Presentation Overview

Elizabeth Duque-Estrada

Chapters 3, 9 , and 10 Presentations Overview 

All three presentations primarily focused on communications in groups. How different cultures affect the way we communicate or how certain people could perceive certain things, as well as problem solving and leadership. Let's start off with my group's presentation, focusing on Chapter 3: Intercultural Communications. Intercultural communication refers to communication between individuals across different cultures. This chapter emphasizes the need to develop an understanding of culture and to apply it with sensitivity towards effective communication. Some key concepts discussed here are cultural dimensions such as individualism/collectivism and high-context/low-context communication. Individualism and collectivism explore how people perceive their relationship with society. In such cultures, there is a valued independence and emphasis on personal goals. The individual's identity is often defined by one's achievements and rights. These types of cultures are found in Western societies like the United States, Canada, and Australia. Collectivism, on the other hand, creates more harmony and emphasizes the unity and cooperation of individuals. The individual perceives themselves to be part of a greater community or social order in which their identities are closely associated with that particular group. These cultures are characteristic of East Asian societies like Japan, China, and South Korea, where loyalty and harmony within the group are valued very much. High-context and low-context communication is the degree of which information is carried by certain words compared to contextual factors. Communication in high-context cultures is generally indirect and relies greatly on non-verbal signals, shared experiences, and the context of an exchange. The closeness with some constitutes the major source of understanding in an emotive environment. This communication style is pervasive in Asian and Middle Eastern cultures. Low-context communication, however, is explicit and uses language LITERALLY, devoting little attention. The delivery of ideas is direct and somewhat straightforward. Countries generally known for their low-context communication styles include the United States, Germany, and Switzerland.  An in-depth knowledge of these cultural differences goes a long way in minimizing misunderstandings that come from poor communication and in establishing communication efficiently.

Chapter 9: Communicating in Groups, Group 2 focused on working together to achieve common goals or shared objectives. This chapter discourses on group formation, roles, norms, and decision-making among others. Effective group communication leads to task accomplishment, productivity, and achieving goals. One key concept in the chapter I learned was group cohesion. It is like the bonding force between group members. When group cohesion is high, participation, commitment, and satisfaction are typically high. But cohesion should be balanced with critical thinking so that members become alert to the decision-making process and not fall into group thinking, characterized by shared perceptions where desire for harmony and agreement typically overrides independent judgments. Another crucial aspect of group communication I found is establishing clear roles and responsibilities. It is important that each group member knows how they can help meet group goals. Effective communication in groups involves active listening, open interaction, and constructive feedback, which all create a cooperative and positive group dynamic.

Chapter 10: Group Leadership and Problem Solving, Group 3 focused on, I believe, the most important topic. Leadership guides groups through challenges and strives towards success. It is important to take note of what makes an effective leader though. Behaviors, as well as how they solve problems and accomplish objectives. The effective leader not only directs and manages group activities, but also motivates and inspires their members toward the highest possible achievement. Problem-solving is one of the core functions of leadership. It means analyzing the problem, generating alternative solutions, evaluating these alternatives, and selecting one based on the judgment of its relative merits. Effective leaders use a variety of problem-solving strategies, including brainstorming, to involve their group members in decision-making and shake them out of their functional blindness through the engagement of diverse life experiences. What also makes a good leader is also his capability of resolving conflicts that can be particularly disruptive to and detrimental for team performance. Leaders can help convert people's agenda hurdles into opportunities for improvement by resolving conflicts positively and promoting mutual respect and dedication to common goals. 

The principles discussed in Chapter 3, 9, and 10 contribute to an overall understanding of effective communication. Intercultural communications (chapter 3) deals with various perspectives and backgrounds that members of a group might represent. Group communication without cultural awareness often breeds misunderstanding and conflict that can impede working cohesively and being productive. Similarly, chapter 9, group dynamics, establish a basis for effective leadership and problem resolution (chapter 10). Being aware of the different roles, norms, and methods for decision-making conjoined with sound leadership allows the ease of guiding teams and creating positive and productive environments. Strong leadership creates good group communication by providing direction, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. Intercultural communication, group dynamics, and leadership merge themselves into one another so that a communicator may go through troubles bringing about collaboration in one's goals. The mutual interaction of these chapters makes it clear that any good communication must have multiculturalism, a productive interaction of groups, and sound leadership as its characteristics. 

As an overview towards how these presentations were delivered, I believe there is a lot to improve. Preparation beforehand is DEFINITELY very important. It should be mandatory even. It could avoid brain-farts and aids in a clear delivery. Projecting your voice also helps with confidence, credibility, and attention towards your viewers/readers. I, and it seems like everyone else as well, took your note on using flashcards to avoid reading directly off the screen and summarize what is on the screen. But, there were  many instances where presenters, including myself, would be looking down reading off the flashcards or phones instead of projecting their voice towards the audience. In my opinion, as an audience member, it kind of felt like I was being ignored. LOL. Reading off the board was also a big thing, ESPECIALLY, with people who had long paragraphs. It just felt boring and time consuming. And as the presenter, it could feel very tiring reading big long paragraphs, which is why it is important to summarize your slides. To not lose the attention of the audience. I gladly take these points I made to better prepare myself for the next presentation and hopefully everyone else does too.