Final Post

Without communication, there would be no society. Communication is the very basis of human life. Communication connects people together in many ways.  When we verbally communicate, people can usually understand what we are trying to get across to them. We use things like language, contemporary slang, and tone in our voices to make people understand.  When we physically communicate, it helps people further understand our views. We use body language all the time, sometimes without even knowing it. Physical communication can be stronger than verbal. It's a lot harder to hide things like body language when you are talking with someone. You might be able to tell a person one thing but your body could be saying something completely different. One other way society connects is through social media sites. Things like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. They're all fast and easy ways to talk to people whenever and wherever you want. There isn't much limiting to these sites anymore. Almost everyone you meet has an account on one or more of these.  Through all of these means, we can communicate with people from other cultures. We have to be careful because societies have their own norms that we might not be used to. There are many possibilities that could disconnect you from certain places. Different places usually have their own language. If you don't know the language, itll be almost impossible to understand the people from there. If you are a native English speaker and they know the language as well, you have to be careful because most other languages don't have words for "could and should." You should also be aware of slang. Some words ad phrases may be common in one place but not in another. A word could have a definition to one society totally unrelated to the definition from another society. When a society is just starting out, they need to decide things like what is normal for them, what holidays they are going to celebrate, and how they're going to interact with eachother. These are all done through communication. These sorts of things create culture over much time and effort.

Post #2

How do I connect with myself through communication?  Through communication, I can understand how other people view me and how I view myself.  If I see how other people act toward me or how they communicate with me, I can see where I fit in with which group.  If I see someone acting more openly toward me than normal, I know that I am doing a good job at becoming closer to the person.  This way, I can connect that I am someone the person trusts and I realize that I’m doing something right. On the other hand, if someone seems less than thrilled with me, I take that as I am doing something wrong.  This way I can make somewhat of a constructive criticism of myself.  By doing this, I help to better myself.  I communicate with others, who communicate with me.  I then analyze the communication and always try to make it better.  There is always room for improvement.  Communication is shaping me.  At the beginning of the year, I had maybe three people that I could call close friends.  I have many more now.  With communication and Julia Wood’s text, I have met many new people.  I’ve been expanding my circle of friends and it has only taken a few months.  I’ve been missing out.  Before properly knowing how to communicate with people, I would just keep to myself and not really open up to people I don’t really know.  Now I’m a much more outgoing person.  Communication has helped me learn all about others.  The text and the course have shown me how to take control of my actions and other people’s reactions.  I am no longer Kelsey (the one who sits quietly in the corner) Jeziorski.  I am now/ becoming Kelsey (the one who is interested in people and loves to start conversations) Jeziorski.  Communication is helping me choose a career that is more suited for me.  I was going to go into college with an undecided major but now I’m really interested in the way people’s minds work, how they put things together, and how they portray their thoughts to other people.  I’m really considering studying psychological counseling.  Without communication, I wouldn’t have even known that I was interested in such a subject.  I try to talk to someone new at least once a week, if not more.  It has really influenced who I have become.  If I had not communicated with some of the people that I have, I might not be the same person I have become.  I even talk with some older friends I haven’t seen in a while.  I’ve taken the initiative to change my life and communication is what makes it possible.

Post #1: What is communication?

According to Julia Wood, communication is a systemic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings. To me, communication is how people relate information to each other using different strategies and devices. Communication is really our only way to live. Without communication, we would be nowhere. People would not be able contact each other and probably wouldn't be alive in the first place. Communication is necessary in any ad every job field. No matter what you do, you will need to interact with others.