My Communication and Listening Skills

During week four, we were asked to answer three assessments as well as having others perform the same assessments about us. The assessments were; Communication Anxiety Inventory, Verbal Aggressiveness Scale, and Listening Styles Profile. From taking these assessments, I learned a lot about myself and how I communicate and listen which is something we cannot judge on a normal basis.

My communication Anxiety shows that i'm in the middle of feeling concerned about some communication situations but not all of them. Verbal Aggressiveness showed that I can be argumentative and at times I can attack another person's character. The Listening Profile showed that I am very concerned about other's feelings and at times it can work against me because I put too much trust in others.

For the most part my other evaluators hit right on with the verbal and listening styles profile, and slightly off for the communication. They said they noticed me as uneasy in some communication situations but definitely not in all. I definitely agree with the Listening Styles Profile. I can tend to be very argumentative if I feel that my character or knowledge is being challenged. I know in the long run that it needs to be turned down a bit, but I just can't allow people to misrepresent me especially if I am present at a meeting.

Communication

• Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?
• If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

-It all depends on what group of people I am speaking too. If I am at work and speaking to my supervisor or parents, then I'm speaking professional and making sure that all my sentences are grammatically correct. I also make sure that I'm making eye contact and not speaking the whole time with my hands.

On the other hand, if I'm speaking to other colleagues and or family and friends then I am a little more relaxed with my speaking habits. I may use my hands to describe something, I may not always remember to allow the other person to go back and forth in the conversation. Speaking with this group of people is more relaxed than it is when speaking to parents and or supervisors.

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.
- The first strategy is to get to know and become familiar with the people or groups that I am speaking too. "Try to withhold judgment long enough to gain a deeper understanding than first impression allows" (Gonzalez, Mena- J. 2010).
- The second strategy is to determine or identify what the communication is going to be about. "Men are more likely to report; while women are more likely to establish rapport" (BeeBee, S.A & BeeBee, S.J & Redmond, M.V 2010)
- The third strategy is to "designate rules that are associated with social rules until they are broken" (Vockovic, A. 2008).



Resources

Gonzalez, Mena- J. (2010). 50 Strategies to communicating and working with diverse families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

BeeBee, S.A & BeeBee, S.J & Redmond, M.V (2010). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon

Vockovic, A. (2008) Multicultural Education and Technology Journal, 2(1), 47-59
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The Six Little McGhees

The show that I decided to watch was The 6 little McGhees on the OWN Network.

No Sound:

What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

-  The mom and dad were in the kitchen having a conversation. Both of them were displaying very unique facial expressions, so to me it looks like they were having a very intense conversation. The next clip was the family went to a store to try on bathing suits and swims shoes. The dad could be seen pointing to each child and pointing to the ground as in he was telling each one of them to sit down. The lady from the back brought out a stack of shoes, in which the children got up and started running, crying, and i'm assuming yelling.


With Sound:

What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?

        Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?

- The mom and dad were in the kitchen having a conversation about getting their children swim lessons. The mom had went and registered the children at the YMCA, and was relaying the information to her husband that she had received from the aquatics director. In regards to 2year olds receiving swim lessons, they must participate in the "mommy/daddy and me class; which means that each child must be in the water with an adult. Well being that they have 6 children and only them 2, they became frustrated about who could they call on to help them out each sunday, when most of their friends are in church.  When the family went to the store, the dad was having the kids feet measured while the mom was in another area of the store picking out swim suits. The children became reckless and began running around the store and becoming little terrors as they tour the store into pieces. I think my assumptions would have been more clear and in full detail had I known what the facial expressions and the conversation was about.

Effective Communication Behaviors

For your blog this week, think of someone (e.g., family member, celebrity, politician, friend, or professor) who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her effective? Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not?

The one person who demonstrates competent communication is my father. I selected him outta array of other individuals because I deem him to be the most effective helpful person. Some behaviors that my father exhibits; are great listener, sympathetic, knowledgeable on many subjects, always willing to help, and has great advice.

For example during my first year of college, my father "told" me that when I begin getting my refund checks from my student loans, that I would send them back immediately. Being a first year college student I didn't understand why I had to give this money back right away; in the same manner that I saw all my other friends going across the street to the mall and going shopping. He explained to me, that in the long run when it comes time to having to pay my loans back that I will already have a head start and will not have fell behind. Trying it his way, I then noticed when the statements came, I was actually ahead of my payments. Had I not had my father to guide me in submitting what was right and not being careless, I would have been behind and possibly messed up my credit.

I would like to model some of my own communication behaviors after my father, with listening because some people just need somebody to listen to them and not provide any comments or criticisms. I also would like to be more sympathetic, because even if I can't be successful in helping, I can at least try.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)
- One hope that I have when I work with children and their families who come from diverse backgrounds, is to see me as I am. I hope that the family vows to give me a chance and work with me so that I can incorporate their culture into my curriculum. However, they must understand that before I implement their facts into the lessons, I must first learn about them. Learn and research some basic language, beliefs, wants and needs, and also what there goals are for their child.

One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)
- One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field that is related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice, is to provide a diversity training/workshop once a quarter. This would primarily be to learn and implement new information, tips, and activities. I think it is very important to keep up with society, being that there is always new information being updated each day.

A brief note of thanks to your colleagues
-To Ms. Snider and Classmates,

I have enjoyed the past eight weeks, from interacting during discussions, giving feedback on blogs, and from getting helpful tips from the instructor. I have definitely learned from each and every one of you. I also have a new outlook on the topics we discussed, that will make me start looking at certain situations in a new light now. I will take what I have learned and implement it into my classrooms and into my teaching style.

Thanks again, Sherrell

Welcoming Families from Around the World.

My family's country is: Haiti
Five ways I would prepare myself for the family's arrival:
-The first thing I would do is to do a little research on the country the family is coming from. This would give me an insight on how their environment and community looks. I would also find out what language is commonly spoken and find out of the family uses it or not. If they did, I would begin learning some of the basic language enough to communicate greetings, needs, and wants.
-The second thing I would do is gather informational documents and pamphlets on resources around the local community if help was needed. It would provide shelters, welfare, how to get assistance for having a baby (WIC), clothing and or food pantries etc.
-The next preparation I would take is to briefly train my teachers in the class he/she would be entering. I would give them the basic language, some common beliefs that is known to be followed in Haiti with a "just in case" they do follow these certain beliefs. I would also learn about the foods that Haitian people eat, and see if I can get at least one of the meals added to the school lunch menu each month.
-Another preparation I would make is to ask the parents to write down a short survey about the child. Likes/dislikes, habits, eating habits, rituals, beliefs, what makes the child happy/sad or scared.
-Lastly, I would schedule a special meeting with the parents and child and an interpreter(if needed), to go over the school's handbook, policy, and paperwork. I would also allow the parents and child to meet with the teacher to discuss any necessary information that each other both would like to share. This would also be an great opportunity for the child to meet the teacher. I would request that the parents stay a few hours at drop off the first day just to make him/her feel comfortable, and to see how the child interacts with the other children. I would end by telling the family that the doors are always open, and that they may come in or call to check on how the child is doing.


A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family:
- I hope that by taking these preparations, I would getting a better understanding of the family and they would for me as well. I understand it can be difficult entering into a new environment; but more so, into a new country where everything around is foreign. As long as communication is open between the parents and myself/teachers I think that the family will have a wonderful stay while their child is attending the program.

The Personal side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like

- This past weekend I went to the beach and board walk with some friends for my birthday (My birthday is today-Saturday!!!!) and the people who push the carts up and down the boardwalk carting people from one end to the next gave a group of young Caucasian girls a different price  of a flat rate of 20dollars to the opposite side of the board walk, and told my group of friends the price is $5.00 every three blocks. I asked him why were the girls giving a different rate when clearly the rates are posted inside of the cart! The man was stunned and wasn't aware that I overheard his previous conversation. He then offered us the same "special" as the other girls, and because furious when we denied all together.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

- This situation diminished equity from the simple point that the guy should not be giving deals to certain individuals as if the money he collects goes to him personally. That's his job and he works for a business, the professional side to that is treat each individual the same because at the end of the day, he doesn't know if I work for the company or not and doing a mandatory observation of my employees.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

- This brought up prejudice, biased, and also the fact that I am not good enough. I was just so taken back that after it all happened the man still denied the fact he was being unfair. 

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

- The cart guy would have to do his job properly and charge customers the posted price that is labeled inside of each cart. Even though he may correct his inappropriate behavior, I would still decline and refuse taking any cart anytime I am on the board walk because of one back experience. My feelings are that if the man did it, they all must do it.