The Experience Working in a Group and an Action Plan - Assignment Example

Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: The Experience Working In a Group and an Action Plan My group’s assignment was to complete the task of effective communication for the Business Communication Consultancy. Communication is giving, receiving or exchange of information, opinions and thoughts through speech, writing or a visual means, so the receiver understands it as intended. There are different channels mediums used in/ for communication, but before then it is advisable to choose them carefully. For the task, my group opted online chats and audio devices due to distance, speed and reliability. My personal experience of giving, receiving and using feedback after complete the task are: Giving feedback The art of giving and receiving feedback is one of the principle proficiency for a good communicator to possess. (Guffey, Mary and Dana, 5). Even with all other tools of leadership combined, lack of feedback makes communication ineffectual. This is because the vision, talent and competencies of the group were exchanged on why we accepted to work on the topic of consultancy, what each of us learnt; our experiences and how the assignment has affected our communication skills. Individually, each member agreed to carry out research to obtain information shared with others through our chosen mediums. I will commence by describing communication as a two way process with an aim of mutual comprehension, where the parties involved not only exchange information but also develop and share a meaning. To facilitate effective feedback, my communication lines were open, as we had agreed among the group members as well as sharing and discussing my findings through chatting. In case of misunderstanding, we communicated verbally through headphones. Use of feedback I learnt feedback is so essential for communication to be effective. It is the only way one can be sure their conveyed information was received, understood or not. I also learnt that good listening skills are important and one either an active or passive listener. I opted active listening since one can intermingle with friends, family and the society while sharing opinions. Therefore, lack of feedback creates a gap in communication. Receiving Feedback Constant feedback with my group members improved my. This is because they made me feel valued. For example, I did not act on what I got as feedback and it led to poor grades, so I developed a bad attitude towards the topic. From a personal view, I took feedback as guidance to create for me an improvement path. It also enhanced my self-awareness, understanding and interest for my task. The complete task was implemented in the institution’s communication systems for monitoring long distance student’s performances and interaction both with teammates and supervisors. The system facilitates sharing / using student/ supervisor data to spot areas of weakness, establish effectual communication practices and develop a systematic and coordinated partnership for the learner’s results. The report aligned and scaled up successful practices of community-based organizations for instance the emerging trends in communication and technology, communication instructions and language instruction. The essence of this was vital in providing pathways and encouragement to grown up learners who are consistent with the practice of long distance learning. Part 2b During this time, I developed two types of communication. Through self-examination, I realized a need for improvement in some ways to have a higher communication standard. However, I developed two types of communication. They are: Intra-personal communication skill This skill is more of a personal mediation, reflection and contemplation. Internal communication is very vital in defining one’s self-esteem and perception (Guffey, Mary and Dana, 9). By applying it frequently, there are high chances of an improved confidence hence better quality life. Intra-personal communication is also largely associated with divines and spirits in form of prayer and rites. However, it is possible for one to develop and improve intra-personal communication skills. Firstly, comprehend its effects. Listen to your own talk, and one needs to remember that it can either be positive and negative. Negativity will only wear one’s energy and motivation while positivity will empower one with high self-esteem and essential self-perceptions. Interpersonal communication skill This skill engages one on one talk or individual dialogue with many people (Guffey, Mary and Dana, 15). It is important in that one comprehends how and why people communicate differently to build and settle to a social reality. It also happens in other contexts such as organizations. Interpersonal communication is used for conveying our ideas, feeling and thoughts to someone. From the communication, one can learn behaviors important for reflection, feedback, practice and knowledge. It comprises all aspects of communication for instance nonverbal persuading, listening and asserting. Most importantly, I had to start by freely and effectively expressing myself in a powerful way without compromising on other’s rights. Moreover, I did self-reflection before communication, both written and oral as well as be certain my listener were ready to pay attention to what I had to say. One of the biggest hurdles I experienced in online communication was the difficulties of picking body languages and breathing patterns, which are important in assessing the conversation tenor. I handled this by considering when corresponding to any cross-cultural communication, what modality my supervisor and team members in the forum most preferred since unlike cultures use diverse communication types. I also had train online to build modal presentations, which worked well not only for me but the team as a whole. In most cases, our emergency communications were E-mail based with the forum having access to one account for all us or phone calls. However, I had a habit of calling my correspondence to either inquire this or correct a mistake in the sent documents. In many instances, I ended up not hearing a thing during the conversations, which was also costly. I resolved to learn and practice good listening skills. I learnt there is a massive growth in global classroom, social network and online meetings. This facilitates cross-cultural communication around whole world. Due to these, it is very imperative to comprehend and put up with different culture communication modalities and learn to use the new technology. Part 3 Current situation Communication is a two way process. As a speaker or writer, we entirely focus on the information we want to convey. Concurrently, the receiver may understand the message completely, sometimes in bits or fail to understand at all. For any successful communication, both parties have to understand the messages, skills and behaviors. Communication plays an important building and maintaining relationships right from home to the society. Although I consider myself to have extensive knowledge, skills, and behaviors in communication, there are areas, which I would like to improve on such as body languages of other cultures. Ideal Situation In an ideal situation, I feel my communication skills are weak and need an improvement. In this regard, I will start by labeling my reflect feelings. It is so important since it will make me a better communicator in future and with different age groups. On the other hand, it will also help others understand my points as well as recognizing the other person’s feelings and connect with the right behavior. As a result, I believe my communication skills will be at another level, so I am able to listen to another person speak, understand and reflect from two views- as a speaker and listener. Feedback I also realized that constructive feedback is essential when working through any type of task. Lack of feedback left the situation half sorted which created a problem further into the future. Additionally, I was able to give and receive feedback. This helped to work on my weaker areas. One more thing I learnt is feedback is either positive or negative and for my group members to consider my feedback and take note of it, I had regularly given it from a positive and negative side respectively. Due to the weakness I have, to be a better communicator, an improvement on the below skills is an immense benefit. Listening Behaviors Severally, I would focus my attention on other things, so I forgot to listen to what was of importance. The repercussions were poor communication and performance. Listening is the foundation of communication and it requires more than just the sounds. It is easy to tell someone is not paying attention to what one is saying, and although it is frustrating, I kept on asking questions that took the speaker’s time. To improve on this behavior, I started by examining the kind of a listener I wanted to be and paying attention to whoever is speaking to me. I realized when I listened empathically; I heard thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Empathic listening is very effective and demands hard work. Communication habits I identified some good communication habits. For example, I learnt to ask questions in order to understand the speakers mind frame. Additionally, I also identified bad communication habits such as interrupting. There was no way I could substitute good habits for bad, and with practice, they would automatically develop into a habit. Several verbal and non-verbal communication tools supported and facilitated the objective of acquiring more understanding of the person’s opinions. For this case, I will apply, Questioning I will ask questions where I do not understand. In tandem, I will avoid all ended question. These are questions, which cannot be answered with “yes” or “no” as they will help me get more information and clarification, they also help the speaker to focus on the topic and encourage him to give feedback. Paraphrasing By Paraphrasing, I will simply restate what I have heard or read into my own words. As I do it, I will make it clear for the reader to read and understand. Additionally, I will make it clear where my paraphrase starts and where my own ideas come in. However, to be successful, it is wrong to shorten the paraphrase from the initial source if the material cut out since it is of no importance to the point I am passing across. Summarizing Summarizing will help me shorten lengthy text, notes or conversation. By so doing, I will have the key points in a frame of an argument or discussion by leaving out the less essential information or instances. Before getting into doing a summary, it is also important to read or listen carefully and check the meaning of hard words for easier understanding. Further, identify underline the keywords and the main concept. Steps to success I. I will practice passive listening to able to relate well with others around me. I will ask them to ask me questions after conversations, as this will make more attentive by 14th November 2012. II. I will start multitasking, such that I am able to listen on headphone and summarizing what the other person is saying by 16th November 2012. III. By 18th November 2012, I should be able to increase my typing skills to make summarizing easier. IV. If well implemented, my communication skills and behavior should be better by 21st November, 2012. Helpful resources I. Communication books II. Journals and magazines III. Internet and online chats Works Cited Guffey, Mary E, and Dana Loewy. Essentials of Business Communication. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. . Read More