solved Read CH 8 in the text. First, write out your

Read CH 8 in the text.
First, write out your Initial Posting. For your initial posting, write your reflections on one of the For Further Thought? questions (or activities) found throughout the chapter of your textbook. Remember to elaborate in your initial post on your understanding of the concepts presented and how they relate to your experiences (write around three paragraphs).  Also provide examples from your personal experiences when appropriate. If you prefer, you could also choose to create your own question and write your reflections on something in the text that was relevant or interesting to you (as long as you work to expand upon your knowledge or understanding of the course material).  

Second, provide feedback (reply) to at least two of your fellow class members’ initial posts (about one paragraph per reply thread) reflecting on your experiences and how they relate to what was written (to continue the discussion).

Reflect on your past experiences working in groups. Have you found that the groups are much better at solving problems and making decisions? What have been some of the advantages and disadvantages you experienced solving problems in groups?

Working in groups has always been a love has relationship for me. I love working in groups because you get a lot of good creativity flowing and lots of great ideas. When you get writers block you have your other group members that you can rely on to help pull you back. In a perfect world the workload is split evenly so its not as much stress on a single person. Everybody comes up with one cohesive idea and then you come together as a whole to present the project or research and so on. Everyone gets along. Everyone does their fair share of the work. And everyone gets a good grade.
Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case though. I think that has only happened once in my school career. Most of the groups I’ve been put in were the complete opposite. Everyone just wants to play. Sometimes they will spit ball ideas with you and come up with something good but then they don’t follow through. I feel like usually I’m the only wone that takes the group seriously. Usually, one or two things happen. Either I take over the project and say that everyone had a part in it or somebody else takes over, so I just do my part and then on the submission day it turns out that the “leader” did the bare minimum work and then my grade suffers because we get less than a B. That’s why I get the mentality that I would rather just do it all myself. Granted, I know that not the point of a group, but I would rather it be a bad group and I still get the grade I deserve versus failing an assignment because of someone else. I love the idea and the theory of a group, but a group is only as good as the members that are willing to work.

Question (Pg. 346):
Reflect on a time when escalation of commitment influenced the outcome of a decision you made. Have you ever continued working on something just because you felt you had come too far to quit? How did it turn out for you? What are the advantages (and disadvantages) of “working harder” to make something happen you have committed yourself to?
An example of a time I practiced escalation of commitment is related to my studies here at NOVA. When I first started to seriously pursue a degree, I was going for a major in Information Technology. It seemed to make sense because I was already working for a software company. IT is one of the highest demand careers right now, so I knew that an IT degree could open many doors in the industry for me.
With a full-time job, and taking only a class or two a semester, I got a quite a few IT credits on my transcript over a period of time. However, as time went on, I enjoyed the material I was learning less and less. I started to ask myself what my end goal truly was. Did I want a technical job, and why? I wasn’t really in to the things I was learning in my classes, but felt I had already invested so much time and money. So, I kept taking IT related courses. Until finally it occurred to me, this just isn’t what I want to do for a living. And right in the middle of the degree – I switched my major to “Communications”.
I enjoy the material I’m learning in the new major much more and it aligns more with my personality and goals. The advantage of my escalation of commitment is that I got some great exposure to IT concepts that will be beneficial in any career. The disadvantage however, is that I almost had to start from scratch in building the credits needed for graduation, due to the change in majors. Had I admitted to myself earlier on, that I was taking the wrong path, I’d probably have completed the degree by now.

For Further Thought

Once again, think about all of your communication during the past 24 hours. You were most likely to be satisfied with the outcomes of your interactions if they fulfilled your motives for pleasure, affection, inclusion, and relaxation. Is this true? Explain your answer.
Communication is the key to build and establish the relationship you have with others within the community or circle. Some of the most common functions of communication are sharing ideas and thoughts, negotiating, inquiring, showing support, and many more. The “Motives and Verbal Communication” section of this chapter also lists some of the reasons why people interact with each other, which overlap with the reasons listed above. But what caught my attention is the phrase, “[…] we are motivated to communicate with others to fulfill basic human needs.” It is absolutely true in every case of communication. When I go back to the For Further Thought’s question, I would be 90% agree that I am most likely to be satisfied with the outcomes of our interactions if they fulfilled my motives for pleasure, affection, inclusion, and relaxation.
For me, the most apparent examples occur when I communicate with my cousins and relatives. For instance, I wanted to share something interesting or funny to them (i.e., meme, TikTok, post, etc.), but they did not comment much about it or ignored it. I would be lying if I said it did not make me dissatisfied and sad. On the other hand, I would be happy and content if my opinion or sharing was heard. From my viewpoint, we often communicate a topic, idea, or issue with the people around us with the hope to accomplish a goal we set or deepen our relationship with them. Being heard or recognized means that you have a position or role in the circle, group, or community you are in. If it seems like no one care about what we communicate to them, the feeling of being disconnected and dissatisfied might slowly penetrate our thoughts and affect our overall moods.

Consider the three errors discussed above; which do you struggle with the most? How would you use the information provided to improve or avoid making this error in the future? Pg. 420
These are all definitely communication errors I have committed or experienced. I don’t think I have a major problem with monopolization errors because I genuinely enjoy listening to people. For my most common communication error I would say that it is a close call between shared knowledge errors and shared opinion errors however I think I run into shared knowledge errors most.
Many of my communication errors that fall under shared knowledge errors are about my career. I’m a ballet dancer and though most people know what ballet is not everyone knows how the industry works. I sometimes forget that not everyone I run into has my working knowledge of the processes of the ballet world and ballet companies. I will jump into talking about things related to ballet without giving enough context because it is basic knowledge to me though not to everyone. Just as I would be lost talking to a football player about football!
This information has been useful because I has caused me to reflect on moments that I may have left people confused by not providing enough background information. And in regards to shared opinion errors, though it may seem like a given, it is important remind myself that not everyone has the same background and view of the world. The textbook brought up a good point about being cautious about assuming that people share your view point because it can cause contention rather than healthy dialogue.