EDUC: Blog Wk. 8

I would like to thank my fellow classmates and Dr. Pickens for making these last 8 weeks so much fun and interesting. I really enjoyed reading your discussions and blog posts. I loved being able to read everyone’s different takes on the same subject and questions. I have really learned a lot from this course and I know I will utilize this new knowledge about communication in future endeavors. I wish everyone luck as they continue on their journeys for their Master’s Degrees and hope to see you all in future courses.

Thank you again for making this course so enjoyable,

Brandie

EDUC: 6165 Week 6

For your blog this week, complete the following activity:

This week you read about the five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Consider the adjourning phase for several of the groups in which you have been involved. Think about which aspects of the groups made for the hardest good-bye. Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? Groups with the clearest established norms? Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why? What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced? How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master's degree in this program? Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

            I think the hardest groups to leave are the ones with the clearest established norms. The groups that I participated in that were the hardest to leave were the groups that I really connected with the group members. During the forming, storming, norming, and performing stages we cohesively worked together to complete our goal and when we reached the adjourning stage it was bitter sweat. “In the "adjourning" stage the project is coming to an end and the team members are moving off into different directions. This stage looks at the team from the perspective of the well-being of the team rather than from the perspective of managing a team through the original four stages of team growth” (Abudi, 2010, p. 4). People who reach stage four usually end up becoming friends and staying in touch even though the project has ended.

            One of the hardest groups that I had end that we made it through to the fourth stage was when I joined a Relay for Life Team. It was such a wonderful experience and the lady’s that were on my team we are still friends to this day. We all instantly clicked. We met at least once a month to go over our strategies for raising money for such a wonderful cause and set goals for ourselves to reach, we had such fun doing it. It also had one of the best closing rituals every. For relay we raise money throughout the months and the final meeting is an event where we as a team decorate a popup tent with the theme and we walk the track. The event goes from 6pm Friday to noon on Saturday and the goal is to have at least one team member walking the track for the whole event. They had themed laps and gave prizes to motivate you to continue walking throughout the night. For my team we decided we all would stay up all night walking the track. We had fun laughing, crying and at times just being silly. It was the perfect ending to our hard work and we made plans to do it again the following year.

            I think that I will be happy when I adjourn from the group of colleagues I have formed while working on my master's degree in this program because I will have completed my goal of earning my Master’s Degree. I will also be sad and more than likely a little lost because I have become so a customized to “meeting” with my colleagues every week. The adjourning stage is essential stage of teamwork because it gives everyone closure. It gives everyone a chance to say good bye to everyone. With the closure it allows people to feel the work they were on was completed and lets them feel open to pursue other projects.

Brandie

References

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.php

EDUC: 6165 Week 5

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?


Two strategies that I have learned about this week that might help me manage or resolve a conflict more productively is to use some of the principles of nonviolent communication. "Nonviolent Communication skills emphasize personal responsibility for our actions and the choices we make when we respond to others, as well as how to contribute to relationships based in cooperation and collaboration" (The Center for Nonviolent Communication, n.d, pg. 1).  It is important when in a disagreement to remember why and what you are disagreeing about, not bring in personal issues in to the argument. It is vital to remember that your actions and words have consequences. 
Nonviolent communication is about learning "to hear our own deeper needs and those of others, and to identify and clearly articulate what 'is alive in us'. When we focus on clarifying what is being observed, felt, needed, and wanted, rather than on diagnosing and judging, we discover the depth of our own compassion. Through its emphasis on deep listening—to ourselves as well as others—NVC fosters respect, attentiveness and empathy, and engenders a mutual desire to give from the heart" (CNVC, n.d., pg. 2). When in an argument or disagreement it is important to remember that being right is not the answer. It is crucial to think of the other person, why are they arguing. It is important not to judge and really listen to what the other person is trying to say.
Brandie

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