Week 14 #1

Well being able to be a Communication Major at San Jose State, I have to say that the panel for public presentation is one of my favorite. I chose the panel because it gives people a chance to argue the problem and even come up with possibilities to a solution. Generally speaking, when a controversial topic is on the board, it’s hard to have a good discussion without feelings or emotions taking a part in the situation where nobody gets a point across because people will interrupt when they feel needed. However, by keeping the format informal it makes it easier for the audience to stay in tune and interacting with the message that the speaker is trying to present. The panel must agree on basic definitions, parameters of the problem to be discussed, the questions or issues to be considered, speaker time limits, and the order of the speaker. (pg. 220) Following this further, we tend to see this in a debate format and speeches that have multiple people speaking. However, I feel this is the best way to make a public presentation because people get the opportunity to hear different views and ideas on similar topics that are presented.

Week 14 # 2

Collaborative in the book is ideal conflict resolution strategy for any group is of win-win or consensus (pg.232). What this means to me is that everybody has equal membership to the groups decisions and nobody in the group is better than another. One example I used collaborative conflict resolution is in a group environment. Generally speaking when groups have projects every group member all have the same mentality and same mind set of getting a good grade on assignments. However, when putting ideas out we have disagreements towards them, yet this is still a part of the collaboration because it’s focusing on the main objective at hand, which is the final results. Collaboration can involve strong disagreements, but they focus on the problem-solving issues not personalities or positions (McNary, 2003) Nevertheless, we tend to use this tool in our group projects or even group activities to obtain the main goal together. However, with the competitive conflict it has a win-lose orientation. It is marked by itself, rather than mutual interest, and by an assumption of limited resources and limited possibilities for gain. (pg. 235) For example, big sports fanatics will be a part of the competitive conflict especially if they have a favorite team or player they like. Additionally, people do not have the same feeling and mentality about certain teams or players. Generally speaking, we tend to argue stats, wins-loses, and even career sometime. However, as long as the conflict doesn’t arise on a personal level then this competition is fun. Nevertheless, I have to say competitive conflict is always interesting to me and satisfying because if you try to down play my team I’ll have to tell you a little about my team and then you understand why my team is the best.

Week 14#3

This week topic that I saw interesting to me was the concept of brainstorming in creative problem solving. What makes this interesting to me is that during this process of coming up with ideas, we tend to find techniques and ways to incorporate our ideas to find solutions to our problems. Additionally, our ideas we come up with are “free wheeling”, meaning that we throughout ideas to get other members of the group brain following and bring out their creative mind. No one idea is greater than the others but it makes it easier for other members to get clear ideas in their head to come up with the solution to the problem too. Brainstorming is one of many ways to enhance creativity in the group process. (pg.205) For instance, while working in groups we tend to all set out plans and ideas to come to the overall goal. Yet, sometime groups get stuck on one idea, by being able to input ideas that can help the team, can make goals and objectives must easier because it’s more brains on one topic. Therefore, by having more than one brain on a topic gives the group more creative support to help them find the solution to their problem solving.

Week 13 # 2

Cultural barriers include a requirement for conformity, an expectation of practicality and efficiency, particular arenas for competition or cooperation, an expectation of politeness and following rules for social order, a reliance on statistical proofs, a dependence on generalizations, a trust in the power of reason and logic, a belief in an either/ or perspective on issues, and a reliance on expert knowledge. (pg 188) With that said cultural barriers are all around us especially within are ethnicity and group norms we establish. I say this because within the African American ethnicity we tend to have certain slang terminology that is fit for a particular group. Following this further, when a member that isn’t a part of the group norm tend to get overlooked or not recognize because they don’t get accepted due to their culture. Besides that, cultural barriers have played an effect on creativity because of group norms that involves negativity in doing new things. For example, when a group member suggests an idea to the group and member says that impossible or that will not work shows that they are jealous because they couldn’t come up with an idea that they group sees as an interest. Additionally, cultural barriers play an effect in how we judge an individual and there standards. When meeting a new member we have to come off as cool a polite just to get in good with the individual we trying to meet, nevertheless, we have follow their boundaries and concepts before we can express our own ideas and rules. Personally I have experience a cultural norm especially when dealing with barriers in a work force with different ethnicities in a diverse group of people. Therefore, when I suggest ideas or give my opinion I am judge based on my cultural ethnicity because my ideas maybe different or outside the box from someone of a different race. Clearly, then I feel like I was in a competition for ideas and social order because I couldn’t get my idea past without them basing my opinion of my ethnicity. Nevertheless I had to overcome this by introducing myself and presenting myself beyond my cultural boundaries and showing that my ideas are in a creative response and can handle challenges.

Weel 13 # 3

The book talks about sharing in a creative form by sharing relevant information, resources, and responsibility for a creative climate (pg. 195). This means that members of the group share ideas within one another to overcome obstacles and challenges to obtain an overall mission. For instance, when around your peers or people that are in your circle have suggestion or throughout ideas that they want to do. We tend to throughout other ideas and suggestions to help our peers complete their thoughts. However, the ideas sometime do not get complete which other group members tend to add or suggest their opinion to advance the idea to make it better. Nevertheless we share ideas to keep are brain flowing and thinking so we don’t get stumped and locked up in our box world. Therefore, it’s a positive influence when group members are giving their creative openness. Group members who are very supportive and sharing always tend to do better and overcome obstacle rather than groups that react on their own personal instincts.

Week 13 # 1

I first like to start off by saying I have a real creative mind. Creativity is going beyond the current boundaries of technology, knowledge, social norms or beliefs or seeing and acting on new relationships, thereby bringing them to life” (Anderson, 1992, p.42). Going off that we have all experience a time for which we thought of a idea that was different and outside our norms, however, not only was the idea different the group wanted to at least experience it just to see if the idea would work. For example, I had an experience when creativity became the thought on peoples mine. While chilling with my group of friends we were trying to find something to do on a Saturday night. However, we did not want to go to the club or party because we had been doing such for the past weekends. Besides that we did want to go out and do something. As I sat there I came up with an idea that we get a group of people in go cosmic bowling. Yet, although the group pondered and sort of disagreed, they soon began to agree with the idea because they all had a female they wanted to hang out with. Nevertheless, even though they disagreed on the idea at first they then envisioned the idea and realized that it was a well enough plan to do. Therefore, creativity I feel is a spark or a envision that one sees as a idea that one may had in his head to share with the other members to get approval. We tend to get caught so much in a similar routine due to our group norms that when new ideas do tend to come out we tend to negatively respond before even thinking and trying it out first. In this situation I feel that as being a member of the group norm that my idea was considered and recognized thus making my idea good in this situation.