The Advocates' Child Studies Blog

Bruce Tuckman introduced and identified the five stages of a team development. These steps are the forming stage, storming the stage, norming stage, performing stage, and adjourning stage in that chronological order. Furthermore, these steps usually apply universally to all teams/groups regardless of the team members’ demographics, purpose, location, goals, and cultures. In the forming stage, the team is just starting to come together and is characterized by anxiety and uncertainty. In storming, the group is characterized by considerable opposition and conflict. In the norming stage, the group's activities become a unified component. In the performing stage, there is usually high productivity, and the members are supportive, competent, supportive, and loyal. In the adjourning stage, the group needs to have fulfilled its goals; the group is to be closed on a positive note, but members usually feel uncertain and insecure about the future. The adjourning phase is characteristic...

Think about any disagreements or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life. Share at least two strategies you have learned about that might help you manage or resolve the conflict more productively, and why these strategies might be effective. For example, could you suggest a compromise? Could you look for a broader range of solutions to your disagreement? Could you use some of the principles of nonviolent communication or the 3 R's to better help you resolve this conflict? As expected, I have encountered various disagreements and conflicts in my endeavors and dispositions. Differences of opinion and clashing goals are inevitable in any relationship or rapport. In particular, I have had occasional disagreements with my colleague at work due to varying viewpoints and different personalities. Nevertheless, my colleague and I have never let the small conflicts we have es...

Blog Assignment For your blog, this week, think about the similarities and differences between how you evaluated yourself as a communicator and how others evaluated you. What is the one thing that surprised you the most? Why? What did other insights about communication you gain this week? Choose at least two to share with others through your blog and consider how each might inform your professional work and personal life. There are differences and similarities between how I evaluated myself and how others evaluated me so as to discover my communication skills, styles, and dispositions. The scores for the verbal aggressiveness scale in my self-evaluation and evaluation by others seem to be in agreement. Other people and I believe that I do maintain a proper balance between respect and consideration for others’ perspectives without degrading them. Also, in my debate with other people, I focus on discussing the issue at hand rather than discussing the person having the contrary opini...

Think about the cultural diversity you see in your colleagues at school, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, and also, possibly, within your family. Consider all the aspects that make up culture, including race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, varying abilities, and so on . Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures? In my endeavors and dispositions, I do find myself talking differently with people from the various groups and cultures. This happens especially in my neighborhood and my workplace. Most people in my workplace are from different cultures, races, religions, sexual orientation, and political affiliations. Within my family, the communication is usually mutual and similar since we have almost the same cultures and other diversities. If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently? I talk with people who are diverse from me almost on a daily basis. I meet these individuals in school, at ...

Blog Assignment Television show link : http://youtube.com/watch?v=1RZLBMz8inw Watching the show “Shark Tank” with the sound turned off What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating? In this show, there are six characters, five of them are seated while one of them is standing and he might be making a presentation. These characters seem to have a captivating communication. The five characters seated seem to have a comprehensive understanding between one another during the presentation. They are conversing with each other in a happy and jovial tone. However, the relationship between the five seated characters and the other character standing seems like a tensed rapport. The standing character seems to be explaining some concept to the seated people as to influence them about whatever topic. At some point, it appears to be an altercation amongst them, and one may think their relationship is ridiculous and strange. What ...

Think of someone (e.g., family member, celebrity, politician, friend, or professor) who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. What behaviors does this person exhibit that make him or her capable? Would you want to model some of your own communication behaviors after this person? Why or why not? Barack Hussein Obama II As instructed, I am supposed to think of someone who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context. I think of Barrack Hussein Obama, an American politician who served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. In his life as an active politician, he was a competent communicator within the political context among other settings. Barrack Obama portrays some commendable and progressive behaviors that have made him an effective communicator. Also, it is sound to understand that him being a political leader, he occasionally communicated with his people entitled to vote and fellow political ...

       Professional Hopes and Goals First and foremost, I am a hopeful and optimistic person with the desire to see the world that exists in harmony and stability. The world is more of a global village, and therefore it is our duty and responsibility to maintain peace and stability in the world. Working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is a goal that I am pursuing. In my pursuit of this fundamental aim, I hope that I will make people understand the need of embracing human diversity and receive the necessary support from the respective stakeholders. Though we live in a global village, we all have diverse backgrounds and social identities. Some people are of different races, diverse sexual orientation, and contrastive linguistics among other variations.  However, we as human beings shouldn’t let these variations be our source of conflict and disengagements. We should remember that no matter the differences in our social identities we all be...