I would like to thank all of my colleagues for accepting me and making this class very interesting. I attempted to take a communication class in my undergrad...let's just say that this class was a lot better. I learned a lot from all of you. Some of you I have had classes with before, such as Arica and Greg. Thank you both for accepting me as your colleague once again. I hope to see all of you in my future courses. Please feel free to email me at: bpierce6383@gmail.com if you wish to give me your contact information. Or you can give me your email and I will send you my information. We're all on this journey together so we must stick together!
Special thanks to Dr. Walker for being an awesome professor. Thank you for your insights and allowing us to express our own. I gained much knowledge on a lot of things while taking this course. May Yahweh bless you all! See you at the top!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
The Fifth Stage of Team Development
Adjourning (as well as the other stages) is a very essential stage in team development. It's like the conclusion to a research paper. I believe it brings “everything together”: ties up most (if not all) of the loose ends. When I think about the groups I have been a part of in my lifetime, the ones I liked the most were those that had the best “endings”. We were one on accord with what we were trying to do; we had the same vision. By the time the meetings came to an end, it was already established that we were on the same page. And that felt really good.
I would say that the high-performing groups and those with the clearest established norms were the hardest to leave. When I think about the groups that may have had both of these “qualities”, I think about my church choir and band. We had the same vision in mind: to win souls. Music is a tool to bring people on one accord anyway so I believe that played a huge part in our unity. We would always pray before and after practice. So even if we did veer off and lose focus, I believe the prayer put us back on track.
I imagine that the adjourning from my colleagues will be somewhat similar to the adjourning from the choir/band. Although I may not communicate with some of them outside of this program, I believe that we all have the same vision in mind. We all have a passion for children (at least I hope we all do). We all want to make a difference. We all want to make a change in society. With that being said, I will always feel connected to my colleagues for these reasons. I will always know in my heart that we are serving our purpose. I do not believe we would be in this degree program if we were planning to do otherwise.
Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Nonviolent Communication is the Key!
I just started a new job working in sales. I like the job a lot; there is so much to learn about selling home security systems. I had my training about three weeks ago and it was pretty intense. There was a lady in the class who apparently had more sales experience than me. We had to do a "role play" and needless to say, I still needed more training (lol). But everyone in the class made mistakes when they did the role playing. So it was no big deal...so I thought.
After I was done, my trainer asked did anyone have any feedback on how I did. The lady with all the "sales experience" had something to say, which was not applicable to what I had done. I am not going to lie, at first, I was offended. "Who are you telling me anything? You are in this training class just like I am". But instead, I "stopped, looked (at her), and listened to what she had to say. And I am so glad I did because that could have turned into a mess! Nonviolent communication is always the best way to go when trying to resolve a conflict. So, I took a deep breath and told her what was really true and my trainer backed me on what I said. He turned around and came down on me but he can do those things...HE'S THE TRAINER! And what he said was right. So I took the correction for what it was.
With that being said, the "stop, look and listen" strategy was something that I was reminded of this week. But learned it more in depth. And I believe that the "stop" part is the most important part: "Stop. Take time to prepare. Take a time out. Count to 10. Take a deep breath. Remember, 'everything starts by stopping'". This is so true; and working through this conflict proved it.
Another strategy I learned is called "alternative dispute resolution" or "ADR". ADR refers to any process or collection of processes established to resolve disputes without trial or violence. As I mentioned in my application assignment, there is no set way to resolve conflicts in a nonviolent way. But there are many ways to resolve conflicts peacefully. I believe that was proven true working through this conflict as well. What do you all think? Feel free to give feedback. Thanks in advance!
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