Small Group Communication Journals - Personal Statement Example

ID Lecturer Small Group Communication Journals The small group chosen for this journal is that of a bunch of friends who attend university together. This small group is comprised of 10 individuals namely Mike, Sarah, Betty, Francis, Davids, Steyn, Bilal, Manisha, Xing and Nancy. This means that there are six male members and four females within the university group that will be discussed with regards to their task/relational orientation and effectiveness within a group formation. They like to hang out together since there are many things in common amongst them while differences and diversifications are also apparent within them. They hail from different regions of the world which makes up for a very interesting mix since diversity seems to be the buzzword for this small group in essence. How each one of these group members exhibit their working methodologies, growth, development, learning and togetherness is detailed within the length of this journal. Mike is 24 years old and hails from Belgium. He is an introvert by nature and gets along with people if only they interact with him. He is more interested in technology and different gadgets which makes him the technological guru of this group. The group members like to ask him about new tools, mobile phones and accessories which have arrived on the global landscape. He is easy to talk to and opens up in front of his friends if he feels comfortable. Since he has a very mild personality, he is considered easy in his demeanor and quite sensitive too. Mike likes to be attached to books as well as a range of different gadgetry that he has within his possession. He does not like to show off and this makes him look unique and in his own righteous way, quite different. As far as handling varied tasks are concerned, he does it very well. He is spot on with communication norms if there is a dire need to do so. Also his effectiveness cannot be denied since he likes to be prominent in terms of his presence more than his words, which is an interesting part of the small group that is being discussed here. The group members rate him as follows in terms of overall group participation (on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least value while 10 is the maximal): Sarah 5, Betty 4, Francis 7, Davids 8, Steyn 3, Bilal 4, Manisha 9, Xing 2, Nancy 6. Sarah is 21 years old and is from Canada. She is a hyperactive person who is always explicit about whatever she does. She likes to interact with the rest of the group members quite freely which puts her place in a league of its own. Sarah is easy to be friends with since she can talk for hours non-stop. People like to be close to her because she is a bundle of dynamite in terms of her personality. She has a topic for everything as she likes to see world from her eyes and then detail it to everyone around her. She is an interesting person because she likes to connect with everyone and be open about it. When it comes to handling different tasks are related, she makes sure that whatever is assigned to her in a group format, she has done it beforehand and at times, even earlier than the rest of the group members. She has a place of her own within the group which she values and she trusts her group a good deal. The group members rate her as follows in terms of overall group participation (on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least value while 10 is the maximal): Mike 2, Betty 9, Francis 8, Davids 5, Steyn 2, Bilal 6, Manisha 7, Xing 5, Nancy 4. Betty is 20 years old and has her roots in France. She is a very happy go lucky person who concentrates on her own self more than anyone else. She speaks less yet opens up whenever there is a need. Betty likes to dedicate her energies towards fashion, perfumes and new clothes. She gets excited by things which are feminine in nature and this is why she is known as Ms. Betty within this group. She speaks well of the famous fashion peers and models and indeed this is one of the most talked about topics which crosses her mind every now and so often. Betty interacts with all the group members and does not differentiate amongst these people. She associates with him because she is a part of the group for a long period of time now. Betty handles different tasks by sequencing things in terms of priority. She has a little book by her side whenever she is listing down what needs more of her attention and what warrants less. Through this way, she is able to see off difficulties that might arise at a later stage. What is significant is that she manages to have her way as compared to others in the group because she handles things easily by prioritizing them. The group members rate her as follows in terms of overall group participation (on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least value while 10 is the maximal): Mike 2, Sarah 4, Francis 6, Davids 6, Steyn 7, Bilal 7, Manisha 5, Xing 7, Nancy 9. Francis is 25 years old and has his home in Guyana. He is the musician of the group. He can play the guitar and keyboards equally well. What makes him more famous is the fact that he sings too. He likes to live life his own way and comes as the entertainment factor of the small group that is being discussed here in the journal. He likes to connect with his group members by rehearsing a verse from his own poetry or by recalling famous songs. He is a singer and a rapper and that is what makes him unique in his own righteous way. Francis gets bored easily with books and hence he is always finding a way to attract some form of entertainment around him. This is the reason why one would always see a guitar or a keyboard near Francis. It would be correct to state here that the group members help him get through his notes and studies because he does not pay much heed towards his academics. This is the reason why his group members are always encouraging him to study as well apart from the love of music that he has. He is somewhat special because he does things in his own little world. As far as task/relational orientation is linked, Francis falls short on many counts and that is one aspect which distresses the group members. Even though they believe in him, they just cannot come to terms with the fact that Francis does not give studies any significance at all. The group members rate him as follows in terms of overall group participation (on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least value while 10 is the maximal): Mike 3, Sarah 6, Betty 4, Davids 7, Steyn 5, Bilal 9, Manisha 9, Xing 9, Nancy 6. Davids is 23 years old and his hometown is Ecuador. Since he hails from South America, he is a football fan. He is more into sports than anyone else within the small group that is being talked about here. Davids is athletically built and drives his motivation through sports. His favorite pastime is to watch soccer matches – both live as well as the highlights of past games. Davids knows what demands more significance on his part and this is the reason why he is equally good within his study domains as well. He tries to balance this equation with ease as he has given necessary importance to things that are essential to his fore. The task/relational orientation for Davids is quintessential to comprehend because he can get carried away way too quickly and there is a need to keep things simple on his part. At times, he skips his classes for football matches which is not something that the group quite enjoys. He understands he is doing something wrong but then again no measures are taken on his part to keep away from such realms. The group members rate him as follows in terms of overall group participation (on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least value while 10 is the maximal): Mike 7, Sarah 4, Betty 2, Francis 8, Steyn 5, Bilal 4, Manisha 8, Xing 2, Nancy 5. Steyn is 24 years old and is a resident of Zimbabwe. He is the hard working group mate who would go to any length to make sure that he burns the midnight oil and get the job done that is important to him. He takes all the pains and assists the group members whenever they are down – emotionally, financially or in any other fashion. Steyn would never appreciate any of his group members to feel let down and this is the reason why he asks everyone to open up as much as possible. He considers all of them as an extension of his immediate family which lives in Zimbabwe. Perhaps it is because he has seen poverty from up close and personal that he has started to value life and the relationships that come along with it, in one form or the other. As far as his task/relational orientation is concerned, he is spot on with his thinking mechanisms and hence the reason why he is appreciated by just about everyone within the group. The group members value his services and dedication and hold him in higher stead than anyone else which speaks much about Steyn and his personality. The group members rate him as follows in terms of overall group participation (on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least value while 10 is the maximal): Mike 9, Sarah 7, Betty 7, Francis 7, Davids 7, Bilal 6, Manisha 9, Xing 8, Nancy 4. Bilal is 22 years old and he belongs to Pakistan. He is the social worker of the group who likes to think of the society and its different dimensions more than anyone else. Bilal is candid in his views and appreciates any form of criticism that is sent his way. This is the reason why Bilal is a tough individual who likes to give out his opinions through thinking and study done on his part. Bilal is articulate, calculated and sharp which allows him to understand the people around him and their actions. He is the one who is willing to go the extra mile and discuss matters of mutual interest to everyone. He thinks about the people near him as well as the entire society because in his thinking, he is a vital part of the very society and cannot stay away from its norms and procedures. Bilal’s thinking is more collective than being individualistic which is a definite plus for the diversity basis of this group. The task/relational orientation is handled quite well by Bilal and this is the reason the group members take him as a mature individual who knows his tasks in an adequately reasonable way. The group members rate him as follows in terms of overall group participation (on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least value while 10 is the maximal): Mike 4, Sarah 4, Betty 9, Francis 8, Davids 6, Steyn 6, Manisha 8, Xing 6, Nancy 9. Manisha is 21 years old and hails from India. She is a girl who believes in rituals and festivals more than anyone else in the group. She is an avid lover of history and recalls her visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra, India as a moment of immense happiness for her. Manisha dedicates her energies towards finding intricate details related with history and how the Moguls of the 1200s and beyond ruled the Indian sub-continent. The best part about her personality is that she likes to recount her studies to everyone. The group members enjoy her company and ask her many questions which puts her in a separate league – a league which is hers alone. Manisha is always seen with a book in her hand which is an interesting aspect about her character. She likes to call the book as her best friend because she would always be seen with one in her hand. The group members ask for her advice whenever they are talking about history and finding out exactly under which era a particular historical movement took place. This makes the task of Manisha cut out and she gets involved quickly. It makes her feel worthy of who she is and what she brings to the group as far as her country’s rich historical basis is concerned. The group members rate her as follows in terms of overall group participation (on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least value while 10 is the maximal): Mike 6, Sarah 7, Betty 7, Francis 7, Davids 7, Steyn 8, Bilal 5, Xing 6, Nancy 3. Xing is 21 years old and is a Chinese by descent. He is a businessman by acumen and hence the reason why he is seen calculating risk and mitigation within his work tasks at all times. Xing likes to see people talk about business, its different shades, the amount of risk involved in launching a new line of products or in offering a service which is not known to a particular target market or territory. He likes to study the behavior of the people upon which a product was launched or offered to. He is a classic business case where people can just dump him up with ideas ranging from varied proportions. He is a businessman in his own right and hence the reason why Xing is regarded as a professional even within his university dealings. Xing is the entrepreneur within this small group since he comes up with ideas which are invigorating, tempting and creative. He has plans for everything and the greatest thing is that he has options available as well. Xing idealizes the different marketing gurus, and his favorite amongst them is Phillip Kotler. He believes staunchly in segmenting, targeting and positioning before thinking of launching a new product or offering a creative service to a market that does not quite know about it. The group members rate him as follows in terms of overall group participation (on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least value while 10 is the maximal): Mike 8, Sarah 4, Betty 4, Francis 4, Davids 3, Steyn 3, Bilal 9, Manisha 6, Nancy 8. Nancy is 23 years old and her home is in Fiji. Nancy is fun to be with and enjoys the company of most of her group members. Since she hails from a family of doctors and paramedics, she is usually seen discussing the health care field more often than not. She is the go to girl as far as first aid issues and health care regimes of the group are concerned. She is asked for advice whenever someone is under the weather or when someone just does not feel like going to the university. Nancy is ever helpful to suggest a medicine which works to good effect for the group members. Nancy believes in being facilitative and this aspect of hers is something that works to good measure for the sake of everyone within the group. The group members know for certain that Nancy will help them if they are down and out, and that she can be counted upon even in the most pressing of circumstances that come about. The group members rate her as follows in terms of overall group participation (on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least value while 10 is the maximal): Mike 5, Sarah 5, Betty 6, Francis 9, Davids 5, Steyn 9, Bilal 7, Manisha 4, Xing 7. Read More