Summary for chapters 3, 9, and 10

 Summary for chapters 3, 9, and 10 by Geovani Hoyos

 

Chapter 3 went over intercultural communication. It talked about culture in general and how intercultural communication involves interactions that occur between people whose cultures are so different that the communication between them is altered. It also went over both dominant and co-cultures in society and how it is a shared system of meaning exists within the dominant culture, but meanings can vary within co-cultures based on race, ethnicity, sex and gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, age/generation, and disability.Lastly, chapter 3 goes on about how to become interculturally competent and that we need to acknowledge and overcome common intercultural communication barriers. We also need to employ the competent communication strategies of acquiring accurate knowledge, adopting an appropriate attitude, and developing culture-centered skills.

Chapter 9 went over communicating in groups. It defined what a group is and the variations and types of groups such as families, social friendship groups, support groups, interest groups, service groups, work group teams, and virtual groups. It further defined how healthy groups develop clearly defined and ethical goals, are interdependent, are cohesive, work to establish and abide by norms, hold members accountable for group norms, and achieve synergy. It also explained the five stages of development: forming, getting people to feel valued and accepted so that they identify with the group; storming, clarifying goals while determining the role each member will have in the group power structure; norming, solidifying rules for behavior; performing, overcoming obstacles and meeting goals successfully; and adjourning, assigning meaning to what they have done and determining how to end or maintain interpersonal relations they have developed. Groups may also transform and continue to exist with a new goal instead of adjourning. Lastly, Chapter 9 mentioned how conflict occurs both in interpersonal communication and group communication. Effective management of group conflict can actually make groups stronger rather than weakening them.

 

            Chapter 10 went over group leadership and problem solving. It talks about how leadership and leadership tasks are performed by many members of the group. The leadership roles within a group can be divided into task, maintenance, and procedural roles. There are also five leadership roles that are shared among all members of the group that, when performed by all members, create a highly effective group. To make group meetings effective and efficient, both the meeting leader and meeting participants should take certain actions before, during and after the meeting. A group that faces a problem can find a resolution either through a linear set of steps or a less-structured spiral pattern. In either case, the group must accomplish six tasks in order to find an optimal solution. First, it must identify and define the problem. Second, it must analyze the problem to find out as much about it as possible. Third, it must determine the criteria for judging the merits of proposed solutions. Fourth, it must identify alternative solutions. Fifth, it must evaluate the solutions and decide which solution should be used. Finally, the group will implement the agreed-upon solution.

Furthermore, a group can communicate its decisions in a number of ways. Such as written, oral, and virtual formats.Effective groups periodically evaluate how their interactions affect what they do and how the members interact with each other. One way to evaluate group dynamics is to describe how each member performed his or her specific tasks and how well his or her communication contributed to the cohesiveness, problem solving, and conflict resolution processes in the group. Evaluations of group presentations should incorporate an individual as well as a group component.

 

            Over all, I really enjoyed in learning about the technical structures of speech and groups so far and I am looking forward to learning more!