Unit Four: Developing Interpersonal Skills (Part 2)

February 21 - March 6

Saturday - Tuesday (2/22): Quiz over Chapters 6 & 7

Wednesday (2/23): Post your initial answer in your group discussion forum (see information on Units page for Successfully Using Discussion Forums) to the following:

Given the case study “IT’S YOUR CALL” (click for the case study), how will you use verbal and nonverbal communication to effectively address the situation?

Write a sentence or two stating exactly what your next action/response would look like. Then, support your decision using information from your text. The format for your answer (and the group's final answer) should be:

Action: Sentence or two
Support: Paragraph or two that provides support, explanation, reasoning using what you have learned in the chapter

Wednesday - Wednesday (3/2) Discussion of case study in your groups. Final answers (in the above format) must be posted in your forum with the topic "FINAL ANSWER FOR YOURGROUPNAME".

Friday (2/25): Your fourth interpersonal analysis addition to your webpage is due this unit.  To help you better understand some of the concepts in the course and be able to apply them to improve your own interpersonal communication skills, you need to:

Choose two of the following:

1. Can we all say that relationships are “dicey” at times? Knowing when to share certain information, or when to share pertinent information can, at times, be anyone’s best guess. Inevitably, hind-sight is twenty-twenty. We may have gotten it right, or perhaps we got it wrong. Regardless, we then have the privilege to learn from our experiences. This is one of those opportunities.

Recall a situation where you possessed important information but knew that disclosing it would be personally or relationally problematic (i.e., it might hurt the other person, do more harm than good). What did you do? How did your decision impact your relationship? Was your choice ethical? Based on your experience, is it always cooperative to disclose important information?

2. Take the “Test Your Deception Acceptance” quiz on page 206 in the text. What is your deception acceptance score? What are some of the positive and negative relational effects that you have personally experienced from holding this view of deception? Do you think it is important to adapt your level of deception based on the context of the situation? Why or why not?

3. As we are learning, there are many ways to communicate non-verbally. The text refers to the different channels as nonverbal communication codes. Often, the rules/or norms for these codes are influenced by culture and past experience. When someone violates the cultural expectations for these codes, a difficult, awkward (potentially even dangerous) situation may arise.

Recall a situation when someone violated the cultural expectations for one of the eight codes of nonverbal communication discussed on page 223 (highlighted green at the bottom of the page). Discuss the violation and the response it invoked by using the questions that follow as a guide: What was the violation? Who violated whom? Why do you think the violation occurred? What was the response of others who witnessed the violation?

4. Look around the room you’re in right now. How does this room make you feel? What mood or feeling is created by the size of the space, furniture, lighting, and color? What does the room say to others about who you are? How much does environmental and artifact nonverbal communication affect you?

Friday - Thursday (3/3): Comment on group member’s webpages in the Unit Four Webpage Comments forum. Answer the following questions for each of your group member’s webpages:

1. First check your group members’ webpages to be sure they have:

• Answered all parts of the assignment;
• Supported their answers with specifics;
• Written for the web: bullet points, headings, phrases – not sentences and/or paragraphs;
• Post helpful suggestions for anyone who you feel could probably improve his/her answer before I grade the webpage

2. Then, choose one person who you feel “taught” you something about this unit’s concepts – what did that person teach you with his/her website? Why does learning about that concept matter?

Friday (3/4): Final revisions are completed to your webpage.

Thursday - Sunday (3/6): Debate final answers for case study in Unit Four Debate Discussion Forum (see Units page for information on Debating Final Answers).

Web Resources/Links:

* Words Can Heal:
Words Can Heal is a national campaign to eliminate verbal violence, curb gossip, and promote the healing power of words in all relationships..

* Spot the Fake Smile:
An online experiment based on the work of Paul Ekman.