Blog Post #1- Melany Valdez

        The class has been divided into three groups for the last three weeks of SP1017, and each group has been given a chapter. Chapter 3, "Intercultural Communication," was given to Group 1. I was really interested in group 1's PowerPoint presentation. First, they go over some fundamental ideas about culture and the ways in which civilizations differ from one another. According to their explanation of the presentation, culture is the set of common values, attitudes, beliefs, and customs that determine what constitutes proper behavior for a certain identifiable group of people. Values are the generally acknowledged criteria of what is deemed to be just and unjust, fair and unfair, good and evil, and so on. We frequently experience anxiety when our conventions, norms, and values are disturbed since we are all so accustomed to them.This is, a large number of individuals inside the mainstream American culture may also feel a connection to one or more co-cultures. Shared values and beliefs about, among other things, race, ethnicity, sex and gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic position, age or generation, and disability, give rise to some of the co-cultures that exist in the United States today.They are, in order, context, chronology, power distance, masculinity/femininity, long-term/short-term orientation, individualism/collection, and, finally, indulgence.People clearly differ in how much they identify with these gendered co-cultures, and those who do not identify strongly with them could not act in a way that conforms to expectations at all.When we are forced into a foreign culture by travel, business, or studying abroad, we are likely to experience culture shock to the fullest extent. I saw group 3's PowerPoint presentation, and all of the participants' slides had engaging templates, comprehension summaries, and images. I managed to continue observing and listening to the group's presentation in class. 

Chapter 9, "Communicating in Groups," was assigned to Group 2. Because this class requires students to collaborate with one another and communicate with their companions, this chapter is crucial. The students covered group dynamics and the best ways to interact within them in this chapter. They start out by describing the nature and characteristics of several groups as well as some of the common communication problems we run into while engaging with people in each of them. then went on to discuss the stages of group formation and growth as well as important traits of healthy groups. A group is an assembly of three to twenty individuals who strive to accomplish a shared goal and have a sense of belonging. A girl in the presentation made the generalization that a family is a collection of individuals who, via their interactions, create a feeling of past, future, and somewhere to call home. Families are typically quite important in most people's life. Children receive their socialization there, and we often go there first when we need emotional and social assistance.Additionally, when they deal with other groups, they carry this communication style with them.The majority of us are members of many social groups. You could have had a close-knit group of friends in high school, a close-knit group of mates during your time in the military, or a regular group of friends with whom you play softball or golf. When coworkers start getting together for social events beyond work, they may eventually develop into a social group.A group's experience can be either pleasant or bad depending on how well or poorly members communicate with one another via both verbal and nonverbal cues. Indeed, there are differences and they come from various civilizations, in my opinion. Therefore, you need to be aware of how you come across while working with others, especially those who have strong personalities. They provide suggestions for effectively handling group disputes as they wrap up this chapter.

Lastly, chapter 10. I was assigned to work on that chapter with my group. It is titled "Group Leadership and Problem Solving" in this chapter.  There was a moment in the PowerPoint creation process for chapter 10 where I had to choose my contribution and complete the three matching slides. I developed my ability to complete tasks on time, allowing everyone to submit their work to the professor by the deadline. Contrary to appearances, the facts gathered and the research for the presentations weren't tough. This chapter teaches you how to solve problems in groups and exercise good leadership. We start out by talking about what it means to be a successful group leader and what each group member has to do to get there. Next, we demonstrate how good communication and shared leadership manifest themselves before to, during, and following group sessions. After that, we focus only on problem-solving and guide you through a methodical approach to the process. The literature goes into specifics and provides group explanations throughout the chapter. It also outlines methods and techniques to assist the group in appropriately handling any conflicts. The audience is free to take what the group presented to heart when they were giving their interpretation of chapter 3. Everybody attends meetings on a regular basis, sometimes leading and other times participating. However, not many are adept at doing so successfully. At some time in our life, the majority of us will be in charge of calling a meeting of the group. A work group team may follow a more structured spiral approach, in which members refine, accept, reject, change, and combine ideas before returning to the initial conversation, or they may follow an organized set of actions when faced with a challenge.The disappointments we remember from attending meetings that were poorly led may be one of our main sources of anxiety. Undoubtedly, doing this task was a learning experience. both in the data taken from the text and in the PowerPoint's development. Fortunately, I can state that my group and team worked really hard on the slides and Friday's presentation to the class.  I learned a lot of things that I can put to use in the future while collaborating with others on group projects. In conclusion, we suggest techniques for sharing outcomes and assessing team performance.