My view on our group

I'd like to use my first real post to talk about our group. We've been working in our set group for a few weeks now, and I feel that as a group, we have been working very well together. From the very beginning, everyone seemed comfortable expressing their opinions and showed each other with respect. I am looking forward to finishing out our project and the rest of the class as a member of team BG Clubbers.

I would have done a longer post, but unfortunately I have been studying for the test most of the night and am about to fall asleep. More to come..

Reality Check

I realized yesterday that I have or will have a small group in every single one of my classes this semester, most of them lasting the entire semester. Before this semester I would maybe have worked with a group here and there, but never for such an extended period of time.

What this makes me realize is how essential it is to get along with your group. Previously if a group member slacked off or didn't do their work, it wasn't really anything to worry about; the project only lasted a week anyway. But having groups that last an entire semester makes me see the reality behind small groups: When you have them in the real world, they will last for a long time. It is not often in a business setting to have a small group that you work in for only a week or two. Most of the time you work with your same group until your position in the company changes.

Moral of the story is: be prepared to deal with small groups, because they aren't going anywhere.

David Loverde

Blog Post 1

After recopying down the entire exam 1 review into a word document and answering each question given in class, I've decided that small group communication is not as simple of a field to learn about. I have never realized how many different aspects, to simply communicate within a group, there was, from understanding each other on nonverbal cues to approaching the group in such a manner that defensive attitudes are put aside. I feel that this class will greatly enhance my knowledge and attitude towards any groups that I am currently in as well as groups that I will have to participate with in the future. In today's society, group work and communication is the main focus so to be successful in the workplace or at organizations. I hope to retain most of the information from this class so that I can utilize all that I learn so that I can be a step ahead for when it comes to working with groups in my career.

Chris Wall

Blog Post Numero Uno

It came to me today while studying for our exam on Monday really how important small group communication is. You would think that after 23 yrs I would realize this already. Maybe I just never really thought about it and just went with the "program" so to speak but this class is starting to make me realize some things. A good example of this was actually done in class on Friday. The activity that we had where we were forced to solve the nuclear fallout crisis within our groups; I thought this was not only entertaining but relevant. Having us write down the steps we would go through as a group on how we would solve a problem and then actually throwing a problem at us and noticing how we actually did follow that trend almost naturally was very interesting. On a side note I do want to mention that that activity was quite entertaining and I know that my group thought it was "fun" too.

Brandon Nelson

Blog Post #1

So it has occurred to me since the start of this class how often I am actually in a small group setting. I guess I just never thought about it before. This class is starting to be really helpful in understanding different group dynamics too. I've even applied it to roommate situations in trying to understand the different personalities that my roommates and I have. Anytime I have a group meeting or have to work in a group for a class, I just feel more comfortable because I have more of an understanding on how groups work. Knowing that conflict is inevitable is also a relief because I used to think that once conflict became a part of the group, it was all downhill. Now I realize that conflict can actually be beneficial to the group. Hopefully these new insights will stick with me and I will learn more about groups and how to act in them. It's helped so far!

Katie Spalding

Contract (Work in Progress)

Group Contract:

1. Attend all meetings and show up on time
2. Keep up on emails and respond in a timely manner
3. Be open and respectful to other group members’ ideas
4. Complete all individual work on time (i.e. blog posts)
5 .Keep communication lines open
6. Most importantly act and be appropriate when working with children

David Loverde's Resume

My name is David Loverde, a senior majoring in Communications. I can bring several things to my group, both through my experiences and my connections with organizations on campus. First, being a communications major, I have much experience working in groups both leading them and taking a backseat role when needed. I also have extensive volunteering experience and some volunteering coordination experience through my fraternity, which has provided me with many connections to volunteering organizations.

One connection in particular that my group plans to utilize, should all go well with timing, is my experience with the Boys and Girls club of Lafayette (Pictured below in a previous volunteering event). I believe that these qualities make me a valuable asset to our group.

Mitch Stamper's Resume

My name is Mitch Stamper, a senior in the school of Technology. I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with the Boys and Girls Club. For 4 years, I mentored middle schoolers in an after school program. Overall, I have a relaxed personality and work well in group environments. I consider myself a creative person and work well when given some direction. I look forward to working with my group and feel it will be a positive learning experience.

Brandon's Resume

My name is Brandon Nelson and this is what I think that I can bring to B&G Clubbers. I am currently in COM320 and OLS252 which are both associated with small group communications which will allow me to not only organize projects within a group but also work in an efficient manner. My major is ECET which involves a lot of teamwork in labs and also projects so I have a lot of experience in that area as well. I can bring both a leadership figure or a working figure to the group because I have extensive experience doing both. As a youth I belonged to CCD through my church which involved working in groups where we did community service projects similar to this group (old folks home, homeless, etc.) I believe that having all of these qualities will make me a valuable asset to the B&G Clubbers Group in achieving their goal.

Chris Wall's Resume

Hello, Chris Wall is the name and here is what I bring to the game (Lame? Perhaps). What I can contribute to this group is the drive and motivation of achieving our goals. I am currently taking the OLS 252 class which is focused on small group communication and relationships. My past job experiences have dealt with customer service and satisfaction therefore I have an abundant knowledge of how to interact with people and communicate with them efficiently. I like to believe that these attributes will assist the group greatly and ultimately result in a successful, enjoyable group project at the end of the semester.

Katie's Resume

My name is Katie Spalding and here is what I think I can bring to the B&G Clubbers: I have experience in working in small groups from prior classes (including OLS 252, which was based around small groups), I am organized and am able to motivate group members, I am a hard worker and always see a task to its end, and since my major is Human Relations I have a lot of experience handling and talking to all different kinds of people. I believe that all of these qualities and prior experience will help this group achieve its goal.

Katie's first post

Hey everyone! Welcome to our blog! Looking pretty good, isn't it? Nice work, Dave!

Brandon studying enthusiastically in class.