Interactions And Dynamics Within the Communication On a TV Program - Term Paper Example

? Interactions and dynamics within the communication on a TV program Interactions and dynamics within the communication on a TV program Introduction Communication between two or more groups of people consists of transmitting and receiving messages. Communication can be done in many forms such as verbal and non-verbal. In order for effective communication to be able to take place, all the parties involved in the process need to perform the tasks of transmitting and receiving messages effectively. Even though this sounds very obvious and simple, it is usually difficult to achieve in reality unless the parties involved are committed to communication taking place. In many communication contexts, a lot of problems or barriers are usually experienced. These problems include noise, language barriers, vocabulary problems, semantic problems, attitudes, and colloquial expression problems. These problems make it difficult for messages to be transmitted effectively, making it harder for them to be received. It is, therefore, important to understand the dynamics of interactions and communication between groups of people so as to be able to deal with these barriers. Communication dynamics can be both verbal and non-verbal (Burnett& Martin, 2000). When the players in the television series personally get involved with each other, it is very difficult to have clear two-way communication because of factors such as feelings and emotions. These feelings and emotions usually determine the effectiveness of both verbal and non-verbal dynamics of communication. They also determine the nature and level of interaction between the parties involved in the communication process. In regard to verbal dynamics, the speed at which communication takes place is also important in determining the success of the communication process. This essay will focus on the interactions and communication dynamics depicted in the television series, Survivor. The paper will assess the communication and interaction dynamics within the communication climate observed in the television series. This essay will also describe supportive communication climate, defensive communication climate, confirming responses, disconfirming responses, non-verbal dynamics, active listening and cohesiveness. The main type of non-verbal and verbal dynamics that come into play in the television series will be explained. Goals One of the most important goals of this paper is to analyze the television series Survivor and explain the interactions and dynamics within the series. The paper seeks to observe small groups of people who work together and are involved in communication so as to achieve the objectives of what they are working on. In the episode of Survivor series watched, it was clear that the characters needed to communicate so as to achieve the goals that had been set out for them. Survivor is a television program produced in many countries across the world. The show depicts contestants who are isolated in the jungle or wilderness as they compete for prizes such as cash. In the show, the contestants are constantly observed so as to determine the contestants who are able to overcome the challenges and follow the instructions that they are give. The contestants are eliminated one by one when they fail on performing crucial tasks such as effective communication. One of the major qualities that are tested in the contestants of the show is the ability to communicate. The contestants are usually put together in groups or teams and required to deal with their tasks or challenges as a team. They are supposed to work together to achieve common goals. Communication is thus very important among the members of these teams if they are to win the challenge (Burnett& Martin, 2000). This paper will observe the interactions and dynamics within the communications taking place in the television series. The paper is aimed at clearly describing the verbal and non-verbal dynamics that come into play in the television series. The paper also aims at looking at the behaviors of each of the contestants and determining which of these behaviors indicate a supportive or defensive communication climate. It is also important to note the disconfirming and confirming responses of the contestants so as to determine how they contribute to the cohesiveness of the group. The barriers to effective listening will also be analyzed. The main reason why this paper chose to focus on the survivor series is because the television series is pegged on the communication and interaction that takes place among the contestants. The success of the contestants is determined by their interactions and dynamics within the communication that takes place (Burnett& Martin, 2000). Communication The verbal dynamics that come into play in the communication within the program include the pace of speaking, volume of speaking, and pauses or brief silence. Verbal communication entails the use of language and sounds to relay messages. In verbal communication, words are used either orally or in a written form to pass across messages. Verbal communication usually entails conversations or presentations that make use of the words of a language to pass across important messages. In the survivor series, the verbal dynamics mentioned above come into play (Burnett& Martin, 2000). The contestants are divided into teams that have to work together to overcome all the challenges so as to emerge the sole survivors. The teams are given several tasks and challenges to gauge which team will be able to adapt and survive the challenges. As the contestants play the game, verbal dynamics are evident through the tasks that they are given. Some of these tasks are clearly written in cards or pieces of paper. The players have to read these cards or pieces of paper and decipher the message written on them. This is one of the greatest challenges that the players experience. This is because if they understand the messages wrongly, or fail to understand them at all, they will not be able to lead their teams to victory (Wageman, 1995). The program also has a host who sometimes speaks to the contestants, telling them what is expected of them. This is also verbal communication. The pace of speaking comes into play when the host has to present detailed or complex tasks to the players. Usually, the host slows down so that the players can understand their tasks well. When delivering messages that are not so complex, the host increases the pace of speaking. The players also communicate verbally amongst themselves when trying to understand and execute their tasks. Sometimes, they get frustrated because of the pressures arising from the challenge and they end up raising or lowering the volume of their speeches. This is where volume of speech comes into play. Emotions such as anger, joy or frustrations may cause the players to sometimes yell at each other or speak in low tones (Mai & Akerson, 2003). There are a lot of pauses and moments of brief silence experienced in the program. When the host is communicating complex tasks, he sometimes pauses so as to give the players time to understand what is being said. The players also have moments of brief silence when they read complex challenges. They take time to try and understand the message written to them. Non-verbal communication on the other hand entails the use of gestures and body language to pass messages. Non-verbal dynamics that come into play include the use of gestures and body language to communicate. When the players succeed on their tasks, some of them are seen congratulating each other using gestures such as ‘thumbs up’. Some of them also nod and hug each other without speaking, as a way of congratulating each other for their success. Sometimes, emotions also come into play when communicating messages of sadness. For example, when a team losses the challenge and is eliminated from the show, some of the contestants are seen crying and hugging each other as a sign of sadness (Mai & Akerson, 2003). Roles The roles of each player are clearly stipulated to them. The players have to be involved in constant communication if they are to succeed in the challenges presented to them. Each player has the role of participating in communication (Wageman, 1995). The communication climate is sometimes supportive or defensive. This is seen through the behaviors of the players. Defensive communication is one that breeds a defensive communication climate. In the series, a lot of behaviors of the players depict defensive communication. For example, there are times when some of the players begin to blame each other for their team’s loss (Burnett& Martin, 2000). There are players who see the faults of others and manipulate them into believing that it is their fault for the loss of their teams. When working as a team, using the ‘we’ language is more appropriate as opposed to using the ‘I’ language. However, there are times when the players want to take all the glory for their team’s success and not acknowledge the efforts of other. There are also times when the contestants are seen absolving themselves from blame, and blaming their teammates for their loss (Mai & Akerson, 2003). In regard to the television series, a defensive communication climate is seen to yield disconfirming responses. The climate of the groups is determined by how the members respond. These disconfirming responses are evident when members of the teams start blaming each other for their loss. A defensive communication climate yields disconfirming responses in the sense that the teammates feel less safe and value themselves less (Wageman, 1995). Instances of these disconfirming responses in the television series are seen when the teammates become incongruous, incoherent, impersonal, impervious, and interrupt each other. Most of the teammates are seen using disconfirming responses when they want to make everyone else in their teams feel miserable about themselves. Disconfirming responses are also used in instances where people do not know how to listen. Defensive communication places a lot of emphasis on the goals of an individual. An individual appears to be defending him or herself and blaming others for the shortcomings of the team (Burnett& Martin, 2000). Conflict Conflict also plays a lot in the television series in regard to interaction and dynamics of communication. This is in the sense that the players are sometimes faced with difficult challenges that force them to engage in strenuous activities. These challenges bring a lot of strain to the team members who sometimes succumb to it. Defensive communication can be best used to explain conflict in the program because it has been seen to give rise to disconfirming responses. In regard to supportive communication climates, conflicts have been reduced as a result of communicating in a manner that is likely to yield confirming responses. Supportive communication is that which reduces the defenses, thereby enabling the receivers to concentrate on the cognitive meaning and content of the messages (Mai & Akerson, 2003). Defensive communication climates are shown by behaviors such as being evaluative, controlling, strategic, neutral, superior and certain. These behaviors do not support effective communication and bring about a lot of barriers such as disconfirming responses. Supportive communication climates are seen through behaviors such as description, problem orientation, spontaneity, empathy, equality and provisionalism. These behaviors are seen to promote team work and effective communication because none of the team members feels will feel shortchanged. The team members will also not blame each other because the communication has created a high level of understanding between them. These behaviors also yield confirming responses which help the team members to express themselves freely without blaming each other for their mistakes (Wageman, 1995). Group cohesiveness is seen through the degree of attraction that the players feel towards each other. This is seen through the level of loyalty that the group members have towards each other. Group cohesiveness develops around both relationship dimensions and task dimension (Mai & Akerson, 2003). The team members are responsible for the cohesion of their groups. Their interactions will determine whether or not their teams remain effective. The quality and amount of communication that takes place in a group is most effective generator of cohesiveness among the teams (Burnett& Martin, 2000). Decision Making and Problem Solving Each and every community of society has very many problems and issues that it experiences from time to time. To make any decisions or solve any problems that may arise, there is need to have open forums to discuss the issues and share opinions. This process should well gestured by the inclusion of non verbal confirmers during communication (Wageman, 1995). Decisions are made by all the parties that are involved in any particular activity, challenge or task. Problems are experienced in the process of catering for all the negative issues that are experienced as a result of the structural process of getting things done (Mai & Akerson, 2003). In making any decision it is important for all parties to understand that there is a need to make a decision pertaining to the issue raised. Once consensus has been built, the people can go ahead and consult all the available channels to come up with the best decision to deal with the issue. This decision is arrived at after careful consultation and joint consideration of all the involved parties. Problems are best solved if all the people concerned work as hard as they ought to be working in any given setting or circumstance. This involves understanding that there is an issue and working towards correcting the issue (Mai & Akerson, 2003). In the Survivor series, many of the instances experienced involve decision making and problem solving. This is because the survival of the tribes depends on their ability to make decisions as fast as they can in any given situation. The decisions made have to augur well with all of them for the betterment of the team and its capacity to stand out in a positive, well enhanced communication climate (Burnett& Martin, 2000). Communication ensures that all the negative perceptions, reactions and experiences people have of each other are strengthened out immediately for the growth of the team. It is the jurisdiction of the team to ensure that no matter what they feel for each other whether positive or negative they have the capacity to come up with the best channels to solve their problems and make the best decisions in respect to the mandate that they have (Mai & Akerson, 2003). Ethics The ability to do what is right by the majority of people is always a very time consuming and tedious task. This means that, in very many instances, very many unethical codes of practices are incorporated into the ways in which people conduct their affairs. This is to the disadvantage of all the parties that are involved in the activity or task being carried out. The issue of ethics arises at each and every point and it should be strictly adhered to by each and every person living in any given society. The Survivor series incorporates very many ethical processes and guides in ensuring that at the end of the day, it is possible to achieve certain set targets through effective communication strategies (Mai & Akerson, 2003). The tribal council is tasked with the responsibility and mandate of ensuring that all set ethical practices are adhered to as strictly as they ought to be adhered to in the program. In the event that they are not, he process of elimination is carefully articulated to all those that are responsible for the cohesiveness and general unity of the groups and its members (Wageman, 1995). Ethics ensure that it is possible to understand what needs to be done by all concerned parties. By doing so, the tribes have the sole mandate of keeping up with what has been requested of them. Supportive communication climate is achieved at each level and point where each and every person adheres to those parameters in the general process of communication (Burnett& Martin, 2000). In instances where the concerned parties are all against set norms, a defensive communication climate will definitely be created. This climate will involve the articulation of negative energy by each and every group member. This will resonate to lack of general group cohesiveness and unity that should be experienced at each and every stage (Mai & Akerson, 2003). Ethics and all ethical standards are set with the sole duty of ensuring that there is a distinct communication pathway that defines the duties of each and every person. This creates a positive environment for group sustainability, trust and positive communication dynamics (Mai & Akerson, 2003). Leadership In all aspects of life, a good leader is one who is able to unemotionally react irrationally in any given situation or circumstance. This means that the process of leading entails communication between the people being led and their leader. The tribes that are formed at the beginning of the season comprise of people who do not know each other (Wageman, 1995). Their strange relations and reactions to each other create an environment of distrust and impervious or disconfirming responses from some of the participants. A selected leader has the sole duty of ensuring that the communication channels are open to create an open path for the participants to survive in their set terrain. In the quest to stay in the game, there are very many communication challenges that a leader has to deal with. He has the sole mandate of ensuring that the tribe that he is responsible for overcomes the various challenges. The challenges include stage hogging, which is very common in people who believe that they are superior communication wise, impervious and disconfirming responses, verbal silence which goes hand in hand with non verbal indifference and ultimately turning away from communication (Burnett& Martin, 2000). A leader has to ensure that they have the capacity to deal with each and every person and the communication barrier that they present. He or she should ensure that they act as a medium that positively enhances what is represented by the parties that are involved in the communication link. This ensures that any one task that the tribe is given is carefully carried out to its successful end (Wageman, 1995). The major theme in the survivor game show is the art of surviving the inhumane conditions. The conditions require skill, expertise and experience all controlled and coordinated by communication. If the tribe has to get some food, they have to understand what is required of each and every member. The members all look up to the leader to effectively delegate all the activities that are to be carried out by the team members. Using any selected communication model, the leader decides who does what and at what time (Burnett& Martin, 2000). This activity segregation ensures that it is possible for the members to work hand in hand with each other to complete any task that has been set for them. This shows that any communication climate is best supported by a leader who differentiates the need for communication and how to solve any issues arising. This supportive climate ensures that all the negative issues that could have been experienced are avoided. This creates a better, well coordinated environment for successful task completion (Mai & Akerson, 2003). Virtual Communication Communication has been revolutionalized from what it used to be to what it currently is. People from all walks of life are embracing virtual communication with the view or aim of making things easy for themselves and those that they are communicating with. The interaction process requires responses from those being communicated to and vice versa. In the event that their reactions are one sided, it is best that an effective communication strategy is created irrespective of the medium (Mai & Akerson, 2003). This is one of the reasons as to why virtual communication was invented and incorporated to add on to the already existing traditional mode of communication. Virtual communication cuts across borders, forums and mediums that would have otherwise been very tricky and unbearable to deal with. People can now communicate virtually form across different globes as they trade, participate in leadership forums and have social interactions with people from all over the world. The communication dynamics have been opened up in such a way that at each point it is possible for people to start expressing what they feel (Burnett& Martin, 2000). The Survivor series has also incorporated the use of virtual communication in their seasons. This is because in the advent of virtual communication, they also want to attract and retain as many viewers as possible. This has over the years resulted in increased viewership and ratings by the viewers who appreciate the inclusion and special effects that virtual communication has introduced into the program. Virtual communication occurs between the participants, the tribal council, and the viewers. There are very many multimedia options that are used that make it very easy for all the participants in the survivor series to open up to new possibilities (Wageman, 1995). The tasks given are observed because of the inclusion of 3G technology which has the ability to display all the special effects and features that are communicated in any episode of the survivor series. The virtual workspaces that have been set ensure that there is constant communication between the host, team mates and the tribal council. This is as they give and receive instructions, observe the articulation of tasks and weigh the levels of success or failure of any given task or challenge by the teams (Mai & Akerson, 2003). The use of virtual links also ensures that real time activities and reactions are captured and displayed as they occurred. Asynchronous CMC is the best type of virtual communication strategy that is employed in the survivor series. This is when instructions are given, when they are being executed by all involved parties and the reactions from all participants on what they felt about the completed challenge (Burnett& Martin, 2000). Virtual communication and the effects it has on the survivor series are best seen by viewers when the participants get a chance to cast their votes. This is with the aim of ensuring that they either keep a participant in the game or vote him or her off. They also give reasons for their actions. This then translates to information dispersal to viewers that the other participants are not really aware of at the point in time in which it is happening (Mai & Akerson, 2003). Conclusion The Survivor TV program employs huge communication dynamics in ensuring that the entire series irrespective of the country set, turns out to be what it should be. This means that a lot of communication dynamics are employed in the production and ultimate creation of the program. The communication has to be as interactive as it ought to be so that viewers can get an active chance to view and enjoy the series and its episodes. Communication plays a great role in the program. All the participants are expected to take time to understand instructions at both individual and team level. Once they have, they have an active chance of mapping those instructions into a winning strategy. This strategy is as a result of both the verbal and non verbal communication that is displayed by participants. At each and every stage, human conflicts arise as a result of the very many issues that make up human beings. The diverse personalities, rate of exposure, attitudinal reactions and differences, place of origin and basic stereotypes contribute in the eventual demise of a clearly cut out successful communication channel (Mai & Akerson, 2003). As has been observed, the teams that have come up with a communication strategy that encompasses all that they stand for are successful in their tasks. Communication takes a distinct path from listening to instructions, to understanding what they mean. This then moves to asking questions and query clarification at each and every point in the event that something was not clear. It is important to understand that communication dynamics are best seen in the results after communication has occurred. This means that participants irrespective of what they felt when being addressed understood what was expected of them and what they were required to do. This is what can be termed as communication supportive behaviour (Mai & Akerson, 2003). Survivor television series is unique in its composition and presentation. This means that people from diverse regions are isolated in harsh terrain and expected to survive. Their ultimate survival depends on their perceptions, ambitions and communication skills. Progressive elimination is a result of who did not understand the tasks given and respond to them as was expected in the creation of a winning formula. This television series shows that communication is a very powerful tool that can be utilized in the right context for the best results in any given situation or circumstance. It is also an example of where all the negative aspects of uncontrolled communication dynamics could lead to distressed people, negative results, low and very limited chances of success and ultimately lack of group or team cohesion (Burnett& Martin, 2000). References Burnett, M., & Martin, D. (2000). Survivor: The Ultimate Game: The Official Companion Book to the CBS Television Show. New York: TV Books. Mai, R. & Akerson, A. (2003). The leader as communicator. New York: American Management Association Books. Wageman, R. (1995). Interdependence and Group Effectiveness. Administrative Science Quarterly 40 (1), 145-180. Read More