Criticare se Stessi

Purpose: The purpose of my blog is not only an assignment for this capstone class but also to display what I have learned while studying communications at Ashford University. It is a place to write about current lessons and a place to showcase previous work (Although I did not blog any past work, I could use it for that if I felt like it). I was able to showcase my knowledge and understanding of the lessons learned in all of my communication classes, as well as some other classes I took previously, such as my photography classes to help with organizing my blog page the proper way to make it look nice, but not terribly busy.

Design: The design of my blog, while simple, and neutral, I feel it gives a great welcoming feeling. I chose a soft purple for the background; it is easy on the eyes, but still a bit feminine for me. I wanted to keep it simple and make it easy for readers to see the blogs rather than trying to read the blogs through images in the background. The image in the header is of the Coliseum in Rome, I chose because I wanted a nice neutral image that could catch a potential readers eye. I like to keep the About Me section towards the top of the page because readers what to know whose work they are reading. I try to not add so many gadgets that my blog becomes a place to see what new gadgets are added, but a place to read the actual messages in the blog. I want the readers to focus on the main work and purpose here, which is the blogging, not the advertising or the pictures along the side. (That’s for my personal blogging, even though that doesn’t even get the advertising either).

Content: The content of this blog is mostly class work. The weekly assignments we were given to complete. It is kind of a place for someone else learning about communications to look to and see what they are possibly learning to but see how someone else interprets the same lesson. I enjoyed that about reading my classmates postings on their assignments. It helped me compare and contrast with my own understanding and readings. I hope to turn this blog into a more professional blog whenever I end up in my career. I can blog about experiences in the field, events that I work on, all the while keeping identities either fictitious or non-existent at all.

Audience: The intended audience for this blog, started out being just my professor, then expanded to my classmates, and the rest of the World Wide Web. Anyone who is looking for a blog on communication can search and find my blog and read my postings. If they chose to follow my blog and leave comments then more power to them and I would appreciate their commentary. Hopefully when I begin using this for career purposes I will have more followers that are not only in the industry but also potential clients. I know that I tend to follow more blogs of people in the industry; I tend to see if they have a blog I can follow, it’s kind of a up-to-the-minute portfolio for businesses. I can post events I have upcoming or just finished with photos to showcase my work. The opportunities are endless with a blog, it’s just remembering to keep your ideal audience in mind, and not overwhelm them with gadgets in the end. 

Critiche

I thought I would make it a little easier, if you'd like to give some feedback or critique my blog, here is where you can do that. Thank you for your kind criticism. :]

Offrendo una cattiva notizia con tatto ed efficace

Scenario: “You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

Solution: As a department manager of any company it is the managers responsibility to keep the peace among colleagues and customers. Obviously, customer satisfaction is a priority as the business would go under without customers. If I had an employee that was unsatisfactory with not only their work with colleagues and the company but also with customers, a red flag would arise and I would make a point to speak to that employee and see if there is something going on in their outside life interfering with their job. I would ask them to be honest with me and explain to me the drop in their work and how we can fix it as a team. If the employee seems truly unhappy with their current position and their colleagues I would ask them to assess the situation, why they are still working for me and the company, and I would give them a written notice of a week to fix the negative behavior before taking the next step to termination. Depending on the situation I may have asked perhaps my manager/supervisor to sit in on the meeting as a mediator and another set of ears to witness the meeting with the employee. If the employee shows serious signs of distress I could recommend taking a leave of absence or counseling if the employee wishes to improve and stay with the company. If that doesn’t help then it would be time to make the decision to terminate the employee. If termination is the final step then I would definitely have another supervisor present, if not our human resources department head. 

Media tecnologia

Newspapers – Are an older form of communication, it provides up to date events for locals and national news. The paper also includes advertisements for stores with upcoming sales, and the weekly food coupons. A person can look to the classifieds to find work, pets, automobiles and living spaces. There is a section in regards to sports and entertainments, another on the local news, such as high schools and college information. And another section about national news with politics. The newspaper is also something that you can hold and feel in your hands, some people like to feel and smell that paper and be able to turn the pages. It is also good for wrapping gifts with the Funnies section! There are a number of different papers, in Arizona we have The Arizona Republic, The Ahwatukee Foothills News, and The Scottsdale Chronicle to name a few, then there is always the infamous New York Times. For those of us not living in New York we can subscribe to the New York Times and have it delivered to our homes, or we can access the paper online or even more easily on our smart phone. Sadly, newspapers seem to be a dying sort, with the rise of modern technology, waiting to get the newspaper seems like old news. I will admit that waiting for my newspaper has only been to use to start the fire in my fireplace and for stuffing in a Christmas gift.

Digital Media – Items such as cell phones, iPods, or computers can fall into this category of digital media. Apple has created a sort of media phenomena with their products of phones, MP3 players and computers. Cell phones have come a long way since the “suitcase brick” that people used to tug around when they first started making mobile phones. Now we can use our phones obviously to make and receive phone calls, but also to browse the internet, text message our friends in “no-call” situations, take pictures, play games, listen to music and even read books now. The same goes for computers these days. A person can do so much on their own with a computer – they can create documents, power point presentations, videos, and their own music. The MP3 player can be used for music, but also if you are an iPod Touch user, you can have an internet enabled music player, you can use it for games and to take photos as well. The only downfall for all this digital media – a person gets consumed by always being in contact and now our airplanes are becoming WiFi enabled so we can stay in touch while flying! I don’t know about you, but I tend to enjoy my flight time as the only time I can be completely shut off from the world for a few short hours.

Internet – The world wide web is exactly that, it is a place that webs together an innumerable amount of places and information that people every where can access. A person can jump onto the web and look up symptoms for an illness at WebMD.com, they can check the weather on their favorite browser such as MSN.com or Yahoo.com, or check out local news for Arizona at AZCentral.com. Networking for business has come to the web as well with sites like LinkedIn, where employers can create sites for their companies, employees can network with others in their industry, its a place to look for work as well. A person can literally find anything and everything on the web, social networking sites like Myspace.com or Facebook.com have given the world a look into a person private life, but also they can control their privacy settings but still need to be cautious about what is put online about ourselves. The internet is a modern day instant newspaper, no more waiting for the paper delivery, running to the corner store to pick up your copy, or worrying about the sprinklers ruining the outermost pages.

Radio – While most tend to listen to the radio for music and flip through the channels during commercials there are some that listen to those commercials and traffic reports religiously. The radio also exists as an outlet for local police stations to send out Amber Alert’s when children go missing or kidnapped. There are quite a few types of stations, you’ve got your typical music stations that include news in the morning shows, then some that include news throughout the day, and then those that are specifically news shows or entertainment. With times changing and people not wanting to listen to commercials more often the creation of XM Radio and Sirius Radio have created a multitude of stations to choose from that are played with limited to no commercial breaks. Grated these radio systems cost a monthly fee, it seems that everything we want with ease of access cost us something nowadays. Even with the creation of iPods and other MP3 players the radio still blares from peoples vehicles as they drive down the road – you know it’s the radio when you hear the commercial breaks. 

Teoria della comunicazione

For me communication is a necessity in life, while I do like my alone time I tend to constantly be multi-tasking and communicating with others in my life - be that my spouse, my parents, friends or co-workers, and even classmates. Over the last year in multiple classes based on communication I have come to learn different tactics and the best ways in which I communicate most open and honestly. 

The most important piece is to understand the communication process as parts. In the book Improving Business Communication Skills by Deborah Britt Roebuck, the very first chapter breaks down the communication process including diagrams. There are basically six components which include: sender/encoder; receiver/decoder; message; channel/medium; feedback; and environment. Obviously the sender/encoder is the initiator in the communication, while the receiver/decoder is the audience. While the message can take on one of three forms - "the inform, to persuade, or to take action", the channel/medium is the way the message reaches the receiver/decoder (i.e. face-to-face, email, letter, etc). Feedback is then the receiver/decoder's response to the sender/encoder, this step in the process lets the sender/encoder know that the receiver/decoder has received the message and understands the message or has asked questions for further information. Finally the environment portion of the process plays a role in the "success or failure" of the communication. According to the book, small things like the color of a room can deviate a person from successful communication. 

This communication process then leads me to the S-TLC System in the Managing Conflict Through Communication book by Dudley D Cahn and Ruth Anna Abigail. This four letter acronym plays an important role in my life because it really forces me to think about the possible conflict at hand and really decide if there's a conflict or just a simple miscommunication. S-TLC stands for Stop; Think; Listen; and Communicate. When it comes to getting into a heated argument with a friend or co-worker or loved one it really helps to think about the S-TLC system and see how it can positively affect your life. Stop, simply stands for stop, and maintain a calm, cool, and collected mentality. Think "think before you act", refrain from taking all conflict personally. Listen, simply give the sender/encoder the respect of truly listening to their thoughts, opinions and feelings before jumping in with your own. Communicate, this final step is when you've thoroughly thought through and listened to the sender you now have a clear idea and understanding to where you can legitimately tell your thoughts, opinions and feelings. 

Communication is every where, if we embrace it and understand it I'm sure we can get our thoughts and feelings out a lot better. I know that these courses have seriously helped me in my personal and professional life. I also know where I still need to work on my communication skills but I know I can eventually get there if I stick to it. 

Diversi tipi di comunicazione

I found this image on Bing, and decided it would fit for a "first" post about communications. It gives us a basic idea for what types of communication there are as well as what makes that type of communication. For example in the Non-Verbal is body language - we are always communicating even if we aren't speaking or writing. The way we sit, our facial expressions all send messages to receivers around us. If a person crosses their arms while speaking with a person could be a barrier or a wall to protect them. For me, when I get nervous around new people, I tend to play with my hair. An example of positive Non-Verbal communication via body language is when someone expresses like of another person they may hug that person to greet them with a polite hello, or a light kiss on the cheek.

Obviously Oral communication involves actually speaking with others or to others in the form of giving a speech. Nowadays we can have Oral communication face-to-face or over the phone, or even online using applications like Skype video chat. With my husband we usually rely on oral communication via phone calls or Skype chats as he is usually not home in Arizona with me. The only downside to telephone calls is that we have to rely on each other tones, we don't get the benefit of seeing each others facial expressions. It is not as bad as the misinterpretation that happens when text messages are exchanged though. Luckily the creation of emoticons :] have really helped clear up some common miscommunication between written communications via email or text message. Jokes are symboled with a smiley emoticon or an emotion that is a face sticking out its tongue :p It's truly amazing how far technology has come, and sometimes it is a tad scary at what technology can do.

Communication is inevitable, it's a constant, and ever changing.

Benvenuti

Welcome to my Communications 480 Blog! I hope you enjoy what you read and find here!