Group and Organizational Communications

There are actually two concepts in the text that could benefit from a little more in depth discussion due to the importance they play in a work environment. Those would be the topics in relation to group communication and organizational communication. Both of these styles of communication are depended upon heavily in the large majority of business environments. Working my way through management positions, whether those managements were in regards to people and resources or projects, a lot of time and energy is spent on communicating within groups for collaboration and understanding the organizational cultural of the business as a whole. Many times success or failure in these areas can be the difference between achieving a goal and or completing a task at work. It is also an area that where an individual’s skill sets are highly analyzed and considered when working towards promotion and career advancement opportunities as they are highly desired by current and perspective employers.

Concepts of Interest

We have covered so many different subjects in this class that it is difficult to pick out what I found to be the most interesting. It is especially difficult due to the fact that many of the concepts have a tendency to shed new light and understanding on previous concepts as well as open possible conclusions for future ones. I found the different perspectives we examined in chapter two to be not only interesting but also allowed for a deeper understanding and vantage point in which to examine the way we communicate as well as our dependencies upon communication as society. I also found the basic understandings of these four different perspectives to be additional helpful when we began discussing intercultural communications as it provided a broader communication base in which to try and relate to different cultural identities and perceptions. Another section of the class that I found to be interesting was the relation between communication and the different forms of media that rely upon it. How we interpret and respond to messages have great dependency on the method and style in which they are delivered. The chapter also pointed out some of the major struggles that different forms of media encounters while attempting to deliver those messages concisely and how the messages are manipulated to fit different mediums.

Experimental Research Methods

Out of the eight popular research methodologies found in chapter 13 I found the experimental research method to be the most interesting. Mostly due to the interaction the researcher has with the research and the subject in which the research is being conducted about. I liked the complexity behind the research questions and can be molded in various ways in an attempt to gain a desired outcome. I would compare it almost to what would be considered trick questions, however in this case there is no right or wrong answers, nor do they normally lead to a clear and concise answer. If, for instance, I wanted to conduct experimental research in regards to some aspect of deception I could ask a question such as, “Do you believe that if a person is not telling you a complete depiction of a situation that they are trying to deceive you?” There is no clear and concise answer to the question but the question itself is an attempt to generate suspicion in the mind of the subject. The answers received could led to a better understanding of what is believed to constitute deception itself.

Media Agendas

I found the section on Media Agendas to be a particularly vivid reminder of how our media outlets can drive and manipulate our outlook on our country, our current events, and even our overall social climate. As we continue to advance technologically our availability to information continues to speed up creating a demand for immediacy in the messages we receive and also increasing demands on our mediums to control the agendas of what messages will ultimately be conveyed. I think Normal Felsenthal said it well when the text quotes him as saying, “Neither an individual nor a society can give equal attention to everything. We are continually required to determine which problems get our immediate attention and which problems are simply endured or even ignored altogether.” The problem with this is that with the majority of these types of communications being controlled and delivered to us via the media, how am I as an individual ever properly equipped to form a non-biased conclusion in regards to the world and events that are taking place around me when the vast majority of our information channels only provide us with a the portion of the events and messages that they feel are pertinent. And yes, I realize I can research into whatever topic or event I choose to learn more about, however I am still restricted to the information and points of view presented to me by way of any research material I seek out, leaving me to attempt to interpret and discover the truth from partial stories, accounts, and information controlled by the agendas of others.

Is the medium the message?

I would have to agree that Marshall McLuhan’s statement that the medium is the message has shown to be quite true in today’s society. Each different medium that is used, whether it be radio, newspaper, book, magazine, or television, is directed at a different type of audience as well as in a different fashion and format. You even see this in movies where novels must be condensed down drastically in order to continue to demand the attention of the audience throughout the film. In visual formats, such as television and movies, much of the accompanying details that would be normally be spelled out in text are now left up to the viewer to infer from the images presented on screen. This always leads to the idea that the message trying to be conveyed is adapted, altered, or omitted from certain types of mediums due to the fact that it cannot be universally transmitted into the different formats. For instance, a book would not be read aloud on television because it would quickly lose the interest of most viewers, but it could appeal to radio listeners as it fulfills the audio only expectations of the targeted audience. Television being considered a “cool” medium is probably largely due to the extremely large and diverse audience base in which it must appeal to in order to get ratings. Most content displayed through this medium is initially designed to be generally broad in topic, open ended in its idea structures, and targeted towards entertainment. Because you can both see and hear the messages being transmitted they tend to be shorter and rely more on the audience to interpret the message then have it spelled out for them.

Friends ... In Cyberspace

I have made a couple of friendships that existed exclusively in cyberspace. I have also met some of the friends I originally made online in person when they were close to me geographically. I still keep in touch from time to time with one that is located in Australia whom I first starting talking to over 10 years ago. There are advantages and disadvantages to pursuing these types of cyberspace relationships. They do differ from face to face relationships in that they can be a very one dimensional perception of a person’s personality. There is also the fact that realities in cyberspace can differ extremely from everyday life. The larger cyberspace community does allow for a larger demographic to find others that share your interests. The biggest difference I have found between cyberspace and local friendships is that those that I have made in cyberspace can exist solely in cyberspace if I so choose. When I don’t feel like plugging in that part of reality I don’t have any real obligation to do so. Longer gaps between talking and catching up seem to be more accepted in the online reality. The same is not so true of face to face friendships since they exist with our everyday realities I have more of an obligation to be present. I don’t see it as a disadvantage however because many times it’s that obligation to stay present that creates some of the stronger bonds of close friendships. That’s not to say that close friendships do not exist solely in cyberspace just that they can be more difficult to cultivate.

Telecommuting

I found the section on telecommuting be very insightful. I have been in the position where I was afforded the opportunity to telecommute to and from work a few days per week. Many of the advantages and disadvantages pointed out in the book held true in my case. One of the biggest obstacles I faced in working from home was being able to separate my home time from my work time. With always having deadlines looming it consistently made it difficult to walk away from my work at the end of a work day. This was further complicated by my employer who held the expectation that since I could work from home I was not constricted to normal working hours. It was not unusual to find my work day starting at 7am every morning and still be working at midnight on the report that needed to be completed or trying to analyze the business statistics to create presentations for the next meeting. Weekends were not out of the question either and I continually would get reprimanded for turning my phone off after hours. I have found that my experience is not unusual as many other professionals I have spoken to encountered similar working conditions and employer expectations when telecommuting.