BCOM/275 DQ’s

Week 1
Q1. What are some ways in which receivers of messages provide feedback when listening to or reading a message? What effect does this have on the message? Provide examples.

A1. I believe there are several answers to this question, depending on how the message is being delivered. Messages delivered either in writing or verbally tend to be completely different, and have their own set of problems and advantages.
When delivering the message in writing, there is little immediate feedback to be received. I typically use four modes of written messaging, (1) Email, (2) Instant Messaging, (3) Technical Writings, and (4) Blogging. When doing any of the four, I find it critical to know my audience. Depending on the audience, my delivery will often change to better suit the recipient, especially in my emails and technical writings.
For example, I know my audience when I write technically, and because I know who will receive the message, I tend to cater the message towards mechanics and inspectors. If a member of management were to read the same text, their lack of subject knowledge would drive them to ask for clarification.
When sending emails and instant messages, I typically know the recipient and tend to tailor the message based on that association. It can be tricky to send instant messages though, even to people I have known for a long time. Since I am unable to use voice fluctuation and facial expression to show excitement, sarcasm, or any other emotion in the message, I don’t know if the meaning of my message was received as I intended it, until I get a response.
When delivering a message verbally it is much easier for me to get my point across. When having a one on one conversation, I can tell my message is being received, or not being received by how engaged the recipient is. As an example of this, if I see that the person I am talking to is not making eye contact, is fidgeting, or appears restless, I know I have to find a way to get the recipient to re-engage. I find that by becoming more animated, the more I engage the recipient.
It is a bit more difficult to gage whether or not my message is being received when speaking to a larger group, like in a briefing. When I know I need to present a message to a group, I will often turn the air conditioning down a little, and when I start to speak, I make every attempt to speak directly to people I know in the crowd. I ask them how they have been, how the family is doing if I know they have a family, etc. By doing this, I engage the rest of the crowd through familiarization.

Q2. What are some ways in which senders might receive feedback from their messages? How might this feedback affect the sender and the message? Why is this important?

A2. When communicating, there are several ways in which the receiving party can give feedback to the sender. One way, and maybe the most obvious would be verbal. By telling the sender you don’t understand something they are saying, or, in the same way tell the sender you do understand sends a clear and concise message. Another way you may receive feedback could be though body language. If the receiver is squirming in their seat, nodding approval, or falling asleep, the sender needs to be able to pick up on the body language and make adjustments accordingly. In some cases it could be as easy as changing your tone of voice in order to not sound so monotone.
The sender should be receiving constant feedback from the receiver when verbal communication is in play. In the case of written communication, the feedback could take longer. As an example, if I write instructions on how to check electrical connections on an electrical panel, and the electrical panel shorts out while the operator is performing the task based on those instructions, I would probably have to make adjustments to the delivery so the same thing does not happen again. Maybe not the best example, but I think you can see how the feedback would affect the message.

Q3. Which step in the communication process do you consider to be the most important? Why do you think this? Which of these steps is the most uncomfortable for you? Why is this? How might you work to change this?

A3. I would consider the encoding step of communication process to be the most important. It is important since the sender must be able to effectively put their thoughts into words or gestures that would allow the message to be understood. The receiver would then be able to effectively assign meaning to the senders symbols (gestures or words) and understand the message (Cheesbro, T., O'Connor, L., & Rios, F. (2010). I believe that if encoding is done correctly then the message and its purpose would not be prolonged. 

Although I believe it is the most important, encoding would be the step that I have the most trouble with. I tend to find myself thinking that my senders are always on the same page as I am regarding my messages. If I could just learn to slow down and think about what I want to say before saying it, the message would come out a lot clearer and decoding wouldn't be an issue.

Reference

Cheesbro, T., O'Connor, L., & Rios, F. (2010). Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Week 2

Q1. Consider the following statement: Most disagreements or differences of opinion are more often a result of faulty, misunderstood, or confusing premises, rather than faulty reason from a valid premise. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Your responses must be supported by text. Use the required reading assignment for Week 2 to support your response.

A1. I agree with this statement, because most times a faulty premise is recognizable. It is difficult to conclude and easy to dismiss. A faulty conclusion to a valid premises can be argued, supported, or observed. "Our own observations provide our most reliable source of information about the world" (Moore & Parker 2009, p. 7). A faulty premise would not allow for a good inductive or deductive argument. According to Moore & Parker (2009), "An argument is said to be validif it isn't possible for the premise to be true and the conclusion false" (p. 28).

Moore, B. N., & Parker, R. (2009). Critical thinking (9th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Q2. Ch. 5 & 6 of Critical Thinking cover fallacies and rhetoric. What are two examples of persuasion that are not valid arguments? Why are these invalid arguments? Your responses must be supported by text. Use the required reading assignment for Week 2 to support your response.

A2. I think one example of persuasion that is not a valid argument would be the peer pressure argument. This would be considered an invalid argument since there really would not be an argument. Instead one person, for the sake of fitting in, would agree with whatever the premise might be just so they can fit in. According to Moore, B. N, and Parker, R. (20009), "A desire for acceptance can motivate us to accept a claim not because of its merits but because we will gain someone's approval". Another example which may be similar to peer pressure would be the argument from tradition. People tend to not just want to be accepted but to also fit in. Just because something has always been done a certain way does not mean it is the right way of doing it. "You don't prove a claim or prove a practice is legitimate on the basis of tradition" (Moore, B. N., & Parker, R. (2009). A lot of people are guilty of this, especially myself. We are just stuck in our old habits and will argue our point although we know it could be wrong.

Reference
Moore, B. N., & Parker, R. (2009). Critical thinking (9th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Q3. What are some methods you might use to determine the reliability of the data you gather? Why is it important to analyze your data to determine if it is reliable?

A3. Some methods I use to determine the reliability of the data I gather is to compare information from multiple sources, and research the creditability of the authors. It is important to find the most recent dated information available. I am comfortable using Websites that are credible, such as well known and respected News sites or educational sites; although it is important to use critical thinking skills even with a comfort level. Other determination methods are common sense and personal observation or knowledge, when researching data. It is important to analyze collected data to ensure you are giving your audience the most accurate and reliable information possible. Q4. What are some reasons you might consider data or information to lack validity, credibility, or reliability? Explain your answer by using examples.

A4. One reason would be if whether the information is supported by evidence. If you find information about a topic and the author did not provide any evidence as to where they got their information from, then it might be safe to assume its unreliable. The author could just be trying to get you to see their point of view rather than the real facts. I remember when I first started my associates program I had a hard time being able to cite my sources. I was not used to understanding reliable sources. I would find information regarding a topic but yet could not cite it properly since the sites didn't have any resources pointing towards where they found their information. It turned out I had to re write my paper based of other sources that did not lack credibility.

Week 3

Q1. What suggestions would you offer a new employee to help them effectively communicate in your workplace when meeting face-to-face, sending an e-mail, and during a meeting?

A1. When meeting face-to-face, shake hands, smile and be friendly, and listen to the conversations. Listening will help you understand the dynamics of the team and the organization.

Send email for quick messages, call and talk with people rather than always trying to communicate by email. Respond to all only when all need to know the answer, otherwise, reply to the person asking you the question. Don't copy someone's boss, when you need an answer from them. Try working with them first and if several attempts have not proven sucessful, then elevate the request to the next level only, don't skip the chain of command.

During meetings again, listen more than you speak, unless you are sure of your answer. Sometimes I find new people will want to say something, just to say something, but that something is not always needed. It can be out of context, not what the team was saying, the message may not always be well received. Listen at first and check for understanding, take time to learn and think before you speak. Show you are paying attention by making eye contact with those that are speaking, take written notes as needed and do not check email or messages on your blackberry, in fact it should be silent and put aside during the meeting.

Q2. What would be the most effective channel (according to the text) to communicate with your boss? Why is this? Why are other channels less effective?

A2. The most effective channel for communicating with your boss, would depend on the work environment, dynamics, and type of business. The most effective channel I have found to communicate with my boss is face-to-face. He is very easy going and our relationship is one of equality and provisionalism. Communicating with him through e-mail is risky, because he gets inundated with e-mails on a daily basis and it could be days before he gets to mine. He has an open door policy and I am comfortable communicating with him. According to Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios (2010), "supervisors with an open door policy, may encourage employees to contribute new ideas, participate in decision making, and further their education." This description fits our relationship and communication style perfectly.

Cheesebro, T., O’Connor, L., & Rios, F. (2010). Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Q3. What do you consider to be the most important features of effective communication? Explain your choices.Your responses must be supported by the text.

A3. I consider the most important feature of communication to be assertive communication. It was very interesting for me to read the information in the textbook, because this is a very difficult style of communication for me. I gave up a long time ago trying to be assertive, because it always lead to someone getting mad or hurt feelings. Now I understand that I was not being assertive, I was being aggressive.

According to Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios (2010), "those who are aggressive frequently pay a price for this interpersonal approach." I can understand this first hand. It was not until I became passive in communication that I stop feeling frustrated, most of the time; however, this has caused me to be a follower and not a successful leader.

The information presented in the textbook on assertive communication has helped me understand the middle ground between aggressiveness and passiveness and to understand this is a learned skill.

Cheesebro, T., O’Connor, L., & Rios, F. (2010). Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Q4. You are preparing to write a formal report to be presented to the management at your workplace. What are some potential needs for the audience that you should be aware of when writing the report? What are the risks of not considering the needs of the audience?

Week 4.

Q1. What different persuasive approaches (outlined in text) would you use on the following audiences: a boss, a peer, a challenging person, or an open-minded person? Why would your approach differ?

A1. Depending on the topic I would approach my boss with policy or fact. If the topic required me to persuade my boss that a change in the workplace was needed I would approach my boss with fact. I would show him the connection of what could be improved and the benefits this improvement would provide to the employees. If the topic was to fix an existing problem in the workplace I would approach my boss with policy. Persuading my boss that something needed to be done to solve the problem.

My approach to a peer would be the value approach. The value approach would benefit a relationship with a peer by persuading my peer of what is right, wrong, good, and bad. The value approach will help friends and family to know my personal values. However, the fact approach could appropriate for a peer audience. For example, if your friend is making a purchase on a home that you know will end up costing them more in repairs, than the home next door that does not need any repairs. Facts could be presented to persuade my peer to change their decision.

A challenging person would be the best audience in an attempt to persuade. I would find this the most rewarding, if I were successful. I would approach this person with fact. Showing them the benefits of my side and supporting it with credible references. I would help them have confidence in what I am saying by understanding the topic completely.

An open-minded person would be the toughest audience to approach, if they have already taken a position on a topic. It would be challenging to identify the best approach. I could use the fact approach and introduce information they may not have been aware of, or I could use the value approach to introduce how our positions are similar, but present the information to my position in a stronger and supportive way. The policy approach could also be a considered approach, depending on the topic and my audience.

My approach would be different for every audience, depending on the topic, knowledge, and relationship I have with the audience. If I know my audience well, I would take a different approach to persuade, than I would an audience that I just met.

Q2. Consider the list titled “In Depth: Critical Thinking, The Long Version” in Ch.1 of Critical Thinking (outlined in text). What do you consider to be the most important points? Why do you think this?

A2. I believe most of the list is important in some aspects of my life, but if I am to pick just one, it would have to be bullet three, separate fact from opinion. This certainly applies to my job environment because I am presented with many emotion driven opinions from my down stream customer that are often not based on facts. When under pressure to meet schedules or deadlines, there seems to be a tendency to become opinionated rather than researching the proper way to deal with issues. If I am presented with facts instead of opinion, I could be much more efficient in my day to day grind. If I were to pick a second one I would have to go with bullet point four, recognize the ways in which evidence might be limited or compromised. For the same reason I picked bullet three, it is critical I get all the facts instead of only getting partial information. People will sometimes hold back 100% of the need out of fear that if I had an entire picture, I might find issues with it and slow down the process.

Q3. What is the difference between persuasion and manipulation? How do arguments and language affect the difference?

A3. There can be a very thin line between the differences of persuasion and manipulation. Persuasion can consist of providing accurate information while using pleasant language that may assist in convincing the audience to understanding your point of view. Providing the audience with acurate information and a powerful argument can help you achieve your goals. The more accurate your information is, the more likely your customer is to trust in your abilities. Using pleasant language with poweful words such as excellent, outstanding, and astonishing can really make a difference in how your audience will emotionally react to your message. It could be the difference between gaining a customer's trust or missing out on their potential business. Unfortunately, this can also be a form of manipulation because you are no longer solely depending upon the audience's ability to make sound decisions based off of facts. You have involved their emotional state which may or may not skew their outlook on data you've given them. This could be both a positive tactic or a negative tactic depending on what message you are conveying, what you are trying to get the customer to do or believe, and your overall intent. Persuasion through information and argument is commonly used among business associates but persuasion through emotional manipulation is more commonly used between business and potential customers of the general public.

Q4. What keys or tips can raise suspicion about the validity of arguments, presented verbally and in writing? Cite specific examples.

A4. Some keys or tips that can raise suspicion about the validity of arguments, presented verbally and in writing are nonverbal behaviors that contradict spoken messages may create suspicion and distrust. Also Faulty comparisons like " Jon and Don are identical twins, so we can treat them the same." One other is becoming a more resourceful researcher, asking questions like Who is the publisher ?, How reliable is the publisher ?, How objective is the content ?, and How does the information compare to other sources related to the topic ?

References:

Cheesebro,T. O'Conner,L., & Rios, F. (2010). Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River,NJ. Prentice Hall

Week 5

Q1. Consider the following: Some Pacific islander tribes expect the elderly or infirm to leave the group and go off on their own to die. Provide your view of this practice by providing arguments that consider cultural diversity. Respond with opposing views to posts by at least two other students.

A1. This is an interesting subject. I didn't realize this practice was still going on, but can understand why it would have originally. When resources were limited, it made sense to allow the elderly to go off on their own and die because they didn't want to burden or hold back the tribe. Different cultures look at death differently, much like animals do. Dogs prefer to go off on their own to find a death spot as well as elephants. This practice may come across as cruel, but it is the way they did or do it, and the elderly is not forced into the situation. I would think that religion would play a role in this practice, as in they are surrendering themselves to their gods. I personally wouldn't want a family member to have to change my Depends or have to bath me, but at the same time, I would do it for my family. Many cultures, like the culture in Japan feel honored to assist their elderly in their time of need. Even the Western culture takes care of their elderly, but rather than taking them into their own homes, they put them in retirement homes so they can be taken car of by trained professionals. I think if assisted suicide were legal, more of our elderly would take that path rather than place a financial burden on their families. I know when it is time for me to go, I would rather go out on my own terms than be confined to a life of needed assistance.

Do I think it is wrong for the Pacific Islanders to do this? No I do not. If it is their culture, and the elderly are not forced into the situation, who are we to say anything about it, just because our culture does not understand or agree with it.

Wow, after making that statement, I kind of climbed on the fence here. I started thinking about other cultures and their accepted practices, and don't know how I feel about leaving other cultures alone. In some cases the accepted culture allows for human abuses that I can't get on board with such as raping and beating wives and daughters in the name of religion, forced marriage, male circumcision, and female genital mutilation. These are all accepted practices, depending on the culture, but I don't think it is ok to do it.

After reading my response, I stand by my original statement... "if it is their culture, and the elderly are not forced into the situation, who are we to say anything".

Q2. You are a journalist for an up-and-coming online news website. You are inadvertently given some information that you know would increase your website’s popularity, but could potentially compromise national security. How might you handle the story? Explain your decision.

A2. If I were in a position in which I was inadvertently given information that would eventually increase the popularity of the website I work for, I would without thinking twice, not use the information. In a situation where I have valuable information, I would be pretty paranoid of the people I would anger for releasing such information. Either way, growing up I would always be told by my parents to do the right thing and not take advantage of a situation just because I would gain something out of it. Do the right thing because that is the thing to do. When dealing with something with national security, the probability that others are keeping an eye out for that information would be off the charts. I was always someone who would defer any sort of attention , so I would give up the information to the proper authorities, or just get rid of it to make sure no one else gets a hold of the information.

Q3. As a manager for a large, multinational corporation, you travel around the world to different countries giving presentations and conducting meetings. You always try to include humor as an icebreaker. What potential barriers could you face when delivering your presentation in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and India? Are you able to give the same presentation in all four locations? Why do you think this?

A3. The potential barriers you could face are mainly language and culture. Verbal communication is just one aspect to consider with the language but there is also nonverbal communication that must be taken into consideration. Humor is very relative even within your own culture so telling jokes can be questionable when delivering presentations amongst other cultures. You must choose your words more carefully, ask clarifying questions, and refrain from discussing "politically correct" topics, also be cautious of your gestures. You are not able to give the same presentation in all four locations because you must learn the do's and taboo's of each culture and be respectful of them. You also must learn the norms and variations in communication styles of each particular cultural group.

References: Cheeseboro,T., O'Connor, L.,& Rios, F.(2009).Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall.

Q4. Is it possible for a communication to convey a message that is legal, but ethically wrong? Is it possible for a message to be ethical, but not legal? Explain your answers and provide an example.

A4. It is very possible for a message to be legal, but not ethical simply because we are not all the same and we don't all live by the same rules and religions. For example, it is legal for the president to convey a message on gays, but to some people, it's not ethical either because they don't believe in gays as part of their religious culture. They may feel this is not something the president should be discussing.

It is also possible for a message to be ethical, but not legal. As an example, it may be ethical to haze in a faternity because of the traditions and customs of the faternity, but legally hazing is no longer allowed. Just because hazing is no longer allowed, doesn't mean people or faternities won't do it. It will become an ethical decision they decided to continue to do but not get caught.