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.

Week 4, Web Lecture, Post 4: Real vs. Virtual Communication

In Professor Cyborg's web lecture on "Technology and Teams" she writes, "Recent research found that teens use IM to begin, maintain, and end romantic relationships (Lenhart, Madden, & Hitlin, 2005). These relationships—and the feelings that go along with them—are quite real. Categorizing IMing, emailing, podcasting, blogging, and the like as virtual suggests that these communication forms lack substance, impact, and meaning. Yet these messages produce actual effects. When we start thinking about what we do with various communication technologies rather than what they are, we're better able to use them in the best ways for group and team communication."

When I communicate using instant messaging, text messaging, and emails, the feelings and emotions I put into written word are genuine. Sometimes though, it is easier to send a quick text message than it is to verbalize something. I like sending text messages to family members and friends when I am going to be a few minutes late. Especially since the new law went into effect prohibiting cell phone usage during driving. (Don't worry, I only send texts when I am sitting at a red light.)

It's not always effective to use emails to communicate though, especially in a business setting. Words can be misconstrued and misunderstandings can arise making the work environment uneasy. For example, I dealt with someone at my last place of work that sent out very pragmatic emails that were on the verge of being rude. In person, this colleague was very nice and friendly. I'm not sure if it was her particular writing style but her emails did not reflect her personality. Sometimes I had to visit her cubicle to ask her for clarification on a particular email. And as was usually the case, she was better at verbalizing her thoughts than typing than out. I'm quite the opposite. I find it easier for me to express myself with written words than to articulate myself with spoken words. Being shy, I have had to work at being more vocal and expressing myself as an extrovert would, when I am actually an introvert.

Week 4, Web Lecture, Post 3: cell phones

In Professor Cyborg's web lecture, "Technology and Teams," she writes that "In less than a decade, cell phones have gone from a search-for-a-signal tech-toy for the wealthy to the most pervasive mobile computing platform on the planet."

I remember using pay phones and land lines as primary modes of communication throughout my childhood and teenage years. In fact, I didn't get a cell phone until I moved away for college. My parents actually still have their very first cell phone. It's about 4 inches long and 4 inches wide with a pull out antennae.

On a side tangent: For those of you who have seen "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion," remember the scene where Romy says, "If anyone needs to make a call, I have a phone"? She pulls out a large cell phone from her bag. And remember Zach Morris's giant phone from "Saved By the Bell"? Classic.

Anyway, in addition to pay phones and landlines, beepers or pagers were very popular. I had a clear blue one and loved getting messages on it. It made me feel connected. Today I am able to keep in touch with my family and friends through text messages, email and instant messaging. I've never been much of a phone talker so being able to send out quick hello's on my blackberry is great. Being able to use applications on my phone has been a lifesaver and although I don't feel lost without it, I do enjoy the comfort of knowing that I can look up movie times, directions, etc. with the touch of a button.

Week 4, Chapter 8, Post 2: Virtual Teams

The textbook defines virtual teams on page 241 as, "groups of people who work together across time and space," mentioning that there are still kinks to be worked out in virtual team engagement such as (page 242) "language barriers and differences in cultures, religions, work customs and work habits."

The last company that I worked for had a headquarters in San Diego and several branches throughout the US as well as a branch overseas where the executive members were located. These executive members were the main stakeholders in the company and the top tier of the company hierarchy. Any requests that came from these stakeholders was top priority and it didn't matter the time of day or the time constraint with which the projects were to be delivered, their requests HAD to be completed above all others. Due to the time differences, team members who had company blackberries received emails at all hours of the day and sometimes had to work late into the night to complete deliverables for a time zone that was twelve hours ahead. This wasn't always the case but you can imagine the stress having to put together something today that was due yesterday, literally.

Education-wise, I have found that virtual learning suits me much better than a physical type classroom setting. I love having the flexibility of being able to learn in the comfort of my own home and find that virtual classrooms don't have the distractions I might face in brick and mortar classrooms. Since the groups that I interact with our professors and other students, I find that any barriers in cultures or religions are not an issue, although language barriers might ensue for students who are not native English speakers. Different work habits and customs are handled by each student individually so that they are able to learn at their own pace and still complete assignments in a timely manner. The only complaint I have with being a distance education student is my discomfort in not being able to interact with school staff face-to-face when it comes to my resolving any issues I have with my paperwork or account.