Semester Wrap-Up

Although I took this class just as an elective I feel like it was a really worth while. Small group communication is something a person in every profession will have to use. I know that many of my classes, in both engineering and technology, have included small group project. Personally I wish that I had taken this class a lot earlier in my college career. All the topics discussed in that class I can relate to. Also after going through many job interviews I realized that topics in this class are very important to employers. In fact, many of the interviews for engineering internships I have applied for focused more on my communication skills and teamwork than my technical knowledge. Things we have learned in this class such as group dynamics, leadership, setting goals, and creativity are skills that I will use for the rest of my life. Being able to apply these skills in this class has been a great learning experience. The service learning project was a great experience, not only in group work but working with a professional organization. Overall this class is teaching topics useful to everyone in every discipline, I am really glad I chose to take it.

-George Vauter

Almost Done

It seems crazy to think that the semester is almost over, but it is. As the last couple weeks are coming up, it's going to be busy. I'm just glad that the group project in this class is just about done. I wish it were the same for my other classes. It's been really nice working with this group. Thanks every body for not waiting until the last second to work on it.

-David Hoff

Another Look at Our Mission Statement

I was thinking about how well our group did this semester and how much fun we had at the Boys and Girls Club. Then I started to think about what we originally intended to do with this project, so I look at our mission statement.

Our Mission Statement

As a team we strive to efficiently and effectively complete our goal of service to the community while completing all class requirements. Our first responsibility is to uphold the standards of the team to achieve our goal. As a working group we will support our organization and team members with integrity and a willingness to do our part.

Looking back at this statement, I think we did a great job of fulfilling each part of our mission statement. We always stay on task at our meeting and use our time wisely. We were very efficient with our work and utilized everyone's skills and abilities effectively. I think we have completely all the class objective for our group. We received high grades on all our assignements and put forth a lot of effort on all our projects.
I think our team was held to very high standards and acted accordingly. We treated our service project with a strong attitude and acted professional with the Boys and Girls Club. We took advantage of the grant opportunity and put that money to good use. We upheld the standards of the team in all situations and achieved our goals. We came together as a group to support our organization and all member took responsibility for their parts. We kept to our mission statement to make our group successful in all our goals and conducted a great service learning project.

-By: Geroge Vauter

Accomplished Semester

After more than 10 weeks completed in the semester, it seems to have gone by very quickly. Because of this, it seems like we have not done much, but working on the final presentation for our group service project I have seen how much we have actually done. Jasmine told us our presentation had to be 40 minutes and this is the longest presentation I have ever had to do. Now that our group had rounded up the information we will need to cover, that will not be a problem.

Going back to the beginning of the project, we had an in depth proposal to our project. Then we had to make quite a few changes to get the project to be beneficial to all parties involved. Then when the day came, we ran into some challenges with the weather and time change at the last second. This has been a lot to do and will give us a lot of material for our presentation. While things have not been perfect for our group, it has gone well and we have managed to work our way through the challenges.

By: Ben Schnepp

Evolution of a Team

In reflecting on how our team has evolved I am very proud of us. We started out not know what to do or how our group should function, but we work together very well. In the begining we did often conform to group think in the essence of time. We have become much better at stating what we really think and how we feel. This was evident when we were working on our final presentation for our project. I remember when we put together our first presentation and it took quite awhile. That is because we didn't want to step on any one's toes so no one would make a decision or take charge.

Now we have fit into our leadership roles and people understand what is needed from them. We are a more efficient team and our work is higher quality. We see a challenge (like putting together a presentation) form a plan to get it done, and then go to work. We still don't do a lot of brainstorming but our ideas are still creative and sharp. Our group has worked well since the beginning and while we occasionally lose participation we work together even better. Our creativity comes from talking and joking until someone throughs out an idea, often as a joke but the whole group likes it and runs with it.

-Christy Penner

Leading by Example

"The best example of leadership, is leadership by example."
- Jerry McClain of Seattle, WA

I found this quote online are really liked it. I think it is a very true statement about leadership. When I thought about all the major leaders in my life I realized that many of the things they through me where through example. A really good example that supports this quote is professional athletes. Almost everyone I know, including myself, looks up to many professional athletes. People look at Tiger Woods and study his golf swing because they want to be able to hit the ball like him. Bret Farve is a leader for quarterbacks everywhere because he has set an incredible example of what is possible and many people strive to become as good as he is. Michael Jordan was a huge influence in professional basketball and became a leader to all his fans, teammates, and basketball players of all levels. People pay a lot of money to go see these athletes play and buy their jerseys or use the same brands of athletic equipment as they do. These athletic leaders make millions of dollars endorsing products because companies know people look up to these athletes and will follow the example they set. Many of these athletes associate with charity groups, and some pro's like Phil Mickelson, even start their own charity foundations. I think it is pretty interesting how much we can look up to someone we have never even met. Professional athletes will always be leaders in our society and there will always be fans that idolize these athletes.

By George Vauter

Why Learn About Leadership?

In class this past week, we learned about leadership and what it takes to be a leader. We learned how being a leader meant that you had to be able to assign tasks as well as get feedback from those you lead. This is very important because many times the people doing the work may know, or notice something that you do not. The leader must also be strong in front of the workers but not scare them.

The most important thing to do is to choose a leadership style that suites you best. In class we did several activities that allowed us as a group to evaluate each other. This is very important since we have been in our groups for two months now and have experience working with each other.

Finally, many ask why it is so important to be a good leader and the answer is simple. We are in school to get a higher education, and this education will put us into leadership positions. Every place we work will have a hierarchy of command and no one will want to be on the bottom of that, so we will need to lead at least some people. Class has but given us some tools to be leaders, when we get the chance to, we just need to use them.

By:Ben Schnepp

Can a Leader Wear a Skirt?

In class on Wednesday, November 18 we talked about leadership; what makes a good leader, what doesn’t, who we think are great leaders, and why that is. We also came to the striking conclusion that we did not mention one woman in our great leaders list. That made me starting think why as a society it is so easy to pick out men as strong leaders but not women.

My initial thoughts were because of the double standard and stereotype a woman will be shackled with as a strong leader. Good leaders are often described by masculine words such as aggressive, strong, determined, driven, and competitive. Growing up as a woman we are natural more nurturing, supporting, and caring. Look at the games we are told to play and the toys we are given as children. Boys play football, army men, and superheroes while girls play house, dress-up, and Barbie’s. If a woman in power tries to take on some of those masculine characteristics she is call cold, annoying, or impossible. She may be using the exact same strategies and language as a man in her same position but society would never judge a man so hard.

I do not want to come across as too harsh because there are several women in leadership positions and they are a great success. Ireland, Switzerland, Iceland, Argentina, Ukraine, and Lithuania are just a few countries that have a woman as the head of state. I think we are moving closer to an equilibrium, but until we can judge a leader by their skills and not which restroom they use will we reach our potential.

-Christy Penner

Americas Best Leader's 2009

US News and World Report listed these men as the top 5 leaders in America.

Ben Bernanke

Federal Reserve ChairmanCory Booker

MayorJohn Chambers

CEOYvon Chouinard

Environmentalist and CEOJohn Doerr

Venture Capitalist
As I read through the list of America's best leaders I tried to figure out what these people had in common. One thing I did notice is that the top five people listed are men. As I read further through the list though, I saw that three out of the top 10 leaders were women. I was not surprised to see that a majority of the leaders were men. I was actually surprised to see how many were women. It seems that today's corporate and political world is working to always promote equality between men and women. The next thing I found in common among these leaders is that they have done something that has affected the lives of others. Cory Booker has reduced the murder rate in New Jersey.

Yvon Chouindard donated 1% of profits to environmental groups. John Doerr is working towards to tackling global warming. These are all issues that affect large groups of people and have in impact on their everyday lives. Another thing I noticed was that theses leaders have in common is they took a risk. Some took a financial risk such as an investment and some took a personal risk such as running in an election. Obviously these people were successful in their risk taking otherwise they would not have been so successful. Although all these people are very different, they all have some similarities that have contributed to their success.

By George Vauter

creativity activities

I thought it was interesting how different groups went about the creativity activities in class. When our group went, everyone seemed to stick with realistic solutions. I was expecting everyone to just go crazy. But then when the other groups did their projects people started to really get into it. People really started to have fun and bend the rules to accomplish the goal. I think this goes to show how people are not used to being creative in school. It took a while for everybody to get into the creative mood. I think that this creative attitude is something that should be encouraged more often in education.

-David Hoff

More Creativity

As we finish the creativity portion of our class, it is easy to see that there are quite a few creative people in our class. The teacher did make a comment about doing the creativity exercise sooner in the semester to learn more about group members sooner in the semester.

I feel that we would learn more about our group members, but the product of the workshop would not be as creative if we did that. I say this because early in the semester, we were not as comfortable with our group members and our class. I feel that would cause people to not want to be as creative. Because first impressions are so important, especially to people our age, the students would not want to do anything that may cause a bad impression. This is why I believe this creativity workshop is better later in the semester where the results will be more creative.

By: Ben Schnepp

10 Steps for Boosting Creativity

This site has an interesting list of things to do in order to boost creativity.

1) Listen to music by Johann Sebastian Bach
2) Brainstorm
3) Always carry a small notebook and a pen or pencil around with you.
4) If you're stuck for an idea, open a dictionary, randomly select a word and then try to formulate ideas incorporating this word.
5) Define your problem
6) If you can't think, go for a walk.
7) Don't watch TV
8) Don't do drugs.
9) Read as much as you can about everything possible
10) Exercise your brain.

http://jpb.com/creative/creative.php

I thought that some of these things were very intriguing. For example, I thing one could make a good argument about whether watching TV increases creativity. I think this greatly depends on what you are watching. There are some TV shows out there where I think the writers are very creative and people can learn a lot from watching them. I also thought the idea about finding a word in the dictionary was very interesting. I have never heard of this before but its sounds like it could really increase your creative thinking. I know going for walks is a great way for me to let my mind wander and come up with ideas. I think this is a good list of ideas to try when in need of creative thinking. Although some ideas on the list are very obvious, we do not always resort to them when trying to be creative.

By George Vauter

How Did Our Egg Survive?

In Friday's class we did the experiment where using given supplies, the group must construct a container that will allow the egg to be dropped from a height of 8 ft and not break. This happens to be a common activity for engineers.

Our group knew there were two things that at least one but preferably both must be done for the egg to survive. They are the impact intensity needs to be reduced, and the force of the impact needs to be dissipated to away from the egg.

For good measure, we decided to do both. The container itself we made out of two cups. Putting slits in the bottom cup, allowed for the cup to crumple and absorb some of the shock. Also, for good measure we put shredded paper into the cup and this helped the egg not have to stop its momentum as sudden. And the last thing we did was attach a plastic bag to the top of the cups to act as a parachute. This slowed the decent of the contained so the impact was less intense. Thankfully we were successful and our egg did not break.

By: Ben Schnepp

Creativity Activities

I have really been enjoying com class recently. Since we started talking about creativity, it has been a lot of fun. I really enjoy trying to solve problems, but so often the way school is set up limits your options. It seems to be much safer to just go with the standard way of doing things. I think creativity is the thing that gets people excited about learning and often yields the best solutions to problems. I think a lack of creativity in schools is why I have pretty much hated school since around the second grade. You have to keep things interesting and give people a chance to do something their own way. It's the best way to learn. I would enjoy school if more classes had creative activities to do like the ones we are doing now in com 320.

-David Hoff

Constructive Criticism for Me

This past week we were put into new groups to solve a crisis. While working in this group a third party observed our interactions in the new group.

According to the person that evaluated me, I did a good job of keeping my group on topic. I was able to contribute and voice my opinion politely. In doing so, my group listened to me and took into consideration what I had to say.

There are several things I do need to work on though. I need to speak up more, be louder. Sitting up is very important and I need to work on doing so. This will allow my opinion to be more respected. A very big mistake I made was voicing that I did not want to be there. Hopefully with this criticism I will become a better group member.

By: Ben Schnepp

Creative Thinking

Ive been doing some research on creative thinking ideas for our group presentation. I found that one man, named Edward de Bono, is very famous for his work in creative thinking. He is said to be the worlds most famous creative thinking consultant. He has written over 62 books and has worked with governments and major organizations worldwide as a creativity teacher.
He is most famous for his idea of Lateral Thinking. He developed this idea in 1967 to describe the process of breaking out of the habitual patterns of linear thought. It encourages people to change their direction of thinking and to look at things in a totally new way. It also encourages people to reinterpret what you are looking at in fresh, original or humorous ways.
He is also known for his idea of the "Six Thinking Hats. designed as a practical user-friendly way of thinking creatively and effectively. This is a results-orientated method is in use in businesses and schools around the world. It is constantly being taught to people and organizations eager to make the most of their creative potential.
There is a lot more I could write about Edward de Bono, and there are many web pages and youtube videos about him. I would encourage everyone to look to some of his work for ideas on what could be used for a creativity seminary.

By George Vauter

Creative Time of Yer

Today is October 30, the eve of Halloween and creative minds are working overtime. Above are a few examples of what thinking outside the box means. For some it is nearly impossible to come up with a custom that has that much character but for others it just seems to flow. I tend to find myself on the more creative side and have found it to serve me well. While at times it takes me longer to get things accomplished because I want them to be done well and creatively the end results are great.

If you are among those "creatively challenged" our textbook offers a few suggestions to enhance creativity:

-Write the specific problem down (ex. what to be for Halloween)

-Acquire a "try anthing attitude"

-The wilder the ideas, the better

-Approach each idea positively and give it a fair trial

-Try to make your ideas workable

So if you are still having trouble coming up with a creative custom don't be afraid to just let your imagination run wild. Have an open mind and you may be surprised what you come up with.

Christy

Service Project

On Friday afternoon our group went to the Boys and Girls Club to do our project. It ended up going very well. We all had fun playing with the kids, and I think all the kids had fun too. No major problems came up, but it wasn't the best weather outside, so we played inside. It was a good thing we had taken the time to plan out what to do if we couldn't be outside. Playing dodgeball, basketball, and throwing a football around with the kids was a blast. It was great to see them all having fun being active.

-David Hoff

Pictures from Our Game Day

Sadly George was the first one out on this round of Simon Says.

Who needs Payton Manning when you have a quarterback like Zach and Ben covering as a center!

Touch your toes! Ben may just be doing some light stretching but Christy was ready to win this round of Simon Says.

We were able to buy the kids a new air hockey table.

Poster boys for the United Way!

What We've Been Waitng For

Friday, October 23 the day when we would see all our hard work pay off as we got to interact with the kids at the Boys and Girls Club. We all went in with our plan and what we expected to happen. Everyone knows we are the sports group who decided to share that passion with the children of Lafayette. However, on the blog today I'm going to share about what I hadn't expected that really made the afternoon great.

When we arrived we went to the gym to start setting up our first game and I volunteered to play a game with the kids that didn't want to play in the gym. Little did I know what I would be getting myself into. These kids were running around like crazy, talking over each other, and not being very agreeable. I got the kids together and really pumped up the idea of hide and seek. We played for a while and the kids still weren't real sure this was a cool enough game. So we switched to hiding a ping pong ball and playing the "hot and cold" game. The longer we played the more I realized it wasn't the game that mattered it was the fact that someone was showing an interest in them. We played "Simon Says" and "Red Light, Green Light" and the kids seemed to change right before my eyes. These crazy children were only acting that way because they wanted attention and to know someone cared about them

There are many examples I could share that assure me we accomplished our group mission of helping those in our community. One example is a little boy named Rylan. He was a first grader that thought he was a fifth grade champ. Rylan joined my group that was not playing games in the gym. I hadn't really noticed Rylan until all of a sudden he was standing in front of me on a couch and launched himself into my arms. I hugged him until it was time to go find the hidden ping-pong ball and from then on he was the sweetest little boy. He minded what I said and played every game with us. The second example child was a very shy little boy who joined my group later in the day. He never said much but his face would light up when we included him. Finally, as we were leaving to go home he tapped my arm and told me him got 3 A's and 2 B's on his report card. I was so proud of him even though I had only known him for an hour or two, but what a special little boy who just wanted someone to share his good news with.

Our group wondered why we didn't just collect cans or pick up garbage and I believe we now know why. I feel we did make a difference and I would love to go back and play with the kids again. It was only a few hours but I feel we did make an impact in the lives of lots of children.

Christy

Successful Day

Friday was our group's field day at the boys and girls club. It was very successful. The event was moved indoors because of the cold, wet weather.

First the kids wanted to play dodge ball, so we split them into two groups. There were a few who did not want to play, so we took them into the game room where they played games such as air hockey and ping pong. After awhile, we split the kids up to play knock out in the gym. This was a good change of pace for them.

Next, we set up a game of basketball. The kids loved this, and George did to. Once the basketball game was done, some of the kids started to go home, so we just let them have a free for all and play several games. Some of the kids played in the game room, and some played catch with a football. Christy got a hand full together and played Simon Says.

The Boys and Girls Club was very happy with the results and glad to get an air hockey table too.
By:Ben Schnepp

Conflict Resolution....and Our Groups Success

GOMO - Get Over It and Move On

http://www.execstrategies.com/Facilitator/ConflictResolutionStrategies.htm

I found this to be a really interesting conflict resolution strategy. It is one I like to use a lot. The first thing I always ask myself during a conflict is "Is this really worth arguing over." Often times I realize that it is really not worth it and its best for me to just accept it and move on. This is a great way to prevent a small little argument from turning into a big fight. The website calls it "It’s a powerful secret that needs telling for resolving daily conflicts." I think this is very true and a great way to make your day less stressful.

I also wanted to say that I thing our Field Day was a success....
I think that our Service Learning project went great. Everyone did an awesome job of playing with the kids and keeping them entertained. We definitely had a lot of obstacles throughout our project and many things changed by the club but I think everything turned out really well. Even though the weather didn't allow us to have the field day outside we were still able to carry out all our activities. I think we did a great job of allowing the kids to pick the activities they wanted to do play and really making the field day all about them having fun. It seemed like the kids really like having us there and the adults really appreciated having adults to interact with the kids. Overall I think that we worked great as a group and made it through all the conflicts that arose with no problem. Great job everyone.

By George Vauter

Almost Game Time

As the day of our project gets closer, I'm feeling good about the group. I think we are prepared to put on a great event for the kids at the boys and girls club. The plan is pretty much ready to go, and I think our group will handle any more challenges we find in stride. I'm excited for the actual event day to come so we can put the plan to the test. On tuesday we are going to visit the club and let the kids know what will be happening on event day. It feels like our work is about to pay off.

-David Hoff

How Does Starting 5 Solve Problems

The Starting 5 has had to make several decisions for the COM 320 class. Because the group is fairly small, we have been able to take a group consensus in our decision making. The problem is presented to the group and each person argues their opinion until the group decides what to do. The problem with this method, is many times it takes longer to make a decision. However, we choose to use this method because we feel it gets the best results.

There are times when one person's experiences or knowledge makes their opinion more influential to the group decision. It is not that person makes the decision, but that the group takes more consideration in the expert's argument. Up to this point in time, this method has worked to solve the group's problems. While this method may not work for all groups, it works for ours.
-By: Ben Schnepp

Survival of the Fittest....I lose

Moon walking, moon pies and moonshine, but surviving on the moon, I don't know about that. Our activity in class required us to rank items we needed to survive a crash on the moon. This activity showed just how important group work is for the Starting 5, especially the female member (me.) The scores we found are evidence that our group is stronger together than apart.

Scores:My Score- 60
Group Score- 15
Best individual score on our team- 28

As you can see if this game was survival of the fittest I'm not sure I would make it out alive. However, what is important is that when the five of us worked together our group succeeded. Even the strongest member of our team in this exercise was better off with the team score.

Our group worked together to create the list of supplies through a majority vote. At times we disagreed but we were good at discussing the pros and cons of each decision until we all came to an agreement. This is different than group think because it is not one person making decisions that everyone agrees with; it is our group deciding what is right and putting the good of the group ahead of what we think individually. Our process in problem solving involved us starting with an idea, discussing the issue, and finalizing our decision after everyone was heard to achieve our goal.

Needless to say I am grateful that my group taught me a bit about surviving a crash on the moon. Next time I fly through space though I will be sure to invite my team members!

Christy Penner

History on Fallacies

I like to think that I am a logicial thinker. Being in a very technical major I have to use logical thinking a lot. It is important that I am able to identify flaws in logic which is why I find fallicies so interesting. This week's post looks at some history of fallacies.

"Argumentum ad Hominem is a fallacy."

A "fallacy" is a mistake, and a "logical" fallacy is a mistake in reasoning. It is a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning in argumentation. By accident or design, fallacies may exploit emotional triggers in the listener, or take advantage of social relationships between people. Fallacious arguments are often structured using rhetorical patterns that obscure the logical argument, making fallacies more difficult to diagnose. Also, the components of the fallacy may be spread out over separate arguments.

Aristotle was the first formal logician. He was known for codifying the rules of correct reasoning and cataloging types of incorrect reasoning, namely, fallacies. He was both the first to name types of logical error, and the first to group them into categories.

However, Aristotle's teacher, Plato, deserves credit for being the first philosopher to collect examples of bad reasoning. Plato is known to have conduct important preliminary field work before naming and cataloging.

Fallacious arguments are sometimes called "sophisms" and bad reasoning "sophistry". Aristotle refers to a few of these examples as instances of his named fallacies.

http://www.fallacyfiles.org/

By George Vauter

Communication Within a Team

I just got home from a paintball tournament, and found it to be a good example of the importance of communication within a team. Through the first half of the tournament, our team was doing very well. We were playing against teams that weren't really much of a challenge, so we could just rely on individual ability to win. The second half of the tournament however, we were transferred to another division with better players. After a few games in the new division, it became clear that our team was missing something important. We weren't communicating very well. As a result, our actions were not well coordinated, and we performed poorly. The other teams all had predetermined ways of telling the other teams position to each other. This gave them much better awareness of what was going on all over the field and allowed them to coordinate plays. In the end we placed 5th, but I believe we could have done much better if we had used better communication. Hopefully this lesson will help us to play more like a real team next time.

David Hoff

Why our Group Made Rules

When our teacher explained to us that we had to make rules to govern our group I, like many other people questioned why. Now that I am at home for fall break I have witnessed first hand how hard communicating can be without rules. I am making plans to hang out with several of my friends, and without rules like checking emails and responding in a timely manor it has become more difficult to make plans. This has shown me the importance of doing those things when working in a group. In a group, good, timely communication is important to getting the work done and on time.

By: Ben Schnepp

Momma Said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZpDnXYIFjo

Maybe Momma should have said "watch your temper Bobby!" In this clip from the Waterboy starring Adam Sandler we see how a difference of opinion can lead to a bad situation. The professor continues to tell Bobby that he and his momma are wrong which heats Bobby up to his boiling point. Unfortunately, Bobby works out his frustrations in a very poor manner.

Had Bobby or the Professor taken COM320 instead of the animal class with a great view they would have learned about managing their emotions. There are five steps outlined in our book to help everyone learn to control their emotions:
1. Be aware of your anger level
2. Breathe
3. Use self-talk
4. Monitor your nonverbal messages
5. Avoid personal attacks

Both parties are guilty of not following these rules. The Professor was really using personal attacks and Bobby was clearly not aware of his anger level. The rest of these steps in managing your emotions were also thrown out the window. Thankfully we are all in COM320 and hopefully no one will be tackling our teacher!

Christy Penner

3rd Posting - Conflict Resolution

Mediation Vs. Arbitration?

http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jun/1/129206.html

I thought I would post about conflict resolution since that is our new topic in class. I have learned about conlfict resolution in another class I took and can remember taking about mediating a conflict versus being an arbitrator.

How are they the same?
Both mediation and arbitration use a third party to help solve a conflict. They are used to help facilitate the resolution process and avoid continuing conflict.

Whats the difference?
A mediator is a neutral third party that does not judge the situation or have a say in the outcome. The mediator is a facilitator, not a decision maker. They are simply there to help facilitate a discussion and eventual resolution of the dispute. Both parties in the conflict can speak freely to the mediator who will limit the issues and put them in perspective. A mediator can act as a way for people to get things off their chest and also benefit from hearing the other side of the arguement.

An arbitrator is more like a judge. They can make decisions about the arguments made by each party and decide who they feel is correct. Arbitration is more commonly used when the parties have no likelihood of being able to come to an agreement. If there is a need to come to a conclusion such as in a businees or legal scenario, an arbitrator is a good alternative to a judge. It often wise to have more than one arbitrator in a conflict.

- George Vauter

Just a thought...

Hopefully I won't step on any toes with this post, but I am going to point out a potential hazard I have noticed in our group. Groupthink is what I'm referring to. I have noticed in several of our meetings, that everybody seems to go along with the same ideas without much thought. It could be that we all just agree about a lot of things. More likely, I think, is the idea that people are just going with the idea they think the group likes because it is easier than challenging it. While this does wonders to speed up a meeting, it also causes us to miss opportunities to do something better. I think we should be giving our best effort in order to have a better outcome from our project, both for the Boys and Girls Club, and our grades. If we all, including myself, are willing to speak up when we think there is a better option, the potential improvements that can result outweigh a few extra minutes of discussion.

-David Hoff

Progress in our Project

The project is looking great. As of right now, we have permission from the Boys and Girls Club to have a field day, just needing to decide on an exact day. We have received our grant aid to pay for the project. Since the Boys and Girls Club have already had a field day, they will be able to help us with advice on what works and does not work. The Starting 5 is in a very good position and now we just need to finalize our plans and implement them on our field day.

-By Ben Schnepp

Field Day Ideas for B&G Club

I am trying to think of events we can do for a Field Day with the kids at B&G Club. I think we need to come up with ideas that all children can participate in. We also need to keep in mind our budget and time constraints. I can barely remember back to field days that I had in elementary school but I do remember doing a lot of races and tug of war.

Here is a list of ideas I have so far.
-Three Legged Race or Sack Race
-Obstacle Course
-Relay Races
-Tug of War
- Egg Race
-Kickball
-Dodgeball
-Create some type of 3 vs 3 Tournament. (Basketball, Soccer, ect.)

I think we should contact B&G Club soon to see what they had in mind. We will have to get an estimate of how many kids they have and also what equipment they already have. We should also see what type of prizes they would suggest for us to give the kids.

-By George Vauter

Boys and Girls Club of America

Our group, the Starting 5, will be working with the Boys and Girls Club in Lafayette. I wanted to provide a brief overview to their mission and how it fits with ours.

The Boys and Girls Club serves the youth of today by providing a safe and fun place for them to go after school. The B&G Club is more than just a recreational facility though it gives the kids a place to belong and people that care. Their mission is as follows, "To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens."

We felt we could work with the Boys and Girls Club because our missions are similar. We are both working to help the community and especially children. Being a sports themed team we know what it means to play to your full potential just as the B&G Club is helping kids reach their full potential. Productive, caring and responsible are all characteristics that our group strives to exemplify. We hope that by working with the children we can help make the Boys and Girls Club mission become reality.

Christy Penner

Nonverbal Communication

Recently, some of my friends convinced me to go the Neon Cactus with them. Not having been to a club before, I found it difficult to hear what people were saying to me over the loud music. As the night went on, I found myself relying more and more on nonverbal communication to overcome the music. By watching people's facial expressions and gestures, I was better able to understand what was going on even if I could not actually hear any of what they were saying. This also emphasized the importance of eye contact in communication. While nonverbal communication is not a complete replacement for speaking, it can be a valuable addition.

-David Hoff

What You Aren't Saying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb1VRyPV9uM&feature=fvw#watch-main-area

The link posted above is the opening clip from the movie Hitch starring Will Smith. The movie is centered on the crazy world of dating and romance. Just as in any relationship nonverbal communication is critical. People may say one thing but there body language says the opposite, or they may say nothing at all while emotions are screaming across their face.

Albert Mehrabian created a three-dimensional model stating that people derive meaning from nonverbal behavior based on immediacy or liking, power, and responsiveness (145.) These three reactions are the evidence Hitch is looking for when playing matchmaker in the clip. For starters immediacy is the whole premise behind dating. Do two people like each other or not can be communicated nonverbally through eye contact, touching, or close personal space.

Nonverbal cues play a huge role in our society today. Our age group is keenly aware of how important it is in dating relationships as seen in the movie clip. It is important to remember that what you aren't saying is just as important as what you are.

Christy Penner

Gaining Experience in Communicating

This week our group gained quite a bit of experience in communicating. While our project idea turned out to not work as soon as we thought it might, we did successfully organize via email and all of us worked out a time and place to meet for a few minutes when we thought it was necessary. I had some additional experience in having to communicate with my track coach on this topic as well. Keeping all up to date was a real challenge.

By: Ben Schnepp

F.A.C.S.

Facial Action Coding System (FACS)

http://www.face-and-emotion.com/dataface/facs/description.jsp

I thought that this was very interesting and goes along with our study of non-verbal communications in chapter 6. In the chapter it talks about facial expressions and the face as a revealer of emotions. FACS is a system used to read a person facial expressions and involuntary facial muscle movements. Police interrogators can go through FACS training to become experts in reading facial expressions. Facial expressions are important sources of information about a group's emotional climate and are very important in understand communication between group members. You can tell a lot by the expression on someone's face and I think it is important to pay attention to those nonverbal communication signs.

By: George Vauter

Zach's Resumes

BCM-Sophmore

I feel that I can bring teamwork and a relaxed feeling to the group. I have had experience in working with teams here at purdue and have found that working in relaxed environment works the best. This also makes it easier to work with team members. Finally I feel that I am able to listen to everyones ideas and give good ideas for anything that we are working on.

Ben's Resume

ECET - Junior

I will bring to the group a working hand. As a team member I have learned to follow the lead of others and when necessary, lead. As an engineering major, I work in groups often, I bring my knowledge to the group's effort to finish the project. I am also on the Purdue track team where everyday I work with my teammates to make each other better.

David's Resume

What I will bring to this group is a desire to get things done, problem solving skills, and a willingness to do my part. I don’t get mad easily, and I am willing to patiently listen to the ideas of others. I’ve been on many teams in the past, both academically and athletically, which have given me experience working in a group setting. Now, as then, I will do my best to make sure the group accomplishes all of its goals.

Christy's Resume

Junior- Ag Communication


Qualities Brought to the Group:
-Creativity
-Hard Work
-Leadership
-Teamwork

Skills to Help the Group:
- Communication major
-Web design experience in internships and class
-Successful grant writing for several Purdue Clubs
-Community service experience

Group Contract

· Attendance

• A. Everyone show up to every meeting.


• B. Absences are excusable with good reason and team approval.


• C. Notify group if you are going to be more than ten minutes late.

· Work Ethic

• A. Have your portion of work completed on teams due date.


• B. Notify team of unfinished work before meetings and/or due dates.


• C. Complete portion of work to the best of your ability.


• D. While in meetings stay on task.


• E. Work as a team.

· Human Resources

• A. Be respectful to all group members.


• B. If issues arise then follow steps below.


• Step 1. Pull the person aside and talk with them privately.


• Step 2. Present the problem to the group for conflict resolution.


• Step 3. If the situation can’t be resolved then present problem to the professor.

Mission Statement

As a team we strive to efficiently and effectively complete our goal of service to the community while completing all class requirements. Our first responsibility is to uphold the standards of the team to achieve our goal. As a working group we will support our organization and team members with integrity and a willingness to do our part.