Hey folks:
This was indeed an enjoyable journey. When I began this prgaramme, Communication Skills, I rated myself as a six (6) as it relates to me as a communicator. Now that it has been completed and valuable lessons learned, I would rate myself as an eight (8) and will continue to strive to improve my level of communication.
Thank you for being part of my journey.
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Friday, 17 February 2012
My Perception of a Local Newspaper Article
Article: Probe Into Police Beating.
Trinidad Express Newspaper
February 08, 2012
Yet another investigation has been launched into accusations of police beatings and brutality, this time the venue is the Panorama semi-finals. In a response to these allegations, spokesperson Sergeant Mystar said, "The officers acted in an appropriate manner and acted lawfully. We will do all within our power and within the confines of the law to ensure that law and order is maintained." It was alleged that the police officers beat patrons with batons and their fist because they pushed passed a barrier and were walking between the North Stand and the Greens.
Now....where have we heard this before? This sager seems all too familiar with occurrences far too regular in a society such as ours. Ironically, just two weeks prior these officers endured a special training in 'crowed control'. Really? Where did the training go? The article went on to state that this situation occurred after the officers of the Mounted branch left the event. How could officers control a crowd if they left their post?
In my purview, our officers who are heavily compensated by hardworking tax payers of our twin island Republic, needs to be retrained and thus rewired in their thought patterns and concept of what 'To Protect and Serve' means. I would hasten to state, that not all our officers are of common stock and thus there are good, hardworking ones, lost in the bunch. An event of this magnitude should never be met with a situation where the law officers left, presenting an opportunity for a riot. Often we hear of stories of like nature, but fail to hear the efforts of justice and fair play, enacted to quell the cries that bellow from the languishing souls of families touched by this scourge.
'To PROTECT and SERVE'.....If this is the motto of our police force, then no public event should be left defenceless by our officers.
Trinidad Express Newspaper
February 08, 2012
Yet another investigation has been launched into accusations of police beatings and brutality, this time the venue is the Panorama semi-finals. In a response to these allegations, spokesperson Sergeant Mystar said, "The officers acted in an appropriate manner and acted lawfully. We will do all within our power and within the confines of the law to ensure that law and order is maintained." It was alleged that the police officers beat patrons with batons and their fist because they pushed passed a barrier and were walking between the North Stand and the Greens.
Now....where have we heard this before? This sager seems all too familiar with occurrences far too regular in a society such as ours. Ironically, just two weeks prior these officers endured a special training in 'crowed control'. Really? Where did the training go? The article went on to state that this situation occurred after the officers of the Mounted branch left the event. How could officers control a crowd if they left their post?
In my purview, our officers who are heavily compensated by hardworking tax payers of our twin island Republic, needs to be retrained and thus rewired in their thought patterns and concept of what 'To Protect and Serve' means. I would hasten to state, that not all our officers are of common stock and thus there are good, hardworking ones, lost in the bunch. An event of this magnitude should never be met with a situation where the law officers left, presenting an opportunity for a riot. Often we hear of stories of like nature, but fail to hear the efforts of justice and fair play, enacted to quell the cries that bellow from the languishing souls of families touched by this scourge.
'To PROTECT and SERVE'.....If this is the motto of our police force, then no public event should be left defenceless by our officers.
My Use of Slangs
Good morning!
I've found that I do use slangs fairly often in everyday communication but its usage heavily depends on the situation. I do so mostly for emphasis in humour or as a means of socially constructing myself at less formal events.
For the most part, I believe that I incorporate slangs appropriately into my communicated messages, however, there have been times when slips of the tongue have occurred. I exhibit slang appropriateness by:
I've found that I do use slangs fairly often in everyday communication but its usage heavily depends on the situation. I do so mostly for emphasis in humour or as a means of socially constructing myself at less formal events.
For the most part, I believe that I incorporate slangs appropriately into my communicated messages, however, there have been times when slips of the tongue have occurred. I exhibit slang appropriateness by:
- Assessing the social environment to determine whether or not it's accepting of such.
- Assessing the recipients of my messages, coupled with self-monitoring as a gauge for its reception.
- I use slangs based on the recipient's level of vocabulary.
- Ensuring that I avoid slangs that may be deemed offensive.
Hailing from a culture that is riddled with slangs, which we encounter everyday; I recognise how crucial its is to pay attention to the who, the what and the where of communication to achieve slang appropriateness.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
My Effectiveness As A Verbal Communicatior
Welcome:
The course Communication Skills, coupled with the use of the book Communicate!, have caused me to reevaluate myself as a verbal communicator, as a means of determining my level of effectiveness.
I do believe that I am effective to a degree, rating my self as a six (6), yet recognising the need for greater clarity when encoding my messages. After introspection, I realised that I also incorporate too many vocalised pauses, which may detract from the information being communicated. However, I try to always incorporate examples into my speech, which aids in further understanding.
I haven't been practising linguistic sensitivity to its fullest extent, mainly because I didn't have the knowledge of its full scope. Now that I do, I recognise just how offensive generic and non-parallel language can be and thus try to avoid its usage, whilst ensuring that the other aspects of linguistic sensitivity are practised.
Richard.
The course Communication Skills, coupled with the use of the book Communicate!, have caused me to reevaluate myself as a verbal communicator, as a means of determining my level of effectiveness.
I do believe that I am effective to a degree, rating my self as a six (6), yet recognising the need for greater clarity when encoding my messages. After introspection, I realised that I also incorporate too many vocalised pauses, which may detract from the information being communicated. However, I try to always incorporate examples into my speech, which aids in further understanding.
I haven't been practising linguistic sensitivity to its fullest extent, mainly because I didn't have the knowledge of its full scope. Now that I do, I recognise just how offensive generic and non-parallel language can be and thus try to avoid its usage, whilst ensuring that the other aspects of linguistic sensitivity are practised.
Richard.
The Knowledge Gained From The Culture I Presented
Hello:
The culture on which I presented was the Yorubans in Nigeria. Although I was generally socialised to their way of life, I benefited tremendously from this research and gained a deeper understanding of their culture.
I learned that English was their official language and that they also have ten (10) different dailects.
I also learned that they have a collectivist culture and view the eldest of the family as the hierarchial leader and decision maker. The aspect of this culture that I found strange was that, the men of this society are not obligated to provide for their wives and children. This being so, yet the women seldomly make it into the professional ranks of the workforce and if they do, they don't reach very far.
The item of information that would be most influential in my communication with someone from a Nigerian culture, would be the fact that their official language is English, which facilitates linguistic unity.
Richard.
The culture on which I presented was the Yorubans in Nigeria. Although I was generally socialised to their way of life, I benefited tremendously from this research and gained a deeper understanding of their culture.
I learned that English was their official language and that they also have ten (10) different dailects.
I also learned that they have a collectivist culture and view the eldest of the family as the hierarchial leader and decision maker. The aspect of this culture that I found strange was that, the men of this society are not obligated to provide for their wives and children. This being so, yet the women seldomly make it into the professional ranks of the workforce and if they do, they don't reach very far.
The item of information that would be most influential in my communication with someone from a Nigerian culture, would be the fact that their official language is English, which facilitates linguistic unity.
Richard.
Monday, 13 February 2012
Information Gleaned From the In-Class Cultural Presentation
Hello:
The in-class presentations on varied cultures, was indeed fascinating, enlightening and sparked in me a deeper desire to possess a greater understanding, of other societies and their practices. It further nurtured my sense of respect for our co-cultures and resonated the in my mind, the need for intercultural communication competence.
This blog will highlight some aspects of the Japanese cultural practices. The people of Japan use minimal verbal symbols as opposed to other societies such as ours. In their professional arena they embody high uncertainty avoidance attributes. When greeting, the degree of bowing is based on the status of person with whom you are interfacing. It is considered impolite to initiate the gesture of a hand shake, unless its it lead by the Japanese counterpart. To signify that there is an agreement and approval of a business proposal, the Japanese will nod their head slightly to communicate this.
Although Japan is widely acclaimed for its achievement in the technological world and by extension the cell phone industry, the public use of cell phones is heavily chided and viewed as impolite and distasteful. Japan is a low power distance culture and thus women generally enjoy equality in society and the workplace. As it pertains to their social dining aspect, when one is offered a meal, one should pause for a while and then accept. Failure to do so, is also considered to be rude and greedy.
I truly enjoyed observing the various aspects of differing cultures and look forward to the unveiling of the other dimensions of Communication Skills, as I progress on my journey to becoming an effective communicator.
The in-class presentations on varied cultures, was indeed fascinating, enlightening and sparked in me a deeper desire to possess a greater understanding, of other societies and their practices. It further nurtured my sense of respect for our co-cultures and resonated the in my mind, the need for intercultural communication competence.
This blog will highlight some aspects of the Japanese cultural practices. The people of Japan use minimal verbal symbols as opposed to other societies such as ours. In their professional arena they embody high uncertainty avoidance attributes. When greeting, the degree of bowing is based on the status of person with whom you are interfacing. It is considered impolite to initiate the gesture of a hand shake, unless its it lead by the Japanese counterpart. To signify that there is an agreement and approval of a business proposal, the Japanese will nod their head slightly to communicate this.
Although Japan is widely acclaimed for its achievement in the technological world and by extension the cell phone industry, the public use of cell phones is heavily chided and viewed as impolite and distasteful. Japan is a low power distance culture and thus women generally enjoy equality in society and the workplace. As it pertains to their social dining aspect, when one is offered a meal, one should pause for a while and then accept. Failure to do so, is also considered to be rude and greedy.
I truly enjoyed observing the various aspects of differing cultures and look forward to the unveiling of the other dimensions of Communication Skills, as I progress on my journey to becoming an effective communicator.
The Impact of Culture On My Communication.
Welcome Friends:
I have come to realize through this course of study, Communication Skills, the extent to which my Trinidadian culture influences my styles of communication. Often I find myself using 'slangs', mostly in informal settings, as a means of socially constructing myself, as required by the situation and sometimes without conscious thought of its application. A classic example of this may be heard when I engage in conversations with individuals, who find linguistic comfort through its utterances. Some common usages are, 'Ah eh able wit dat nah', 'Ah cyah do dat', 'Not me eh' and the infamous 'Dias d rel scene dey', just to name a few.
These slangs are quite common and easily understood by our speech community and deemed 'fun' in most social arenas and as a means of emphasizing messages. However common the use of these informal phrases, they are considered inappropriate in most spheres of the profession world.
Another aspect of my communication which is heavily influenced by culture, would be my Nonverbal Cues. If someone were to ask for directions to a venue unfamiliar to me, I may unconsciously respond with a shrug of the shoulder, coupled with a facial expression of raised eyebrows and a downward contortion of the cheek and mouth muscles and an emblem of palms turned upward, to indicate that I didn't know. Hand gestures and illustrators are among the most common of my nonverbal cues. Eye contact is also a crucial element when communicating in my culture, which conveys a sense of trustworthiness, it also helps me to concentrate on the message being imparted and to indicates to the encoder that I am interested in what is being said.
In my next blog, I would be sharing some of the characteristics unearthed in my study of the Yoruba culture in Nigeria.
Richard.
I have come to realize through this course of study, Communication Skills, the extent to which my Trinidadian culture influences my styles of communication. Often I find myself using 'slangs', mostly in informal settings, as a means of socially constructing myself, as required by the situation and sometimes without conscious thought of its application. A classic example of this may be heard when I engage in conversations with individuals, who find linguistic comfort through its utterances. Some common usages are, 'Ah eh able wit dat nah', 'Ah cyah do dat', 'Not me eh' and the infamous 'Dias d rel scene dey', just to name a few.
These slangs are quite common and easily understood by our speech community and deemed 'fun' in most social arenas and as a means of emphasizing messages. However common the use of these informal phrases, they are considered inappropriate in most spheres of the profession world.
Another aspect of my communication which is heavily influenced by culture, would be my Nonverbal Cues. If someone were to ask for directions to a venue unfamiliar to me, I may unconsciously respond with a shrug of the shoulder, coupled with a facial expression of raised eyebrows and a downward contortion of the cheek and mouth muscles and an emblem of palms turned upward, to indicate that I didn't know. Hand gestures and illustrators are among the most common of my nonverbal cues. Eye contact is also a crucial element when communicating in my culture, which conveys a sense of trustworthiness, it also helps me to concentrate on the message being imparted and to indicates to the encoder that I am interested in what is being said.
In my next blog, I would be sharing some of the characteristics unearthed in my study of the Yoruba culture in Nigeria.
Richard.
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