Grouping at Walden

I can honestly say that all of my groups where I have been placed through my experience at Walden have been high-performing. I have felt connections with each of my colleagues that I have had opportunity to share with. I have seen many of the same colleagues in each of my courses as I move forward so I have not felt hardship when leaving a group because I have confidence that my next group at Walden with be high-performing as well.

“Norms are recurring patterns of behavior or thinking that come to be accepted in a group as the “usual” way of doing things.” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012) Each of the groups that I have participated in have had clear established norms. Each class that I have had so far at Walden is very similar to one another. Every class requires a discussion board posting(s), responses to the discussion board, application assignment, and a blog assignment as well as responses to the blog. Walden has established the norms for us and many of my group members that I have had have followed each of the norms established.

The first group that I participated in was hardest to leave because I did not know what to expect from the next class and/or group. I understand that many groups eventually disband so I deal well with adjusting and moving on. (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012) My first group was where I was introduced to the program and some of my colleagues so it was a nervous step to take. As I moved on it was another step in my career that was nerve-racking but it worked out with the support of my high-performing groups.

I have experienced closure and best wishes from my colleagues as we finish one class and enter the next. I have received personal emails as well as feedback from discussion and/or blog postings about sharing work with other throughout our course together. This helped with closure in the group.

I imagine that I will adjourn from my group of colleagues that I have formed while working on my master’s degree in this program by exchanging emails. I plan to communicate with my colleagues by sharing stories as well as helpful tips as we advance in our career. I have learned so much from my colleagues thus far so I imagine

Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it enables people to have closure and move on. “The group members reflect on their accomplishments and failures as well as determine whether the group will disassemble or take on another project.” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012) Adjourning also gives the opportunity for groups to decide if they want to expand by continuing to work together in another group/organization.

Using Conflict Resolution

Recently, I have been experiencing conflict with someone in my personal life.  One strategy that I have learned that may help me resolve the conflict productively is the Win/Win Approach. “The win/win approach is about changing the conflict from adversarial attack and defense, to co-operation.” (Conflict Resolution Network, 2013)  I think that if I try to make compromises and see the situation from both perspectives then we will be able to come to a win/win situation.

Another strategy that I have learned that may help me resolve a conflict is to work on building a empathy for one another. “Empathy is about rapport and openness between people. When it is absent, people are less likely to consider your needs and feelings. The best way to build empathy is to help the other person feel that they are understood.” (Conflict Resolution Network, 2013)  If I can work to show this individual that I understand where they are coming from, then empathy will be built.

Resources:

Conflict Resolution Network. Retrieved from http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3

Communication Evaluations

The first person who evaluated me was my boyfriend. His evaluations were very similar to how I evaluated myself. I believe the reason for this is because he knows me better sometimes than I even know myself. The Communication Anxiety Inventory results were the only results which were different from my own. I am a “situational” anxious person. Rich’s perception of me is that I have an elevated level of communication anxiety. The perceptions of me as a communicator differ from how Rich perceives me because I sometimes think I am less nervous than I actually am. I think that it is a good thing that I do not let my anxiety in situations completely take me over.

The second person who evaluated me was my director at the child care center where I work. I was impressed with how my director saw me as a communicator because as an Assistant Director, I am consistently communicating with others. I learned that I show an efficient way to communicate. I learned that even thought I may feel anxious about communicating at times; I am able to control my anxiety when it matters most. The perceptions of me as a communicator differ from how my director perceives me because I perceive myself as not as effective of a communicator that my director perceives me. It is comforting to know that my boss looks at me as a sufficient communicator.

The one thing that surprised me the most was how impressed my director is with my communication as a whole. It makes me happy to know that my hard work of communicating with others is paying off. At times, it is difficult to communicate effectively with others. I think by continuing to communicate with many people on a daily basis, I will begin to feel more and more comfortable communicating in different situations.

I learned that I am a “people-oriented” communicator. It is important that when working within the field of early childhood education that I efficiently communicate with people on a daily basis. Familiarizing myself with diverse individuals will continue to help me be grow as a “people-oriented” communicator.  

I also learned that I can have verbal aggression at times which can offend other people. I need to pay close attention to the comments that I make when communicating with others because the last thing I want to do it offend another person.