The Big Test

I chose to send the surveys to my spouse and my closest co-worker.  I was hoping to see that I am different in a professional mode from my personal life.  I was surprised to see the results.  Both people were very close to my own results.  I was hoping that the people that are closest to me get to see a more relaxed and calm version than my co-workers.  It resulted that I am a passionate and empathetic communicator.  I express myself aggressively in certain situations and end up being so compassionate to those I am listening to that I can be fooled. I want to work on varying the different perceptions and hope that this class will give me strategies to do just that.

Delicate Dance

Communicating within my home and professional life.

I am completely two different people when it comes to communicating at home and at work.  I have to really challenge myself and use my educational strategies to communicate on the level in which is expected at work.  I have such a diverse group of staff and families to interact with daily that usually deals with highly emotional subject matters.  From a child being sick, to a parents divorcing I find myself using my counseling hat to help those around me.  At home the family unfortunately gets the short end of the stick.  Being a single mother for so many years, I have found myself being with my children all the time but rarely present.  I have had to work in the past few years really listening and using better communication skills to create a two street with my children.  As they have gotten older it has become even more important to tell them how I feel, and hear what they have to say.  Looking from the outside in, some might observe that my children cross the lines of respect and appropriate behavior.  I have worked very hard not to impede the communication with my children, even though sometimes it can be very challenging.  Our rules of engagement, if you will, are that if they are upset  and the challenges they face as children that they will use trial and error with the types of response they receives and to be able to learn the benefits of responding verses reacting.  Communication for me is a work of art that is a delicate dance between emotion and strategies that yield the anticipated outcome. 

Week 2

Duck Dynasty

No Sound

I observed laughter, smiling, and close interaction with a small group of people, hunting, and working in some type of warehouse.

The interactions between the characters varied but for the most part looked like they enjoyed each other’s company. The show looks like funny acts are taking place, and common livelihoods are being depicted.

Each of the family member talk to each other looking and expressing emotions through facial expression. At the end of the episode all of the characters ate at the same table.

Sound

This episode of Duck Dynasty was hilarious. This is a family owed business that even the workers who are not family are adopted family. The family interacts well with each other and expresses using language that is not offensive and is funny to each other. Each member has a good rapport with each other, and each has their own role within the family. The dad is the CEO of the duck call making company and their family is very different from the lifestyle they grew up in. The teenage sons are verbally challenged by technology and the teenage daughter relies on texting for all communication. Even communicating through text when she is in the same room with the person. I love that even though they give each other a hard time and joke with one another they are all able to communicate to one another how important family is to each of them. I actually thought from the characters appearance that they would communicate with very little skill or sensitivity. That was not the case. Even with the southern accent the characters were able to communicate effectively.

Communicating Excellence

I would have to say that my worst critic would also be my greatest mentor.  The division branch manager for our program.  This is a true professional who has worked many years perfecting her communication behaviors.  I believes that she demonstrated wonderful communication skills in relaxed casual setting as well as a professional audience.  Her demeanor, her presences and her calming affect that she has on every person she comes into contact with wants to hold a conversation.  Her best quality is her ability to listen and respond to people appropriately. When she finds herself in confrontational or uncomfortable scenarios she responds instead of reacting to the situation.  This is something that I work for every time I find myself in a highly volatile or emotional situations.  This division branch manager is very quick to critic how that I handle stressful types of situations and conversations.  I have grown tremendously as a professional communicator because of her leadership.