Week 5: Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

This week we have studied some of the causes of conflict and strategies on how to approach and resolve these situations. We learned two strategies that can be used to resolve conflicts and prevent them including:

1. nonviolent communication

1. 3 R's -Respectful,  Response and Relationship

A recent conflict is the ever-changing COVID-19  guidelines, restrictions, county, and state mandates. My fiance and I have been having a little disagreement about what we should do due to being in a bind with contracts with our venue, photographer, DJ, etc. Also, in regards to the guest list because of the capacity restrictions and social distancing rules. It is such a stressful and the unknown of what will happen in a few months is very stressful.

Two strategies I have learned that can help me manage and prevent conflict is 

1. Cooperative Strategy: Collaborating (O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2018)- We have been in close communication with the wedding coordinator at our venue,  my family, each other, and the other vendors involved in our special way to brainstorm and discuss any underlying concerns regarding the pandemic. Collaborating is important to work together to find ways to meet the goals of each individual involved (O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2018)

1. Compromising: is defined as " A way to resolve conflict in which both parties must give up something to gain something" (O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullin & Teven, 2008, p.228).  We have compromised and have agreed to have our wedding and follow the capacity guidelines. So, our wedding is going to be smaller than originally planned but we are able to have our wedding still which we both ( at this time at least. We are hoping and praying things will be more positive in November)

We have tried to problem-solve various solutions such as postponing a year, moving our date, changing venues, making it an intimate wedding, changing it to a destination wedding, etc. We have decided to go forward with our wedding on the date that we chose and at our beautiful venue because no matter what,  if we only have 25 people or 150, it will still be a beautiful day with each other ❤️ 

We have had the best support from our family and best friends who give their input and advice regarding our situation which has made a me a stronger communicator by reflecting, understanding, and being more personal. I am so thankful for our support system!

Reference

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2018). Real communication: An introduction (4th. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

• Chapter 9, "Managing Conflict in Relationships"

Who Am I as a Communicator?

This week we had the opportunity to learn about ourselves in regards to how we communicate and how others view you as a communicator which will allow us to be more mindful and reflective in our role as an early childhood professional. 

I found the three assessments to be very interesting. I think it was eye-opening to see my strengths and needs. It was also fascinating to see how my results compared to my fiance's and best friends ( they evaluated me). For the communication anxiety inventory, the results were all the same -high level. I do not like talking in front of other people especially individuals I do not know very well and.  It is a running joke with my group of friends, " Oh Jamie, do you want to be in charge of ordering for us?". At work, I avoid sharing these at staff meetings or presenting. In school, I always hated when we had to do the popcorn read or when we had to talk in front of the class. I tried to avoid it as much as possible!

Two insights I have gained about communication this week include:

• I am time-oriented which means my day is tightly scheduled and I carefully allocate my time for listening. I prefer that others respect my time and limitations, and I can appear efficient but impatient (Rubin,  Rubin, Graham, Perse & Seibold, 2009).
• self-adequacy: The feelings one experiences when one assesses one’s own communication competence as sufficient or acceptable—less positive than self-actualization (O'Hair,  Wiemann, Mullin,  & Teven, 2018).

These insights might inform my professional work and personal life because it may affect my relationships at work because I may not seem to very empathetic of other feelings when in conversation due to time. Therefore, I would like to find a balance of time and being people-oriented.  I also learned about self-adequacy which I personally need to work on for myself. I think I am hard on myself when it comes to communicating so I personally would like to work on praising myself more and building my own self-esteem when it comes to communication competence. 

Reference

Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

• "Listening Styles Profile-16"

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2018). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Blog Assignment

Cultural diversity is present in your workplace in your neighborhood, and within your family. Culture makes up all the aspects including race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, and varying abilities. 

Prejudice occurs throughout all environments so it is essential to try to confirm facts  ( O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2018).

Announcing your goals to others can create a commitment to making a positive self-fulfilling prophecy come true because when you communicate with other individuals, you receive feedback from people that allows you to assess your strengths and weaknesses ( O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2018).






Reference


O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2018). Real communication: An introduction (4th. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Assignment 2: Blog Assignment

We have been learning about communication skills and styles. For this assignment, we had to record an episode of a television show that I do not normally watch and Watch the show with the sound turned off in order to answer the following questions: 

 I recorded the show Family Feud.

I think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating are relatives or friends because they appear to demonstrate a close bond between each other. 

Based on the nonverbal behavior I observed, they seemed to be happy and enjoyed their time on the game show. These expressions were obvious through their body language, facial expressions, and eye behavior (O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2018).

Then I watched the show with the sound on.  

The assumptions I made about the characters and plot based on the ways in which I interpreted the communication I observed was that they were friends and/or family supporting each other to win the game. They seemed to have a strong relationship, laughed, high fived each other, collaborated as a team in huddles, and talked with Steve Harvey in a positive, fun manner.  

I believe body language and facial expressions are very helpful in understanding other individuals and in this example helped me make assumptions that were correct.  Gestures are one way to convey emotion and our faces also indicate emotions ( O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2018). I knew the individuals on the show were happy because a smile suggests happiness  ( O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2018).

Reference

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2018). Real communication: An introduction. (4th. ed).

Someone who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context

Communication is essential and has been described as “the process through which the social fabric of relationships, groups, organizations, societies, and world order — and disorder — is created and maintained” -( O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullinm  & Teven, 2018)

In order to have effective communication, it takes dedication, adjustment, and thorough attention to the setting to be a good communicator (O'Hair, Wiemann, Mullinm  & Teven, 2018).

This week, we had to think of someone who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. The person who came to mine is my aunt. My aunt use to be an educator and worked her way up to be a principal. She is a principal in the same county I work in and is a phenomenal person! 


The behaviors she exhibits that make her effective:

• caring
• supportive
• respectful
• helps problem solves
• a listener
• understanding
• knowledgable
• personable
• passionate about working with and supporting children and  their families
• practical
• uses eye contact, gestures, and expressions
• speakers clearly and is relaxed
• sensitive to others

I would want to model some of my own communication behaviors after her because in my eyes she demonstrates effective communication skills. I have had the opportunity to see her during her workday and communicate with parents, staff members, and children. She is dedicated to supporting her staff and makes herself available to communicate with them all hours of the day to assist them when they need help. I have witnessed her put together presentations and successful transition to being a leader through distance learning during COVID-19.  She is truly a role model who speaks highly of this profession and is very passionate and knowledgeable about the field of education. 


Reference

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullinm D.I,, & Teven, J. (2018). Real communication: An introduction (4th. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martins.