Week 16 Question 3: Pick any concept; Cohesiveness

We have gone through several chapters and learned many concepts this semester. I decided to go back and look at what we learned near the beginning of the semester, in which we studied chapter 3. I decided to go this far back because I needed a refresher of the things we learned earlier on. This chapter is entitled: Norms, Roles, Cohesiveness, and Groupthink. The concept that I am going to discuss is cohesiveness. Cohesiveness is “the extent to which members are loyal and committed to the group.” (Harris, 2008. p. 54) As this semester is drawing to a close I thought I would talk about a concept that we may have to use in some class group assignments we may have.

Cohesiveness, like chemistry, is a “force that binds group members together” (Keyton & Springston, 1990, p. 234) Building or creating that force is important because a group typically performs better when members are tight. To do so, members need to have reasons and purposes for the tasks at hand, and have to all be willing and motivated to commit to the group as well as the tasks. This is a concept that we should try to implement in our lives because working together positively is always overall more affective than anti-cohesiveness.

Week 16 Question 2: Outside Group Observation Evaluation

I really enjoyed the outside group observation project as I chose the Leadership Training and Development group at the Vintage Park Church of Christ congregation. I am a member of this congregation but I am not a member of that group but I had always been interested in what went on. So, I chose it for this assignment. The group was all about leadership within the church, (preachers, teachers, etc) but the principles I learned could also definitely apply to other aspects of life other than church or religion.

I noticed that the group was pretty diverse (age, gender, ethnicity) so I paid close attention to see how this effected each group meeting. However, the group seemed to interact equally regardless of their differences and this was a very comforting trait of theirs. They use many principles in the Bible such as “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Bible, Galatians 3:28) to help them with any issues that may arise regarding differences.

In both group meetings we read the Bible to see different uses of leadership. These examples can easily be implemented into our everyday lives because the principles are very realistic and moral. I marked each of the books and chapters of the Bible we went over so I can later reference them in use them in not just church related activities, but also: school, work, sports, and etc.

The only thing that I was frustrated with was that many people talked over each other. Everyone was very interested in the concepts we covered regarding leadership (being a leader not a commander) which is a good thing, but they did not always allow each other to speak give their whole inputs. When I would start hearing someone giving valid information and examples, someone would cut them off and give their input. I thought it was rude but I know that they did not mean it to be rude. I feel like if there was a little more order this would not have been an issue.

Overall this assignment was the highlight of my semester. It is very rare that I get an assignment where I get to interact with others outside of the class, and watch the concepts I learned apply themselves. Seeing many of the things I learned in this course being lived gave me pleasure. I have taken classes before where I always thought to myself “how is this going to help me in the future?” or “where is this ever applied?” But in this class, everything I learned is very relevant to our everyday lives and this outside group project just confirmed that for me!

Week 16 Question 1: CMC vs FTF

CMC and FTF communication are two different forms of communication that are used in certain circumstances. Computer mediated communication (CMC) “describes communication that takes place through a variety of media and provides distributed group members with video, audio, and text-based messaging capabilities.” (Harris, 2008, pg. 296) Many people critique CMC because people tend to focus on the tasks rather than trying to also incorporate the social aspect of communication. FTF just simply means face-to-face communication. Many people argue that CMC groups take longer than FTF groups to complete a task. But on the contrary “CMC groups usually perform better than FTF groups on idea-generating tasks, and there is a greater equality of participation in CMC groups.” (Harris, 2008, pg. 297)

Because I have taken several online classes and also in-person classes I have experience with both CMC and FTF. I do not have a preference between the two as I think they both have advantages and disadvantages (as mentioned above) as well as differences. One of the obvious differences is that you cannot physically see who you are communicating with in CMC groups. This can be put the damper on the social aspect of communication. However it can also help to eliminate any prejudices. FTF is the most common form of communication. In this form I believe people are more cooperative and less opinionated because most times people do not want to be “rude” especially when FTF. Although there are many more differences these stand out to me the most.

Question 13: Avoidance

Although we read both chapters 11 and 12, I decided to choose and discuss a concept from chapter 11. Chapter 12, entitled Power in Group Conflict, talked about many different types of conflict resolution strategies and formats. Although we have already discussed a few, one that stood out to me the most was avoidance. “The avoidance strategy entails withdrawing from the conflict.” (Harris, 2008, pg. 237)

This strategy can only work or be positively effective if the avoidance, “is due to lack of information, understanding, or opinion….” (Harris 2008, pg. 237) on the conflict. Otherwise this strategy has a more destructive and negative outcome. People in small groups who implement this concept will only be counterproductive to the team.

I thought this concept was interesting because I know a lot of people that like to use avoidance to elude confrontation. However the problem still exists so there is usually still hostility. I know that I do this at times and now that I am aware, I am going to try to face all of my conflicts in the most effective way possible.

Week 13 Question 2: Collaborative Conflict & Competitive Conflict

Chapter 11 talks about collaborative conflict resolution as being the same as a consensus. “Consensus requires carefully defining the issues; discussing group-process strategies for communication; agreeing on the parameters of a good solution; being open, careful, and considerate, listening to all perspectives; and be willing to take the time and energy needed to forge solutions from the best parts of the perspective offered.” (Harris, 2008, pg. 232)

When I was on the volleyball team in high-school, we often had to use collaborative conflict resolution. To avoid negativity and remain as a close team, it was important for us to be considerate, open, careful, and come to a consensus. Although I did not always enjoy these conflict resolution sessions because I really wanted to just play volleyball, this actually did help to effectively solve many conflicts.

Competitive conflict is much different. Unlike collaborative conflict’s win-win orientation, competitive has a win-lose orientation. This is a very destructive and self-seeking method. I use this method sometimes when arguing with my boyfriend. I know this is not something to be proud of but it is unfortunately true. I sometimes have the “get the last word” mentality which causes a win-lose situation.

At the end of the day the most satisfying strategy to me is the collaborative conflict resolution. Although I do like to be right I know that I am not always, and it is best to be more open, positive and productive. I know that my teammates as well as my boyfriend would much rather use this strategy instead of the competitive conflict.

Week 13 Question 1: Forum Panel Colloquium Symposium

Chapter 11 talked in great detail about different presentation techniques. When preparing for a public presentation, there are several different formats to choose from. The four types that Harris focused on were: the forum, the panel, the colloquium, and lastly the symposium. I will now define and distinguish each of these types of techniques, and choose the one that I would prefer.

“The forum provides a small group presentational format in which the group can speak and listen to a larger audience.” (Harris, 2008, pg. 218) The whole audience is involved a public discussion after the small group gives a brief presentation. “A panel is a public format in which a group of four to eight experts discusses a problem or decision in front of an audience.” (Harris, 2008, pg. 220) However unlike the forum, the audience does not engage and participate in discussion in a panel. “The colloquium is a form of public discussion in which a group of three to six experts, usually chosen for their divergent views, discuss a problem, following the problem-solving format, in front of an audience with a moderator facilitating their interaction.” (Harris, 2008, pg. 220) Although a panel similarly has a moderator facilitating, the colloquium only has 3-6 experts versus a panels 4-8 experts. Also the audience is more interactive. “The symposium provides a format for a series of two to six brief speeches made on different aspects of a complex and difficult problem.” (Harris, 2008, pg 221) This format is very precise, has experts, and still leaves a significant amount of time for audience questions and concerns.

If I had to choose between the four I would probably choose the forum format. I think that this method will help the small group improve and learn a lot because they speak briefly and can than listen to all the feedback. This feedback could more than likely help the groups overall performance next time.

Week 12 Question 3: Emotional Barriers

Chapter 10 of Small Group and Team Communication was all about creativity in small groups. Although there were several interesting concepts in this chapter, I am going to discuss one that I believe impacts people the most, emotional barriers. Harris explains this as, “we may take more time than we would like; we may make a mistake; we may risk the censure of our peers by looking foolish or being judged incompetent. “ (Harris, 2008, pg. 189) Those are all examples of things we might say if we have these emotional barriers up.

The reason I think this concept is so important is because it applies to everyone. Although many people do not admit it, we all are conscious of what others will think when it comes to being creative or adding at ideas at some point in our lives. Although having emotional barriers can at times be the logical thing to do, it can also be detrimental to our ideas and achievements. Therefore I think we should find equilibrium between the two so that we utilize are minds and creativity to the best of our ability’s.

Week 12 Question 2: 5 Cultural Barriers to Creativity

There were several different cultural barriers to creativity that I learned about in chapter ten of Small Group and Team Communication. The five of the nine barriers that I am going to discuss include: expectation of practicality and efficiency, expectation of politeness and following rules, reliance on expert knowledge, belief in an either/or perspective on issues, and a trust in the power of reason and logic. (Harris 188)

If a group or group members have an expectation of practicality and efficiency, they may try to achieve a task by sticking to a strict or set plan. Although this is some times effective; in doing so, levels of creativity and ideas are at a minimum. Politeness and following rules is generally a good trait to possess. However in a group setting if you obtain this characteristic, you may be reluctant to contribute your ideas in order to maintain politeness and follow rules. Reliance on expert knowledge does not allow you to be accountable for your own actions. In a group setting there is typically a leader or facilitator that helps everyone to stay on track. If everyone is dependent upon the leader, they will not use their own creativity or ideas to help add to the group. Having an either/or perspective on issues seems very precise. But when in a group, having more ideas is best. This barrier only gives to ways of looking at or solving something which in result limits creativity or the possibility of others. Last but not least is the trust in power of reason and logic. This concept is one of the biggest barriers in my opinion, because everyone wants something to be reasonable or logical. However this can be detrimental in a group because if your ideas do not seem logical or reasonable, you may not add or suggest them. Focusing on reason and logic gives you no room to “think outside the box”.

I have fallen victim to all of these concepts and I believe the majority has as well. Because I think we mostly do this subconsciously, these are habits that can be difficult to break. But since I am now aware of these things, I am going to strive to be more conscious of them so that my creativity is not overlooked.

Week 12 Question 1: Creativity

There are several ways to define creativity. One of the definitions I liked most from Small Group and Team Communication is, “creativity involves the power to originate, to break away from the existing ways of looking at things, to move freely in the realm of the imagination, to create…new ideas and strong feelings” (Sacks, 1995, pg. 241-242) (Harris, 2008, pg. 183). This definition is precise, yet broad enough to give different examples and how it pertains to my life.

One of my hobbies I enjoyed as a child was creating and designing clothing. Although I know this is done by many people these days, all of my ideas were inspired by me and I did not look at any other current styles to copy. To be more specific I can remember drawing and having my mother help me create pants that zipped off to become shorts. Although this sounds kind of corny at the time it sounded like a great idea. We created a pair and I wore them around school. I used my ideas and imagination to create something that could be worn year round. This style was later created and sold in several stores and even though I had never created a label for this style and sold it anywhere, I still felt that by idea had been stolen. But still, I was glad because people that ridiculed me for this “wacky” idea got to actually see others wearing the same style I created.

Week 9 Question 3: Lack of Interest

I chose to look at the barriers to active listening in chapter 2 of Small Group and Team Communication and noticed that lack of interest was one of them. As I was looking at many of my classmates posts regarding the four components of listening, I noticed that lack of interest was an issue in many instances. Generally we face this problem because “we find it inherently uninteresting or because we have determined it is too difficult for us to understand.” (Sherblom/Harris, 2008, pg. 135) When this occurs we may become bored, impatient, or even start to day dream.

I have a fairly young boss and he often times likes to tell us his stories. Many times he tells us things that I am not interested in, so I therefore start to daydream or become preoccupied with something else. I feel bad for doing this because I know it is rude; however this is a really bad habit of mine. I think many of you can relate to my story in one way or another as we all tend to have certain topics that we have very minimal interest in. In order to break this habit Sherblom and Harris suggest that we “tell ourselves that since we are there at the moment we might as well pay attention to the content of the discussion.” (Sherblom/Harris, 2008, pg. 135)

Week 9 Questions 2: Selective Hearing

One of my biggest vice’s, is that I am a very stubborn person. I have no problem admitting it because it is something I am working on. When I have my mind made up about something, it is almost impossible to change my mind. Therefore when it comes to speaking with others, I often times use selective hearing. Selective attention is “choosing one message over another.” (Harris/Sherblom, 2008, pg. 131)

For example, my Dad really wants me to move on campus. I am a junior and have been living off campus since my sophomore year. He has always been protective over me, but sometimes I think he is too protective. So when I go back home to visit my family we always like to talk and catch each other up on our lives.

So a few weeks ago I went home and he asked me about my living situation. He knows that I have had a quite a few bad experiences with roommates off campus, and is only looking out for me. However he I like to do things on my own and not have people telling me what to do. So he started to go on about the benefits of moving back and living on campus, and I tuned him out up until he said “just do it for me and make me happy.”

Even though I did not hear much else he said regarding living on campus, the fact that it would make him happy really affected me. I think a way that I can overcome selective hearing is by overcoming my stubbornness so I can be more open to all conversation.

Week 9 Question 1: Four Components of Listening

I think the first phase of listening was the most difficult to me when talking with one of my friends a couple days ago. The first phase of listening is sensing or hearing the message. “Sensing or hearing the message is a voluntary act whereby we choose certain sounds and noises to pay attention to, while avoiding others.” (Harris/Sherblom, 2008, pg. 131)

I went to my hometown to visit my family and one of my old friends wanted to hang out with me as well. However as the years have gone by, we continued to have less and less in common. Most of the time she talks about things that I find either irrelevant or that I cannot relate to. She likes to gossip or talk about people and when she does that I find it hard to pay attention to what she is saying. It got to the point that all I literally heard was “blah blah blah” and I just continued to nod my head or smile.

I think this was so difficult for me because I did not want to hear what she had to say whatsoever, and I could not even use selective attention. That shows how much of a disinterest I had in the topic. I felt bad though because she is and old friend and was only trying to talk and catch up with me. I probably could have overcome this issue by telling her that I was not interested in the gossip so that she or I could have changed the subject to something we both were interested in hearing.

Week 7 Question 2: Proxemics and Chronemics

“The way we structure and use and are affected by space constitutes proxemity.” (Harris/Sherblom 117) There is an example in the book that describes proxemics as “the invisible boundary that individuals draw around themselves.” (Harris/Sherblom 117) This boundary is dependant upon circumstances surrounding the individuals. Chronemics on the other hand, “is the study of the use of time.” (Harris/Sherblom 119) “The manipulation of time is an important dynamic in small group interactions.” (Harris/Sherblom 119) Around the globe, many people have their own ideas and essentials surrounding time. Therefore in order to be as effective as possible, you should learn how each group that you interact with, values time.

Unfortunately I have not been outside of the United States, so I do not know from first hand how other countries differ from us in terms of proxemics. However, I have a friend who is Nigerian, and I experience different uses of proxemics than I ever have out here. When I first met him, we were in a classroom and he said “nice to meet you” and kissed me on my cheek. I was a little uncomfortable because I thought he was trying to hit on me. I later talked to him about this meet and he explained to me that he was new to the United States at the time and that in Nigeria, men treated women with respect by kissing them on their cheeks. It is a form of a handshake. I do not know if it is like this all throughout that country but I thought that was very interesting.

As far as proxemics goes, I believe everyone in this country can relate to the saying “time is money”. We in the United States always emphasize the importance of promptness. However I believe that on most of our days off from work or class, we all like to sleep in and relax. I have an Indian coworker who would wake up very early in the morning no matter what. I used to ask him why he woke up early if he did not have to. He then explained to me that in his culture, sleeping in is a sign of laziness. They believe that even if you are not required to do anything, you should get up and either work or study to better yourself. Although I commend them for that, I do not see myself doing that as I enjoy a day of relaxation after a week of school and work. I guess America did that to me.

Week 7 Question 3: Humor

I read a lot of interesting concepts in chapter 6; however the one that caught my attention the most was humor. The importance of humor in communication is not commonly discussed, which is why I was happy to see it in this chapter. “Humor uses the power of verbal communication to share messages, relieve stress, support group fantasies, integrate ideas, support common values, convey messages and meaning to people, and help listener acceptance.” (Bolman & Deal, 2003) (Harris/Sherblom 113)

In many of my small group experiences, humor has been successfully used. For example, often times, group members feel uneasy or stressed out in forced group situations. However when the task is addressed and humor is implemented, this almost always relieves stress and reinforces cohesiveness. I remember one instance, I was in a group and our assignment was a five page paper due in four days. Then a guy in our group said, “Well, it could be worse. It could be a 10 page paper due tonight.” Everyone laughed and it reassured us all that we absolutely could get this assignment done.

So in short, I believe humor, when used at the appropriate times, can always help lighten a situation.

Week 7 Question 1: Nonverbal Principles

Hello all! The two nonverbal communication principles I would like to discuss are the second and sixth ones.

The second principle simply states: “when what we do and what we say are inconsistent, nonverbal communication is more likely to be believed.” (Harris/Sherblom 114) I like to think of this concept as the common saying “your actions speak louder than words”. I have seen this principle apply to many different group or team meetings; however I will discuss just one. At my job, we had a new hire. She asked one of my coworkers about some of the policies we had here. One of the things he told her that was strictly enforced was that cell phones were not aloud to be used, unless you are on your break. However, about twenty minutes he began text messaging, and the new hire saw that she was confused. So she now thinks it is okay to use her phone while on her shifts.

The sixth principle means: “the things we notice, or our perceptions of nonverbal cues, lead to meaning.” (Harris/Sherblom 115) The examples they gave surrounding this principle included: decreased distance, increase touching, relaxed posture, and etc. (Harris/Sherblom 115) I remember being forced into a small group project in class, where none of us knew one another. We turned our desks to face each other but everyone left significant space between the surrounding desks. Eventually though, as we all began talking and laughing we scooted our desks closer. This nonverbal communication definitely portrayed a positive message.

Week 4 Question 3: Nonverbal Communication

Reading chapter five, I learned that most of the concepts were related to diversity in groups. However, when I got the section of nonverbal communication I was very interested. The reason why I was so interested in this is because, although nonverbal communication is important and very prevalent in our everyday communication, this topic is not often discussed. Nonverbal communication “is often subtle and multidimensional and may take the form of body or facial gestures, tone of voice, turn taking, use of time, or habits of dress or hairstyle.” (Harris/Sherblom 92)

I liked how they emphasized the fact that we need to keep in mind that each culture attaches different standards of appropriateness to nonverbal expressions. This concept did not become to clear to me until about a few years ago. I had a Nigerian friend that did a good job on his speech in class. He told me that my thumbs up, was the equivalent of the middle finger to the Nigerian culture. I felt bad but he told me not to because he knew that was not what I was referring to. So in short, I believe we should all learn nonverbals, be aware of them, and use them effectively in our communication experiences.

Week 4 Question 2: White Men Privilege

When reading the segment of Hierarchies of Power, I learned about the “white men of privilege” concept. “Clearly, the overriding assumption of social, economic, and political power in this country has long resided with upper-class and upper-middle-class white European males of wealth and privilege.” (Harris/Sherblom 96) As this concept is not a news flash for me, I do agree with this concept. For several centuries now, white men are assumed to have power and wealth in this country. In many cases, white men will be picked over a person of color or a woman, just because of this concept. Although this country is supposedly straying away from racism and inequality, this concept has been embedded in our minds since we were younger. I do not think it will ever be any different.

As far as social power, when we turn on our televisions white men dominate the shows. If we find television shows with primarily people of color, they are on special channels such as BET. In the “family commercials” we already expect to see a white family with the father in a successful position. In the economic power, all we have to do is think of the highest paying jobs and look at the statistics for what ethnic and genders obtain these jobs. I guarantee at least 8 out of 10 of these are white men. As for the political power, it has been clear throughout our history that white men have dominated in this category (although we now have our first African-American president)

Week 4 Question 1: Stereotypes

This chapter emphasized diversity very well. When most people think about stereotyping, they relate is to race or gender. However, “beyond gender, race, and ethnic heritage, diversity also relates to differences in social and economic class, access to education, physical attractiveness and ability, and sexual orientation.” (Harris/Sherblom 88) The more diverse the individual, the easier the person to be subjected to several stereotypes. I personally do not like being labeled whatsoever. Many people cannot tell what exactly my ethnic background is because I am of “mixed decent”, but I absolutely like it that way. The more people are able to identify you to a certain group, the easier it is for them to make assumptions of you.

Although I do not like to be labeled as I already mentioned, sometimes there is no escaping certain groups that you evidently belong to. I have been stereotyped because I am a female, because of my physical attractiveness, because of my economic class, and above all because of my ethnic heritage. When I read chapter 5 I realized that I was able to relate to almost every single concept identified in this chapter. My experiences with stereotyping do not differ significantly. I think everyone can admit to stereotyping, as well as being stereotyped. It may seem funny when in a joking manner, however the reality of it is that it is an unfair, inaccurate way to identify an individual or a group as a whole. I think we should strive to reject the partaking and accepting of stereotypes, and instead let people prove themselves to you by their own actions.

Week 3 Question 3: Cohesiveness

As I read through chapter three, the concept cohesiveness stood out to me. It “is the extent to which members are loyal and committed to the group” (Griffin, 2005, p. 629) “creating a force that binds group members together” (Keton & Springstone, 1990, p. 234). Although there is usually a set structure on how the group is to get work done, interaction and communication within the group determines the strength of cohesiveness. This is not to say that everyone has to be friends or even get along in order for there to be cohesiveness. As long as each member of the group is willing to participate and contribute, there will be no problem.

A few semesters ago I was assigned to a group project where two of the members did not get along. At first they would not even speak to each other which negatively affected the cohesiveness of our group. We did not feel like they were loyal and committed to our group. Once I stressed the importance of the assignment and how it was going to impact our grades, they put their problems to the side and willingly put effort and input into our assignment.

Week 3 Question 2: Functions of Group Norms

The functions of norms in groups include: establishing accepted rules of behavior, “having a map of group behavior and processes”, providing common goals for those in the groups. (Harris/Sherblom 46) When I was in junior high school, I had a close group of friends. We hung out at school and outside of school. We became so close that we had several inside jokes that only we understood, and even came up with our own language. It sounds funny now that I think of it but during that time, it made us all feel that much closer I believe. Many people thought it was stupid the way we talked (or really just abbreviated and changed words) but we did not care. However those same people that ridiculed us for our language violated that norm. Our language was only for our close group of friends, making it a norm. When we heard others using it we felt as though it was our own anymore. It was not a huge deal but I just remember seeing that our exclusive norms were no longer so exclusive. Ultimately our select group tended to just seem like all the other kids on campus. I believe that when norms are established or used by others, you feel less private and/or unique. This however is not always a bad thing, it just happened to sort of be that way for my junior high friends and me.

Week 3 Question 1: Group Norms

Yes there are group norms at SJSU. There are probably several different ones but I will name the few that stand out to me the most. Because I am a student, I will only talk about the student group norms. One of the norms is that we all are expected to go to class. As college students no one can legally force us to go to class, however as paying students we assume everyone who is enrolled will attend class. Another norm involves our communication. The way we talk with family and friends is much different from how we talk to our professors. “Most students address their professors more formally than they do their family members.” (Harris/Sherblom 47)

I do not really spend time with a certain group of friends, as I tend to hang out with many different people. However in my family, we have our values and morals which is what makes us the people we are. We already know what type of behavior and actions to expect from each other since we were all brought up believing and living by the same thing.

It is easy to identify these norms in my family because I lived with them for eight-teen years. With the SJSU norms, I learned quickly as a freshman just by observing behaviors and actions from my colleagues and people around me. It was easy to adapt to these norms because they already seemed normal to me and nothing was out of the ordinary from my typical behaviors and actions.

Week 2 Question 3: Irreversibility

In chapter two I learned about several different concepts and how they effect small group communication. We talked about a few in this week’s discussion, but one that was not mentioned, that I find important is “irreversibility.” This concept basically means that once you say something, you cannot take it back. “What is said may contribute to the effectiveness or the deterioration of the group process.” (Harris/Sherblom 38) This is so true in all aspects your communication experiences in life. In small group communication specifically, if you speak positive and uplift the group, they will trust and think highly of you. However if you say something detrimental (whether you apologize or not) your group will potentially always remember what you said. Irreversibility is basically a term that warns us to think before we speak. We should not let our emotions impact our responses because one something is said there is really no way to start over. Therefore when is comes to irreversibility, we should remember to speak positively and in a way that we know we will not regret.

Week 2 Question 1: Interrelationships and Interdependence

Interdependence is, “the extent that members depend on one another and share in responsibility for the group process, the group gains the benefit of the shared ideas and interactions.” (Harris/Sherblom 32) Interrelationships are mutual associations or affiliations in a group. From my past small group experiences, I see how these two are very important to communication.

I remember a few semesters ago being assigned to a group project about a specific topic in the book. We were to present the chapter to the class and somehow use a visual aid to help the students grasp the chapter even more. This was our final assignment so our interdependence was high. Unfortunately though, one of our group members did not keep in contact with us and it forced us to pick up his slack in the presentation.

As far as interrelationships go, I can vividly think of another experience I had. I was moving into a 4 bedroom apartment where three of us were all friends, and the fourth person only knew me. Because that fourth person was sort of the odd one out, she could not chime in some of our conversations because she was somewhat out of the loop most of the time.

As far as the first example I gave, I was very disappointed in the guy that didn’t participate in our assignment because the interdependence within our group was very important. His grade suffered, so I think he got what he deserved. As for the last example, I regret not having all or no interrelationships, because that left room for miscommunication and the feeling of discomfort.

Week 2 Question 2: Entropy and Equifinality

Entropy has a negative impact on small groups, but can easily be adjusted in the right direction with a little order. Entropy is “disorganization, stagnation, and chaos.” (Harris/Sherblom 33) It is usually caused by an overload of too much energy of information. When groups sense digression from the intended purpose, they use negative feedback to keep themselves from further detriment. A way to avoid entropy in small groups is to establish order. That way there is a specific plan and way to reach whatever target the group is aiming for.

Equifinality on the other hand, affects small groups positively for the most part. “There is more than one way to skin a cat,” (Harris/Sherblom 34) was a great expression used to explain this concept. Basically equifinality means that there are different routes to the same destination. In equifinaliy there is room for suggestions and input from members of a group, to come up with a way (or ways) to reach their goal.

Introduction

Greetings Everyone!

I am a junior, communication studies major and legal studies minor. Because we do not really have a pre-law undergrad degree program at this school, I have been back and forth through different majors here at SJSU. After taking a few different communication studies courses and seeing that a lot would help me in my pursuit of law, I knew this was the major for me.

Being a full-time student and part-time worker is time consuming, so I rarely have leisure time to myself. However, some of my interests include: reading, writing, singing, shopping, working out, playing volleyball and I am sure there are a few others. Even though I do not really get to do most of these things often, I am happy to be able to read and write a lot in this major.

As I mentioned earlier, I have been switching around in majors for my first couple of years. I have taken all of the required lower division communication studies courses, which really sparked my interest in this department in the first place. Last semester I took nothing but upper division communication studies and I did very well in each of my courses. I enjoy verbal communication however being in this major I noticed the significance nonverbal communication has as well.

I am looking forward to this class as I believe that small group communication is very important. Most people communicate in small groups daily, but it is essential to know how to do so effectively. There are many components to small group communications and I am hoping to learn about each of them in depth and eventually master these concepts. At my job and in my future career, I will be making important small group decisions. For that reason, I am very excited about this class and what it has to offer.

By the way, I have taken a course with Professor Perez before and I loved it! She really makes the class enjoyable and is clear of what she expects of you. Well, good luck to all!


-Pocahontas