Communication!

The End

2009-11-07T08:28:00.000+06:00

A shout out to all viewers and commentators:

Thank you so much for commenting faithfully=) I really appreciate all your hardwork because every single comment you put down is really precious! Some entries must have been really technical and difficult to understand. But yeah, we've made it through thus far. Hope you've had a better understanding of what communication is about.

Thanks once again!

-Cassandra

Week 8 Entry

2009-10-24T20:59:00.000+06:00

This clip shows the views of some people on the advertising world. Listen to the things they say, you might need to replay certain parts to hear clearly =)

As shown in the above video clip, the media is an extremely influential tool. Technology is so vast now that we can receive information from anywhere, be it television, newspapers or even the internet. Audiences widely accept media messages at face value and they unconsciously allow media sources to tell them what to think. Through advertising of media messages, audiences are made to believe that a product can bring to them many advantageous that they desire. Take for example the London Choco Roll advertisement (promoting a food product):

The catchy tune to the song attracts attention. The phrase ‘London Choco Roll’ is also repeatedly sang. I am sure that if you have seen this advertisement before, you would not have remembered the other lyrics. This brings to our attention that as soon as we hear this tune, we know that the advertisement for London Choco Roll is on air. The graphics make the food product appealing and arouses the interest of chocolate lovers too. It makes a person feel like they need to taste the product to satisfy their curiosity. 'Your only choice!'.

The media kind of often makes decisions for us. News that commonly addresses the progress of a particular issue surely causes us to frequently follow up and read. The issues that are more attended to over others alter the standards by which people evaluate them. The media is also able to raise the importance of an issue in the public’s mind, which may not be true in reality. In the period where there was the spreading of H1N1 virus, the bulk of news in many parts of the world was so focused in reporting the spread that even places which were not heavily affected had many paranoid people taking extreme precautions to protect themselves. Then a certain point came where the government decided to stop reporting every single addition of cases to the public because they realised that the large number of cases are scaring the people instead of just alerting them to be hygienic. Heavy viewers of television may cultivate the Mean World Syndrome over time, an idea that the world is worse than it actually is.

Spread of H1N1 virus (Click on picture to view full screen)

Have you ever wondered how all these information were gathered together?
Are these the main events that are happening worldwide?

The media often makes decisions for us. Unfortunately, not all information that is made known is exactly the most important or most wanted by the public. Gatekeepers are the people that set the media agenda. They are the ones that select the issues they feel are most worthy of coverage, and give those issues wide attention. These people include editors of magazines, producers, media owners and advertisers. Surely they would want the media to be filled with juicy news to lure larger number of viewers to their programmes.

Are you guilty of being unknowingly shaped by the media?
Do you think we can ever control this situation?

Week 7 Entry

2009-10-18T19:37:00.001+06:00

This entry is regarding children, culture and education. It helps us to understand the purpose of intercultural communication in our lives even at a very young age. To be able to understand children, we need to view their development in a larger cultural context. How children become what they are is largely due to the culture they are born in. Culture influences as well as interprets behaviour and the way we live. Thus there is a need for childhood educators who can educate children with reference to family, society and culture.

Nowadays, many countries are multicultural. Therefore we need to learn about other cultures. Some cultural identities overlap and this creates unique individuals. Knowing cultural norms is also very important as it tells us what we can or cannot do. Much can be gained by learning about other countries' values, expectations and practices that relate to children and education. Zimilies (1991) suggests that early childhood educators need to provide education agendas that focus upon sameness and difference, that recognize children's uniqueness as well as their common ground, and that are rooted in each child's primary frames of reference (e.g., family, society and culture). Children who have access to such environments appear to be better prepared for later education opportunities, they develop superior language skills, and they are more creative and independent while developing important nonfamilial emotional relationships.

However, in order to help and teach children, teachers themselves must know that their personal upbringing does have an influence in what they might set out to teach. To avoid this, early childhood educators must understand their own beliefs, begin to change their own prejudices and behaviours that can interfere with nurturing young children and see their own culture in relation to history and current political realities (Derman-Sparks, 1993/94). Young children need to develop individualism and group identities without feeling at the upper hand to other ethnic groups. Early childhood educators must help the children to achieve this goal.

I think that growing up in a place that you live in and the culture that you have assimilated into definitely begins from young, especially when children learn things very quickly. Thus we must prevent any form of stereotypes or assumptions from occurring as the child grows up.

Do you agree that we should tackle intercultural communication problems when the child is still young?
Are there any other problems that may plague us today in terms of communication in other aspects besides culturally?

Reference: http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=Kc8GNQXwgn7RP2rpbyLLQ5HbXMn60hzq2BPfpLGcfj9rNbwmjT84!1009331972!-1854981251?docId=5002275096

Week 6 Entry

2009-10-10T09:44:00.000+06:00

Everyone has definitely been involved in a group at least once in their life. I strongly believe that we as humans are social beings and cannot really survive alone. From the movie ‘Cast Away’ featuring Chuck (Tom Hanks) as a survivor from a plane crash, and stranded on an island, we can see that humans do need interaction to remain sane. The volleyball named Wilson allowed Chuck to treat him as a companion on that island. The synopsis of the movie can be viewed at the following website:
http://www.dailymotion.com/related/x6igd0/video/x6ig2z_cast-away-lost-wilson-the-movie_shortfilms

I have said that everyone needs interaction with a group of people, but why so? We need to experience a sense of identity and closeness in a group. We also need support in the things that we do. As a group, we also function more effectively as we can contribute our strengths and motivate and energise one another when met with a problem. Cliques are common examples of groups of people with similar shared values, ideas and interests. First impression also contributes as a factor.

What about groups which are made up of people who have never met before? Such groups may form due to one common interest that they share. Example of such could be joining an interest group or a sport club. Let me explain with respect to a basketball team of about 5-7 people, using Aubrey Fisher’s Four-Phase Model (1970s).

Orientation Phase: People come together and learn to become interdependent on each other. At this phase, it is natural to feel uncertainty. While discussing gaming strategies, there would be periods of silence and ambiguity. Sometimes there could be awkward comments. All these interaction and discussion help to bond team members together as they find out more about each other too.

Conflict Phase: Usually when a group of people have gotten to know one another better, they tend to be bolder in voicing their opinion. Some of these opinions may cause overt arguments and sarcastic disagreements. Each member is trying to find a role within the group that can be advantageous to both him and the group. Discussions could consist of the position a person would play, which part of the court each player should cover and how should the team go about shooting the ball through the basket ball net to score a goal.

Emergency Phase: At this stage, members would almost already come up with their strategy to win the game in a competition. However, there may be some members who oppose the leading strategy and begin to show disinterest.

Reinforcement Phase: Here, team members work together, overcoming all their differences so that they can deliver a good match to win their opponents. They will show unity as a team.

Feel free to comment on my post. A question to consider too: Do you think Fisher's model is useful to describe how group communication comes about?

The following video shows us how team work can help us achieve much more in many unique aspects of life =)

Week 5 Entry

2009-10-04T20:55:00.001+06:00

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_437938.html

This article is about President Obama celebrating his 17th anniversary with his wife. In terms of maintaining a relationship and keeping it strong, this depicts the important aspect of interpersonal communication. As to how this can strengthen and help a relationship progress all depends on the effort put in by both parties. It is ideal of them to have kept the celebration simple because after all, the anniversary is a special occasion which serves best having being celebrated by just the two of them.

I would like to comment and analyse how this relationship would have developed through two stages of relational formation & development and relational maintenance process. Under relational formation and development, factors such as physical appearances are put into consideration. Both of them are dark-skinned Americans, and could contribute to one of the causes of attraction between them because they are similar. Similarity helps to reduce uncertainties too. Relationships are formed when reciprocity and attraction are portrayed. We tend to form relationships with those who reciprocate our communication. In which, I believe, the Obamas have certainly surpassed this stage.

The relational maintenance process will last a life time when a couple gets married. It is a life time of self-discovery as well as getting attuned with your partner. Partners begin to disclose more and more about themselves with the prolonging time spent. This helps to fulfil relational needs too. By going on their simple dinner, Obama gets to date his wife again like how he did on their very first date. It is all about falling in love over and over again with his wife just like how he does so every year now. What I’ve just described is a possible way that the two have came together to be one.

This is the Knapp Model of Relational Development:

In this case, the Obamas have already reached stage 5, which is the bonding stage. They have already successfully come together and are maintaining the relationship very well. I think maintaining a relationship is definitely not easy and it is important that both parties do their best to take interest in whatever concerns their other half too. For example, Obama’s wife has to take interest in politics as her husband is heavily involved in governing America, as the president. Or at the very least, give the support needed to keep her husband going.

What are your views on relationships such as these?
Do you think that the Knapp Model is very effective in describing the process of interpersonal communication?
The article has shown that even celebrities want a simple private time of their own to celebrate their own special occasion. Is it necessary to celebrate such occasions in order to maintain close interpersonal communication with your relational partner?

Feel free to comment! =)

Week 4 Entry

2009-09-27T09:02:00.000+06:00

The following two videos are hand mystica performances I have participated in. It is an activity organised by some of the members in my church to celebrate children’s day and so most of the performers are Sunday school teachers. Just for your information, In the second video, the white placards are spelling the words L-O-R-D I-S G-O-O-D.

Sing Your Praises (UNTIL 4:50mins) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCyum9VPdh4
Lord You Are Good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tiVtTIKgbo

Moving of hands and facial expressions are the few most common gestures we use to aid our speaking. However, these nonverbal cues are always given little attention as compared to our voices which can be heard. In the videos, we have used solely hand actions to convey a message to the audience. Having said so, I would like to analyse the videos in regard to the concepts of nonverbal communication.

Nonverbal communication occurs when a stimulus other than words creates meaning in the mind of the receiver. Sometimes the source intentionally communicates using symbolic behaviours. Nonverbal communication is very receiver-orientated. It is the receiver who will attach meaning to nonverbal cues. Those familiar with the nonverbal cues will understand what the sender is trying to say.

In the video, much of the hand movements were repetitive of the words sang in the songs. Some words were also accented by the actions. All these give extra meaning to the verbal messages. Nonverbal communication is normative and idiosyncratic in interpretation. Like in the first video "Sing Your Praises", the cross represented by the spinning bands at the end is a universal symbol for Christians. Anyone who sees a cross can relate and say that it is a Christian performance because we identify with the cross and the meaning behind it which we believe in. Thus this is a normative interpretation. In the second video "Lord You Are Good", the last logo with a black background displayed by the placards shows a man holding a staff. This is idiosyncratic in interpretation because only members from my church will identify with the logo and find it familiar. It is the logo for my church, Church of the Good Shepherd. Nonverbal communication is very subjective and individualistic in nature. It really depends on context and people.

There were a few types of nonverbal communication used to convey the messages too. Vocal nonverbal cues were used when we shouted 'hey' and 'ho' in the first video. It creates an atmosphere of joyfulness and excitement. We have also made use of commonly associated nonverbal meanings such as the thumbs up sign for 'good' in the second video, as well as physical objects like the white placards to convey meaning in the second video. The white placards were lifted up at intervals to spell L-O-R-D I-S G-O-O-D.

Do you think that such forms of nonverbal communication is appealing to people from all walks of life? Is it effective in communicating certain messages across? How about to those people who are deaf and mute?

Feel free to comment =)

Week 3 Entry

2009-09-20T21:44:00.000+06:00

Watch the video clip and then have a look at the article (Speak better, please):

http://a1preview.asia1.com.sg:90/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=4d52822a933d3210VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=2f695ef5d34d4110VgnVCM100000bd0a0a0aRCRD

Language and words that gives meaning plays a very important role in our lives today, and even during the ancient times. Verbal communication is by far the easiest and most handy way of communication. It helps us to bring across to someone our ideas, opinions and emotions immediately. Interpretation of language involves our cognition. If what the sender understands is different from that of the receiver, miscommunication occurs.

As shown in the article from the above link, many Singaporeans criticise the way Ms Riz Low speaks. Silvia Ho commented that the way she speaks is not even Singlish. Language is arbitrary. And its meaning is primarily derived from social agreement and convention. In this case, majority of the people disagree strongly that the way she speaks can be accepted. They disapprove of allowing Ms Low to enter the Ms World pageant with such low quality of English. Language reflects its users and this would show how badly Ms Low has been nurtured in her English speaking. On the contrary, Dr Woffles Wu actually likes the way Ms Low speaks. Language is something very subjective. How would you like it if someday during a pageant, Singaporean contestants would need to hire an interpreter to translate Singlish to English so that judges can understand?

Language also forms our perception of how we see someone. It categorizes us into social groups. This would cause elimination of certain people. In the global level, the different type of languages in the world serves as communication barriers. Suppose you travel to a country where the natives speak German, would you feel utterly lost and alone? We can all ease such problems by adapting to the person you are talking to. As commented in the article, it is best that Ms Low speaks good English, the universal language.

Perception greatly influences the way we think and how we come to conclusions about certain issues. Samantha Yim blamed that Ms Low spoke bad English because her teachers never taught her well. People draw conclusions and form their own closure, probably due to past experiences. It was not thought that it could be Ms Low’s own unwillingness to learn to speak well. Also, the Singapore government has been emphasizing the need to speak good English. This could be a cause for majority to particularly pin point the fact that Ms Low cannot speak good English. Has the frequency of this emphasis lead us to largely focus on her use of language rather than her beauty? After all, it is still a beauty pageant isn’t it?

Week 2 Entry

2009-09-12T22:24:00.000+06:00

I consider television advertisements a one-way communication system where receivers of the information are passive targets. This advertisement thus fits into the linear model of communication. The government telecasts the advertisement on television and therefore the audience cannot respond immediately. They can only willingly watch. The channel being the television, cannot accept any response. However, the audience can offer a feedback to express themselves by writing in letters to newspapers and magazines as well as to type on online forums, blogs or any other new media.

By doing so, the audience is creating an interactive communication system. There is, however, a time lapse between message and feedback and hence, communication is broken down into a series of distinct acts. Some people may comment that the advertisement is too gruesome to watch, others might say that it is effective in conveying the anti-smoking message. Upon receiving feedback from the public, the government can decide to edit parts of the advertisement or to show it more often.

The transactional model comes into play when both the government and audience have mutual influence on each other and simultaneous exchange of comments as there is a shared field of meaning. The world is a very huge place and it is impossible for us to understand the world around us unless we use the media to help us.

I think the producer of this advertisement has taken into consideration of the fact that the majority of its people are non-smokers. This is also connected to facts proven by doctors that it is truely harmful. Our world is constructed through communication because even for young children, they are taught that smoking destroys the body. They therefore have the same view as adults even though they do not have direct experience. Much of the communication in our world is processed in culturally recognisable ways. It possesses the social constructionist perspective.

The producer also selects realistic scenarios that depict everyday life, realising that the audience can relate to it better, thus capturing their attention and enhancing their understanding. By watching advertisements like this, we can learn that smoking can lead to many horrifying consequences. Even if we do not know anyone who has resulted in such consequences from smoking, naturally a fear builds up within us and we certainly do not want our loved ones who are smokers to end up like those in the advertisement. We perceive that things will turn out similar. The producer adopts a pathos(emotional) approach.

Feel free to comment on the aspects of communication and possibly also how you feel the producer has conveyed his message effectively or ineffectively.

In the Beginning

2009-09-06T22:02:00.001+06:00

hey!!

thank you so much for visiting my communication blog=) hope that after reading the entries, you can have a better understanding of what communication is. i appreciate your valuable comments as well. thanks once again :D

P.S: don't forget to leave your name!