Group Presentations Review DH

 In particular, Group´s 1 Presentation was deeply interesting and resounding with, I believe, most of us who have spent a good portion of our lives in a city like Miami where there is a clear mix of “Intercultural Communication” due to the several and various backgrounds of the people in this particular city. However, it was very interesting to see how this group boarded the definition of “culture” together with an illustration and an explanation really helped clarify even more the benefits that we, as an “Intercultural Community” in Miami, gain by being able to explore other people’s culture, traditions, music, food and even their art.

In addition, the discussion about how the place you are certainly creates a culture to which most people adhere was also insightful. It is interesting to think that our lives could be completely different if we would have been born in a different part of the world. Their presentation induced me into considering and rationalizing about what aspects of my daily life would be completely different if I was to be reborn or simply move to another country and adopt a completely different culture. Is the sense of ‘style’ that different from culture to culture that I’d be wearing a completely different type of clothes? Would my opinion on my cultural foods be different if I was part of another culture? What about my mental state and development? Would I have other ideas and perspectives on the same things merely based on being part of another culture and background?; These are all questions that emerged in my mind after Group 1’s Presentation and the realization of the IMpact that culture has on each one of us.

Finally, this presentation also suggested that background is not the only factor that can influence “culture” but also personal experiences, quality of life, preferences and beliefs. For example gender and sexuality. Oftentimes we overlook what others with a different culture based on these concepts believe or try to communicate. 

To conclude, Group 1 made an excellent presentation, they greatly explained the concept of “Intercultural Communication” and the points that it brings with it. 

My group and I constituted Group 2, and our topic was “Communicating in Groups”. This was an insightful topic. I very much enjoyed learning about the different types of groups to which  most of us already belong but we were conscious of. In addition, it is interesting to explore the characteristics of each group and the general roles that people assume to make the collaboration space work adequately. Also, learning about the innovations that allow us to connect and create a “group” with different people without the necessity of being in a particular place or at the same time all due to technological developments like videoconferences, texting and even social media. 

Another very interesting section of the chapter we presented was to go over and identify the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy groups because it is a subject often overlooked by people who get used to working or collaborating in an environment that can not always be healthy for them or the others. By being able to point out these characteristics you can work with your partners and create a better work space. Some of these characteristics are Interdependent, Effectively communicated, Socially bonded, constantly trained and educated, cheerful participation, and sincere evaluation. These characteristics are needed because they can help avoid problems or solve them much easier, for example, by everyone being honest and having the confidence to share their point of view, a resolution can be much quicker reached than in a group where everyone holds resentment against each other and does not express it. 

Furthermore, it is imperative to understand that as people, we all have different perspectives, backgrounds and ideas and therefore there will always be a difference among the member of a group.These project helped me, and hopefully the rest of the class, to understand that although there is a high chance that conflicts will arise, there is also a fine and assertive way to deal with them. That is why one part of our presentation focused solely on the five most common types of conflicts in groups, the reasons why they happen as well as how to manage them in the most effective manner. 

 

Finally, I believe our presentation left the reflection that everyone, as human beings have the need to share a social space with others and groups are commonly and sometimes even unconsciously formed, so knowing the different types of groups, how theri formed, their characteristics and the potential conflicts is beneficial to our social circles and therefore our lives.

The last presentation was Group 3. They focused on “Group Leadership and Problem Solving” which correlated directly with my group’s subject. I particularly enjoyed this presentation as it was very dynamic among the members of the group and the topic is also highly interesting. I believe that in a group that works particularly for a common refined goal, leadership is a fundamental role that if not fulfilled properly can easily lead to a failure to achieve said goal.

Additionally, being a leader is not an easy task, it requires a set of skills and determination that although some people can naturally find easy to develop, others just cannot. Being a leader requires the ability not only to stop and actively hear your group or team but also interpret their perspectives and come up with a solution almost right away. Subsequently, a leader is almost always the one who holds most responsibility over the team and is the one that cna make thing either happen or not. 

Group 3 also elaborate even more onto ´problem solving´ which again, is fundamental in order to work in a healthy and harmonious group or team. But liked the way they posed the problems and explained the common reasoning behind them as well as the possible and alternative solutions they showed as examples. I really think they did a good job presenting these subjects. 

In conclusion, the class presentations were highly efficient in explaining further than the human nature to relationate with each other through teams which comes from a biological urge to fulfill our social needs and this presentations helped clarify on how to do it in the bst possible way.