supporting evidence to accept what a speaker is saying. If the evidence is not there, then the audience will have trouble finding the speaker credible and will lose interest. It never really occurred to me before that ending with a memorable thought in your conclusion will make an audience remember your speech or something about your speech. I'm going to try to give more attention to the conclusion in my speeches as it is just as important as an other part of the speech.

**What part of a speech do you feel is the most difficult? Why?

Blog 2

Chapter seven really explains some great ways to find a topic for a speech. I know that whenever I had to give a speech in high school, it was always really hard for me to decide on a topic. Doing a self-inventory is a great way to get started. Who knows you better than you? It is easier to give a speech on something that we are knowledgeable or passionate about. Brainstorming is another technique that the book suggests. Brainstorming hasn't always been easy for me and it probably isn't easy for other people as well. However, I think it is a great way to get some ideas on paper in a short amount of time. As a journalism major, I am always reading the news and keeping up with current events. The technique of reviewing the current media that the book describes is a great one for me. I can easily pull ideas for speeches out of the news. The last technique that is explained in chapter seven is surfing the web. This one is perfect for everyone. As a college student I surf the web multiple times daily. The web is easy to access here on campus and therefore can be used as a wonderful starting point when it comes to finding speech topics.

Research is something that I find very long and tedious sometimes and I am always trying to find ways to research more effectively. Chapter eight gives five suggestions for doing research. There are two specific suggestions that I think are the most important. One of them is to start your research early. This is very important because if you don't start early, you will end up getting stressed and take the chance that the materials you need may not be available. The other suggestion is to take notes. Taking notes is very helpful when it comes to writing your speech because they will be easy to look at and use. It is important however that note taking be done accurately and efficiently.

Blog 1

While reading chapter one, I came across a few things that are part of communication that I often overlook. I read the part about intentional and unintentional communication and it made me think about all the times that I may have conveyed messages to people that I didn't want to. Unintentional communication could cause problems because everyone interprets communication differently and not always the way you would want them to. The book gives an example of a student getting up in class to sharpen a pencil and then describes different reactions certain people in the classroom could have to that simple action. I know that sometimes I observe people and make assumptions as to what their actions, clothing, facial expressions, and many other things are conveying. Most of the time I am probably totally wrong about the message they are trying to get across, if any. I think that other people observe things and make assumptions the same way I do and maybe we need to realize that unintentional communication is probably always present and not jump to any conclusions that are most likely incorrect. Another thing that got me thinking in this chapter was how interference and noise really makes a difference in communication. Distractions are everywhere in our lives and they can be the cause of missed or misinterpreted information. While listening to a speaker I often focus on what they are wearing or the tone of their voice instead of what they are saying. When I do that, I most likely miss important facts and interesting information. For this reason, communication is done best in a quiet, private, comfortable atmosphere. That way there will be few distractions and communication can be done effectively.

I really like how chapter ten goes into depth about speech anxiety. In many classes that I have been in, the students must get up in front of the class and talk. They may not have to give a speech, but they still have to be in front of the class. I have observed many of the behaviors associated with speech anxiety that the book lists. I can relate to those students with speech anxiety. Today, I am not really afraid to speak in front of a group of people, but I used to be. My first grade teacher is the one who helped me through my anxiety. She gave me some of the same tips that the book gives and they really worked for me. I think that everyone can overcome speech anxiety if they can just boost their confidence level and follow the guidelines from the book.