Blog Post 1-Alana Benitez

Chapter 3

My group and I were assigned to present Chapter 3 which is Intercultural Communication. We discussed the main lesson points which are Culture and Communication; Relationship between Dominate and Co-Cultures; how cultures differ; and Developing Intercultural Commination Competence. I liked how once we got to the project, our group assigned and communicated in an effective way to get it done. Also, later in the project, three people were added to our group and we equally separated the work. During the presentation, we used a colorful and creative template for the PowerPoint that allowed us to keep the audience focused on us. Limited and vague sentences allowed us to go into depth while presenting instead of reading off the slides. I liked how the rest of my group used the real-life connection to the textbook to make it more relatable and easier to understand. None of the work was done at the last minute. In addition, after we were done presenting everyone was supportive, saying ‘good job’ and ‘you did amazing’ to us. Overall, I am happy with my group for their willingness, communication, and time management skills with this project. I cannot wait for the next project with them.

While reading and getting familiar with Chapter 3, I learned more about the fundamentals of culture. Intercultural communication is defined as “the interactions that occur between people whose cultures are so different that communication between them is challenging”, when there may be a communication barrier it does not stop people. Humans are intelligent and there are various ways to communicate without having to know their language. For example, many websites have features that allow one language to be translated into another to understand. With dominant cultures in the United States of America were more Western European with mainly English speaking to now with more diversity. We may use some components that are more connected to one culture like using their food utensil in a culture appreciation way. In related to having more connection with one side of your culture rather than the other. I find this chapter to be very versatile and beneficial for people to learn about and apply to the world.

Chapter 9

The chapter that was presented was surrounding the topic of communication inside groups. The groups provided could be interpreted as a family with different sub-groups. While presenting this section, I started to make connections into what my family may be viewed as a prospective family. After listening to sections 9-1, I interpreted the information as into my friendships. There are many different types and perspectives in my support groups. I try to make relationships with people whom I believe have similar interests to me like discussing books. It goes into detail about working in a group to complete a task. In the past, I have been involved in a toxic group that did not fit the Heathy Groups Ethics. The fundamentals of group communication in any way are essential for a group to strive to complete the goal or task. If the communication level is not met, it would jeopardize the group’s ability to be successful.

What I like about the group is how they made real-life connections.  For example, in section 9-1D, he made a relationship between the text to himself. This allows me to better understand the text from someone else’s perspective on it. There were various examples of service groups like the American Red Cross explained. The virtual group section, showing popular programs like Zoom and Discord; connected me to the topic. In 9-3B it talks about how having the same group can form loyalties and better communication. I believe I would benefit from this because, in this case, the professor is not changing our group to form better communication. After the presentation was done, I learned that if groups do not communicate on many bases like conflicts to ideas it could cause the group’s efficiency to lessen. I can not wait to see what the next project will bring with this group.

Chapter 10

The members who have Chapter 10 did an amazing job while presenting and went into detail about their slides. For example, the slide discussing, 10-1C provided definitions of the Procedural Roles. I agree with the concept of sharing the responsibility among the group to carry out a successful and effective work environment. I like when they were explaining the topics with a plan to demonstrate the guidelines for meeting leaders. I saw that the group had very colorful, creative images, which kept my focus on the presentation. A lot of the slides had a flow chart provided that made them easier to understand to me. I can connect to this chapter because it shows the importance of keeping an agenda for the group and self. I like that they went into depth on the importance of analyzing a problem. I interpreted it to analyze it before it was too much to handle and lower the group’s efficacity. While presenting an issue happened, they handled it very maturely and took charge in taking over the person’s slides. Overall, this group did an excellent with their information, demonstration, and presentation.

Overlook

In addition, after reading, presenting, and watching others present I notice key features that are shared among chapters. All show importance of communication is essential for a group to strive and compete for the task. Chapter 3 surrounded cultures in various ways in real-life. Chapter 9, described into group’s communication and relationship. While in chapter 10, its leadership, running an effective meeting, and the different group formats. Overall, I learned more about nature and what I can do for our group. I can’t wait to see the next presentations.