Chelsey Sigler

The Silent Language

2009-12-07T20:02:13Z

Thesis:
Human communication is enhanced by the messages exposed through nonverbal communication.
Abstract:
The silent language will discuss the importance of nonverbal communication in the process of human communication. The Silent Language will discuss nonverbal communication in the business and personal world as well as the effects technology has on interpretations of nonverbal communication.
Communication vs. Human Communication:
When defining communication I think of the transfer of information between a sender and receiver over a chosen channel. Human communication encompasses the transfer of emotions along with the information. One of the most effective ways to demonstrate these emotions are through nonverbal actions.
What is Human Communication:
Nonverbal communication focuses on the messages people and to each other that do not contain words, such as messages sent through body motions, vocal qualities, and the use of time, space, artifacts, dress and even smell. (Neulip, 2008 p. 286). The passion that transpires through human contact is sometimes only demonstrated through nonverbals. For example, CICS professor Dr. Jay Gillette starts off his human communication class with the first day simply screaming “A bai le roi!” Nobody knew what he was trying to say. We were desperately seeking for the right answer to give him. The words he spoke were meaningless to us but the tone and volume of his voice coupled with the foot stomping and fiery look in his eyes gave off one message: fear me. Through his use of nonverbals, Dr. Gillette was able to set a tone for the class without the added gestures he would have never gotten his point across.
A Basic Understanding on nonverbal communication:
Nonverbal communication is so telling because often times we cannot control it. Ekman and Freisen developed the leakage hypothesis as a way to determine human deception. “Deception is an emotionally charged activity accompanied by physiological arousal of the deceiver.” (floyd, Guerro, 2006 p. 167). This hypothesis is based on the face that you cannot control what “leaks” out of you. For example, perspiration when your nervous or sweaty palms. In that respect, nonverbal communication is the most honest form of communication because you cannot control it.
Nonverbal Codes:
Judee Burgoon described nonverbal codes as “clusters of behaviors used to convey meaning.” (Littlejohn, Fos 2008 p. 108) Nonverbal actions analogic, typically have universal meaning, are spontaneous and represent our most automatic response.
Kinesics:
Kinesics is “a systematic study of the relationship between nonlinguistic body motions and communication.” (Mirriam Webster, 2007 p. 697). The edimology of the word comes from the Greek wod kensis meaning motion. Ray Birdwhistell is known as the father of kinesis and felt that all body movements have meaning and nonverbal language can be analyzed as similar to spoken or written language.
The Impact of nonverbal communication:
My classmate Daniel Laatz says, “the meaning of communication is extended and enhanced by physical gestures and actions by the communicator.” Linguist Deborah Tannen estimates that close to 90 percent of human communication is expressed by nonverbal actions, (Canfield, 2002) While this statistic seems staggering, think about the effort it takes to have a serious face-to-face conversation, especially when discussing feelings and emotions. The act of saying “I love you” is a representation of one of the most powerful things a personal can experience. Wh you say that phrase and really mean it, you should see it in the expressions. The idea that you can see a person’s soul through their eyes expressed just how much emotion your body can give off.
Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace:
Tom Peter’s handbook to management “Thriving on Chaos” dedicates a section to listening and celebrating and recognizes employees. “Develop formal and informal devices aimed at spurring intense, proactive listening.” (Peters, 1987 p. 366). Anyone who has ever tried talking to a bad listener understands how crucial nonverbal actions are to expressing interest in what the speaker is saying. When you listen to your employees as a manager, show it with your body. Position yourself in a non-defensive pose, facing the speaker. Keep eye contact, nod your head and show you are processing what they want to get across.
Factors of nonverbals at work:
Author Heather Wanish-Rothbauer published an article about the four most important nonverbals in the workplace: eye contact, posture, appearance and time. (Wanish-Rotherbauer, 2009). My teammate Michael Wulff agreed with that especially concerning posture. “Something as simple as putting your hands on your hips and bending over someone is a nonverbal for superiority. It is often seen from a boss to his underlying.”
Nonverbal Communication in Everyday Interaction:
As a communication scientist, I like to consider myself a good communicator. This does not always mean I can clearly express my thoughts orally or written down. I think of myself as a communicator because when I talk, people understand what I am feeling and some of that is done solely through nonverbal communication. Animations from body movement and hand gestures are definite ways to ensure your audience knows your message. Credibility can also be gained through the successful use of nonverbal actions. “Competence, trustworthiness and dynamism are the three main components that make up credibility. Nonverbal communication is vital because these qualities are rarely stated directly. For example, people do not often say I am competent or trustworthy.” (Fatt, 1999). Reading peoples nonverbals can often give indictors of a person’s confidence in another. This stems from your “gut feeling” of reading people. I would be much more hesitant to trust someone with shifty movements and stormy, dark eyes.
Nonverbal Communication Globally:
As previously stated, nonverbal codes often have universal meanings. In some circumstances it is the only means of communication. When I was traveling through Tuscany this summer, the old Italian women wanted nothing to do with my English. There were some cities where exaggerated hand gestures and pleading eyes were the only way I could find a place to eat.
Nonverbal Communication and Technology:
The advancements society has made from a technical aspect are incredible. Messages are sent faster over greater distances more clearly than ever before. I consider most communication through a technical medium a communication transfer- not human communication. When using these technological tools- messages can often get misinterpreted of you want to express an emotion. Sarcasm and humor are two in particular that can cause confusion. “A great deal of communication depends not only on what is said, but also how it is said. Paralinguistic cues such as gesture, inflection, punctuation, fluency and tone are each important clues to a speaker’s meaning-and personality. As a result, impressions can be difficult to convey in electronic forms of communication.” (Kruger, Epely, Zhi-Wen, 2005) This problem has a huge impact on the younger generations. We have grown up with cell phones and computer and our lives revolve around them. Maybe this is why as a whole; our people skills are less developed? Are we able to sit down and simply talk to people of higher authority without our shield of technology to hide behind? It is an interesting question E-mail in particular is prone to communication problems. “Speech conveys not only what is said, but also how it is said. E-mail is limited to the former. As such, e-mail is an inherently more impoverished communication medium than voice or face-to-face.(Epley, Kruger, 2005 p. 926) The amount of work attempted to be accomplished through e-mail is staggering. There are even stories of upper management firing employees through e-mail. It all goes back to the sense of security we get through our technology tools. Firing an employee through a computer lets you miss all their nonverbal actions- anger, fear and hurt. Written words don’t have the same emphasis without the emotion.
Technology advancements to match nonverbal communication:
As we watch technology grow, I can notice a trend in working towards a more personal approach. We like to include “emoticons” in our text messages. The reassurance of a facial expression- even if it is digital gives us a sense of confidence that we are giving off a better message. There have also been new technologies to improve virtual face-to-face interaction. Skype is one example of web 2.0 technologies that incorporates video to allow us to see nonverbal codes during virtual communication. This issue of an overuse of technology really has people concerned. “Youth insert smiley faces into e-mail, but don’t see each others faces. They read comments on Facebook, but don’t read each other’s posture, hand gestures, eye contact, shifts in personal space and other nonverbal behaviors.” (Baverlein, 2009).
Final Thoughts:
Nonverbal communication is a necessary tool to achieve actual human communication. Can we communicate without it? Of course we can, but not as well. We distinguish good writing as something that “speaks to us” we can feel the emotion on the piece. Basically, the nonverbal actions are communicated to us. We like communicating through technology because it makes things easier for us. Sometimes it lets us cop out on a difficult task like a break-up, but inevitably most conversations that are human interactions about human communication we require a more personal meeting. In Tom Peter’s blog, he interviews his friends and others to get their thoughts and opinions. In this interview with Nick Morgan, I found a quite that encompassed my theory of human communication perfectly.
“There are two conversations going on in every face-t-face communication. There’s the content, which comes through e-mail or Twitter conversations. But there is also nonverbal communication, body language. Those two together are powerful. That’s the incredible part- were still hardwired, as a species to rate those things as important and care about them.” (Peters, 2009). Nonverbal communication may not be the only way to communicate, but in most cases, it certainly enhances the experience.

The Renaissance of Information

2009-12-07T16:49:32Z

We are living in the midst of an Information Renaissance. Technology is interwoven into day-to-day activities and we have become slaves to our technical devices. We have all had those days, when you accidently forget your cell phone in its charger when you run off to work. Being without that device literally throws your whole day off. The idea of the Information Renaissance stems from the European Renaissance which was a rebirth of creativity that brought a time period new independence, thinking and creations.

Dr. Gillette, the author of Leadership for the Information Renaissance: Clarity, Challenges, Opportunity discusses the parallels between these two renaissance's. According to Dr. Gillette there are distinguishable differences between the two:
European Renaissance:
- Book publishing technologies (movable type)
- Exploration and Discovery
- Fragmentation and Nationalism
- Idealism
- Naturalism and Secularism
- Scientific Method
- Humanism
- Individualism
- Homo faber

Information Renaissance:
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Exploration, discovery and travel
- Universal vs. Tribal
- Information Economy
- Knowledge Society
- Collaboration
- Globalism, diversity evaluation
- Community
- Homo sapiens

The two time periods are similar as they have brought about a new way of thinking. People once again are open and eager for new discoveries and inventions and there is a wave of acceptance for all things in the technology sectors. The opportunity for expansion literally seems endless.

As we start to enter the workforce as leaders in the technology industry, we have to take on the position as Renaissance men and women, ready to lead our forces embracing the changes that have come with technology.

Whatever Happened to "can I buy you a drink"?

2009-12-07T00:28:09Z

As technology continues to advance and evolve, we continue to adapt technology into everything we do. While some may consider it the largest time-wasting application the Internet provides, social networking sites, such as Facebook, is where a majority of Internet surfers spend their time. Mobile technologies are beginning to investigate the possible expansion to location-based social networking.

Mobile social networking sites, such as Skout , combine the concepts of online dating sites (think eHarmony and www.match.com) with mobile phones. Singles wanting to mingle but not by actually having a conversation, are able to create an online profile on the skout website. As they travel they can activate the Skout website from their mobile device. Skout then notifies the users how many other “skouters” are within a physical distance. Through the site you can alert people you are interested in.

While the concept seemed ridiculous at first, it really is just another example of the incredible impact technology has made on society. This also provides an alternative route of networking for those who do not have the confidence to interact with others in loud or intimidating settings.

Currently, Skout works as a free downloadable iPhone application but can also be used in coordination with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The site provides the following features to users:
• Private chats and photos
• Age sorting
• Push notifications
• Staus updates of singles in your area
• Weekly e-mail with updates of new users

The website recently went live as beta testing finished. While this may be a viable option to meet local singles, I still recommend going out and learning how to approach an individual without the shield of technology protecting you.

Practicing Professionalism

2009-11-23T22:09:17Z

This past Saturday, CICS offered a career placement seminar for the current students in the program. I was not sure what to expect during this afternoon other than knowing it was going to be an extremely long Saturday during a very busy time in the semester.

Like so many other things that have surprised me in this program, the placement seminar was a great experience. The day provided networking opportunities and helpful hints during the job search, interview process and resume development.

Our morning started out with short sessions lead by Jason Adamowicz from Ball State Recreation Services, CICS professor Dr. Yadon as well as Beau King and Karen Mangia, CICS alumni offering tips and suggestions on how to succeed in the job search and how to survive the process. The sessions were all brief enough to keep our attention but give us good information. I was especially impressed by the resume building session with Ms. Mangia. Throughout my undergraduate career, I had many resume critiques and her session offered some of the most valuable information I have ever taken away from a resume critique.

The sessions were followed by a lunch with a few CICS students and alums from the industry. I was able to meet with an alum from Telamon Corporation. This was an unfamiliar company to me, but during the lunch I was able to learn more about the company as well as gain insight from Dan on how to make the most of the CICS experience. He approached the conversation with a relaxed attitude and allowed us to ask endless questions and gave beneficial advice.

The mock interview portion of the day was my favorite part of the whole experience. I interviewed with Al Calalang of AT&T. He started the session off by taking questions and giving great feedback especially with personal questions relating to our own resumes and past experiences. While interviews can seem daunting and intimidating, you will only improve with practice and Al asked a wide variety of questions to each of us. I really liked the fact that we got to sit in on each other’s interviews and provide feedback at the end. We all gave each other constructive criticism and were able to pick up on techniques and tactics our peers have used during interviews.

The day ended with a dinner at the alumni center where current, recent and past students were able to interact and share stories, tips and advice. Director Dr. Jones gave a brief presentation to of the multitude of projects students and faculty of the center have been working on throughout the semester.

Innovation in the Technology Industry for a more Sustainable Environment

2009-11-09T03:21:46Z

In 2009, Newsweek Newsweek published its first environmental ranking of America’s 500 largest corporations. Four of the top five companies were from the technology sector. Companies such as Dell, Intel and Hewlett-Packard are constantly introducing products and services to increase sustainability. Dell ranks fourth of top U.S. corporate users of renewable energy and its headquarters use 100 percent renewable energy. Cell phones run on solar power and laptop computers are now using LED backlighting for less energy. With so many claims, it is difficult to decipher the distinction between profit motive and actual public good desires between competing companies. While some green products are nothing but gimmicks, others have saved companies hundreds of thousands of dollars and help to reduce our carbon footprint.

Printing:
Regardless of how conscious people and companies are when it comes to printing documents, countless sheets of paper are unnecessarily printed and wasted daily. Rather than simply encouraging recycling, innovative coalitions and companies are going a step further to reduce the waste.

This emerging trend of green printing has additionally led to the development of new software, most notably Greenprint. This program analyzes documents prior to printing, and any page with less than five lines of text is determined wasteful and not printed. The program also allows administrators to select and delete unnecessary text and images from documents. “Greenprint” is available as a free download with minimal advertising, as well as two different fee-based programs for larger enterprises.

Packaging:
One of the most obvious, yet useful ways technologies can go green is to reduce packaging for products. Most technology vendors have generally reduced packaging by 50% in efforts of increased sustainability. (Millard, 2008). Not only are distributors reducing the amounts of packaging, but changing their packaging materials from plastic and Styrofoam to recycled paper and cardboard.
Apple markets their new Macbook Pro laptop as their “greenest” machine available. According to Apple.com, depending on laptop size, packaging is reduced by 34-41 percent. The smaller boxes allow more computers per shipping pallet resulting in more products shipped by boat and plane aiding in CO reductions in the environment.

Most “green” cell phones on the market are also sold in smaller packaging and typically made from recycled products. In 2006, Nokia reduced phone box sizes by 50 percent. After selling 250 million phones, the company saved $150 million in transportation and materials (Gordon, 2008).

Energy efficient data centers:
Energy experts estimated in 2005 that 1.5-3 percent of electricity generated in the United States was consumed by data centers. Since this statistic surfaced, many data centers have made efforts to “green” themselves as a way to reduce harm to the environment.
Intel announced a four-year refresh cycle for all servers to consolidate their data centers. Since the renovation the company has consolidated 147 data centers down to 70 with hopes of additional downsizes before the end of the project. Intel has also replaced old servers with newer more energy efficient servers to help the environment and cost. Many of the major companies such as IBM, Intel and HP are working in collaboration for new ways to cool the data centers with minimum air conditioning.

How long will buying green be a common trend with technology consumers? Unlike other marketing trends, the need to conserve precious resources will be steadfast. Gathering from the many innovative efforts displayed by the technology industry going green may quickly become another routine regulation for technology companies.

Works Cited:
“About GreenPrint” www.GreenPrint.com. (2009) Retrieved 30 Oct. 2009.

Gordon, Pamela. “At Nokia, green is a package deal.” EMSNow.com. Retrieved 21 Oct. 2009.
“Going Green Matters.” Goinggreenmatters.com (2009). Retrieved 27 Oct. 2009

McGinn, D. “Green Rankings.” Newsweek.com. 28 Sept. 2009. Retrieved 27 Oct. 2009.

Millard, Elizabeth. “Going Green: Challenges & Rewards.” General Information Magazine. Retrieved from Processor Website: http://www.processor.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/P3003/21p03/21p03.asp. Retrieved 20 Oct 2009.

“Web Host Industry Review.” Greendatacenterinfo.com. (2009). Retrieved 21 Oct. 2009

Plagiarism: Not Worth the Risk

2009-11-06T15:05:29Z

They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. This is not the case in the world of academia. Plagiarism is “the idea of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.” This is one of the most serious offenses in the academic and professional environment and can result in failure, expulsion and termination.

Amateurs tend to assume plagiarism is simply stealing a previous paper, test or project from former students or coworkers. With the current technologies available, it is far too easy for this type of plagiarism to be caught. A more common form is stealing ideas and often simply improper credit the source.

In the academic and professional world it is nearly impossible to write on a genuinely innovative topic. Most papers stem from previous ideas and the author continues to add value and input to the previous thoughts. While citing and expanding from previous work is acceptable, the correct author must be given credit through proper citations. There are a variety of acceptable citation styles including MLA, APA, Turbania and Chicago. Regardless of the style chosen- it needs to stay consistent throughout the paper.

As technology scientists, we need to utilize the resources available through academic libraries, websites and stylebooks to properly cite sources. We all know how tedious writing a research paper can be, and at times we just want to finish the assignment and move on. At the same time- proper citation can be more important than the actual content of the work. If you are caught plagiarizing- not only is your assignment worthless, you have done irreversible damage to your professional image.

Works Cited:
"Avoiding Plagiarism." 2009. Web. 6 Nov. 2009.

"Plagiarism." Def. 1. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. .

A Woman’s World: Influential Women of the European Renaissance

2009-10-27T20:07:52Z

The cultural movement of the European Renaissance spanned from the 14th to 17th century. It began in Florence and eventually spread throughout Europe as a time for intellectual and artistic creativity and freedom. The Renaissance Man, a term that describes a highly educated and well-rounded person stemmed from the works of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. While equality for women certainly was not a hot topic, there were many notable women throughout the renaissance. These women chose to control their own futures at a point in history where women were not even thought of as second-class citizens, simply property of a man such as an animal or piece of land.

Laura Cereta was a well-known Renaissance humanist who lived during the 15th century. Most of her writing was in the form of letters after harsh criticism of past-published work. Cereta was not only a Renaissance thinker but also a strong feminist who fiercely defended the right for women’s education. Cereta was unique compared to other women of her era because she could actually participate in letter writing because of social contacts.

Isabella I, the Queen of Castile and Leon was part of the dynamic duo that funded Christopher Columbus’ journey to the new world. After going against her family’s wishes, she married her second cousin Ferdinand. Their daughter Catherine of Aragon later became the wife of Henry VIII and their lack of a male heir eventually lead to England’s break with the Catholic Church.

These women along with many others paved the way for a stand for equality and letting women make their own decisions and determine their own fate. Society has come leaps and bounds from the times of the renaissance but women today are facing their own more current battles. In male dominant fields such as information technology women are just beginning to make our niche in the industry.

I digg that fb post you tweeted from youtube- translating Web 2.0

2009-10-24T04:24:42Z

In the past, the average morning started with a cup of coffee and a flip through a daily newspaper. My morning scenario begins with checking my e-mail, grabbing some coffee, checking my Facebook and Twitter pages, going back to check my e-mail, checking out my favorite blogs and web sites and one last e-mail check before jumping in the shower. We live in a different world than those who look forward to doing the crossword puzzles in the paper. Our world revolves around the familiar buzzword "Web 2.0."

The concept of Web 2.0 was the result of a brainstorming session between Check out the tips at Tim O'Reillye and Dale Dougherty in 2005 when planning a conference about the turning point hitting technology through the Internet and other technological advances. In an interview, O’Reilly defined the concept of Web 2.0 as focusing on the concept of “the network as a platform. The more people that use the databases, the better they get.

The concept of Web 2.0 can be confusing because people do not know how to differentiate it from just using the Internet. A simple way to clarify Web 2.0 is to use the interactive features of the Internet such as blogs, social media sites and another places where you can post, comment and communicate with others. The use of Web 2.0 truly makes the Internet an online community.

Web 2.0 is not just the invention of the Internet. There was a Web 1.0 made up of cites and services such as personal websites, Britannica Online and Netscape. If I close my eyes and think back a time when “high tech” was herding oxen on the Oregon Trail computer game, I can remember some of the features I utilized with Web 1.0. It is amazing to see how far technology has come since then. This trend is not going to stop here.

There is already speculation as to what Web 3.0 will bring the world. Experts in the field believe that in the future, the web will act as a personal assistant to users, providing personal feedback to direct questions it is asked. A major observation between what Web 2.0 has to offer and what Web 3.0 could become is that 2.0 makes connections between people and 3.0 will make connections with information.

Back to Basics

2009-10-01T15:26:09Z

Last Friday I had the privilege of speaking with Demetrios Skalkotos, one of the seven original graduates of the CICS program. Mr. Skalkotos was recently promoted to Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Services forNASDAQ . During our conversation, he emphasized on a point that struck a chord with me. His advice for the struggling graduate students of CICS was not to keep up with the current trends of smartphones or the newest software. He took the old school approach and suggested remembering how to actually talk to people.
Our society uses technology as a shield; to avoid confrontation, face-to-face rejection and intimidation. Some executive level employees are stooping so low as to firing employees via e-mail . Nothing softens the blow of being let go quite like a message in your inbox that says thanks for your effort, sorry it did not work out, please pack your things. It is a cop-out method of dealing with an uncomfortable situation.
We are all guilty of the same offense. I know I have cancelled plans over text messages to avoid hearing the disappointment on the other line, or believed a Facebook wall post would suffice as a birthday greeting to an old friend.
We need to get back into the habit of taking the extra steps for real human-to-human interaction. CICS offers a number of social learning programs to sharpen our networking skills and adjust to the social rules of the business world. Knowing how to accept criticism head on will give us thicker skin and offering apologies will earn us respect.
The new technologies we learn about in classes and through research are exciting, they open up a new realm of ways to communicate. At the same time we all need to take a step back and remember to not overlook the basics of human-to-human communication.

Our Journey has just Begun

2009-09-28T04:56:04Z

As week 5 comes to a close I have to take a deep breath, step back and look at lessons learned thus far as a masters candidate in the CICS program. With two 620 assessments completed, preliminary papers written and graded and group projects progressing I’m beginning to understand the phrase “work to your full potential.”

Dr. Gillette created an analysis comparing the orientation of an undergraduate and a master candidate. Undergraduates focus on self-development, figure out personal strengths and how to grow into mature adults. In the graduate world, the expectation is to focus on developing professional skills and work as you would in the business world. He compares undergraduate to graduate students as high school student to undergraduates, we are now in a different world.

In graduate school the work is extensive, the content is challenging and the responsibility is intense. While overwhelming at first, I feel like I am beginning to swim as opposed to struggling to stay afloat. The culture in CICS feels more like a large, extended family. You can rely on classmates to send you their notes and faculty to schedule weekly review sessions for additional explanation. We have developed fast friendships and built alliances to offer support through a program you truly cannot understand until you experience it.

We are still in the early stages of the year, with plenty of time for mistakes and success. I take one day at a time and live by various to-do lists scribbled on post-it notes, scraps of paper and my Google calendar. I have come to terms with the fact that at times I will get overwhelmed and want to give up. Graduate school is hard, but it pushes you to the limit to prepare you for experiences in the working world.

Works cited:
Gillette, J.E. 2006. Factors of Primary Perception or Orientation. Human Communication: Process and Theory Course Handout. Ball State University, Muncie, IN.