Visakan Jayaswetha Vanagopal

Alright, now that we have “completed” our blog assignments, what’s next? One of the interesting aspects about this blog project that we have done is that, apart from helping us understand that it is possible to build a distributed collaborative community, we were also able to realize that blogging is a tool that we can use to express our views about issues that are not mandatory to talk about. All of us researched about Web 2.0, European Renaissance and Human Communication and we blogged about these topics mostly because we had to. But there were certain topics that were blogged which we didn’t do out of compulsion.

We learnt that this is one the most effective tools that we can use to express views about topics that we feel are interesting and that we feel have information that we can share. There were things that none of us knew which we were able to learn from just reading the posts. Like the one from Kristina Coburn where she told us about how dating is done in Mexico, the one from Rajeev Karki which told us how he was able to understand human communication from his 10 month old child and the one from Anisha Chandrasekharan which enlightened us about the beauty of a serene place called Auroville in India.
The point that I am trying to make here is that even though we were busy battling time with our assignments and things, we had bloggers who were able to see this tool as not just a 200 point assignment. Blogging is not easy, I accept. But I believe that even the most difficult of subjects can be made easy and interesting if we develop an interest for that subject and an easy subject can be made difficult if we consider it “boring”. I feel that we should be able to see this tool as not just an assignment. We must see beyond this. I am sure that we will soon be able to find this tool as means of communicating with each other in not only a professional but also in a friendly manner. One other thing that CICS world offers is that we will still be able to blog even after we graduate out of CICS. We will still be able to collaborate with each other even if one is placed in L.A. and the other is placed in India. It helps in creating relationships that are professional in nature. Of course, there are other ways of maintaining relationships. But now that we are exposed to a tool that we are familiar with, I suggest that we make use of this opportunity.
I am not making conclusions here. I really did not have to blog this. I am just expressing my sincere thoughts about a tool that I find to be beyond what many of us perceive it to be. The spirit of blogging that has been kept alive for these few months (thanks to all of us) should not fade away as we finish the course or even after we graduate. It will be interesting to find out who blogs after now and I am sure that there will be more creativity in the blogs that are posted on issues that are not given to us, but are chosen by ourselves.
I cannot determine the future but I perceive that I will continue to blog when I find time and more importantly when I hit on something that I want to share.

So, let’s blog away.

Posted by vjayaswethav at 03:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The word “renaissance” means rebirth. This was a period that marked the beginning of a revolution that redefined the way information was being processed. The renaissance has its influence even till today. When Guttenberg invented the printing press, it marked an important turning point in the Information Age.

Before the invention, information was transferred only by the means of word of mouth. There existed some forms of “newspapers” which ran for the elite. But when Guttenburg printed the Bible in his printing press, information had a new form…a rebirth. One might tend to think that it was destined to happen. The invention led to further revolution in information processing. Information was made available to the common man. Everybody had their right to know things.
Though there are many other aspects with regard to the renaissance period, the most interesting invention is the printing press. So I figured that it won’t be bad idea to talk about it. Guttenburg not only figured out a way to print information, he also was instrumental in finding a way to increase the quality of the material. He imported ink from India and used paper from Italy. He was also able to make the press print in mass amounts which made it cheaper and thus available to the common public. People began to read and gain knowledge of things happening not only inside their country but also around the world as the printing press became famous. This helped in increase in number of explorers around Europe.

Its Impact on Today’s World:

None of us could imagine a world without the internet and computers. I sit here in the US and I can speak with anybody with a phone anywhere in the world. Nobody could have imagined this a few hundred years ago. But all these developments eventually trace back their roots to the renaissance period. The reason is that without a start like that, it would have been rather impossible for such a change to occur. It is not the technology that really matters, but it is the impact that it has on its users. What changes does the technology drive in the lives of the humans. What renaissance thought us is that it requires a little bit of creative thinking and innovation to bring about a revolution (though slow in nature) that will have an impact in the world for generations to come.

Posted by vjayaswethav at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As I approach to the point where I can derive a theory of my own, I would like to share ideas about theories. Different theories are different ways of “talking about” communication, each form using its own powers and limits. But at the same time, the more theories you know, the more problem solving options you have. These were the ideas of Robert T.Craig, a communication theorist. There are a few more aspects which I would like to cover before concluding which are,
1. Models of Communication
2. Clarity in Communication
3. Communication and Leadership

Models of Communication;
There are many models of communication, but the one that has been accepted by a large span of people is the Shannon – Weaver model. This has the simple concept that the sender decodes the message, selects the medium, transmits the message and the receiver decodes the message and he responds depending on what he wants to do. The interesting aspect of this model is that, they claim that there is the concept of noise involved which they say is the “emotions” aspect and this plays a major role in the receiver’s perception of the message (which might not be the way the sender intended it to be).
Also, for communication to be effective, it is necessary that the language used is understood by the receiver. This is the first step in any type of communication. This need not necessarily apply to verbal communication alone.
There is also another model in communication, which is the Craig’s model:
He divides the concept into 7 types and he mainly deals with the emotions aspect of Human Communication.
1. The Semiotic
2. The Phenomenological
3. The Cybernetic
4. Sociopsychological
5. Sociocultural
6. Critical, and
7. Rhetorical

Clarity in Communication:

This is another very interesting aspect in communication. It is very important as to how deductive we get in our communication.
Inductive Communication is the type where we are very general, example, “there is a dead body here”. But this does not help the listener in any way. Deductive Communication is the type where we go into the details like “There has been a murder of a boy near the football stadium.” This brings more clarity in the speech of the person and thus helps the listener to take the next step with much confidence. This is especially true in an organization, because, we have to be specific in giving details if we want to be a good leader.

Leadership:
Tom Peters tells us in his book “Thriving on Chaos” that a good manager must “manage by example” (L – 3). This implies that a manager must communicate to his workers, what he intended by doing it himself. From dressing sense to work ethics, his subordinates will get a non-verbal message that he expects his workers to take him as an example.

L – 1, the Core Paradox defines chaos as “constant change” and this means that a good leader must have his head steady in taking his people from one phase to another. Change can be anything. It is the ability of the leader to communicate the change to his workers in such a way that they do not panic during the situation.
Finally, My Theory of Communication

It is impossible to bring in all the concepts in the subject and to derive a theory that is universal. But it is impossible to come up with one which offers to be one the many logical solutions to the problem of human communication. My theory is that “Human Communication is the process by which a sender is able to get across the intended meaning to the receiver and get a feedback that he finds to satisfy his expectations.”

Posted by vjayaswethav at 04:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Next Level:
Now that we have a general concept of Human Communication, let us move to the next level of getting to into the intrinsic aspects of Human Communication.
One of the interesting aspects of human communication is that every human being is different from one another and there is this very interesting aspect in human called emotions which is the link that makes this subject vast. Gestures, facial expressions (which form an essential part of body language), intonation, loudness are some of some of the emotional factors which influence the message transferred.

The influence of emotions can be found in all types of communication (I mean human communication). For example, “I would like to see you” can be told as “I would like to see you” where the stress is on the word I. This implies that the person who wants to see (sender) the other person (receiver) wants to emphasize on the fact that he wants to see the peron for more important reasons than anything else. If the stress is on the word “see”, it implies that the person wants to stress on the fact that the physical presence of the person is more important aspect here. Tears, laughter, smile, frown are some of the types of emotions in oral communication. Use of exclamation and question marks, words used are all types of emotions used in written communication.
Human Communication is also very important in an organization because, when we deal with groups, it is very important to have effective communication so that, every member is able express his/her view, there are multiple options available and there is cohesiveness in groups. Also when there are cross – cultural environments, it is important that communication is done in a very effective way so as to not hurt (or) insult any culture. For example, some cultures don’t go with the habit of shaking hands which is a form of greeting people. So we have to respond (or) greet them in way that they are comfortable with (like bowing). It is when I talk about cross – cultural communication that I feel is the right time to mention about the Triangle of Meaning.

Triangle of Meaning:

The Triangle of Meaning tells us that the three principle elements in the model are “symbol”, “reference” and “referent”. The symbol is a particular phonological or graphical form such as elephant. The thought (or) reference is the meaning – content of the form, namely the idea of the elephant. The thought (or) reference is the meaning – content of the form, namely the idea of the elephant. The referent is the non – linguistic thing that is talked about (the actual elephant).
This means that, what might mean an elephant to one person mught not mean the same to another person, though they are represented by same symbol. These kinds of problems exist a lot in cross – cultural communication and it is very important to act accordingly.

Posted by vjayaswethav at 03:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Communication is defined as the process by which transmission of information is done between two points using a common set of symbols. It is also very interesting to note that communication is derived from the Latin word “communicare” and has its roots in Middle English. Though the definition given is general, it does give us an idea. But defining Human Communication is a more difficult task and establishing a theory that is accepted by everyone is almost impossible. But this is just an attempt to synthesis a theory that is logical and that which derives support from hours of lecture, collaboration with scholars and opinions of theorists and experts who have done extensive research in this field. I will derive a theory at the end of this paper, but the effectiveness of the theory depends on my ability to communicate it to the reader.

The Analysis:

Before I begin to write down (or) communicate my theory, I would like to do some deep analysis of the various factors and other theories that I have taken into account before I made this decision.
The fact that the history of the subject dates back to the history of mankind, makes it so interesting and vast that it is a very difficult task to come up with a theory. Though the general concept used for defining communication between two machines and two humans are the same, there are a lot factors which are to be considered in Human Communication which vary a lot from human to human. Human Communication is divided broadly into two categories, viz,
1. Verbal Communication, and
2. Non – Verbal Communication
Verbal communication is the type of communication that deals with exchange of words as a method of communication. Words can be transmitted not only by speaking (or even by shouting or singing) but also by writing. Such transfer of information is called written communication. This is one of the important forms of communication in an organization.

Non – Verbal communication is defined as the type of communication where there is no exchange of words, but still information is transferred. Body language, gestures, symbols, touch, small, Para language are few of the many types of non – verbal communication. Symbolic and non – symbolic types of communication are basic forms non – verbal communication.

Symbolic Communication is where symbols are used to communicate. This must have been one of the earliest form of communication when there was no language existing. One of the simple examples is that of communicating to a deaf person.

Non – Symbolic communication on the other hand is the type where there are no explicit symbols used, but there lies a message that is transmitted. Eg., An abstract art (or) music where the comprehension of the meaning depends on the receiver’s perception. Maintaining silence is also another type of non – verbal and non – symbolic communication which, amazingly, transmits message.

Posted by vjayaswethav at 03:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Why China of all the nations in the world? This was the thought that I had when I first started reading the book, China Inc. But as I proceeded reading, I began to realize how the country has turned into an emerging superpower, an industrial and corporate black hole which is steadily absorbing the global market.

The book initially starts of by giving us the current picture of how China is entering the business world and how it is turning out to be the hub of the business world from manufacturing socks and furniture to automobile. The book then tells us in the subsequent chapters as to how China’s infrastructure is one of its strength and how the communist ideology was overcome to make the private sector a mainstay in China. There is extensive research that has gone into the book which is evident when the writer even talks about how the number of women involved in the work force turns out to be more than the men and how this influences the sex industry in China. Throughout the book the writer talks about two important factors that is the main reason for China to be an emerging superpower – population and inexpensive labor. The low manufacturing costs and the huge market that is being served, make China the place where the entire global business converges. The book also examines how the manufacturing jobs in the US are getting burnt because of the price factor in China. The manufacturing scenario in China is such that the price factor will make it the manufacturing hub of the world not just for the present but for the future too.
With improvement in quality also being done in China (which was an issue in some products), the country which once was suffering from poverty and hunger is all set to be the base and hub for the international business world. This book serves a warning to not only the US companies but also companies around the world which will have to eventually make China their friend in business if they need to survive.

Posted by vjayaswethav at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The book Generating Buy-In explores the importance of the concept of buy-in in today’s business world and also analyses the need for generating buy-in as a very important and strategic leadership competency. The book tells us ways to make your customer believe that you can deliver to him more than what he expects even if the reality might not be that.

One of the strong aspects of the book is that it is able to provide us with examples wherever possible and this helps in the better understanding of the concept of generating buy in. It explains to us as to what exists in common between the various thought leaders of different successful companies with regard to the way they generate buy-in.
Communication skills are one of the important attributes that the leader must possess in order to sell the product to the customer. It helps us in understanding that it is the communication skill that is the most important aspect in this and it doesn’t actually matter what type of product you deal with, as long as you understand the product. Interviews, real life examples of companies like Coca-Cola, McDonald and even examples of several US Presidents, the US Army and the US Navy are used as case studies which enable the reader to relate to it, thus strengthening the book’s quality. It also explains how to inspire vision in the customers mind and how to develop commitment in them with regard to the product and eventually achieving the goal. The author also uses famous personalities like Michael Quinlan and Winston Churchill, who have inspired people with their expertise in communication, to elaborate his point. The fact that this book applies to all kinds of sales people – whether experienced or not – helps us to get answers for even the basic questions with regard to the topic. This book eventually helps you to a great extent in developing the skills and the strategic thinking that is required to captivate your customer and ultimately winning his assurance.

Posted by vjayaswethav at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When asked to write about web2.0, like everyone else, I started of with the most powerful search engine in the world – Google. But as I moved my pointer over the link which when clicked on, will lead me to a Wikipedia definition of Web 2.0, I kept asking myself if I have to do it. Yeah, I did click on it, eventually. Wikipedia is a good place to start on a concept. With this "good" start, I eventually went on many other links to find out what the concept was. It was truly amazing to find out that, I had to use the concept itself to define it.

Web 2.0, according to O’Rielly, is a thought and not a technology. Wikipedia itself which I considered my starting point is a direct application of Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is not for tech savvy people who want wonders to happen on the web on the click of a button. It is about the people who use the web, those who really matter – the users. Its about collaboration and innovation. It’s about making the use of the web really useful for users (sheesh, how “use”ful was that). Nobody worried about what the users thought about the web. Issues like usability never even existed before. We now have usability labs dedicated to find out if the users were comfortable in using a website. From using what the net gives, it has now changed to using what the users demand. A primary school student can go online and get his Math problem solved not by chatting on an IM window with his friend, but through a website which helps students like them. The interesting part is that the problem was solved by someone sitting in an apartment in the remote areas of Southern India. Collaboration, it is.

It is when you look at it from a 10,000 ft view, we realize what is happening. We are not connecting just information, we are connecting people. We are connecting their ideas. My mother can now read this blog and tell herself that her son is a genius (I know, I know). What we are doing is publishing. Millions of people can now access the net and find out what we have to tell about something. There might be someone sitting in the remote locations of Africa, getting connected to the net, and he might be able to share the idea that we have. It is wonderful to think as to how the world is getting linked. The good news is Web 2.0 is not the ultimate. The semantic web and the new and rising concept of Web 3.0 is developing. And like Web 2.0, the change is happening RIGHT NOW. We are feeding the process; we are part of this change.

Before you close this window, I suggest that you use this Web 2.0 application to get an idea about Web 2.0. It is worth the watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

Posted by vjayaswethav at 03:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)