What are your main take away lessons from the assigned reading this week? Describe and explain.

This week’s readings had several take-away lessons. Among them is the concept of what comprises a group. Adler et al. (2014) assert that “a group consists of a small collection of people who interact with one another, usually face to face, over a time in order to reach goals.” This is to say that a mere collection of people does not necessarily constitute a group. There is a need for interaction, interdependence, working towards a common goal among other aspects for a collection of people to be regarded as a group.

The reading also seemed fascinating with the explanation of how virtual groups have advantages over face to face groups. It would be easy to assume that face to face groups are outright winners in this case, but the reading helps in changing this notion. Virtual groups gain advantage from the fact that they are fast and easy, and there is leveling of varied status differences. It is feasible for virtual teams to meet whenever it is deemed feasible, and there is no aspect of insecurity based on an individual’s status.

There are many things that have been said regarding good leadership. People give out various traits, but there is the tendency to forget a very important ingredient, which is effective communication. Effective communication ensures that the leader is always in favorable terms with the employees. This makes them develop positive relationships that make them undertake the activities as required of them.

When it comes to speech, the reading has emphasized the importance of the introduction and conclusion. This is regardless of the percentage of time they will take while one is speaking. It is the introduction that determines whether listeners will continue to pay attention to the speech. The conclusion, on the other hand, gives the opportunity for providing a memorable final remark, and this is what most listeners will remember since it is the last thing they hear.

How will they affect the way you communicate?

This will affect the way that I interact since I start to put more emphasis on virtual groups than I used to. Initially, I thought that face to face groups were more superior compared to virtual groups, and this resulted to the devaluation of virtual groups. The lesson has helped in understanding the advantages that are prevalent with groups hence increasing my desired of utilizing them more in future.

I will also strive to be an effective communicator in leadership positions that I will hold. I have gained an understanding that effective communication trumps other traits such as being authoritative. The relationships that will be created with employees through effective communication will help in establishing trust hence gaining their support at all times.

There will also be changes on how to approach speeches. I tend to put more emphasis on the body section, thus forgetting the importance that the introduction and conclusion could serve to my speech. There will be a need to balance these sections to ensure that what I want to pass across is not ignored just because one section was out of order.

In what ways do the concepts in the videos and readings relate to your professional life in education?

The video on First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy Indicates how a leader ought to be courageous in the execution of their activities. There is also the need of trying to treat others with equality in order to encourage them to get involved. The video on Drew Dudley “Everyday Leadership” talks about how people are leaders to others, but they do not know. This is something that is very common in life where people are looking up to you, maybe because of the way you carry yourself around, but you are not aware of this impact. The video on Failure is not an Option on its part tries to demonstrate a different perspective of leadership. It gives a perspective of trying to mobilize people into doing something that might work by way of trying to make them understand even when they seem to have lost hope or not into the idea. Build a tower, build a team on the other hand, showcases an aspect of collaboration that is prevalent with teams. Teams that are collaborative and there are no conflicts of members where some want to seem more valuable than others end up prevailing by performing better. In the video Nelson Mandela 2:2.mov shows how leaders should embrace the concept of humility regardless of their position. In this case, Mandela tries to show the positive contribution brought by the other people around him despite it being quite vivid that he was the one that played the major role to end apathy in his home country.

Josh Silver demos adjustable liquid-filled eyeglasses video on its part shows how people ought to take the initiative on some issues, and not just stay there and wait for other people to do it for them. The video on Tan Le: My immigration story is more of a speech in which Tan tries to narrate how she immigrated. The speech commences with a viable introduction that is likely to get the listeners interested given the expectations, and the conclusion also includes remarks that would be easily remembered by the audience. In the video How Giving TED Talk Improves Public Speaking there is an exploration how giving speeches every now and then tends to improve an individual’s prowess with regards to this practice. This is something applicable to many things in life. A guerilla gardener in South Central LA on its part showcases a speech that revolves around people’s life as it touches on something that most people can resonate with. This is something that is likely to make people interested in the speech as it gives real-life examples that anyone can relate with.  TEDxFlanders- Lars Sudmann – On public speaking gives tips on how to execute public speaking effectively. This is something helpful for people in varying professions as it would be useful in preparation for giving quality speeches in future.

Reference

Adler, R., Rodman, G., & DuPré, A. (2014). Understanding human communication (12th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Responses 

Hi Raquel,

This is a great and in-depth analysis that you have here regarding this week’s readings. Given the definition, it is true to say that a group is not just a mere collection of people. These people must have something in common that they are involved with. You have also done a good job trying to distinguish between a group and a team. A team usually aims at achieving common objectives at all times hence the level of interaction is quite high compared to that of a group. How a team behaves is likely to have an effect on the objectives set forward. That is why there are varied rules and regulations to govern a team’s practices. I also agree with you on the concept of leadership. There is no one specific leadership style that is likely to work for all the situations. It is always advisable for people in leadership positions to assess the situations at hand before deciding on the way forward. Having an insight on effective speech writing will also go a long way into helping people move forward in their professional lives. As educators, this is something that will come in handy in many aspects of interaction with different stakeholders.

Hi Kaylon,

I conquer with you that people involve themselves in groups with the objective of fulfilling varied needs. Some of the needs might be quenched directly while some might be satisfied indirectly. Formation of some of the groups occurs in an informal manner; as they are not planned for. Sometimes circumstances bring people together, and they form unity with the attempt of overcoming the relevant issues. There must be an existence of something common for the collection of people to be regarded as a group, though. Effective communication is always vital for helping the members to have a sense of belonging. Understanding the relevant dynamics of a group is vital in ensuring that effective communication has been actualized. When it comes to leadership, it is important for leaders to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the people they are governing. This way it becomes easier to determine what ought to be done, and by who. Involving members in important affairs helps build trust hence making the work of the leader quite easy. This is because it cultivates a sense of belonging that makes them committed to seeing progression since they are part of whatever is taking place.

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