Communication Portfolio

Communication is the activity of exchanging a message between two individuals, the sender and the recipient. We all engage in communication on a daily basis. Although communicating with others is assumed to be natural, there are many times when communication breakdowns occur. As a result, thoughts and feelings are not conveyed successfully. There are different forms of communication; three of the most common types most of us will exchange through are Interpersonal, Group and Organizational Communications. Although, many will engage in these communication forms, many do not understand their significance. 

Interpersonal communication is generally known as face-to-face communication between two people (Trenholm, 2011). As technology has evolved, it is possible to engage in interpersonal communication through other means. For example, individuals are now able to interact by chatting or emailing each other through online dating websites until they are comfortable meeting face to face. With the video conference technology option, they are also able to meet face to face without actually being in the same room. Interpersonal (face-to face) communication enables people to interact using visual and verbal clues to understand the information being shared (Mishra, 2014).

According to Steve Duck’s filtering theory, we use a series of filters to judge how close we want to get to others and that attraction is really a process of elimination (Trenholm, 2011). The filtering theory involves four filters: sociological/incidental, pre-interaction, interaction and cognitive. Personally, I apply the sociological/incidental as an eliminator when determining whether or not I would date someone. I would not consider dating someone in another state because I feel it would be far too difficult to spend quality time with that person. Although it may be shallow, I would say that I do use the pre-interaction cues as well; I look at the way a man is dressed and how he carries himself when deciding whether I wish to interact. Interaction cues such as friendliness, kindness, and the topic of initial conversation can be eliminators as well.

Duck’s final filter for a potential partner is the cognitive cue, this to me is the most important. It is important to share similar values and beliefs with the person you plan to share your life with. These are things I am unable to compromise on now that I am older. I believe that you should date with a purpose: the intent to marry. I consider my time in relationships to be an investment and do my best to be as transparent as possible when considering getting to know someone at this level because I do not want to waste my time or theirs. If we are looking for the same things I would consider dating someone who is not normally my “type” if they are polite, kind and share similar values; as I have matured I am more aware that in dating differences can present opportunities to learn new things and grow as a person.

According to Baster and Rawlins, we experience three interpersonal tension dialectics as we try to balance relationships with our own personal needs; these dialectics are called expressive-protective, the autonomy-togetherness and the novelty-predictability (Trenholm, 2011). When we first meet someone we must decide how much personal information we wish to share with them and what we want to keep private. Through this dialectic we manage our self-disclosure. When I find myself getting closer to someone and feel a bond forming that is when I am more comfortable with engaging in deeper conversations about personal life experiences.

The second dialectic is autonomy-togetherness, this is when we must decide how much of our time we want to spend with friends and relationship partners. In my past relationship experiences, I have found it difficult to find a balance in this dialectic because I value close bonding and togetherness with my loved ones. I am hopeful to one day find a future spouse who will share this common dialectic.

The third dialectic is novelty-predictability; this occurs when behavior gets too patterned and individuals grow apart. I believe this dialectic can occur between friends, spouses and family members. Unless you are someone who likes routine, you will have to put in work to keep all of your relationships interesting and stimulating by trying new hobbies together, traveling or finding new topics to discuss that stimulate growth.

Trenholm defines The Personal Constructs Theory, as characteristics about others we notice on a daily basis. (2011) Due to values, interests, personalities and personal life experiences we all will interpret situations and experiences differently. What is important to one person may not be to another and what is offensive to one person may not be to others. Events may cause us to use temporary constructs or cause us to judge or stereotype others. I make it a point to do my best to avoid stereotyping others and therefore try to use positive, fair constructs. I remind myself daily that we are all human and all possess strengths and weaknesses and all have room for improvement, no matter what age or cultural background we are from. I believe that differences should be appreciated rather than judged.

Although many not realize it, we all have some experience in group communication through the interactions we each have had growing up with our families, friends and classes assigned to at school. According to Trenholm (2011), a group is a collection of individuals who over time develop shared patterns and behavior as a result of interacting with each other (p. 165). Currently, I am a member of a small woman’s group at my church. As a group we meet weekly at our group leader’s home to study the bible, discuss Christian books, and engage in fellowship together. Our church has grown dramatically over the past two years so in order to stay connected, small groups were formed so that no one felt lost or alone.

According to Moreland and Levine’s Group Socialization Processes, group socialization has different transition periods. (Trenholm, 2011). When I first joined the group I was more of an observer who like a sponge, absorbed all the information I could. My contribution to the group would be homemade desserts; however, as time has passed through discussion’s I learned that I could relate to the woman. As comfort developed over time I found that I shared similarities with some of the woman in our upbringing and life struggles. Finding common ground with them enabled me to open up and become more transparent with my life. I entered what is called the full member commitment level of Moreland and Levine’s process.

Many of us do not consider our families to be a “group” we are part of; however it is within our families that we learn how to interact with others. As a single mother, I personally believe I am territorial when it comes to my daughter. My desire to protect her causes me to be assertive. In the past when my daughter was younger and came to me hurt over things her dad said to her, immediately I would pick up the phone and demand to know why he hurt her. Over time, as she has gotten older I have learned that is not the way to find a resolution and that I could not always protect her from being hurt. I now have discussions with her and try to encourage her to respectfully approach her father and let him know he has hurt her. As her mom, I feel I must look out for her best interest, but I know that I can’t fight all of her battles.

Group communication also teaches leadership skills. For example, when we are in elementary school at times we are placed in groups to work on team projects and must select a group leader to take the lead. The group members must trust their leader to represent them and know that the leader will execute this trust responsibly. According the article Susan Leshnower, author of the article Teaching Leadership, a strong sense of responsibility and trustworthiness are desirable attributes in both a leader and also in an effective follower (Leshnower, 2008).

This point is understood when the group members (followers) must also be responsible to handle their own unique roles in the group at the time of presentation. For example, their leader will introduce their project and close the project out; however, each member of the group must be relied upon to present their own individual portion of the topic to the class, thereby assuming the leadership role for a moment. Passing between the role of follower and leader helps the students develop skills that good leaders must possess, such as: being cooperative, influencing others, actively listening and motivating others (Leshnower, 2008). Effectively working in a team while in school will lay a foundation to begin the development of skills that will be needed in adulthood when working at an organization.

Organizational communication systems are made of people working toward a common goal (Trenholm, 2011). Communication is crucial within an organization because it can mean success or failure for the organization. Organizations are made up of teams and departments, who each have their own separate responsibilities to accomplish daily in order to achieve a common goal. Each department operates interdependently and must communicate effectively in order for the organization to be productive.

At my current employer we have approximately 180 employees at our home office. Many of these employees do not know what roles other departments play or what the corporations overall goals are. Departments, teams and groups within an organization must know what is expected of them both as a team and individually. As pointed out accredited public relations expert Dan Ward, “When employees don’t understand the mission and goals of an organization, you can’t expect them to meet these goals” (Ward, 2013, p 18). Goals will never be reached when they are not clearly defined. Other than for the salesman, my company has no individual or departmental goals; therefore, our employees have no desire to achieve productivity for the company.

When it comes to organization and processes my employer fails. Employees constantly give feedback and make suggestions for improvement, however it is never applied. Without department goals, and employee engagement there will be communication breakdowns and employees who ae left feeling unvalued. According to Te’eni (2006, pg. 65), “Communication in organizations can be difficult, however, often leaving people frustrated with communication breakdowns, unfulfilled commitments, and overwhelmed with meaningless messages.” Without any set direction or feedback, employees will take no pride in their work and have poor work ethic. When employee’s work ethic is lost they will not support the organization they work for and will focus on the organizations weaknesses.

Organizations should focus on positive psychology by placing focus on renewal and opportunity (French, S. L., & Holden, 2012). Focusing on positive accomplishments employees make over a period of time can motivate them to set new goals. Trice and Beyer believe that taxonomy of organizational rites play an important role in the creation of organizational culture (Trenholm, 2011). I have worked at other organizations with clear defined goals and recognition programs for high performance. Rites of Enhancement are reward and achievement recognition programs at an organizations. Having been a recipient of recognition for my accomplishments at my previous organization, I can say that being recognized did motivate and cause me to feel appreciated which resulted in me also valuing the organization I worked for and striving for continued growth and success. My current organization has no organizational rites and this has resulted an organizational culture that is gloomy and uncomfortable to work in. Employees just go through the motions doing what little they can to earn a paycheck to pay the bills each week.

While it is nearly impossible to NOT communicate, many people are not aware of the depths involved in three of the most common types of communication and the effect each has on their day to day lives. Almost every adult will engage in forms of interpersonal, group and organizational communications at some point. Understanding communication will help all individuals gain a deeper understanding of both themselves and those they interact with. Learning how to communicate effectively will improve relationships, change the way we think of ourselves and others, and positively influence how we learn. Many of us go through the motions of communication each day and are not aware just how powerful and influential our interactions with others are. Becoming aware of the ways I personally interact with others has helped me to become more effective at communicating. I am hopeful that my personal awareness will not influence those around me to take the time to stop and examine their communication methods as well, this will result in a more positive, insightful environment.

                                       




References

French, S. L., & Holden, T. Q. (2012). Positive Organizational Behavior: A Buffer for Bad News. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(2), 208-220.

Leshnower, S. (2008). Teaching Leadership. Gifted Child Today, 31(2), 29-35. Retrieved from ERIC database. (EJ789918)

Mishra, K., Boynton, L., & Mishra, A. (2014). Driving Employee Engagement: The Expanded Role of Internal Communications. Journal of Business Communication, 51(2), 183-202. doi:10.1177/2329488414525399

Te'eni, D. (2006). The Language-Action Perspective as a Basis for Communication Support Systems. Communications of the ACM, 49(5), 65-70. doi:10.1145/1125944.1125977

Trenholm, S. (2011). Thinking Through Communication: An Introduction to the Study of Human Communication (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

Ward, D. (2013). A culture of communication: Your most important audience is all around you. Public Relations Tactics, 20(5), 18.