The group I chose to observe was the Christian Family Movement of a local church. I chose this group because my parents have always had acquaintances in these types of groups but have never joined. It’s interesting to me because I don’t really understand the pint or what the big deal was about. In my mind it was just about meetings where people critique each other, talk behind each others back, and pretend to be Godly.
In the process of observing the group, I had stereotypes and expected certain behavior. It was useful because I sort of knew what to expect, but at the same time I was open to what actually occurred during the meeting. In observing the group, interesting topics discussed in class arose and I was able to comprehend and pin point important concepts but the most interesting thing that occurred was the post interview I had with the leaders of the group. I was amazed by how the leader thought and how she, without ever studying communication formally, was so in tune with many topics that we discussed in class. I imagine that the courses she took in order to be the leader of the group taught them to observe non verbal cues and how to lead by example, but I was shocked by the things she was saying.
This assignment taught me to be more in tune with my own communication and how I work within groups, not only in school but at work. Proper communication within groups are essential and by observing this group I was inspired.
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Hi Mia,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to start out by saying great post. I like how you clearly explained your group observation project, from beginning to end. I think many of us had stereotypes about what to expect when doing this project. I think that's why this project was assigned to us, to give us a view outside of our realm of knowledge. I too find it interesting that the leader understood what the project was about. I would have expected that the leader would not have been familiar with our topics. Their training could very well have taught them to recognize different forms of verbal and non-verbal communication. It’s interesting to see how we learn when we expect not to.
Good post,
Henry