Farewell....

To my colleagues,

I would like to thank each of you for your feedback and response to my blog and discussion posts! Thank you for motivating me throughout this course.You all are wonderful, unique individuals who will achieve goals that you have established. I will leave you all with this quote as you continue your education journey:

Best Wishes!
xoxo

Stage 5: Adjourning

Being on the cheerleading squad while in junior high school was a group that I was involved in that was dearest to me. We were a very competitive squad and won many first place trophies during competitions. We were very supportive towards one another. In fact, we were close like sisters and often had sleep overs at each other's home.

Indeed, both high performing groups and groups that establish norms are the hardest to leave. We performed at a high level and knew that it was difficult to find girls who were dedicated like us. We trusted each other and were always willing to work together to achieve our goals as a squad.

The coach for the squad had a closing ritual. We first had a banquet that allowed our coach to present awards to deserving members. After the banquet, we changed out of our casual wear to put on our uniforms to perform in front of parents for the last time. The last thing we did for the night was prayed with each other, hugged, and cried until we couldn't stop.

I can only imagine that it will be difficult  to adjourn from my colleagues. I have been enrolled in the same courses with most of them throughout my journey and have established healthy bonds. I am sure that we will wish each other the best on our future endeavors.

Adjourning is a very important stage of teamwork. This gives us the opportunity to say our last good bye's to people we have worked and bonded with. It  is also a stage where a group can celebrate or communicate about weaknesses and how to become a better team.

Back and Forth

My sister and I have been arguing back and forth about her enrolling into college. She feels as though college is a waste of time due to having to pay back student loans. She also feels that a degree does not guarantee the job of her choice. My argument is that furthering your education is beneficial. No one could ever take away the knowledge and skills you have enhanced. Although a degree does not guarantee a job, it does, however, allow you a greater opportunity to get a job.

I must admit, we have not communicated about this in a positive and polite manner.


Based on what I have learned this week, there are two strategies that I could use to help me manage our conflict:
1. Be compassionate.
2. Be respectful, reciprocal, and responsive.

Being compassionate while communicating with my sister will enable me to converse without the use of violence and hostile behaviors. My sister will not feel as though she is being targeted and blamed in any way. In addition, being a  respectful and responsive communicator is essential in this case. Great listening skills and the use of positive body languages, eye contact, and gestures plays a major part and should not be displayed in a negative way. I believe my sister will feel more comfortable communicating with me if I am respectful and responsive. I also think that this will build a stronger bond between us. It is also important that our communication is reciprocal. I hope that my sister would return the respect and responsiveness during our interactions.

Colleagues, do you feel that this strategy will define me as a effective communicator? Do you think using effective communication skills will make my sister feel more comfortable and convince her to go to college? How have each of you learned to be more effective communicators as it relates to conflict resolution skills?

Evaluation

 Do we consider how others may view us? Do we assume that they way we view ourselves is the same way that others view us? These are questions that I ponder on often.

When I think about the differences and similarities between how I evaluated myself as a communicator and how my sister and colleague evaluated me, I am most surprised about how they both viewed me as a person that loves to speak out at group meetings. I am surprised because I am not comfortable with speaking in front of a small or large group of people. In fact, I usually sit in the back of group meetings, but I allow my voice to be heard when the opportunity presents itself.

Here are two insights I have learned about communication this week:

1. You never know how others may perceive you as a communicator
2. We decide how we want to communicate with others based on their appearance


Each of the insights bring awareness to my professional work and personal life. It is essential to be careful with verbal and nonverbal cues because others could take it out of context. I may assume that I am a positive communicator but others may perceive me differently based on my attitude and body language. Also, I must be very careful when judging others based on their appearance because this has had an affect on my communication skills in the past. It is important to communicate with everyone with fairness and with a positive attitude.