Week 5, Web Lecture, Post 4: Mindful Dialogue

In Professor Cyborg's web lecture on "Democracy and Dialogue," she defines mindful dialogue as dialogue that "goes beyond an individual commitment to dialogue to embrace the notion of 'thinking together' in innovative and creative ways.

Mindful dialogue seems like a great way for teams to communicate with each other. Often times groups get hung up on personal agendas that the end goals are seemingly forgotten. At the last place I worked, we had a lot of brainstorming sessions in which someone would write ideas on a whiteboard or a large white pad and everyone in the group was given a chance to participate. And from there, these ideas would get filtered and further worked on until they became projects. It was a colloborative way that allowed everyone a voice and and a creative way of thinking about future projects of interest.

Week 5, Chapter 11, Post 3: Mindful Approach

In Chapter 11, on page 345, we find the term "mindful" approach. It is written in the textbook that, "a mindful approach to organizational communication enables us to understand talk 'as a mental and relational activity that is both purposeful and strategic' (Goodall & Goodall, 206, p. 52.)"

I have often heard that the best way to tell someone how you feel is by using sentences that start with, "I feel..." versus, "You make me feel..." A lot of television therapists will tell their patients that conveying themselves in this manner to their spouse will make what they are trying to convey sound less defensive and in turn make their significant other less offensive. I know that when I try to communicate my feelings to my boyfriend or to family members or colleagues or friends, I always try to be mindful not to hurt their feelings. We can joke around and make fun of each other in a playful way but we should be mindful of other people's reactions and verbal cues.

Week 5, Chapter 10, Post 2: Differentiation

In Chapter 10, on page 312, we see the term, "differention." The textbook defines this term as, "a more popular business strategy... which involves highlighting the unique or special qualities of a company's product or service.

This term is something I heard a lot of at the last place I worked. Since there were so many vendors vying for a contract with us, they had to find a way to differentiate themselves from similar companies. There were some botique market research businesses, some medium sized organizations and some large well-known corporations. They all in one way or another all did the same thing but their approach to their business as well as their interaction with contracting companies may have been the separating factor between them and another company. When it as time for us to choose the companies that we would renew contracts with or start a new contract with, we asked them to define their product and what differentiated them with a company that had the same product at perhaps a lower price.

Week 5, Chapter 9, Post 1: Supportive Communication

In chapter 9, on page 288, we find the term "supportive communication," which according to research, "emphasizes active listening and taking a real interest in employees -- is even more useful to organizational leaders than openness."

I've talked about two managers that I have had at different jobs in one of my previous posts and it seems appropriate to bring them up now. The first manager (A) I had was very personable and really did take an interest in my overall well-being. The second manager (B) I had was cordial but more concerned about my well-being at work. Manager A bought me a toaster as a house warming gift when I moved into my new apartment. She bought me a going away gift bag that was full of thoughful gifts that I would need as I embarked on my new journey in life. Manager B gave me a bottle of champagne for Christmas and a Starbucks gift card as a thank you for working on a project while she was away. I'm not equating gifts or their monetary value with how well my managers treated me... the point I'm trying to make is that Manager A took the time to get to know me and what was going on with my life. She realized that work was not the only facet of my life and that outside of work, I had interests and struggles and "life". Manager B was more concerned about how my performance at work affected her boss' perception of me and her and although she did reward me for great projects, I didn't feel like my life outside of work mattered much. Looking back on my last two jobs now, I can see that I trusted Manager A more than I trusted Manager B. Manager A was like a work mother to me in the best sense of the term and Manager B was just someone I reported to.