Presentation's Review Blog

Alessandro Lapomarda

 

 

I never liked reading and studying chapters, chapters, and chapters, but I enjoyed and learned new things by doing and following the presentations. I wasn't sure about my chosen sub-chapter, but I discovered exciting information.  

 

 

This presentation was my first one; I was pretty nervous and not so confident to speak in front of my Mac. I have never done it before!! Now I understand how difficult it is to keep an audience "awake" on the other side. Professor Sinkoff is always on top of everything and explains very well all the topics. We decided as a team to split the presentation into subchapters, and thanks to the group leader, we did pretty well. We just had a misunderstanding between two group members, but we addressed the problem and resolved it in a few minutes. As the first group, we spoke about "Intercultural Communication." Each of us has different sub-topics. Following and listening to the presentation, I understood better what culture means. It is progressive beliefs, ideologies, policies, principles, meanings, religion, experience, roles, values, hierarchies, attitudes, universe concepts, and possession that I/we acquire through my generations through groups and individual striving. Culture and communication mutually affect each other. The culture in which we socialize affects how I speak and communicate and can change the culture because people react to how I talk rather than what I say. Sustainable communication is the worldwide perspective of the value system, beliefs, and religion we share. Today, I firmly believe that effective communication is vital to a productive culture. 

 

When I moved here in 2015 wasn't easy at all due to the language barriers and different meanings. My English was essential, and I couldn't speak or understand one word in Spanish. Today I can say I drastically improved both languages. Generally speaking, I/we can enhance intercultural communication competence by speaking clearly and slowly, actively observing and listening, paying attention to nonverbal communication, avoiding idioms and jokes, and accepting that we can commit errors.

Living in a multiethnic city such as Miami, we couldn't  mention the relationship between dominant and co-cultures. Different slides showed us what a dominant culture is. It is a mix of significant values, attitudes, beliefs, and orientations that we learn from the people with the highest political power or majorities in our societies. Co-culture is smaller and less powerful values, attitudes, beliefs, and orientations we learn from minorities and are not opposed to dominant cultures. People from different cultures do not just differ at random; they do so in obvious and predictable ways because of each culture's thinking, beliefs, and values, as well as unique preferences for a wide range of diverse aspects. 

 

The second group talked about "Communication in Group", and after some technical issues at the beginning of the presentation, they kept my attention high. They touched on different points, such as "different types of groups" and "strategies to manage group conflict." As a manager and sommelier in a restaurant, these two topics are crucial for the business's success. So now on, I have a broader vision because dealing with employees and customers is challenging. I will choose a neutral location that would bring conflict/competition down to the level in which productive conversation, offering guidance, and constructive criticism. In addition, I learned that constructive criticism is a strategy that enables me to name the problem, assign blame, and supports the excellent work that has already been done. I will provide direction to resolve the issue. No one is better, and the team now has the means to prevent it from happening again; acting decisively, don't delay making a choice establishes a negative example for my leadership. 

 

What I learned is essential because group communication sends and receives messages to many group members to exchange ideas, determine goals and ensure we receive and understand shared messages. Communication groups include in-person meetings, digital notes, conference calls, and memos. I can say that they have had an assignment inside another assignment. They spoke about "communication in group" in a group even if they had never met each other.

 

 

The third presentation's main point was "leadership and problem-solving". I was really focused on this topic. They explained how leadership functions in teams, and they described how to run effective meetings using well-detailed slides. They also showed us how to engage in the six steps of systematic problem solving and how to communicate group solutions in a variety of formats.

Leaders help the team through various coaching-related activities. With this presentation, I learned how a leader should solve any problem. Usually, leaders in the organization draft team guidelines; they define and outline the team's objectives, developing positive team norms. They establish shared understanding within the group. They are evident in distributing knowledge with our teams.

 

 

As mentioned earlier, I work in a restaurant, and we constantly meet to discuss forecasts, budgets, marketing, and operation before every shift. After all these three presentations, I can run an effective meeting better by defining its objective. I will define the problem, determine the problem's root cause, develop an alternative solution, choose a solution, implement a solution, and assess outcomes. I would encourage all group members to engage in group communication channels. I understood that sometimes members feel entrusted to share their perspectives with others on the team. I would set specific responsibilities for each group member for accountability and completion of the task. I would also emphasize teamwork in a group; success can depend on how well the members cooperate to achieve their goals.

 

In conclusion, I can say that, as a first group presentation wasn't so bad, or rather lovely. Don't say anything to the other classmate but what I enjoyed the most was the "Intercultural Communication" of which I was a member. Also, this is my first blog ever so be patient please! All of the groups had some problems, such as connection, audio/video issues, and misunderstanding, but in the end, the most important thing is that I/we learned a little more about communication in group.