Alex Bonilla Reflection #1

Communicating in groups,  leadership groups, and intercultural communication

All three presentations gave me  new perspectives  when it comes  to communicating with others from person to person and within a group as well as   leadership in groups. One of these new perspectives is that  both communication and leadership varies from culture to culture. As well as how  different cultures interact with each  other.  I did not know before that certain cultures  have certain  ways of doing things such as  how the Japanese bow to show respect.  The Japanese also prefer to not maintain eye contact which is completely different to what I was taught  to do in my countries’ culture, that is to maintain eye contact.  Leadership  in groups showed how we as humans  differ in how we choose to lead.  I learned that as humans when we come together  and work as one, we can create something great.

Communicating in groups

As we as humans learn to communicate in groups, we can grow  together  whether it  is  within your family, your job or groups like a social group or support group.  I may not have a social group, but  my family  does have a great impact in the way I communicate with  other individuals,  for example they have taught me that when I communicate with others,  I should be respectful, polite, and honest.  Different groups are formed as we as humans come together for different purposes.  Some examples of these groups are families, service groups, social groups, support groups and interest groups among  others.  Attending a bible study group has enriched my life personally in how I communicate  with others.  I went from being mainly shy and not even speaking to being more confident when it comes to speaking within a group and with others.

One thing that was expanded upon was that within group we should be accountable and unfortunately  from time to time there will be conflicts.  Different groups have different visions, goals, objectives, and purposes.  When we are transparent about what  we want to achieve as a group, set goals for each member as well as objectives and our overall vision, that is the birth of something  that will  have a lasting impact.  Every conflict within a group has its solution. If we communicate  with honesty and respect  to other members of the group  as to what we expect from the group as a whole and  each individual member and on top of that hold  each other accountable  when we fail to meet those expectations the group will move closer toward a common goal.

Leadership Groups

How an individual  communicates  within a group has an impact on how they choose to lead others and vice versa.  The leadership groups presentation by my classmates taught me that   there are different leadership types such as autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire to name a few.  The  different leaders  or groups  conduct themselves in different ways when it comes to  meetings. Different  roles within groups are assigned different tasks based on what they would be able to deal with.  Some of these roles are givers, seekers,  expediters and gatekeepers. Personally, I see myself as a seeker.  Asking questions is something that  I tend to do very often  even when communicating with relatives.

Effective meetings are held when leaders in groups make sure participation among members is balanced, questions are asked and answered, and an agenda is set.  When members of a  group  complete their tasks and what is expected of them goals are met. One thing that I’ve learned  is that  while leadership  is  considered a title or position it is also  a mentality.  The leadership groups  taught me what leaders do, what is expected of them, and what leaders expect of their groups members. Great leaders lead groups in a way that is true to themselves, respectful, honest, and transparent.

Intercultural Communication

Across time  many cultures  have formed in the world we live in.  Cultures  are very different from   continent to continent, country to country and so on.  Researching intercultural communication as well as the input from my classmates taught me that there are different types of categorizations for  the cultures themselves and the individuals   within these cultures.  I learned what a culture is. Another  thing I learned  is that there are  dominant cultures and co-cultures. In  the country in which  there is great variance in what the culture embraces as  the United States of America is not one monolith.  On the other hand, in the country in which my family lives  ( Honduras ) in there much less variance, for example traditional gender roles are embraced.

What a culture believes in  greatly impacts how the individuals  behaves, values, practices, and  the way they behave in.  In the USA  becoming the best,  and achievement  is typically valued. In a country  like Sweden this  greatly differs, where they mostly prefer to value  cooperation and being nurturing for example.  Learning about what different cultures value piqued  my curiosity and made me want to learn even more about the world that  many humans and myself inhabit.  Through discovering how different cultures interact with each other, I as an individual am better prepared when it comes to meeting people that are very different to me.

Thoughts

I think that  when we  communicate with  others in a way that is respectful, honest about who we are, and transparent in what we’re trying to get across we grow as humans.  Good communication is what has brought the humans so far as a species. From  hunting, gathering, and farming in ancient times to  building modern cities and civilization  we have come very far as humans due to good communication.  Every day is a new opportunity to communicate with others whether in your home,  your workplace or someone from a different country entirely.  Communicating effectively enriches  your life and  can take you to new heights. I hope that you enjoyed reading my reflection as much as I enjoyed  writing it.