The Praiseworthy Principal

January 26, 2007
I am really excited about the “Praiseworthy Principal.” I think this is something we talk about all the time in church without really applying it (at least that is my experience with it). I found it really useful to actually plan out ways to execute the “Praiseworthy Principal” by noting the good and ignoring the bad and also getting rid of “but” statements by substituting “and.” This principal is so simple yet it is just human nature to find fault in one another. I think once this principal is applied over and over, until it becomes a part of our character, our relationships with everyone we come into contact with will change. We will be able to lift those we love instead of bringing them down. This principal in a way is just another method of serving one another. We have been commanded to love our neighbor and serve them. By applying the “Praiseworthy Principal” in our daily communications we will be uplifting and serving those around us.

The Road to an Empathic Communicator

January 24, 2007
Class today was very interesting. I learned a number of important tips on how to become a better communicator.
Key Principals:
We need to serve our fellow men in our communications, not our own personal agendas.
Make sure to correctly diagnose a problem before you prescribe a solution.
Empathic listening is achieved:
a. when we throw away our personal agenda
b. when we rephrase content and reflect feeling back
When emotions are high and trust is low do not use autobiographical responses!
These key principals are relevant in every aspect of my life so I can become a better communicator. In applying these principals in my everyday conversations I find them to be very true. I am just starting out on the process of becoming an expert communicator, but I do feel I am making small progress. I feel my conversations are more meaningful and enjoyable.
I taught these principals to a roommate and friend.

Success through Inconvenience

Wow! There is so much truth to this article. While I read Gary Ryan Blair's commentary about being successful through inconvenience I could really see its principals playing a role in my own life, especially in how I communicate with others. Blair talks a great deal about inconvenience. I think this is very relevant to what we have learned so far in class. How many times do we take the easy way out by not listening to one another? I find I take the easy way out almost every time I communicate with others. Why do I do this? Well, true, meaningful communication takes time and effort. It oftentimes makes me feel uncomfortable (like we talked about in class) I become aware of my own incompetencies. It is just easier to stay where I am comfortable and forget about genuine communication.

So, how does this article apply? I think it is very important that we keep this in mind throughout the class and in the role play. In order to become successful communicators we are going to have to excel past what we have been willing do in the past. We will have to feel uncomfortable and do what other people are not willing to do. By applying this principal of being successful through inconvenience we will touch the lives of those we communicate with.

Class Re-cap

January 21, 2007
I really enjoyed class today. I learned a great deal about communication. My favorite principal we discussed was throwing away our personal agendas when we communicate with others. I have been trying to apply this principal in my communications and I can see that it really does work. When I do this I feel like I am truly getting to know that person and understand what they are saying without clouding my head with my agenda and thoughts. I taught these principals to a close friend and they really enjoyed learning about them. It was a very enjoyable experience to share what I had learned.

Levels of Listening

Thanks so much Spencer for getting my blog up and running. You're the best!

January 17, 2007
Class was pretty interesting today. I really liked learning about the different levels of communication. I can see how in my life I really do ignore people when they are talking, pretend to listen, or use selective listening. Since class I have really tried to become a better active listener. I try to really pay attention to what people are saying and become more interested in what they have to say rather than what I will be saying next. I think this has helped me to become more aware of their needs and how they are feeling. I am really excited to learn about the “empathetic” level of listening. I also taught a friend about the levels of listening. We just talked about it for a while and they agreed that it is interesting how people can pretend to listen when they really have no idea what is going on. I'm pretty excited about being able to use this lesson in my relationships with other people. I think if I actively listen it will help strengthen my relationships.

First Day of Class

Hey now that I can finally post...here is a blog from the first day of class!

January 5, 2006
Interpersonal Communications
Capture:
Key Principles:
Communication Exercise
Introduction of class
Optimizing Communication Discussion
Channels of Communication Discussion
Relevance: Channels of Communication
Numerous Channels
Instant Communication
Ease of communicating
Application: To apply this lesson I decided to use two different types of communication and contrast them. First, I wrote a letter. Second, I wrote an email to a friend. It is amazing to the different tools we have to communicate. Communication is instant. We have the power to communicate perfectly with people miles away from where we are.
Teach: I called my mom and we talked about how instant communication is. When she was growing up you had to write letters and occasionally call people far away. Today we have access to numerous channels of instant communication.
Report: This was a fun exercise. I really became aware of the different channels of communication and our access to them.

Test

Hopefully this works