Chapter Reflections

         A little while back, groups in my speech class had to create a PowerPoint presentation for three fascinating chapters. The chapters had information on intercultural communication, communicating in groups, group leadership and problem solving. Each group presented their topics wonderfully and effortlessly. I enjoyed seeing how the other groups interpreted the chapter that they were assigned. Moreover, I learned a good amount of information from each group including my own. I would like to share with you my experience as a listener and presenter.

            Group one was the first to present in the week. Their chapter was about intercultural communication. The group went through and gave examples of different definitions. For instance, culture was defined as the system of shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and norms that guides what is justified appropriate among a group of people. Things like dominant cultures, co-cultures and cultural identity were among the many topics discussed. Something I found interesting, yet faintly knew, about co-cultures was code switching. Code switching was described as co-cultural members altering their linguistic and nonverbal patterns to adapt to the dominant culture or a particular co-culture. In short, they explained how the chapter was about how different cultural groups communicated. In addition, they also used videos to help further explain the topics that were in the chapter. Overall, they did an amazing job and set a nice standard for the other groups to reach or pass.

            My group’s chapter was about communicating in groups. We went in detail and explained topics from the different types of groups to conflicts in groups. I don’t want to be biased, but I can’t help but declare my group the best. I mean anyone who participates in a group project should feel like their group was the best. However, I was blown away by the fact that everyone did their part and more. They could’ve submitted little to no information to be put in their PowerPoint. Instead they did not come to play games and basically summarized the whole chapter for me as I put the PowerPoint together. I didn’t truly understand that group norms could be easily formed or how healthy groups really functioned. I believed that we collected enough information, videos and examples to efficiently summarize our chapter. As a presenter, I was very nervous to speak to the other students in class. However, the way my group members flowed from one person speaking to the next without skipping a beat really gave me joy. It was a pleasure to work with and learn with them.

            Finally, the last group’s chapter lectured about group leadership and problem solving. Group three did an amazing job at keeping my attention. They spoke about topics like leadership, systematic problem solving, and evaluating group effectiveness. This chapter had a lot of useful information just like the other chapters. Chapter ten gave helpful advice about how to conduct an effective meeting as a leader. From creating an agenda to preparing and distributing a meeting summary or minutes. Just as the other groups, group ten also included videos to help elaborate on their chapter. Overall, I enjoyed this group’s method of teaching and summarizing.

            All in all, I enjoyed being both a listener and a presenter. I felt as though each group effectively taught one another. The use of picture examples, videos and descriptions used by each group were wonderful. Furthermore, everything we mentioned was more useful than being described for convenience. I hope to learn more from one another and continue working with my group.