PURPOSE

Journaling is an introspective assignment that requires you to link your experiences in interpersonal communication to course concepts. You are encouraged to keep up with your journal entries on your own, one document with all typed entries will be submitted online.

PROCEDURE

You will be given journal questions during the term. You will complete a total of 10. The purpose of the questions is to provide you with the opportunity to apply what you are learning to your life. Each entry should be 1-2 pages in length, typed, with standard 1-inch margins, 12-point font, and must be double-spaced.

The journal entries will be graded on:

1. Completeness

2. Clarity

3. Introspection

4. Use of conceptual foundations

5. Effective linking of experience to course concepts

Keep a one-day log of all the feedback (verbal and nonverbal) you receive from others while you are communicating. Ask someone who knows you well to indicate the types of feedback you typically give them while they communicate with you. Analyze the similarities and differences in the feedback you give and receive.
List ten words to describe how you perceive yourself. Include a variety of types of descriptors: roles, skills, physical attributes, personality characteristics, and so on. Have a family member, close friend, and acquaintance list ten words to describe how they perceive you. Analyze the differences and similarities between the lists.
Observe a group of people who seem to have a communication code with which you are unfamiliar. Perhaps they are speaking a different language, or perhaps they have certain “in-group” language behavior. How can you attempt to interpret the particular conversation you observe so as to avoid jumping to incorrect conclusions about the conversation?
Your textbook states that there are about 3,000 to 4,000 speech communities in the world. However, over 60 percent of these communities are speaking what is considered a threatened or endangered language, spoken by 10,000 or fewer people. Click on “Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger” link to view. What do you think are some of the consequences of so many languages becoming extinct? What would you do if your language was about to die out?
Describe any distracting mannerisms that you may have. Ask someone who knows you well to provide input. Compare your perception with that of the person you asked. How aware of your nonverbal communication behaviors are you? What, if any, changes would you like to make?
How would you evaluate your listening skills? Which of the five steps in the listening process causes the most difficulties for you? Are you consciously acting on all of the guidelines and suggested steps for the listening process? What will you do to improve your listening abilities?
Analyze a relationship that either began or was maintained via the Internet. Is the relationship different from those that allow you to interact face to face? What advice can you give for others in this same situation?
You have probably heard someone being labeled as passive-aggressive in the past. Perhaps you were the one to use the expression. Perhaps you caught yourself saying, “He’s passive-aggressive, isn’t he?” Does this chapter change your understanding of this expression? If so, how has it changed? What do you think can be done to help those who have passive-aggressive tendencies to be more assertive?
Think of some of the groups in which you have experienced the most cohesiveness. What characteristics of cohesive groups listed in your textbook did these groups demonstrate? How did these characteristics contribute to group bonding? Now think of a group in which bonding did not occur. What element was missing from this group? How could that element have been introduced to make the group more cohesive?
Many cultures value the group over the individual. If you have been raised in an individualistic culture, how would your typical day be different than if you lived in a collectivistic culture? How would your top three priorities change? If you have been raised in a collectivistic culture, what adjustments have you made or felt pressure to make living and interacting with people from individualistic cultures?