Final Week

(Regarding Chapter 13) Which of the research methods listed in Table 13.3 seem the most interesting? Assume you want to study some aspect of deception. Frame a research question. Which method would you choose to answer the question. Why?

I really like the "ethnography" research method, because it relies heavily on up-close personal experience and sometimes participation, so the research is not limited to strictly observation. This research relies on documentation, interviews and observation to gather its results. It's a great way to tap the local points of view as it tells you right away what you need to know, because the source of information is the people living there and not documents written by somebody.

Formulated question:

Name a situation where you had to deceive somebody in order to make the situation better? I would use qualitative research to gather the data needed, because this allows you to use surveys and then you can ask a lot of open-ended questions to find out what you are looking for.

Final Week

2). What concept/s in this class have you found most interesting? What was it about that concept/s that you found interesting?

I really found the concept of "perception" to be quite intriguing. Being that it is one of the oldest fields in psychology, we are still having trouble explaining that field and how to correctly perceive a person.

There are different types of perception that I learned: Phenomenal based strictly on observation and psychological. I also learned that there's passive perception, which is making thoughts about something or somebody based on your surroundings. I would also like to learn more about the brain and what really occurs inside as we are making perceptions about people and or things. Another goal of mine is to learn about the speed that we tend to perceive things.

Week of 5/10-5/13

3). Pick one other concept in the book that you feel needs further discussion?

One concept that needs further discussion is the concept of "self-disclosure." Many people struggle with that concept, because it is hard to judge how a person will feel when we tell them something personal. Often we feel that we can tell that person anything that is on our minds, but sometimes we get a reaction from them that we were not expecting.

Often they will not return the favor of self-disclosing to us, and this makes us feel like we were cheated of their honesty. Perhaps if people knew how to best measure when and what to disclose, they would not struggle with this concept as much.

Interesting concept of the week

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that we have not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

I really found the concept of "need gratification" interesting. It talks about why do receivers (people) turn to the media in the first place. According to many theorists who argue that they do so in order to fulfill preexisting needs. The author says, "uses and gratifications research focuses on the needs that motivate media consumers."

Receivers know what they need and they go about getting it. Another example woiuld be the research done by Herta Herzog who wanted to see why women turn to soap operas. Herzog determined that listeners used the soaps for emotional release, fantasy escape and used the show for advice with their own problems.

I never really thought about why people watch and listen to media; I always thought it was for pure entertainment only, but clearly there are some psychological factors involved in it.

Marshall McLuhan's medium

2). Do you agree with Marshall McLuhan that the medium is the message, i.e. that the format or logic of a medium is as important as its content and, in fact, determines what content will be broadcast through that channel? Evaluate his idea that television is a cool medium.

I would have to agree with Mr. McLuhan that the medium is the "message meaning that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived." He's pretty much saying that the media itself and not the content, should be the focus of the study.

The medium has a great impact on the society, mainly by how it is delivered i.e. television, radio, internet, and all the characteristics that are tied to it.

I also agree with Mr. McLuhan in regards that the television doesn't have a big impact on the society, as with television one has to watch it over and over again in order to have an impact on the brain. He also says that people just fill in details when watching a movie, thus it is much harder to be really affected when watching television.

This begs the question: Do kids then really get affected by watching violent programs, or is this what the government is trying to sensor?

April 29th - May 2

1). Have you made friendships that exist exclusively in cyberspace? If so, how are they different from f2f relationships? If you have not formed cyber relationships, why not?


I have not made any friends in cyberspace, because I always felt that face to face friendships are more valuable and one's time should be invested in f2f relationships only.

Cyberspace relationships do have a chance to be genuine and real, but most of the times people are often playing a character on the web in order to make themselves more desirable.

Having a cyberspace relationship allows the person to avoid a lot of akward and or emotional situations that come with being in a f2f relationship. They can choose when and how they will respond to a message and don't have to be put on a spot or think fast. You can also save a relationship via text messaging. The problem is that with cyberspace relationships, people don't get to interact the way we were born to do. There are no facial expresions, no body language to convey how one feels about the other person and that is an important part of human interaction.

It is scary to think what kind of contact we will have between each other in the years to come, because of the technological advances that are coming.

Week of April 19-25

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading (not already discussed for this week) that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

I really liked the concept of "Developing Professionalism at the Organization." I agree with the author that co-workers are not at work to become best of friends or friends at all, but it is required of them to get along in a professional matter in order to complete a task each and every day.

I work at a professional organizational and there have been instances where I saw that professionalism should be encouraged at this company more than it is already. People are people at the end of the day and we all have emotions which come out sometimes, but for the most part employees at my company do their best to put aside their personal thoughts and differences and come together to achieve a common goal of completing the work.

Week of April 19-25

2). Review the etiquette rules suggested in the text. Respond to each one. Have you ever been bothered by cell phone, answering machines, or beepers? What do you feel about call waiting? Is it rude to put people on hold to take another call?

Cell Phone/Answering machine interruptions are almost like a standard of life at the moment. It's truly amazing how much time people spend on their cellphones and they talk on it at the most inappropriate times. I was in a grocery store and the line was rather long, but one individual decided that this does not matter as he had a started a full on conversation while the cashier was trying to communicate with him.

It is also very annoying when students use their phones in the library, because this is very disrespectful and disruptive to everybody else in there. It's very rude when people don't hang up in situations when it is necessary to do that. Places like the library, grocery stores, and other public high-traffic places are designed to either be quiet or get in and get out quickly in order for business to move smoothly. It was not designed for people to have personal agendas completed on somebody else's time.

Call waiting is a great invention that is very useful when used appropriately. For example, putting somebody on a call hold for 30 seconds maximum is all right, but doing it beyond that is not. It is best to simply ignore the second call one is receiving, and then go ahead and call the other person after you are done with the first conversation. Most likely you will be thinking about the first person you placed on hold and that way you will not be attentive to the second caller and what they have to say. Again, it is a great invention if used properly, but too often it is not used the way it was intended.

Week of April 19-25

1). How are organizations tied to the environment? What is the relationship between the school you attend and the city or town in which it is situated? What, if any, ethical obligations does an organization like a college or university have to the local community?

Each and every organization that we experience is tied to the ennvironment in a number of ways. For instance, using the environment's resources, disposing trash into the environment, or simply creating a distinct culture within a specific community.

The school that I attend has a significant relationship with the city of San Jose. The school is responsible for creaitng jobs within the city, stores being built around it, and putting up cultural events that many people from the whole area attend.

The ethical obligation the school has within a community is to make sure that the area of the surrounding is as safe as possible. College students pose a huge danger ot the city as a lot of times alcohol is involved and friends from different area might show up at different events creating potential danger. A metropolian area like San Jose has a lot of residents that move around downtown and it is vital that they are safe at all times.

Week 13: Question 2 - Filtering system

We tend to use filters in order to judge somebody and how close we would like to be to that person. Steve Duck identifies the four filters that he theorize people use:
sociological or incidental cues
pre-interaction cues
interaction, and finally
the cognitive cues

I have a good amount of filters that I use when it comes to romantic partners. I have to be attracted to the person so pre-interaction cues are a part of it. How a woman behaves with her friends and in general while in a public place is another pre-interaction cue that I use in order to weed out possible partners. Interaction cues such as: whether the person has goals and ambition in life, family oriented, etc. help me decide if I would like to persue this person for a long-term relationship.

I have also used sociological and or incidental cues to end a relationship. I was with someone who grow up on a very different economical status than myself plus they lived in a different city and this put a lot of strain on our relationship. I did not see a future with us so I felt that it was better to end the relationship for both of our sakes.

Until next time,

Week 13 discussion

1). Which pattern (rigid complementarity, competitive symmetry, or submissive symmetry) do you think would be the most difficult to change? Why? Which would be the most damaging to a relationship? Which would be the most potentially damaging to the self-esteem of the individuals involved?

Rigid complementarity is the most difficult pattern to change especially in a relationship. One parter will always have to be submissive, while the other partner chooses to make all the decisions on important things in life.

It's very difficult to change this, because people have distinct personalities and we know that personalities are a part of us so losing that part would be near impossible. Imagine being in a situation where you are the person that has to agree to everything the other person says; while it may be okay at first, but over time the submissive person will develop resentment towards their signficant other and eventually they will leave the relationship.

The pattern that may be the most damaging to a self-esteem would be the submissive symmetry, simple because the person being submissive of the other will over time feel that they are not worthy enough or not intelligent enought to take the lead in the present or future relationships. Like in everythign in life, moderation and balance is the key to a succesfull life and or relationships.

Week 12 posting

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that we have no already discussed, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.

I thought the concept of self-disclosure was really beneficial in understanding how healthy relationships work. I learned that certain guidelines have to be met in order for self-disclosure to really work. This means that both persons have to disclose information about each other and not just one individual to be the single voice. I have a friend that discloses way too much information to people she just met, and she would get upset each time the other person would not disclose the same amount of information to her. I explained that people are not comfortable with quick intimacy of information right off the bat, and that that sort of information has its appropriate time and place in order for it to go well and to get the same reciprocation.

One should be careful and understanding when and to whom to self-disclose, because it might change the relationship forever. I learned how to respond to other's disclosures. Most people tend to nod and then offer advice and or make a judgement about what should be done. I found out that people don't always want you to offer your own two cents, instead more often than not people want somebody to listen to them, maybe probe the situation more or make reflective statements for the other person.

Question 2 - March 29th week

2). Do you believe in the rationality, perfectibility, and mutability premises? What social institutions and practices are based on these beliefs?

I definitively believe in rationality, perfectibility, and mutability premises. Through rationality, people are fully capable of logical judgement; Through perfectibility, people can become better individuals by practicing better control and putting effort in improving themselves. Finally, through mutability premises, people can alter or even completely change by changing their environments.

For instance, by becoming more educated about a certain situation or a topic we can make a rational decision that will benefit us in the long-run.

I was always told to keep my emotions in check and use logic when making decisions in order to save me a lot of heartache and problems in my life. I agree that you always want to follow your heart when making some decisions, but ultimately one should use logic to make an educated guess and or life altering decisions.

Speaking about mutability, people that came from different cultures and or environments and then settled into a new one will have changed for the better or worse almost all of the time. Speaking personally, I came from a country (Bosnia) that was war torn and thus my goals might have been a bit different than they are now. I have been living in the US for 12 years now and when I think about the future, the sky is the limit. We are all a product of our environment and the type of situation that is around us will have an impact on the way we talk, dress and think.

Week of March 29th

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed during this discussion week, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.

I found the concept of "culture and goals" very interesting, because I had the privilege of growing up in two very different cultures and experienced it first hand. Back in Bosnia, teenagers believe that their hard work will usually not pay off, because they will be met with another hardship or another person that has a family with more money than theirs will become more successful.

In United States, kids definitively have more optimism about their future and they are thought to think they can be whatever they want and aspire. In countries where there are far less resources, kids are more timid and self-aware of their surroundings and know their own limitations, where as kids here are more self-free about their future.

To most people Americans are too ambitious and that even shows in popular slogans such as: "Just Do It" or "No Pain, No Gain" which is normal to us, but to people in other countries this might be absurd and going over the line with pushing people over their limits.

Misreading nonverbal signs

1). Because nonverbal messages can be ambiguous, they are open to misinterpretation. Have you ever been wrong about the meaning of someones nonverbal message? Describe what happened. How can people increase the accuracy with which they interpret nonverbal message?

I have a tendency to be really blunt when somebody is trying to give me nonverbal signs, because misreading them can lead to rather interesting situations.

There were a few times when I misread what a friend was trying to say, because their body language gave off a different meaning. For instance, a few years ago I was an emcee at an event and I was picking out people from the crowd to sign on stage. A woman seemed really excited at this notion, and gave all the nonverbal cues to pick her, but when I did pick her she seemed really upset. I learned after that her smiling at me was her way of being excited at the event itself and not a sign to pick her.

I feel that there are different ways one can improve in reading nonverbal messages by paying attention to what the person is trying to say, thinking before speaking, pay attention to your voice of tone and how they respond to it, and finally practice and practice reading nonverbal signs.

Taking all that into consideration, I still feel that people can and will misread nonverbal messages all the time, simply because we are programmed to be verbal first and every other communication method is secondary.

Nonverbal messages - examples

2). Although nonverbal messages are more universal than verbal messages, nonverbals do not always carry the same meanings in other cultures. Can you give examples of some of the nonverbal displays that take on different meanings in other countries? If you have moved around within this country, have you ever encountered regional differences in nonverbal meaning?

In United States, most people from kids to adults at one point in their day have their hands in their pockets for whatever reason; In Turkey this is considered very rude, as is sitting with your legs crossed.

Many Asian countries frown upon showing facial expressions, where as in United States this is cherished and often encouraged.

For instance, in many countries when one is in a grocery store and if the cashier is to accidently touch your hand while handing you the change it is considered perfectly fine; In Korea, members of the opposite sex avoid touching strangers, and that is considered a norm. In addition, in some Islamic countries it is perfectly fine for two men to hold hands, while in the US this would draw a lot of strange looks from other people if they did it in public.

Week of March 8-14

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed this week, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

I found the concept of trying to figure out what nonverbal messages mean very interesting. The book covers the first layer of nonverbal messages, but I actually have the book called "Definitive Book of Body Languages" which carefully explains and illustrates what each body stance means and how we can better understand people by knowing what they're saying when they're not saying anything verbally.

I am far from an expert in body languages and I am not sure how correct the data is, but it does seem to explain a lot of things and why people do and act certain ways.

I am able to say things to people and they immediately agree with me, because I've determined from their body language what they need and or want.

For instance, when somebody has their hands clasped behind their back, it usually means that the person is frustrated and or angry; Or when somebody is tugging on their hair or biting their fingernails, it can be a really dirty habit, but it can also mean that the person lacks self-confidence and thus he/she is nervous.

Question 1 - 3/1-3-7

1). Is it possible to perceive others without, in some way, judging or categorizing them? If so, how? If not, how can we make the judgments we do make, more fair?

Based on my life experiences, it is not possible to perceive others without judging or categorizing them somehow. It is in our DNA to always categorize things and or judge them and there is no way around it.

There are different forms of judging and or categorizing especially when it comes to human beings. The key is to judge people based off of their character, their values, integrity and so on, and not make snap judgements based on how much money they have, what kind of car they drive, etc.

First impressions are a form of judgements, and it is virtually impossible to not think of something or say something when you first meet somebody. We are not robots after all, and we are constantly thinking, analyzing and interpreting things in our lives.

3-1/3-7

2). Do you agree that men and women use language differently? In what areas?

Men's conversation styles differ very much from women. Society has always thought women to always act "lady like" and women do tend to stress intimacy and connection within their language styles; where as men focus on autonomy and individual achievement.

Men also get away with a lot more than women when speaking. For instance, if a man says something outrageous and obnoxious, most people will brush it off and say, "boys will be boys,' but if a women says the same thing people will judge her and give her a hard time because of what she said.

It also comes down to gender expectations, because raising a boy is different than raising a little girl. Boys are encouraged to tease, play freely and compete, where as girls tend to interact in smaller group. This also separates men and women in the long run and how we use language. For example, men will often hear a another man's problem and will either: poke fun at it, down play it, or give a straight forward advice and I can definitively attest to experiencing all three. Women will often connect with the other person by sharing her own troubles.

Men also focus a lot on achievements when sharing stories to one another, where as women tend to share stories where they violated social rules and that made them look bad. Women are very much more detailed than men when describing a story or an object and women do use more qualifiers than men such as (kind of , somewhat, etc). Girls and women do laugh more than men, but men do incorporate more jokes into their language. Men also discourage conversation by responding to somebody with: "I see" or "Right." A woman will encourage conversation by responding with, "Hmm, I see."

March 1-7

3). Pick one concept from the assigned readings, other than what has already been discussed this week, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

I thought the chapter on "Listening" was an excellent one. While it was a lot of information that I was somewhat familiar with, there was one concept that was more interesting that others. The concept of "Improving Interpretation" meant a lot to me, because knowing how to interpret a message properly will go a long way in one's success in life both professional and personally.

Author Sarah Trenholm writes, "The more you know about a topic, the easier it will be to process information about it. If you can identify a speaker's purpose.....it will be a great deal easier for you to interpret the presentation correctly." (54)

After all, communication is the key to any healthy relationship but I feel that listening is the key factor and it's a concept that both partners need to understand and implement.

I always thought I knew how to "listen" but I didn't have enough of skills to do it effectively. The use of encouraging words such as "I see" or "Right" are very important, because this lets the other person know that we are actually paying attention to what they have to.

I also found it useful to make sure that I use the right type of body language when I am listening. For example, if in a serious situation such as a class, job presentation, etc. I would be in a relaxed posture but with my head nodding and direct eye contact on the person giving the lecture.

I also learned not to disrupt other speakers or do actions such as: interrogate the speaker, question the speaker time after time, being judgmental, and or changing of the subject.

Best/Worst Speaker

1). Have you ever been influenced by a speaker? Think of the best speaker you've ever heard. What was it about that speaker that made his or her communication memorable? Think of the worst speaker you've ever heard. What do you remember about his or her message?

The best speaker I have ever heard was actually a professor at San Jose State. Professor Stephen Corio not only has a distinctive speaking style, but his credentials make anything he says credible.

He has over 25 years of experience in marketing, sales and consulting, but his biggest passion is helping young people advance in their careers and teach them everything he knows.

What set him apart from any other speaker I've heard is that he often uses his experiences in order to get his point across, rather than dry facts. In addition to that, he has great charisma when speaking which makes his speeches very fun to listen to.

Worst speaker I've heard is one of my former managers. Her speaking style was very different than anything I have ever experienced. She didn't know the right way to criticize somebody, which made employees feel unappreciated and unmotivated. I remember all her messages were somehow always centered around her which was odd.

What makes a great speaker?

2). Consider a well-known speaker, for example, the current President of the United States. What is the speaker's strongest characteristics as a speaker? Is it credibility, attractiveness, power or all three? In what ways could the speaker build ethos in these areas?

A great speaker once famously said, "If you observe nature at work, you will marvel at the intelligence contained within it. Fish don't try and swim, they just swim. Flowers don't try and bloom, they just bloom. Birds don't try to fly, they just fly."

This is the same with great speakers; they don't try to give a great speech, they just do. Simply put, a great speaker is not shy or ashamed to use his/her qualities to their benefit in order to capture the audience's full attention.

President Barack Obama has great memory along with great self-esteem when he is speaking to a large audience. One can easily tell that Barack Obama fully believes in what he is saying and then that makes you a believer as well.

Liberman, a linguistics professor at the University of Pennsylvania says, "the most distinctive thing about Obama’s speeches isn’t the delivery, but the lyricism in the writing."

Like John F. Kennedy and Dr. King, Obama has a way of making a point of his speech hit home with every member in the audience. All three speakers are very articulate, have good voice and are effective at delivering their respected messages.

Great speakers can use credibility and that way create ethos, because by them delivering messages that are facts and truth, they will also be moral speakers.

Feb. 15-21

3.) Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it. (Choose a topic that has not already been covered in this weeks discussion).

One concept that I found rather intriguing was that "attractiveness" of a speaker makes a huge difference whether the audience will respond in a positive way.

McGuide divides attractiveness into four major dimensions: familiarity, similarity, physical attractiveness, and liking. A perfect example of this was when during the presidential campaign, political and psychological experts were saying that Obama's looks and likability played a major advantage over John McCain who looked rather dull and non-attractive to the younger audience.

This concept also shattered my longtime beliefs that repeating something often will get an audience bored and turned off. Robert Zajonc talks about mere-exposure hypothesis, which basically is an idea of "simple repeated exposure to a stimulus" results in an attraction. In other words, the more times something is exposed to an audience, the better chances of them liking or accepting it.

The findings also suggest that since it takes time for new ideas to get comfortable with the audience, it is better then to let know about it frequently so it gets embedded in their brain.

Social constructionist perspective

This particular perspective puts the most emphasis on the importance of context as well as culture and understanding what occurs in society as well as getting knowledge about the society.

The author speaks of building "worlds" through communication and that statement is absolutely true. There are so many different cultures and languages and by gaining common ground with people from different cultures, we build relationships which in turn helps make the planet better by making business deals and having people connect with each other.

The best example of different languages in different cultures would be the teenagers and the language of "slang." A kid in Boston speaks English just like I do, but he/she will recite some of their slang, and I might not know a word they just said, where as I might do the same and they might or might not understand me. Another example would be my father and how he uses different type of language in different type of situations. When he is in situations that need focus and his undivided attention, he can come off as very strict to a point where he should teach military, but when one gets to know him outside of his professional realm, he is very charismatic and very open to new ideas and or things.

The only thing I will have to disagree with in this view is that the author said that our life is shaped through world communication, and not our life experiences. Personally, everything that I have experienced good and bad has directly shaped who I am. Yes, communication had a big part in terms of knowing how and when to communicate to different people and in different situations, but the life experiences that a person goes through is something that shapes him/her.

In addition to that, in United States people are though that it's perfectly okay to question authority and if one doesn't, he/she is lacking a skill. In a continent like Europe, younger generation especially is thought not to ever question authority, but rather try to work together towards achieving whatever that might be.

Pragmatic perspective

2.)

Consider the pragmatic perspective. Does it make sense to think of communication as patterned interaction? How is communication like a game? How is it different from a game?

I definitively agree with the author as to think of communication as a chess game or a patterned interaction between people. For instance he says, "Each player is affected by what another player does. Players need each other if they are to play." (Pg. 34)

It is the same in the world of communication; a person simply cannot be a sender, without someone to be a receiver, therefore it is impossible for one person to receive the message without the other person sending the message.

According to the pragmatic perspective, "We cannot not communicate." If somebody promises to do something for you, and he/she fails to do that then their actions speak louder than their words to so speak. You then realize that that person does not want to have a healthy relationship.

The author says, "Communication resembles a game in that both result in interdependent outcomes, or payoffs." To further explain this, in a game of basketball for instance, the payoff is the thrill of winning or the agony of defeat. Communication has payoffs as well and they range in categories from: competitive or cooperative. Being mean to people or putting them down usually is a competitive communication that is not healthy, but getting to know somebody is a cooperative communication. A game can also be played as a team working together to achieve a goal, or when the communication s competitive, the game is usually filled with a group of individuals trying to get their name to shine.

It is also far different than a game, because of several important factors. The author says, "What happens outside the world o fthe game is never considered. Who the players are, where the game is played, and what other players are doing are all irrelevant questions." Most of us know that knowing the answers to these questions is very crucial in any type of game. Knowing the location and or who your opponents are will solve many problems before they happen.

Ch 2 Responses

3) Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

I found elements of a psychological model to be really interesting. Part of the reason is that we use this model on daily basis and trying to perfect it is a life-long process.

I send out an encoded message that travels along a channel, its medium of transmission, until it reaches its destination. Upon receiving the message, my friend then decodes it and decides how he will reply. The fascinating part about this model is that the messages that are being transmitted back and forth travel through mental sets. A mental set is person's beliefs, values and morals, thus is the reason we often have mis-understandings in real-life.

The example that the book gave was really funny, yet very insightful. Professor Smith is trying very hard to give an intelligent lecture that sometimes does seem filled with noise distractions. He struggles to find a medium, meaning he wants all of his students to be excited by the lecture and understand it, but so far only the prepared students understand the words, while the less-prepared pupils are cruising along and the words fly over their heads.

Like most of us, sometimes we succeed in getting our point across and sometimes no matter how hard we try to make what we say perfectly understandable, the other person is not able to decode it.

Interesting Concept

*3). Pick one concept from the reading assignment this week (Ch.1) that you found interesting or useful and and discuss it.

The styles that each picker can choose to have was very interesting. One has to select proper words to speak his/her message to their audience. The vigorous style for instance was based on pathos, because it literally "pulled out all stops."

This type of speech delivery is emotional and eloquent at the same time. This style was often mistrusted and speakers or students of communication were advised not to use this style without elements of other two styles which are plain and middle style.

Style is only 1/5th of elements of a rhetoric and that makes the thought of giving an amazing speech that much harder. Speaker has to have invention, style, arrangement, memory and the great delivery in order to express his ideas to the audience.

I definitively will start developing my own unique style when making presentations/speeches in front of an audience. It is a great way to be remembered and stand out from the crowd.

Orator and morals.

*2). The Greeks believed that to be an orator, an individual had to be morally good. Comment on whether you agree or disagree. What, if any, is the connection between goodness, truth, and public communication?

Orators tend to have special power when it comes to influencing people into action, thus it only makes sense that in order to be an orator one has to have good morals. With this power comes big responsibility, and a good orator has to know how to use his/her abilities.

If an individual is immoral, the audience will receive false information along with immoral unethical thoughts and or ideas.

For example, German's leader Adolf Hitler was an amazing speaker as he had an uncanny ability to get a rise out of people like nobody else. People trusted him, because they thought he was leading them into the right direction. The individual has to have good moral intentions in order for the audience to be influenced by an ethical person.

There is an absolute connection between goodness, truth and public communication as all three follow each other and if one is out of place, the speaker along with the speech is no longer credible. If a speaker has goodness, but yet he/she lies while on the stage that speaker is longer commanding of attention. It only takes one time to say something morally wrong or lie to the audience and usually the relationship is over between the speaker and audience.

Let's talk about great speakers.

*1). Think of a speaker you admire. Does his or her power to persuade come from ethos, pathos, or logos? Think about your own ability to persuade others. What personal qualities do you have that make you persuasive? Does Aristotle's classification scheme work for them, or do they fit into another category?


After pondering for quite some time thinking of one person that really stood out in my eyes, I decided that one speaker that I admire is my mother. Her power to persuade everyone in our family and people that she comes in contact daily comes from power of Pathos.

She has this amazing ability to create an emotional bond with the person she is sharing a conversation with. She is always herself no matter who she speaks to and people love that. My mother also has a different style than most people when she speaks. She's very bold, yet funny and then finishes the conversation by challenging the other person. Case in example: I had a rough day in school and she sat there and listened to about 15 minutes of rambling and frustration. She then said something hillarious and then she challenged me to think about what I will do different the next time a similar situation arises, but not to dwell on it too much because the greatest thing about being alive is that we have a brand new day tomorrow to start new.

My mother is naturally a very positive person and she radiates that whenever one is around her. I read somewhere that people rarely listen to instructions when the plane is ready to take off, but they are all ears when the plane is about to crash. My mother has that rare ability to have people pay attention to the solutions that she proposes.

Both of my parents are very passionate people, especially when they speak. I'd like to think that I inherited some of their qualities as I have a pretty good ability to make people follow my lead when situations to lead arise. Having arguments with people is actually healthy, but it is also very important not to put people down during arguments. The adrenaline is already high and it's not a great idea to over-heat it. I try to stay patient during arguments and then offer a logical and positive solution to a question. It is much easier to be persuasive if one is engaging, positive and logical.

Aristotle's classification definitively fits my mother and she identifies with his "Rhetoric triangle." We always tell her that she would've made a great adveristing manager since commercials play to people's emotions.

Let me introduce myself.....

Originally from Zagreb, Croatia and came to USA in 1997. I am studying marketing so naturally communication studies as a minor was the thing to take. After taking a few classes, I am realizing how comm can help me not just in school, but in my daily interactions at work, home and or playground.

I hope the semester is exciting, challenging and rewarding. I look forward to interacting with everybody as well as providing and receving help when needed.

This is it for now.

Cao,

Laris