To be addressed in this paper is a discussion of the communication principles that underlie the communication and application of inter-personal relations, within a boy and girl club that I joined a few months ago. Our boy and girl club is named after the founding members Jane and John; therefore the name J.J boy and girl club. Our club is a non-profit youth development group, consisting of a main club function aided by various extension programs carried out at different locations which include schools, public places, members’ homes and in places where social functions or competitions are taking place. The goal of our group is to provide each child with the crucial tools required to enable them face the future and become successful bright members of the society (Bormann 20-44).
The vision of our group is constantly expanding to accommodate the ever changing needs of the youth depending on their age and level of study among others. In response to the dynamic needs of the member children and their families; our programs are dynamic so as to address the diverse service provision that comes up. In the every day operations of our group; the goal and aim is to improve the life of each child by instilling in them knowledge that should help in increasing their levels of self-esteem and courage among other positive values; through our comprehensive educational program collection (Clemente 14-34).
Among the services we offer to the youth are tutoring, mentoring, computer training, homework help and sports education. However to achieve these goals we expose our members to knowledge and information important in developing self-confidence, a sense of usefulness and belonging despite their individual dissimilarities that include physical and intellectual traits, among others. To sum up the information about our group; I highly recommend our group to parents and guardians who are looking for an exciting place for their young adults and minors to grow and learn; gain the values of volunteering for responsibilities and positive living. The information about our programs, location, making donations and volunteer opportunities; can be accessed on our website (Clemente 14-34).
The analysis of the communicative role of our group will be analyzed based on the theoretical model of the symbolic convergence theory. This theory is a communication model that explains emotions, significance, value and the motives for actions that are created by peoples or groups; as an attempt to make sense out of common experiences. Some of the common experiences given consideration in our group are the significance of cooperation in the conveyance of information, skills and knowledge needed by the youth to face the future (Bormann 20-44).
Under the concept of constructing our world and the meanings we as individual members associate with everyday activities, relations and encounters are discussed in this section. On the area of development and the sense of self that each and every individual within our group embraces; is different from that of the others due to the different upbringing, social status, family background, physical attributes and people one has encountered in the past. Sense of self is the symbolic abstract thinking and reasoning that leads to the drawing of conclusions about who we are. This aspect played a great role in helping balance, associate, and levels those with a weak sense of self and those with a strong one which is generally constructed from long-term interpersonal encounters. Under this aspect different individuals either associated themselves with being good, bad, attractive likeable, moody or desperate among others. The sense of self that individuals posses greatly affects how we relate and perceive others; as it leads to some people having feelings of superiority therefore dealing with others confidently; inferiority where they fear to interact and a balance of the two that enables individuals relate with almost any other individuals without difficulty (Kelly, 23-45).
A review of the attachment styles is greatly determined by the sense of self an individuals ascribes to themselves; as they are either able to relate and attach well with others, fear to do so or relate with them with feelings of superiority. Coming to the aspect of perception and perception checks; an individual describes a portrayed behavior through perception, makes an interpretation of the behavior and possibly demands or seeks for clarification about how to interpret the behavior. It is commonly known that from the perception and misunderstanding of people’s behaviors, conversations or approaches; individuals can arrive at different conclusions and this is mainly dictated by the ideas one has about themselves and the other party involved. Listening is an aspect that greatly affects the understanding we form about situations, people and circumstances. In our group we are taught the different tips to effective listening, active listening and this has greatly improved our communication as I have noted that; lately members have learnt to associate listening to learning, enjoyment, understanding, and capturing information. From this understanding it has been evident that individuals are achieving better from conversations and interactions in general (Kelly, 23-45).
Going to the cultural differences in communication the group has contributed greatly to the understanding of the varied cultural perceptions and expressions; as some cultures are used to the usage of vulgar language while others have explicit meaning in their utterances as opposed to others. From these experiences members have learnt that in communication the members involved dictate the language used both oral and symbolic; the meaning associated and this has really blended our communication abilities into different communication contexts. Gender differences in communication have also greatly influenced the language both oral and symbolic; as it is evident from the interactions involved that females are more overt in their communication that males. All of these have been of great help in developing communication abilities and significance from different communication contexts (Kelly, 23-45).
Under the concept of small group communication and its dynamics; system processes within communication processes have been developed to ensure that the desired output from the process is achieved from the minimal inputs required by the given communication process. Boundary control as an important aspect in group communication has been nurture, to reflect the boundaries that exist between the different members based on their status within the group like a mentor or teacher; gender, age and the communicative role intended. Interdependence, synergy and the ripple effect in communication have been developed and understood so as to be used in the context of requirement where one may be required to override the communication process, defend or protect their side of their expressive side; or the continuous effect that results from the communicative roles of the different parties respectively. The aspect of group roles has always been of a great importance due to the different levels and experiences of knowledge possessed. An example here is the communication between a banker and an engineer, in a situation where there is a need for the information from both (Bormann 20-44).
Leadership emergence within a communication process is important in that it plays the role improving leadership qualities; overcoming the fear of public speaking and gaining self confidence in communicating ideas. Some individuals showed traits of shyness, being funny and lack of confidence in public speaking therefore found this as of great importance in deciding the careers or profession members would take. From the group interactions and learning activities members were able to learn the different leadership perspectives and styles; which converge around the transformational, directive and transactional leadership roles based on the different personality traits and knowledge imparted on the different members. Individual members were also exposed to group thinking process and decision making rules; which played the role of pointing out the weaknesses of individuals like overruling group conversation, and arguing out towards arriving at a common decision. From the group members have learnt about the different resources of power that include information and their indicators like purchasing power and spending patterns. These were noted from the different traits of members like saving patterns. From these the knowledge of daily experience and activities has greatly shifted to reflect changing power levels through the various indicators. Among these powers is transacting power, which is greatly characteristic with the ability of individuals to settle at a bargain in negotiations. From these different areas of knowledge and exposure the different members have shown great developments in their ability to carry out group communication, defend their views and arrive at a consensus in different communication contexts (Bormann 20-44).
Within the concept of interpersonal communication members have been exposed to the knowledge about why relationships are formed for example for business purposes; and the factors that attract different parties into a relationship like being able to offer complementary services or relations. From the relations and information communication, members have learnt the importance of self disclosure and the role it plays in bringing different parties closer to one another; as it results to some extent of openness and interpersonal relation. From the interpersonal relations and knowledge the ideas of relational dialectics, which result from the pulls and tugs that face any relationship. This has been of great importance in managing conflicts, understanding their causes and effects that are helpful in arriving at a solution. From the interactions involving the different members; it has been possible to understand the emotions, their expressions and experiences within communication. This was helpful in ensuring it does not affect the level of gain from the communication process. All these other areas and aspects have been helpful in arriving at a balance in conflict handling and management; as well as promoting the success of both defensive and supportive communication patterns and processes in ensuring that each party benefits the most from the communication process (DeVito 13-45).
From the three concepts that include the construction of our world; small group communication and interpersonal communication; the experiences, limitations and contribution of each member has been involved emphasizing the real goal of the symbolic convergence theory among other theoretical models. From the theoretical model it is evident that the interactions at the different levels were addressed and utilized; as they contribute to the general ability of an individual to communicate (Clemente 14-34).
From the discussion it is evident that there are theoretical connection with other theories like the predicted outcome theory and the social penetration theory; as they give emphasis on the development of social relationships and the dynamics of closeness. They give emphasis on development of relations in a step by step process where self-exposure and foreseen outcome dictate the development (Bormann 20-44).
From the evaluation of this theory, it is evident that the theory is explaining on helpful insights like the development of a stronger sense of self and confidence, as well as leadership. The theory also effectively accounts for what happens and the social relations between the different members. The theory can be argued as good as it accommodates the different aspects, dynamics, and traits that determine the levels of communication and development of social relations (Bormann 20-44).
From the discussion of different concepts under communication and its application in social groups; it is evident that the world view one holds, group interactive communication and interpersonal communication greatly affect the success of any communication encounter, and the formation of social relations. From the context of the group in question; these different aspects of knowledge and communication are learnt therefore draw the conclusion that, such groups can be very crucial in the future we create for ourselves.
Works cited
Bormann, Ernest. “Effective small group communnication”, Fifth edition. Burgués Intl Group. (1996): 20-44
Clemente, John. “Girl groups”: Fabulous Females that rocked the World. Krause Publications. (2000): 14-34
DeVito, Joseph. “The Inter-personal communication book”, 10th edition. Allyn and Bacon. (2003): 13-45
Kelly, Dorothy. “Developing a sense of self”. NASW Press. (2006): 23-45