Michael Oliveros - Reflection Blog post 1
First, I didn't want to be here.
To be quite frank, when I first sat down in my seat to observe the two class-period presentations (one on intercultural communication [Chapter 3] and the other on group communication [Chapter 9]), all I could consider was how much I’d rather have been enjoying that time elsewhere. Ideally, at the gym, throwing some weight around instead of looking at slides. But credit where credit’s due: in the end, I enjoyed both presentations more than I thought I would. They got me thinking about how we communicate, day to day, the extent to which context and group dynamics shape everything we say and do.
Hand gestures mean different things?
The Chapter 3 presentation started with, “Hand Gestures Among Different Cultures,” which almost had me at hello. It all began with the universal “A-OK” sign meaning totally different things from nation to nation—the in the U.S. it means Ok or good, and Brazil it means fuck you. That alone woke me up to just how easy you can do something to offend someone without saying a word. I always believed communication was about words. This presentation smacked that notion sideways. All of a sudden, my thumbs-up emoji use seemed a cultural bet. Additionally, I am a scuba diver. If someone asks you if you are good, you do an OK hand signal because the thumbs-up signal underwater means that you need to go back to the surface.
First presentation + power distance
The thing that struck me most in that first presentation was how much culture affects the way we communicate. It is not only the language or accents: religion, age, race, disability, and even class are included. Such as the slides on how Christianity influenced American holidays and laws made me wonder how many “normal” things in the U.S. have religious underpinnings. And it’s not positive or negative —it is something I never consciously paused to consider.
When I was presenting Power Distance stuff, the research was eye-opening, too. I mean, like: I KIND OF KNEW that certain cultures value hierarchy more than others, but seeing it laid out all neat like that made me think about the fact that I can hardly deal with authority. I decided I’m quite “low power-distance” — I’m comfortable speaking up, regardless of where someone is in a hierarchy compared with me. But in other cultures, that might be considered rude or disrespectful. That’s the sort of wisdom I didn’t anticipate receiving from my research in a class I'm taking just for the requirement, but I will accept it.
Group setting PowerPoint
The Chapter 9 slide show was extremely relevant to me since I am always in a group setting (study group, gym, coordinating with friends). I liked how this presentation described the various kinds of groups we join and leave: families (good and bad), social groups (meh), support groups (not useful for me, but others; maybe useful for you), interest groups, service groups, and work teams. At first, I found it a little heavy — do I really need to have a name for every group I’m in? But then they began relating those to patterns of communication, and that was when it came to me.
The part that looked at different family communication styles, and especially the protective, consensual, pluralistic, and laissez-faire model, made me think about how my family modeled for me how to communicate with others. It’s mostly laissez-faire in my family, with a side of protective. We’re not big on heart-to-hearts or long-winded convos about feelings. Maybe others in my family, but not me. So, that makes sense now why I can sometimes get really reluctant to speak up about emotions or problems. I like to say fuck it I'll figure it out.
And what about the storming phase, so crucial to a group’s development? That was super relatable. We’ve all been there in those cringey group project situations where no one wants to agree, and instead of finding a solution, folks start tossing passive-aggressive shade. The advice in the presentation about active listening and being assertive but respectful and not making hasty decisions before conducting research really resonated with me. I sort of wish I had been shown this in one of my previous friend groups, it might have made things a little smoother
One aspect that I didn’t think I’d enjoy but did was the conversation around unhealthy group dynamics, particularly surrounding faux-support groups such as pro-anorexia online communities. It was a heavy topic, but it mattered. It taught me that just because a group feels close, it doesn’t mean it’s a good group. Some groups can actually feed toxic ideas and behaviors, and it’s on us to know when that’s happening. Especially Groups supporting EDs, as they are one of the leading causes of death in America, alongside heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries.
Conclusion
For the 3rd presentation, it did not capture my attention as much as the first two, being that my group presented the first one, I’d say my favorite out of the two I wrote about was the group setting one. I just felt it was more personal for me.” We are all in groups all the time, whether we realize it or not. And when it comes to understanding how that dynamic works and how to communicate better within that dynamic, that’s something I can use every day. One thing’s for sure toward the end of Chapter 3, and that is this is a world more global and diverse than ever, and I think Chapter 3 really opened my mind to that when it comes to cultural sensitivity.
I still think I would’ve had a better time at the gym, because I'm a gym bro, but I don’t regret tuning in for these presentations. They were well written and presented, easy to track, and filled with information that was actually applicable to the real world. As I walk away from them, my knowledge of myself and of the groups I am a part of, and the unwritten rules we all have to follow and figure out when communicating with different cultures, is much better. If I'm ever in Brazil, I’ll be damn sure to keep that A-OK hand gesture to myself.
Well...as a 2nd to the gym you wrote a very nice reflection!!
ReplyDelete