The Lens I Look Through

 

05-22-2025    

Stephen Gomez

   Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. ' – Helen Keller. I really want to believe this quote every time I’m about to work on a group project. But honestly there is always some type of doubt or skepticism not really knowing how it’s going to go. Will everyone pull their weight, and will it be done in time. The uncertainty can sometimes give off some type of excitement. But to me the best part about it all is when everything just clicks together, everyone does their part and then everything runs like a smooth train and deadlines are met.

I enjoyed out topic and specifically the section I was able to cover for many reasons but the entire group presentation was honestly  nicely put and organized. Our topic got me thinking on how I would be able to bring in what I’m learning to my everyday life. Managing a team is not always as easy as it sounds. Sometimes it’s communication and sometimes it just lets people feel and know they are being heard. But when it works, then you know it works as the outcome and results can be surprising in a good way.

In my group you could feel the energy with people stepping and trying to lead, making sure everyone is on the same page and able to finish what needs to be done.

Chapter 3 Intercultural communication                                                     

"To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world." Tony Robbins

So, with this chapter the presentation that was giving was very informative and very nicely detailed within all the slides. What is ever better is they tried to explain in their own tone making it easy to be following along. It was better than just a bunch of words slapped on a slide making the audience do the reading, which most times lose the message.

Let’s be honest, meeting new people from different backgrounds can feel very awkward sometimes. Like not knowing what gestures could be offensive or what words can also be taken in an offensive manner. The way group one was able to deliver their message was very clear and now I wonder why I never investigated these things at a younger age.

It is important to know how each culture can play an impacting role on how everything else is shaped around it. What I found extremely fascinated about was the different hand gestures used by other cultures that have different meanings and symbolize different things. Although this is something I already knew it still inspires me as this is the form of communication for a lot of people.

Moving on to the next group they were present chapter 9 which is “Communicating in groups”.

The art of communication is the language of leadership." — James Humes

This quote to me seems a bit more powerful than the words can give off. Being part of an effective group, the most beneficial tool one can have is communication. Being able to get a message or point across in a timely manner is vital and key. Not everyone can be on the same timeline as everyone in the group but being able to communicate and make sure everyone has an idea of what to do can make all the difference in the world.

Group 2 was able to break down the importance of being able to communicate in groups and the breakdown of what each group might face with there being a lot of people. Working at first you can see there were people trying to lead and at the same time they were trying not to step on each other’s toes. Being able to hold a meeting to clarify things before the presentation helped. Communication is extremely important in every aspect of life and within the groups you will always go though patches of growth as a group.

 Everything will not be peaches and cream when it comes to working in groups. There will always be some form of conflict and although it might be in a vicious way it could disrupt the group created. Which would then lead me to the third chapter covered within this presentation “Leadership and problem solving”.

In chapter 10, which I believe fits in perfectly with the previous chapter.

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." — Phil Jackson. This one is a good quote in means of stating being a leader is not all about you but the people around you. It also implies the importance of shared leadership and collaboration with the group. Within the group you can feel the energy of people trying to reach out and lead everyone to the end point.

This chapter dived into the different forms of leadership and the important roles they each carried out, as I also can say my group some great examples of each type of leadership.

Another important point taken from chapter 10 was the section on effective leadership in meetings. How to present a topic with visuals or short speeches on slide. There is a way to be effective and to simplify a complex situation. What I also enjoyed was the problem-solving methods that were given as well as I could see implemented within the group.

From this chapter I could take things the way and try to use them when going about things. From communicating with group members to being able to be evaluated and being able to build on the criticism

Overall, I can easily say this group project was fun. To mention the amount of time to get it done was also a task. For most working in groups with others for the first time can feel overwhelming, but once you start the project and notice how everyone agenda always has the same destination it is cool. Everyone played a role and an important part of this group and at the end of the day the job was done. "Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." — Henry Ford

I would like to close by saying communication begins with self awareness and it grows through the meaningful interaction with others to be only tested by means of how we handle different conflict, It is important to know the way you see yourself can affect your interaction with others. In the end is all about understanding listening and willing to grow.