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.
Pocahontas,
ReplyDeleteI agree with 100% when you say that "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." I know for myself, when all eyes are on me, I tend to go on an emotional roller coaster while deciding the best course of action for me and my small group. I am a ministry leader at my church in Mountain View, so sometimes I have to lead ministry meetings in which I have to sometimes make decisions that will either benefit and or hurt a small group of about 20 people. I am always asked what will I do in particular situations, and I always feel nervous when I respond because I don't want to propose non-beneficial creative ideas. Therefore, I will try to find that "equilibrium" that you suggested in my next meeting. Great post!
I liked how you linked your definition of emotional barriers to real-life experience. I also believe that people are self-conscious about what other ‘s might think about their opinions if said aloud. I had this similar experience when our house of eight people had a group house meeting. I knew that different people in the house had many opinions but only few were actually being said. Being one of the outspoken housemates, I wanted to hear from other housemates about their opinions, but the same two people would be the only ones speaking. You cannot force someone to say their opinion, so I guess it’s their loss for not stating their own.
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