Discussion: How to Be A Persuasive and Influential Speaker

Preparation for being an influential speaker is probably the most important in giving a job well done. I think that practicing in front of friends or family can be useful. They can give you feedback about how you are speaking, your body language, content, and tone. I think that many people forget about their tone when they are speaking and may not realize that they are boring their audience. It is necessary to be somewhat enthusiastic about what you are talking about; I think that helps the audience become interested. As someone already mentioned, being passionate about what you are speaking about is a necessary aspect that can be helpful in making the audience passionate too. Making sure that your content flows and try not to spend too much time on minor details, but hitting main points of importance that will stay in audience's mind.

CONTACT!!!

I have finally made contact with 2 of my group members! All is not lost!!!!

Persuasive Communication to Build Consensus

While I was at work I tried to complete this assignment with a few of my co-workers. Some of them came up with interesting answers. To have a less desirable job for a lot of money, some of the answers were: a teacher, lawyer, daycare provider, human resources, and a computer engineer. The "passion" jobs for a lot less money that were mentioned: to work with dolphins (I really thought that was interesting), secretary (that I did not get), a coach (sports), an office manager, and a police officer. When one would hear someone else's answer for the question some answers were changed, as if the other's was a better one. In the end, the less desirable job, which took a couple trials to come up with, ended up being the lawyer. The "passion" job for a lot less money was an office manager. The only man in the group was the only one that did not agree with this. He wanted to stay with being a coach for his "passion" job and thought that none of the other positions would have been worth it.

Communication Questions

I think that the definition of communication is getting a message across. They can be verbal or nonverbal, and may differ based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, region, and several others. We may not understand each other all the time because of the difference in cultures, and we may handle and take things differently than those from our cultures. Messages are sometimes taken differently than we wanted and sometimes the messages may come across as offensive to some but not others. I think it is necessary to learn about different cultures in order to be an effective communicator across diverse population. Learning to pay attention to a person's body language is also necessary in communicating well. In many cultures, a person's body language can say a lot more than others.

My group experiences

So far, I have to say that my group experiences have been pretty limited. I only have contact with one other student which was the person I did the phone interview with. Other than that I have yet to have spoken with any other member of my group. It is a bit frustrating because time is ticking and I do not know what to do at this point. I have yet to figure out what kind of experiences we have on how differently we communicate because I do not have any with them! Anyway, I hope my experiences change and things get better.

What makes a good leader?

I think being a good leader can be many things. An obvious aspect would be good communication; to get things across clearly and also know how to listen effectively. It is indeed a vital part of leadership. I think it is also being able to priortize and know what needs most attention without neglecting the details. Being able to pay attention to non-verbal cues is also a necessary characteristic of a good leader. Having the ability to sense certain vibes and having good perception of whether or not everyone is on the same page. In addition to being a good leader is also knowing when it is time to be led. I think it is not always necessary for a good leader to dominate every aspect. Receiving feedback and knowing how to utilize it is also important. Finally, I think that a good leader knows that the group that he/she is leading is the backbone, and without them, the leader would be nothing. So, communication with the leader and group members is key in being efficient. I think being a a good communicator is essential in being a strong leader, because you know how to handle differences in genders, races, cultures, and religions appropriately.

Interview with Stephanie Hansen

What I found out from Stephanie Hansen after conducting our interview was that she is a definite go-getter, a natural leader who takes initiative and knows when to be led. Her persistent personality helps her get things done as well as her work ethic. She is always up for a challenge and believes that the more you know about a company, the more you will know about your job. She feels that being a team player is a necessity in being a good leader. She also does not wait to get things done- if something need attention, she does does not wait around for someone else to do it- she takes the initiative to handle it herself. She defined commitment as a contract that you cannot walk away from; something that you must stick through until the finished product. Stephanie would be a asset to any company and would contribute enormously to any company's success.

Tribal nature impacts on verbal and nonverbal levels

I think that tribal nature sets the standard for people. We all want to do what the "norm" is so we all follow our culture's verbal/nonverbal cues and look strangely at someone from another tribe's (culture's) verbal/nonverbal cues as unusual, strange, or even wrong. I do believe that we are "herd" people, and that we have a need to be accepted and that means doing what is acceptable by our herd.

WWW.GROVERTON.COM

Behaviors that may be socially acceptable for one culture, may not be for another.. so how can we make a judgement of what is right or wrong? By following whatever is believed to be the "American" norm? I think that we have a need to want to belong and we do that by staying within our ethnicity, race, culture, religion, or even socioeconomic status. I think that being apart of a group that share common interests is similar to being in a tribe. I would not say that humans are "stubbornly tribal". Many people from different cultures do consider themselves American, even if their culture may be from another country and many do not.

What exactly is American culture?? Is it not made up of many different cultures?? I have a feeling that what is portrayed as American in this article may be coming from a Euro-Americanview which is unfair considering American culture is so diverse and complex that you cannot define through one person's opinion. It is impossible and it also varies depending upon what part of the country you live in. The fact that you live in an area that is populated with mostly immigrants, well then, the culture that is around you IS the American culture. That's my perspective on it. We do not have to assimilate, we do have to learn to acculturate.

Communication Assessment

Internal Communication: I think that due to the large size of the organization I work for, the internal communication may not come across clear. Mass emails that state objectives or rules to follow can be easily misconstrued. Meetings are helpful in which ideas can be exchanged, opinions can be shared, and concerns can be brought to the table. Sometimes emails can be helpful when a person is afraid or has trouble with approaching situation, there are times an email can be helpful in getting those situations across.

Downward Communication: The downward communication is pretty effective and I think probably is in most companies. The people who are in charge usually are the ones to set the standards and I think that the needs that they communicate to the people who work for them are usually heard. They may use other supervisors to address what they may want which is an efficient way of getting through employees.

Communication In Meetings: Communication in meetings is not always what it should be. Many people are afraid to state their concerns because they may not want to "make waves" or "bad blood" in the company or with their fellow co-workers. An option to make communication work in situations where people are afraid to mention concern would be a suggestion box. This makes the person anonymous, however, still brings the issue to the table without pointing fingers or making others uncomfortable.

Feedback: Feedback from my employer in regards to my performance seems pretty standard. When everyone is doing above and beyond the call of duty, they get praised for it which is appropriate. If everyone is doing less than what is acceptable, they get a verbal warning. If this is not effective then they may get a written warning. Even when that may not be effective, they may get suspended. This of course is only happens in extreme situations. In most scenarios, the feedback from the verbal warning is enough to communicate to the employee that he/she is doing something wrong or inappropriate.

External Communication: I am unsure how this kind of communication works in my organization. Possibly in business type settings, advertising could be a way of external communication towards it's customers: the kind of messages they may send to their customers to persuade them in buying their products.

Cultural/Gender Communication: This is important because men & women and people of different cultures have different ways of communicating with each other. I think that culture's that are not dominant in the workplace suffer because they are not taken into account for. In my place of work, among my coworkers, I am the only non-spanish speaking person. They may not realize how uncomfortable it makes me when they all speak spanish around me, however, I know that they are not intentionally trying to make me feel uncomfortable. They are, however, the dominant culture in my place of work. Language is not the only barrier in different cultures. Whether the culture is a high or low contact culture can effect the way others in a company react or perceive others. When I first started working with a male employee who was from a high contact culture, I was very uncomfortable around him. I could have easily taken his "high contact" as him trying to make advances toward me. Now, I know that it is just part of his culture to be a little more "touchy-feely" than me.

Electronic Commnunication: In this day and age, electronic communication is a growing part of our culture and has become much more efficient than actually physically speaking to a person. However, emotions and tone are not considered very much when relying on things like emails, and things can be easily misconmmunicated. Email is very important in my organization due to it's size. There are too many things going on, and too many people to address, for our organization not to have email as a form of communication. It is one of the best means to contact someone quickly in my workplace.

Nonverbal Communication: Nonverbal communication can be similar to email or a gesture given to you by a supervisor. In working with students with disabilities, I use several types of nonverbal communication. Sometimes, sign language is the best way to communicate for those who are hard of hearing or for those who have speech problems. Giving a student a certain "look" when he/she is not on the appropriate task or to remind him that he/she needs to pay attention.

Written Communication: Everyday we use written communciation in our workplace. As mentioned, emails are a vital part of the workplace in this day and age. Notices in our mailboxes reminding us of events going on, or even private matters which cannot be addressed in an email because it may be to impersonal.

Interpersonal Communication: I think interpersonal communication can either make a company stronger or weaker. Sometimes, people have better interpersonal communication with some and not with others. This can effect group cohesivenes. Problems with interpersonal communication can be with issues that need to be resolved with those who do not like conflict and those that are not easily approachable.

Visual Communication: The visual communication in the workplace can be as simple as posters that boost company morale. Or what to do when you think you are being sexually harassed, or what to do when someone next to you is choking. They are all not necessary, however, they are helpful in several ways and may communicate to the employee that their employer cares about their well being.

Yahoo Answers

I am not to sure if I am good at this answering questions thing.. I am not even sure what to ask. It's kind of weird, I have to work at it a little more.

Below Average???

According to my emotional IQ assessment, I scored below average! I was shocked because I always thought I was pretty emotionally receptive. It stated that people who are emotionally intelligent usually have an easier time overcoming difficulties in their lives, which I don't. I know there is no incorrect score on this assessment, but it sure did make me feel like an emotional wreck! I am not sure how much I agree with the assessment because it also stated that those that are emotionally intelligent have an easier time overcoming obstacles and reaching goals. I believe I am pretty good at obtaining the goals in my life so far as well as finding social interactions easy and fulfilling as it mentioned. As I stated before, I would think of myself as emotionally receptive person as well as perceptive person to other people whether it is paying attention to their body language, tone, attitude, or their overall approach to me.

Classmate Converstation

My phone conversation assignment was with Stephanie Wederstrandt. I asked Stephanie to do the phone assignment because she was one of the first people to send out an email for her blog and myspace. That made me come to the conclusion that she gets things done. I did want to pick someone that I could count on and who was not a slacker, and I am glad that I asked her. First impressions are important!! It was a little nerve racking in the beginining of the conversations in which we basically talked about the class and what each of us thought was expected. Being that we are both extroverts, the conversation flowed in a nice pace. I found out that Stephanie is a criminal justice major who works as a correctional officer with children. She is also taking other classes at the community college which I thought was pretty tough; I could not imagine doing that along with this class and work. I believe that because we are both of the same age we could also talk easier with each other. Class was one of the topics we discussed more than anything and I believe that is because that is what we mainly share in common. Stephanie seemed more prepared than I was for the phone conversation because she had some questions for me in the begining and I was just expecting to go with the flow. I thought this was an interesting aspect of how we handled the assignment since I am a "judger" according to one of the assessments, and I do tend to make my "to do lists." However, for this specific assignment, I decided to just go with the flow and she was the one with more stucture.

Barriers to Communication

Environmental: I think noise is a common environmental barrier. For me, I tend to get distracted fairly easily. My focus needs to be only on one thing, otherwise, I will not be communicating effectively.

Verbal: Some verbal barriers that I have encountered have to be the differences in slang when talking among friends. Being from the East coast, I have had to explain myself when using certain slang. At the same time, when speaking to a friend from the West coast, they occaisionally may have to decode their slang or jargon to me.

Interpersonal: I am aware of the different personality types and how differently people interpret things. An example of this would be the differences between introverts and extroverts. They may have problems communicating because they come across differently to one another. One might consider the extrovert pushy or the introvert as stuck up, depending on what they are.

How do I minimize potential barriers in my own communication with others? I try to pay attention to my environment by avoiding the external as well as the internal noise. I also try my best to take into account different cultures and try my best to be educated about them. Being aware of different personality types by observing someone, and feeling them out when you meet is also another way that I try to minimize communication barriers.

20 minutes

by the way, it took me 20 minutes to find my blog once I saved it as a draft.. and I still can't remember how I found it! That was fun!

Personal work style, TAPT, Neuro.. something..

So.. I have an interacting personal work style according to the survey/assessment. I have to say that was not to surprising! I do love to work with people and interact with them. I am defintely an extrovert, although I have my days to when I do not want to be bothered. Intuitive is defintely part of my personality as well. I think that is the artist in me, in which I see my life through art, ideas, and relationships. The word "feel" must come out of my mouth 1 million times a day, so the fact that "feeler" came up in my assessment was right on the money. I laughed when I found out that I was a "judger" because it stated how we tend to have a "to do list" in which I am never without one. I think that aspect of my life is the only part that is structured and organized, and it is where I have control. And of course for the NLP style, I ended having a kinesthetic representational system which was not surprising, considering how much of a "feeling" person I am.