What I found interesting

I found the ways to improve listening really informative and interesting. I guess I never realized how many different ways there are to improve listening skills. I think the way we listen is so important in communication because it is how we understand what the other person is trying to say, and it sets way for how we are going to respond, which in turn sets up for how that person is going to comprehend what we are saying. I think it is hard and quite a struggle to avoid distractions when one may not be interested in what a person is saying. It is easy to get distracted when you are not interested, and I often do that but I am trying to work on being better at it. I think the put your self in the other persons shoes is a good reminder for me on how to stay attentive because what may not be interesting to me is actually important to the person speaking to me.

Men and Women Communicating

I definitely feel that men and women use language differently. Women are more emotional then men, so I think even when we communicate we tend to talk about our feelings and want somewhat of an emotional connection. Women are just more personal with each other, where you don’t hear about Men going out and talking about there feelings with other guys, however Women talking about their feelings with other Women is very common. I think men tend to think more logical and straight forward. Men tend to communicate with each other more on things that they have interests of like sports, events, etc. Where as Women we communicate with each other about our feelings, relationships, health etc. I think the way Men communicate differently has a lot to do with how society teaches a man how he is suppose to me. Society doesn’t allow for Men to be as emotional as Women are.

Judging

Is it possible to perceive others without in some way judging or categorizing them? If so, how? If not, how can we make the judgments we do make more fair?

I have to admit that I think it is almost impossible to not be able to judge another person that may be communicating differently then what we are used to. I think judgment unfortunately is just so common considering our society judges people on how they look, economic status, cultural beliefs etc. There is so much more to be named that we judge people on so I think how someone communicates is most definitely on the list. I think in communicating It is easy to judge when we may not understand what another person has been through or is talking about especially when we can not apply it to fit within our own morals. I think that is when judgment most easily comes into play with communication.

values

The most interesting part of the reading to me was about Rokeach’s Terminal Values. It makes sense that when an audience comes to view a speaker they bring with them beliefs, values, and life experiences with them. Of all these to me personally values is the most important. Beliefs are just opinions but values are standing up for something you believe is right. I like how the book states that you may have hundreds of beliefs but values are deeply held, almost as if more sacred. I think that is what makes them more special and intimate. With speaking I think we relate more to the people who may hold the same values as we do. Attitudes is important as well because it forces us to act in certain ways but it doesn’t hold the same secrecy that values holds. It is so important for speakers to understand these values to motivate action.

speaker

I think I kind of al ready answered this question in my other post but I think Bill Clinton is a very well known speaker. To, me the strongest characteristics he carries are his confidence and power. Personally, I don’t see the attractiveness as a quality but I think that It is how he carries himself. He speaks with such confidence that I am so captivated by what he is saying, to me this is powerful because its like he drawls people in . I think also that it never seems like he is reading from a teleprompter because his is always making eye contact with his audience, to me this makes what he is saying more believable and more meaningful. I think it shows that he is passionate about what he is talking about. I think confidence and the way one carries themselves really helps in representing the words they are speaking and the meaning behind them.

influential speaker

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I think the most influential speaker I have ever heard is Bill Clinton. I remember even when I was younger, and he was President thinking that his speeches were so empowering. It looked as though he spoke from the heart, and not through reading a teleprompter. He spoke with confidence and left me feeling like I wanted to hear more. Recently, when watching the Democratic National Convention, I felt the same way about his speaking skills that I did back when he was President. Confidence, empowering, and moving are the best ways to describe his speaking skills. When trying to think of a way he could improve, I honestly couldn’t think of anyone. I think the qualities he has are the most important ones a good speaker should have. It is all in the way people presents themselves and I think he did a great job.

The worst speaker I have ever heard in my opinion would have to be Sarah Palin. In one particular speech I saw a few years ago, she kept playing with her hair and it was really distracting to the point she was trying to get across. To me a good speaker is not someone who could distract you from his or her words.

Most interesting concept

The one concept that I found to be most interesting  were the contexts for observing communication.  For starters when thinking about a place to observe public speeches, a speech community will come into place. Speech communities form when people share a common interest this can be anything from a political event to even a team gathering in a locker room to hear a coach speak.  A speech situation for example is when people gather for the occasion, these including anything from church events to study sessions. The sequence of a speech activity can include anything from a sermon or political debates. An effective way for these speeches to be persuasive would most likely be political as the speaker is working to gain a vote. I found that by reading this material helped to better understand the concept for communicating, and the way it is broken down. It also helped me to find which direction I would go in terms of the project and who I would like to observe as a speaker.

build worlds...

As individuals we “build worlds” but interpretation the tools we inherited from our own culture, this includes the language we speak, our values, the way we live, and our belief system. Social constructionist perspective shows how our culture and the way we were brought up influences the way we communicate. We build worlds through the acceptance of others ideas. For example, we live in a country where we are given the right to Freedom of Speech. As individuals we are allowed to express our opinions freely and have to accept others views as well. Besides, free speech there is so many other ways communication is influenced. Reality television has recently become a big movement, as well as text messaging instead of speaking on the phone. I think as far as the reality shows go, this is definitely something has made an impact in televisions across our nation more then others.

Patterned Interaction

I think it does make sense to think of communication as a patterned interaction, by doing so we are taking note of the behaviors and actions of the participants. I think we tend to change and interact differently with certain people then we do others, and the way the book described the game of chess made a perfect example. It becomes a patterned reaction when we intend to wait for others to respond. Often we anticipate the others “move” before they even say anything. I think communication can be very much like a game. Sometimes we tend to try to think of our next move or what to say during a conversation, and as we are listening to others we often think about how we will respond. The way it is different from a game is that there is no winner within the interaction and there really never needs to be.

From the reading

I found Francis Bacon identification of four idols or distortions that get in the way of clear thinking to be very interesting. The idols were referred to fallacies in thinking due to human nature. The idols of the Cave are prejudices that we bring with us because of our background and personalities. I like the cave idea because it reflects the closure that we are experience in the way we are raised or our personal beliefs. The “idols of the Market place” are center in the use of language; words according to Bacon can overrule our understanding.  The “Idols of the Tribe,” which states that our thinking is ruled by our emotion and causes us to be careless thinkers.  The “Idols of the Theatre” occur when we accept fashionable ideas uncritically; we sometimes create our own worlds through an unreal fashion. All four of this listed lead to distortion thinking that really opened up my mind to the way we think.

Orator

I don’t believe that to be an orator an individual has to be morally good. A lot of times public speakers deliver speeches that are “just what they want the audience to hear.”  I believe any person can be an Orator as long as they have the persuasive qualities to convince people of the message they are delivering. I think the idea behind an orator being morally good is a great one; unfortunately I do not believe that is always the case. In all honesty, the connection between truth, goodness, and public communication really lies in the way the audience perceives and responds to the speaker. I believe we see a lot of this in politics, and as an audience we want to hear speakers who are morally good.

Speech I most admire...

The speech I most admire would have to be Dr. Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech. I felt that he influenced in each category of ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade others but I felt it was the most powerful in ethos, because of the ability to arouse emotions. Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech was very powerful and emotional because he spoke of a sensitive subject to many people. Dr. Martin Luther King spoke with confidence and his speech was very carefully planned and to the point.  Through pathos and being emotionally involved he was able to relate to his audience. I think my qualities of persuasiveness are similar in the fact that when I’m speaking about something I’m passionate about, I speak with the same confidence, which is a very persuasive quality.