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.