Week 6 Blog Post

This week, we were asked to write a blog post on three things that were the most interesting, controversial, or meaningful to us from what we’ve read and watched in the resources given. I chose to talk about code-switching, active/passive voice, and gender language.

One of the things that I learned about this week was something called ‘code-switching’. (WTHOTV, 2012) I feel like this doesn’t have to be about slang with racial undertones, like the first four minutes of the video suggests. This can simply be the fluidity of speech as it goes between slang and formal talking with anyone. A few examples are siblings, who can communicate with each other with ‘secret’ or invented words, and teenagers, who tend to emphasis different words as euphemisms.

Something else that I learned was the active/passive voice. This concept has always given me trouble, and I never understood why. However, it’s very meaningful to my profession, as speaking professionally, and directly, are very important for client and patient care. Knowing how and when to use passive and active voice, whether in speaking or writing, is very important to making sure there are no breakdowns in the communication process.

Something that can be rather controversial these days is the use of proper gender nouns and labels. (Engleberg and Wynn, 2013) Being mindful of gender neutral pronouns can be useful when communicating on a broader scale. This discourages unfair sexism in speech, and encourages equality throughout. It is also important to remember labels as being gender neutral. With our society accepting more transgender and genderfluid lifestyles, our speech and writing must reflect respect to these people as much as refusing archaic titles, such as stewardess instead of flight attendant, to keep the equality of roles present.

Engleberg, I., Wynn, D. (2013) ‘Think Communication’ pp. 90 Pearson Education, New

            Jersey.

WTHOTV. (Oct.15, 2012) Code Switching [video file] retrieved from

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO7cjyEYtGM&feature=youtu.be

Losing Our Listening

The main message of Julian Treasure’s video was that we, in society, are losing our ability to communicate. Between the staggering noise pollution in our world, as well as the connectivity through the internet, gives us a sense of disconnect. I agree that there is a lack of listening between people of my age, and even between generations.

I decided to try the silence exercise that was suggested. I wanted to ‘reset my ears’, as he said, and see how it would affect my focus. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I could pick up the smaller things in my children’s voices. I could the difference between whining with the toddler for attention, and for a need, like juice or to use the bathroom.

I think that continuing this exercise, and incorporate it when I cannot settle down enough to meditate, can truly help with my focus throughout the day, and even compounding it further through the years.

Oral Communications Blog Post 3

For our blog post, we were to create and share a list of 5 things that we are most proud about yourself. Unfortunately, my list is much shorter.

~Delilah, my 7 year old

~Isabel, my 2 year old

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I was always told that the only things in life I was any good at was making cute and clever babies, and being kind. Being kind, however, is nothing to be proud of; if anything, it denotes to most of my peers that I’m a pushover, and easily taken advantage of.

Next, we were asked to create a list of 5 things that we believe in, and provide a paragraph to explain these things.

~I believe that everything we need to be healthy is in the world around us, whether it’s in a cup of tea, or massage therapist, or even a counselor.

~I believe in the innocence of my children.

~I believe that, deep down, all people are good in some way.

~I believe that nothing will make you happier than a good book or playing in the dirt.

~I believe that compassion is shared, and spread with a smile.

My beliefs are based mostly in naiveté, and will probably be mocked by most. However, I think that the world really is a good place, somehow, and we take everyone and everything for granted. If we could go back and treasure the human heart, instead of hardening them with paranoia, then our health, as a society, would improve. Our health, individually, would improve if we would just trust our intuition, and accepted that we really are what we eat.

My picture of self-concept isn’t one that I’d like to share. At all. But, in the spirit of the assignment, I can do my best. To look at myself, I would see a mother, round with excess from carrying life, and losing it. I would see a woman who carries the weight of her home in every silver hair that peeks out from the chestnut curls that are so haphazardly pinned down. My self-concept is of someone who wants to heal the world, if only she could hold it in her hands, and smile down upon it.