Chapter 13 - Question #3

As a public relations professional I feel that public communication is very important for a company. Not only will it help get the name out to the media to further enhance the brand but it will also allow the stakeholders to get a glimpse inside the company. The only drawback is that the one giving the public speech needs to be very eloquent in his or her delivery style. The one aspect that can kill a campaign is a bad speech. It is the job of the public relations specialist to choose the best candidate who will execute the presentation in a colloquial manner

Chapter 13 - Question #2

It is not a single concept but rather an entire chapter that I enjoyed. The chapter was Interpersonal Communication. The reasoning behind my decision is because I like to apply course concepts to real life. My relationship with my boyfriend is a huge aspect of my life and it was interesting to be able to analyze our behaviors. We are one of those couples that make others sick. We are always all lovey-dovey with each other and have only had a handful of disagreements. I say disagreements because we have never have had actual fight. We have been together two and a half years and we are still going strong. The only road block that we will face is after I graduate in a week. I am going to be looking to start my career and he is going to be looking to change careers. This may drive us apart geographically. As we are semi-long distance this will pose as a problem that can be tackled through communication.

Chapter 13 - Question #1

The most interesting to me is the research method of ethnography. This allows the researcher to observe a situation as it naturally occurs. The only problem with this type of research is outside influences. People and others in the surrounding areas can be an influence on the individuals being studied. This also enables the people being observed to shape their responses around these influences.

When it comes to deception I would use ethnography. Since you are observing the person deceiving and the person being deceived in their natural setting then you are able to accurately record their responses to various scenarios.

Chapter 11 - Question #3

As a public relations practitioner, I am constantly bombarded on the effects of the mass media. Not only do the television, radio and newspaper help disseminate information but we are also struck with a traditional and futuristic media: social media. This new form f media includes Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogging and so much more. There are many ways that a company or cause can increase the scope of their message so the masses can absorb it. They are networking sites to stay connected to friends, business professionals and most importantly information. We are being taught less and less the ways of writing in a newspaper. It is being replaces with how to write for the Internet and how to get the same point across in one screen shot of text opposed to 10 inches of column. As the world progresses so does technology and the way everything is disseminated to the masses

Chapter 11 - Question #2

Yes I do agree with this statement to an extent. You will not message your resume as a Facebook comment, but you may upload it to your LinkedIn account. The focus of the medium and mode within the medium makes a huge difference. Also, there is a difference between advertisements on the television as opposed to the radio. The television message has to be visual as well as have captivating audio that grasp you attention before the audience can receive the message. On the other hand the radio has to appeal to only one sense, hearing. You have to grab their attention before they tune the dial and switch to another station. The message needs to be quick and to the point. It is a fact that the attention span is less on the radio compared to television.

Chapter 11 - Question #1

As security on the Internet decreases and the threat of having one’s identity stolen increases, it makes one more cautious on whom you talk to in a nonface-to-face atmosphere. I, for one, will not add a friend to my Facebook or LinkedIn unless I have met the person in real life. Even so, I have to have that trust for them. If the trust is not there then your request will be denied. With this said I have met people before and the majority of the relationship is through the Internet. It is hard to keep in touch with everyone you know and this other medium allows us to stay connected to the people we may have had little or no contact with otherwise. As I work 3 jobs and school it makes it difficult to even stay in contact with my best friends. We always end up texting whenever it is convenient or leave messages for each other via email or Facebook and give each other the ability to respond at their convenience. With this we remain connected.

Chapter 6- Question #3

I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for 2.5 years. Within this period of time we have had only one fight. We tend to communicate very well how we are feeling and we have an understanding of the reasons for each of our ways. Yet, there are instances that we disagree. Within these instances we both hold the role of dominance and we practice competitive symmetry. We are very stubborn in our ways and reasons for making certain decisions. Yes, couples do encounter instances where these roles can cause a damper on a relationship. In cases like these communication is key. If you can be willing to express your stance in a mature way as well as listen to your partner express his/her side then you have a greater chance of decreasing the tension that arises. The same goes for the other dysfunctional patterns that can cause strain between couples.

Chapter 6- Question #2

One of the major factors to me that deem someone as unattractive is their actions. I observe the interactions that an individual has with other people as an indication of how he will treat me in the future. Also, the way they interact with their family is a huge one. You know the family knows who the person is and the individual is less likely to not be their true self around their family. Duck’s theory does make sense to me but I do not agree completely with his model. He is missing a few steps that lead to increased intimacy. There is a difference between having a friend that you talk to occasionally and a boyfriend that you see every day. You have to get over trust, closeness, values and belief obstacles before true intimacy occurs. I believe everyone has known someone whom they have dismissed in the initial stages to reconsider them later on. My current best friend actually dismissed me back in high school. I was a complete nerd and nomad between groups trying to fit in. Then after we graduated we reunited one day and have been inseparable since.

Chapter 6- Question #1

In my opinion, competitive symmetry would be hardest to control. In this each person is dominant, or shows forms of dominance. These types of people are normally stuck in their ways and refuse to relinquish the control. These people are very stubborn and will not waiver their choices because they have a feeling of winning. The most damaging to a relationship would be the rigid complimentary. Over a period of time one becomes dominant and the other submissive but if the submissive person no longer wants to be out of control then tensions arise with the change and arguments occur. It becomes out of the norm and when couples that become stagnant in their relationship see this change tensions arise. In the form of self-esteem the rigid complimentary would be my choice as well. When the partner becomes submissive they tend to lose control over their self and sometimes lose their identity in the process. Thus concluding, their self-esteem decreases because they are trying to be what the partner wants them to be.

Chapter 12 - Question #3

I find it interesting the aspects of culture and role identities. Being a public relations professional, we are required to work globally. Many agencies have offices in China, Europe and other countries. Not only are re to adapt our customs to the foreign client’s needs but also to the people working in the offices there. This includes body language, dress and style of talk. One company is making this more important, Cisco. They have software that creates a real life round table meeting with as many people as you want. Everything is life-size and it appears that they are right across from you. The best part is that you can have multiple locations on the screens and hold a meeting with all countries, but feel like you never left your office. Sometimes it is important to have a face-to-face meeting. A lot can be discovered in a handshake and they way one treats you in person opposed to technologically.

Chapter 12 - Question #2

Let me analyze these one at a time. First, the Rationality premise. We are taught to take tests by eliminating the obvious wrong choices. This is teaching us how to live life. We see 4 possible outcomes in situations and we go through each of them and choose the best “answer.” This one I believe in. Next, the perfectibility premise is tricky. It is hard to say that a baby is sinful. They do not see color of your skin, nationality, gender, etc. I feel that everyone is born pure. It is the choices that are made that turn one toward sin and a life away from perfection. Lastly, mutability premise states that our surroundings and the environment shape us. Is it not true that we are a technology driven society? It was just yesterday that Internet at SJSU was unable to connect. The department that I am in, Journalism & Mass Communications, was in pandemonium. Enough so, that class was cancelled because our project was unable to be worked on. We rely on the Internet so much that people do not know what to do when in it not available.

Chapter 12 - Question #1

It is true that our habits are shaped by our cultures. It becomes easier to observe in cultures where there is a dominant culture. Traditions are passed down from one generation to the next and throughout the country. We have always been instructed by our history professors that the United States is a melting pot or tossed salad of cultures. So how are we to observe this mixture as an American culture? We are so regionally diverse that this makes the observations difficult. One way is to look at early traditions. We have picnics on Independence Day, carve pumpkins during Halloween, give thanks and spend time with family on thanksgiving, celebrate the New Year in drunken bliss. Every year, we celebrate the same holidays in the same or similar fashion. This creates the American culture. It is a hotdog at an A’s game, popcorn at the movies and a Starbucks on every corner. For me it is the little things that define who we are. Even though you can find different cultures throughout the country some things never change.

Chapter 5 - Question #3

We have become a society that relies on our cell phones. We are constantly emailing, texting and facebooking at tall hours of the day and all over the world. One of the downfalls of this type of communication is the ability to portray emotion. There are some characters that allow us to communicate some emotions such as: “J” “:D” “;)” “:/” “:0” and many others. Only with these do they show a smile on your face or a look of indifference. My best friend is constantly glued to her BBM (Blackberry Messenger). We constantly read messages in the wrong way and take a statement in the wrong way. Something that was intended to be a joke may be the result of a petty argument. The acts of texting and other electrical communication devices does not offer the receiver to view paralanguage patterns from the sender. And in this lack of encoding with body language, messages are not transferred from sender to receiver correctly.

Chapter 5 - Question #2

It is true that in different cultures that a nonverbal message will be interpreted differently. But there is a culture that is left out in these analyses. Different generations perceive messages differently as well. The middle finger to a teenager is a playful sigh of saying the “f” word. They do not take it seriously among their group of friends. Whereas if you “flick” someone off who may be from the baby boomer generation it will be perceived as a huge insult. I jut thought that this was an important aspect to mention as well

Back to the original question about regional differences. I took a cultural nutritional class to satisfy my Upper GE last semester and we studied all different regions around the world. I was very intrigued by how in Asian cultures the way chopsticks are placed is a sign of the chef. If they are sitting strait up in the rice it is a sign of death and a huge insult to the cook. Also if you slurp your soup it is a sign of a very hearty meal. This aspect is seen as rude in America.

Chapter 5 - Question #1

As a server I see many different people come into our restaurant. There are many people that give you an attitude and look at you with a belittling look on their face. Yes I am a server but it is getting me through college. They continue with this attitude and at the end of their meal they say how much a wonderful server I am with a big smile on their face. It is a complete 180. This always confuses me because they are complete jerks in the beginning. Then one day a wife told me that the guy is a grump when he is hungry. Then it came to me full circle. I take the rudeness as a sign of me not doing my job well when in reality their issues are being shown on their sleeve. Now I blow off people’s rude behavior at the beginning of the meal and make my final conclusion of how their personality is at the end of the meal after they have eaten.

It takes time to know who people truly are. In a short meeting span one’s true identity cannot be fully revealed. The judgments that people place on each other are never really accurate and only with time can you learn how to interpret their nonverbal messages.

Do you agree that men and women use language differently? In what areas?

I would have to say that I agree with the text that men and women language patterns differ. I wanted to bring up another point that I could not find in the text. I feel that men live in the now and women in the future. Men make decisions to satisfy a need in the moment. Women will plan ahead and choose something that will benefit them in the future. I recognize this the most with my boyfriend. He hates to plan anything. It is always up to me to find vacation destinations and deal with the logistics months in advance. If I left it up to him (which only happened once and will never again) he would wait to the last minute and try to schedule and ultimately there would be no vacation. Another example is that I like to find the best deals that would give me the most for my money. I will look up various sites and see what stores have the sales and which product is rated the best. My boyfriend, on the other hand, will go to Target and pick the one that looks the best and settle with that one because it is right in front of him (that is why I do the shopping). This sense of now and later can be seen throughout genders. Women emotionally think about the future and weigh the pros and cons of every situation. Men go for their want and satisfy their need in the moment here and now.

Week 5 - Question 1

Is it possible to perceive others without in some way judging or categorizing them? If so, how? If not, how can we make the judgments we do make fairer?

It is hard to not perceive one’s character before you meet them. Not only is there the saying “first impressions matter” but many people take these impressions and classify people into stereotypical groups. These stereotypes are hard to break through. We grow up in a society of freedom of expression and this freedom has its faults. We begin to classify people based on how they dress, their hair color and the color of their skin. I am a server and if anyone else is or has been a server before we have stereotypes. Certain groups of people do not tip as well. Some groups are ones that dress like “white trash” or young teenagers. Servers will tend not to give as great of service to these individuals because they have a perception that they will not tip as well. For me I have been trying to break my mentality of judging people and am shocked when I open a checkbook and find a 30-40% tip from a table that was not expected. It is hard to not judge people. It is almost impossible to not thing about the stereotypes that are around us. I feel that it is ok to think about these stereotypes because then we are recognizing them. The only thing that matters is how we act on the stereotypes. If we treat one group different than another then we are facilitating a stagnant society. But if we treat everyone equally we are creating change.

Week 3 - Question #3

One of the most interesting concepts of this chapter is the notion of breath and depth. Communications can cover many different fields and the topics to study is endless. The term breadth covers the issue at hand. Whatever is being studied can be seen and a broad level and the researcher can observe all aspects of it. On the other hand one can observe the communication ritual at a specific level. They would look at only one aspect as opposed to many. Secondly there is the depth that the topic covers. One can look at the surface of a situation or can look at the specifics. For example in a casual conversation body language says a lot about someone. Also you can observe every detail from these gestures to the tone they are taking in and the context that that they are speaking as well. There are endless possibilities that a communications studies researcher can look at when observing their subjects. It all depends on the predetermined breadth and depth.

Week 3 - Question #2

The Pragmatic Model of Communication is “the system of interlocking, interdependent behaviors that become patterned over time” (Trenholm, p. 32). It is essentially the domino effect. Each action effects what happens after. If someone says something offensive then the atmosphere changes and the communication changes. Sometimes communication stops entirely or the speaker defends themselves or an argument arises. Another example is if one group does something, like a certain handshake when they greet, then that is a sign of saying hello. If another individual comes into this cultural group then they will not know how to communicate.

Communication is like a game. I feel that in every interaction someone has the upper hand. There is that one individual that likes to dominate the other whether it be by talking louder, interrupting the other person, or having all the evidence to back up a claim. Yet, the tables can turn in the middle of a conversation by one sentence. Then this new speaker becomes the winner of the game. Yet, people try to debate that a conversation should be equal interactions between all participants. Some people are passive communicators thus they think they are the losers of the game. In the end they could win the game if the other person spoke too much and put all their eggs in one basket.

Week 3 - Question #1

The Social Constructionist Perspective of communication is formed by everyday interactions and by the culture around us. This is one definition of communication that I have found interesting.

People can also change over time to adapt to the communication customs of a culture. At my job, everyone calls each other hun, love, babe, etc. Whenever we get new employees they are taken back by the way we interact. Also we take it with us into everyday life. My best friend who works with me said “thanks hun” to a guy friend of hers in front of a guy she was dating. The guy could not understand why she would call another guy hun and he got upset on the fact.

Another way to look at the social Constructionist perspective is the world as a whole. Every country/region has a way of communicating. The United States have become accustomed to messaging electronically whether it is through email, BBM, text messages etc. Other countries where computers are not as prominent in society they tend to use word of mouth or written letters.

Many cultures have different ways of expressing themselves. It is only through continual interaction and observation that these customs present themselves. This leads us to Pragmatic Model of Communication. (To be posted tomorrow)

Week 1 - Question #3

Communication has evolved throughout history. Communication started with paintings on the walls and continued to the printing of the fist manuscripts. Today we are blogging as our class and checking our Facebooks during lectures. Theorists started to use the scientific method to analyze different communication patterns. The studies have expanded where companies hire people to document what is said about the company the way it was said and what the words represent. These researchers have analyzed how an audience receives a message and how to manipulate the message so the viewer does not receive it the wrong way. As a public relations major these findings are very important to the companies image perception. Words can say a lot about a company. Their slogan and mission statement can either help get more clients or drive them away.

Communication has always been seen as an important aspect of a person and with the many ways to communicate it is more important than ever. Companies are now not hiring potential employees because of their communication patterns.

Week 1 - Question #2

I do not agree with the Greeks. To be an orator, one does not necessarily need to be morally good. Many people can speak eloquently and use their rhetoric to persuade their audience to be at the mercy of their command. I have always been passionate about history and one episode that represents this point is the Holocaust. Many people to this day agree that Adolf Hitler was the most powerful speaker in history. He influenced many Germans to kill for the betterment of society. He was not a morally good individual. He based physical appearance on the purity of an individual. Those with blond hair and blue eyes were pardoned and were not taken to concentration camps. The killing of all the Jews was under his command and his usage of propaganda influenced a nation. In conclusion, the moral actions of an individual do not make one a great orator.

Week 1 - Question #1

Communication has been around since the beginning of time. From the pictures inside of caves that told stories to me writing on this blog today. Communication takes on many forms. Only the best communicators are able to persuade though. It takes the perfect balance between Ethos, Pathos and logos to appeal to an audience. The optimal goal is to reach 100% of all. While some see this as possible others do not. Many will argue mathematically that if you have 100% of one thing you have to have 0% of another and 300% is unimaginable. If this is true then you are saying that someone with an abundance of logic (100%) will have absolutely no emotional appeal? If so, they would be a vegetable and not go very far in life. Since we can all attest to having heard some great public speakers and persuaders this is not true.

I have heard many great speakers, but one that stands out is Brad Whitworth. He works for Cisco and gave a speech to PR students at PR Day last year. Even though he was just talking about global communications, he had the entire audience captivated. He pulled from his entire bag of tricks: ethos, pathos, and logos. Not one triumphed over the other. He gave us logic with the ability to relate and emotional understanding of what he was saying. I try to do this as well in all of my public speaking episodes. After learning all the aspects of a good public speaker I am adjusting my speaking skills to become the best I cam be.

Hello Classmates!

Hello all. I am a graduating senior here at SJSU. I have been attending SJSU since Spring 2008 and cannot wait until I graduate in December. I am studying public relations and am receiving my minor in communication studies.

Outside of school I enjoy hiking, horseback riding, walking, or just relaxing with my baby girl (my dog) and my boyfriend. If you want to know anything else just ask!!

I was born and raised in the Bay Area and grew up in Pleasanton, CA. I was always an outcast while growing up. I was the nerd of the classes and still am. I am the loser in the front of the class with her face immersed in a book until the moment the teacher starts talking. I have always been that way. It wasn't until I took a drama course in high school that emphasized improvisation that I came out of my shell and realized how much I loved being in front of an audience and that is how I found out that I wanted to pursue a career where talking was a strength.

Ultimately I landed on public relations. After graduating high school I attended Holon College in Fremont where I earned my AA degree in one and half years and transferred to SJSU. I started my education as a communications studies major and public relations minor. After taking my first semester coursed I quickly found out that PR was my expertise. I have loved every minute since.

As far as work goes, because we all need to make money now that tuition is increasing, I work at TGI Friday's in Pleasanton as a server and am the right hand man to the marketing director at our location. I also am an intern at the Oakland Raiders working PR in the Raiderette and Game Day Entertainment Department. It is an amazing experience and I am very excited that season has started.

In my spare time, if there is any left, I can be found rolling around on the floor playing tug with my 2 1/2 year old weimeraner-husky pup. She is the love of my life (along with my boyfriend) and lights up my days when I walk into the house and she is sitting there waiting to jump on you with her "happy feet." She is my bug bundle of energy, and I am not lying, she has a lot of energy!

I feel that I am rambling on about my life so as I get back to the assignment I hope I have not bored whoever is reading this. My goals for this class are simple. I hope to learn as much as I can to be able to use the information in every day interactions. In my former communication studies classes I was shocked how often I would be talking to someone and ultimately apply the theories and concepts to real life situations. I feel that an abundance of knowledge can never impede you but rather assist you in everyday endeavors.