Interpersonal and Group Communication Experiences - Essay Example

Running Head: Reflective ESSAY Reflective Essay on Interpersonal and Group Communication Experiences (Name) (Course) (University) Date of presentation: Lecturer: Reflective Essay on Interpersonal and Group Communication Experiences Group discussion forums and help individuals work through a range of issues while exploring and improving their interpersonal profiles. In this reflective essay, I propose to put theory to practice by reflecting on my interpersonal and group discussion experience regarding the planning of a group presentation project. The group membership consisted of individuals from different racial and cultural backgrounds - two Chinese ladies and one Korean lady. At first, we did not know each other and we had difficulties interacting with each. We however had to overcome this difficulty if at all we had to make good of our group work. Before forming the group, none of the group members was sure of what to expect and our interpersonal communication skills were generally modest. On our first meeting, feelings of anxiousness and nervousness came over each of us as we were all unsure where to start or how deep the session would go. It seemed okay for me to ask other members to prioritize what issues we thought were important and think about specific issues that we had to consider. I worried about talking too often as I felt there were many issues to be discussed. In a way, the group work has helped us deepen our interpersonal communication skills. We agreed to meet once a week to share what we have done, check on what we should do to improve and assign new work. This helped us achieve friend ship and improve on our interpersonal communication skills. Reflecting back on the progress that we made as the group, one can say that it was a forum with a lot to offer. All group members felt that they not only learnt new ways to reach all other members but also new ways to make group discussion more memorable and enjoyable. Essentially, most of the discussion brought in much of the interpersonal communication skills we had learnt in class and it was only through this that we could understand each other (Silver, Hanson, Strong & Schwartz 2003, p. 33). Most of us in the group lacked self-expressive skills and had to rectify that. Having learnt a number of important communication skills and strategies, we were able to develop a positive atmosphere that facilitated the discussion. Each one of us in the group could skillfully provide information and opportunities for the others to practice and hone their interpersonal skills (Udai 2001, p. 56). As a group, we realized that mastery of concepts was very important as far as our group discussion was concerned because it helped in memorizing important information and skills (Stephens 2001, p. 67). Therefore, group members had to incorporate the understanding model to enable others explain what they have learnt. Members had difficulties digging deep into concepts to make sure that there were no misconceptions which could cause problems in the future as others begin to apply their knowledge into more advanced situations. Each group member could explain an aspect in a material and also tell how it relates to other concepts. By doing this, we could develop good reasoning skills and understanding of concepts, proofs and patterns of ideas. Group members had to have genuine understanding for each other and respect each other’s views no matter how divergent or conflicting the views were. Incidentally, the presence of conflicting views among group members helped the group develop and nurture good communication skills (Holmes 2002, p. 78). Within the interpersonal skills, members could include group work and opportunities for other members to seek information on their own and present it during group discussion. This was indeed a good approach and enabled us to bring new knowledge to the group and share interesting experience on what had been learned. Occasionally, we had to incorporate some changes in our interpersonal communication skills and this required the utilization of self-expressive skills. Because, for instance, am more of a detail-oriented type, I preferred to have the other group members make their contributions in certain ways. I liked creativity and could let other members be more involved in decision making regarding how they could present what they have learned. We realized that taking a written test was not the best way to help others show what they have learned, but bringing in examples and explaining the concepts involved could be more appropriate (Fraley, & Shaver 2000, p. 67). Now that as a group we were more aware and comfortable with our own interpersonal communication needs, it was easy to evaluate the overall structure of our discussion plan. When we first started our group work, my communication skills were drawn from the interaction I had had with my friends and family members and I have to say that I always have worries about what other people may think about me. It was for this reason that I at first took a low profile as let others take the initiative. While I could openly communicate my own views and desires, I could openly advocate for the views of others. Being the social person, I have always been it was easy for me to identify with the interpersonal needs of my colleagues in the group. I liked the peer practice strategy of learning and I quickly took the initiative to use this strategy in our group discussions. This worked as expected and I would say I liked the idea of the Jigsaw strategy. We definitely had to incorporate this strategy into our discussion and it was a big benefit for all members. When individual members were responsible for a small part of a larger issue, they could have a sense of importance and realize that they must do their part or else the puzzle cannot be complete (Carver, Sutton & Scheier, 2000, p. 98). I often got frustrated whenever I saw one member trying to do all the work while other members waited to benefit from it. However, with the jigsaw strategy, we could design a simple formula for assigning duties to each group member. Each member could work out a certain part and explain the results to the group. For instance, each member could take on a subtopic to do research and share the knowledge with others. Anytime group members are responsible for sharing ideas with others, they could build and strengthen their interpersonal skills (Collins & Read 1999, p. 78). Incredibly, the group work enhanced my thinking on what I had learnt in my psychology class about the four main study goals: inquiry and critical thinking, the diversity of human experience, communication and ethics and social responsibility. Of the four goals, I realized I was strongest in inquiry and critical thinking. I could constantly inquiry on facts and information I was unfamiliar with and I did not mind bothering my group members. Before joining the group, I was already comfortable with drawing connections and making conclusions about events. Often, I have subconscious thoughts about what others think about my ideas. We could frequently disagree on a number of issues pertaining to execution of our plans. Nevertheless, these differences did not disrupt the atmosphere of harmony that prevailed in the group (Carver, Sutton & Scheier 2000, p. 84). I realized that as a group, we still had to do more work on our communication skills especially oral and presentation skills (Anders & Tucker 2000, p. 94). Generally, group discussions helped me improve my oral presentation skills but it was more helpful in showing me that oral skills do not come directly into a person but that people need to work extra hard to create and prepare for passable presentation. My presentation about the future of our group was a good demonstration of this improvement. Although I did not adequately prepare for it, I was able to effectively convey my argument to my colleagues in the group. Regarding verbal communication, the regular assignments that we were assigned as a group allowed us to be more creative and communicate ideas in a way that impressed other members most. I appreciated the diversity of human experience and had no difficulties integrating with the rest of the group despite obvious cultural differences. Whenever my colleagues tied to argue me out, I could soften and reason with them. In no time, we got to understand each other and we could, therefore, run the affairs of our group with a lot of ease. In addition, we were able to examine each other’s personality traits and interpersonal skills requirements and how the different aspects of their lives are related. The issue of ethics and social responsibility was well addressed through our continuous discussion programs. In conclusion, our conversations at first were very cold since we had not known each other. However, as time went by, each of us in the group became lively. We could frequently disagree and argue each other out but this did not diminish our core spirit of teamwork. One thing that we all learnt out of the group work is that we needed to set up mutual trust. Without mutual trust, it could have been almost impossible to respect each other’s views regarding whatever issue. References Anders, S. L. & Tucker, J. S. (2000). Adult attachment style, interpersonal communication competence, and social support. Personal Relationships, 7, 379–389. Carver, C. S. Sutton, S. K. & Scheier, M. F. (2000). Action, emotion, and personality: Emerging conceptual integration. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 741– 751. Collins, N. L. & Read, S. J. (1999). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 644–663. Fraley, R. C. & Shaver, P. R. (2000). Adult romantic attachment: Theoretical developments, emerging controversies, and unanswered questions. Review of General Psychology, 4, 132–154. Holmes, J. G. (2002). Interpersonal expectations as the building blocks of social cognition: An interdependence theory analysis. Personal Relationships, 9, 1–26. Silver, H. F., Hanson, J. R., Strong, R. W. & Schwartz, P. B. (2003). Teaching styles & strategies. Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ: the Thoughtful Education Press. Stephens P. (2001). Organisational Behaviour. New York: Prentice Hall Udai, P. (2001). Conflict and Collaboration in Organisations. Oxford: IBH. Read More