Roy Higgins - Post 1

 An exciting and informative start to SPC1017!!

The first group that presented their topic of Intercultural Communication was Group 1! As most people who live in the United States know, cultural differences between people in a conversation or setting and hinder progress. They showed that there are many different cultures and subcultures. It can be based on several things. Such as sex and gender, race, socioeconomic Status and many more. Group 1 broke down the how some cultures may be different and how those difference can cause misunderstandings when they meet. One such difference is Individualistic cultures versus collectivist ones. These cultures differ in the way how they view personal achievement and group achievement. Persons from these groups may find difficulty in agreeing to a course of action during a group project. 

Group 1 discussed many barriers to communication between cultures. One such barrier is ethnocentrism. This is the belief that your culture is better than others. I myself found myself in this situation when I first moved to the United States. Back home it was customary to say good morning, good afternoon or good evening when passing someone. I quickly found out that that was not so here, and I thought people were rude. I quickly however accepted that my culture and this culture are different and I should not expect the same values!

Group 1 wrapped up their presentation by giving us steps to follow when interacting with individuals from a different culture. To be tolerate, open minded altruistic. We should practice to listen more, have intercultural empathy and be flexible

Group 2s topic was communication in groups! They started off by listing all the groups. They then went on to describe them in detail. The first and most basic group that most of us are common with is the family. different types of families were discussed along with their structure.

After listing and describing the different types of groups, group 2 went unto to describe the healthy characteristics of a group. Healthy groups should be interdependent, cohesive, accountable synergistic and abide by productive norms. There can be unhealthy or downright destructive group that not only cause harm to themselves but can also cause harm to others. Examples of such groups are self-harm groups, cults and gangs.

 

They discussed the stages of group development. Groups are formed, they then figure out the goal of the group. They go through a phase called Norming. This is characterized by increased cohesion, collaboration, trust and motivation to achieve the group’s goal. They then go on to perform to perform the tasks they have agreed upon. After the tasks have been completed and if successful, the group my adjourn or transform their goal and continue unto another goal, with or without changes to the overall group structure. One thing that all groups can go through is conflict. Conflict may arise for several reasons. There are also different types of conflict. There are pseudo conflicts which can occur due to misunderstandings between group member who agree with one another but don’t know it. Personality-related conflicts occur because of personality differences between members. As previously discussed by group 1, conflicts may arise due to cultural differences. Virtual groups can also run into conflict that is harder to control or mediate. Because of the lack of face-to-face meetings, conflicts typically go unresolved longer.

Group 3s topic was leadership and problem solving. In group setting there will be formal and informal leaders. Formal leaders are those people who are formally chosen by the group. Informal leaders will help lead the group in certain situations. There are different types of leaders. These are givers, seekers and analyzers. Givers dispense information they know and allows the group to consider them. Seekers are more like to ask questions to prompt group members to contribute to the conversation. Finally, Analyzers will scrutinize information put forward by other.

There are also maintenance leadership roles. These roles help in the proper functioning of the group.  These roles include supporters, interpreters, harmonizers, mediators and tension relievers.

Supporters encourages their group members to speak their minds. Interpreters use their knowledge about different social, cultural and gender orientation to help the group members understand one another. Harmonizers help resolve conflicts in the group. Mediators are impartial to group discussions. Tensions relievers help to stop conflict before they start and lighten the mood in certain situations.

There are also have procedural roles. These are Logistics coordinators, expediters, gatekeeps and recorders. Logistics coordinators arrange the best times for the group meetings to take place. Expeditors helps the group to keep track of the discussions and their goals. Gate keepers ensure all members have equal opportunity to participate in group discussions.  Finally, recorders carefully note the group decisions and distribute edited copies of their notes to the rest of the group for review. Within a group there a shared responsibility. Everyone must be committed to the goal, keep the discussions on track, complete assignments on time, encourage input from everyone and manage conflicts.

There are certain things that must be done in order to ensure a successful meeting. The agenda of the meeting must be distributed before the meeting to give everyone time to prepare. Members of the meeting must be decided. Members that are not necessary for meeting may not be needed. Logistics of the meeting must be agreed upon beforehand. Input of each member must be gathered before the meeting.

During the meeting agenda can be viewed or modified, interactions between members and time should be monitored. Check to see if a decision can be made and implement rules if necessary. Summarize decisions and assignment and set the next meeting. After the meeting takes place, assignments are revised, relationship are repaired, and reports written. Group 3 discussed systematic problem solving and different ways to put forward information after discussion has taken place. Finally discussed group effectiveness in the form of group dynamics and group presentations.