3/3 Reflections: (Carolina Pelaez)

Carolina Pelaez

Professor Sinkoff

SPC 1017

02/01/2022

Introduction:

       Today I will be capturing the presentation of chapters 3, 9, and 10 by Groups 1, 2, and 3.

Group One Reflection:

       Chapter 3: titled, “Intercultural Communication” was presented by Group 1.

    I was a part of Group 1. In this chapter, we referred to cultural differences, dominant cultures, co-cultures, and cultural identity. Based on the group presentation, we provided a brief overview of the chapter we would be covering. We began by introducing what our group is based on through a brief introduction from our group leader. Communication and culture are the main focus of this chapter. On the first page of the presentation, we talked about how traveling and studying abroad made us, as readers, feel one with the world and helped us gain insight into each country's values. The presenter who introduced our topic was well organized and spoke clearly about the topic at hand. Just like our group leader, everyone in the group contributed to the well-coordinated presentations. Each of us gave our all to this chapter and described it as thoroughly as possible. As we discussed what would be said beforehand, everyone agreed with what this presenter said.  Furthermore, this chapter covered a variety of novel topics, which made the discussion quite interesting. I feel that our entire group took note of this because it's exciting to study abroad and interact with people of different cultures. 

    In this chapter, we discussed topics such as religion, sexuality, and other things in greater detail. It enables the speaker to gain a broad understanding of what should be emphasized in terms of cultural identification. These characteristics could be considered unusual by people of many cultures, especially if they are not from the United States. I feel that what we are accustomed to here in the US could be considered somewhat of a culture shock to others not used to our way of living. 

    Presentation-wise, I felt that we benefited greatly from the lack of words in the presentation so we could elaborate and explain terms that can sometimes oversimplify the presentation for an audience. This method of explaining a chapter can be effective given that it is being told by a peer and not someone intimidating like a professor or a higher up. All of this information was explained, arranged, and presented in a professional manner. 

This photo symbolizes cultural unity.

Group Two Reflection:

       Chapter 9 "Group Communication" was presented by Group 2.

    In this chapter, the presenters, Group 2,  examined the best ways to communicate within groups. Like group 1, they provided a brief summary of the entire chapter. As I previously stated, the lack of words in a presentation can be quite influential to those learning from the presenter. I feel that it was a great learning experience for me as everyone explained their slides well. I also learned a lot more from the videos which is something I wish our group would have done. Video presentations allow the presenter to explain all the details about the chapter to the audience in full detail. There was a discussion about the importance of taking responsibility for mistakes, as well as presenting their own views on how healthy groups operate. 

    To return to the cultural distinctions, each group resolves conflicts in its own unique way. People must accept the fact that they will resolve their issues in ways that are unique to them, based on their cultures. People don't all have the same characteristics or were raised in the same culture, as shown in this example. According to the second group, how groups work is clearly explained. The speakers presented lists and summaries that helped explain how "healthy" groups work. There must be a good reason for every problem in a group. No group can remain healthy while secrets are kept hidden. As a whole, their presentation was well-prepared, and each participant was well versed in their topic. 

This picture symbolizes a healthy group dynamic.

Group Three Reflection:

       Chapter 10, "Group Leadership and Problem Solving," was presented by Group 3.

   In this presentation, as well as the others, the chapter is briefly described which is better than having a    

long and boring presentation. A few details about this chapter were introduced at the beginning. There was

a quick start, which I appreciate. This presentation style caught my attention because it was direct. In

addition to the quick and clear introduction, they have many photographs to illustrate all their

information. In this way, each element of their presentation could be imagined by the audience, which

was an excellent teaching method. In this discussion group, they spoke about different subjects such as 

maintenance, procedural, and task-related responsibilities. Each responsibility was reviewed and

explained in depth.  According to the book, they have an organizational system for their group. Their 

group eventually decides on some of the approaches discussed in this chapter related to problem solving 

and leadership. To summarize, the leadership on this team is excellent, and the team did a great job 

explaining everything. The presentation was well-organized, and everything was explained thoroughly. 

Lastly, this group utilized their newly acquired skills to deliver an excellent presentation with highly 

detailed slides delivered by each presenter. In addition to learning about preparing a good presentation, I  

also learned what could help me execute a good presentation.

This photo represents leadership skills as displayed in Chapter Three.

Overall Reflection:

    Everyone has done an outstanding job in giving accurate and well-elaborated information to their peers. I feel everyone was well organized and very participant which made this much more engaging. In order to effectively learn, I use movies and pictures to help me retain what is being said, that is why I was glad to see the presenters using visual and auditory ways of teaching. I feel we all succeeded in delivering impressive presentations.

 

This photo symbolizes the presentations that have been reflected on.