Thanks To Colleagues

THANKS TO COLLEAGUES

 I would like to thank all my colleagues for your comments and support throughout this class. Your posts and comments challenge me to expand my understanding of communication on a deeper level.  I have learned a lot about effective communication not only from the resources but from all of you. Thank you all for sharing your wisdom, kindness, and support. I wish you all many blessings as we enter our specialty. I hope one day I will meet many if not all of you face to face. You may contact me at barbara.beale@waldenu.edu. I would love to hear from you.

 

Adjourning Groups

ADJOURNING GROUPS

 

I have been involved in a limited amount of professional and personal groups. Some successful and others not so successful. This week as I explored the five stages of Abudi’s team building. I understand what was done wrong and what was done correct.  As I focus on the last stage known as the adjourning stage that means the project is coming to an end and the team members are starting to go their separate ways. They celebrate the team accomplished and what they have learned ( Abudi, 2010). The adjourning stage can be a sad time as the member of the team says their good-byes and also a happy time as the team celebrate their completing the project. During their time of working together as a team friendships have also been developed.

High performing groups will miss each other because they have formed a bond through their interacting and made good progress on the project. Some events a team might have are parties, dinners and gift giving. Adjourning is a very vital stage of team building because it brings closure for everyone.   

During this program I have had the opportunity to meet many colleagues from many walks of life. Although we have never meet in person there is still a connection which have fostered a bond.  At the end of each class there is a sadness and a joy because after each class we are all closer to our common goal. I would like to thank all my colleagues for the sharing of their blogs, discussions, and experiences that assist me in understanding many assignments and strategies. Thank you guys, you are the greatest and it has been a rewarding experiences working with you all. As we continue our educational journey many blessing for each and every one.

Reference

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    

Conflict and Disagreement Strategies

In the past I always tried to avoided conflicts the best way I knew how. Now I have obtained information about strategies to use to solve conflicts, I feel I can defuse them more effectively. O'Hair and Wiemann (2012) states, "Conflicts is inevitable". I have learned that conflicts will some how find it way within relationships and sometime they can not be resolved. No matter how much you tried to avoid conflicts they manages to find their way into your life. I always try to keep peace even when I receive the short end of the stick.

I could not think of any conflict that I am currently having. I think of my self as a non-confrontational person. I am respectful and open- minded, I try my best to respond to conflicts in a matter that everyone wins.

I thought back to the time when my daughters were younger and they shared a bedroom. My oldest daughter always complained about how her sister would mess the room up after she had cleaned it up. My husband and I decided to stay out of it and let them work it out. One evening while my husband was at work and I was in the kitchen cooking. My oldest daughter came running into  the kitchen yelling " Mom she has done it again". While she was outside playing her sister had messed up the room looking for her favorite sweater. I took a deep breath and decided I had to deal with this matter that day, right then because it had gotten out of hand. I called a meeting with both girls in the family room. They both tried to speak at the same time which I stopped immediately. The girls must of known I meant business because they both stopped. I asked the oldest to voice her concerns which ( I had heard many time)she did. Every time she raised her voice I asked her to bring it down and she did. She explained how she was tried of her sister messing the room up after she had clean it up and she wanted her own room. My youngest daughter sat looking and listening to her sister with an expression on her face that stated who cares what she wanted. I calmly asked the youngest why she kept messing  the room up after her sister had clean it. My youngest looked at me and stated, "Mommy, she never talk to me except when she is fussing at me about cleaning the room. I kind of laugh to myself. I talked to the oldest about talking to her youngest sister in a kind and respectful way. I also talked to the youngest to remind her we do not do bad things to get what we want from others. My girls made peace with each other and their father and I was glad about that.

As I think back on this experience I learned that some conflicts need to be dealt with right away before they get out of hand. I can also identify using the strategies of deep listening, compromising. compassion, allowing each to express their feelings, Respect and attentiveness was also used in dealing with the conflict. 

References

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

 The Center for Nonviolent Communication. (n.d.). The center for nonviolent communication. Retrieved from http://www.cnvc.org/