Proposal: Improving Group Communication

Samantha Gonzalez Gomez

Salt Lake Community College
Communications 1010
March 21, 2017

Contents

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Overview 3
Project Description 4
Group Assets 5
Group Limitations 6
Recommendations 7
Conclusion 8
References 9

Overview

We as group looked at the options available in Utah when it comes to recycling.

We met in our COMM 1010 class, every Thursday for a period of five weeks. We chose

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this topic when concluding that many apartment complexes do not offer recycling. We
were able to find credible information and use to to come up with a successful solution.
Team members were supportive of each others ideas and it was a way to get our minds
thinking.

Our group did not have many limitations. There were times when information was
unclear. It was a group where work needed to get done that we did not get to know each
other which can be hard. Personally, that is one thing I would change because when
you know a little bit about someone, it makes it easier to work with them.

Project Description

My group chose to focus on the topic of recycling in Utah and the problems within
the programs. We had to come up with and effective solution while maintaining an
hundred dollar budget. A step by step method was how we tackled the problem. We
brainstorm, deliberated and ranked solutions, making sure we picked the best one.

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 We began by looking into the laws set up by Utahs legislature. We saw that
private business are not required to offer services, such as recycling, to their tenants.
Meaning that recyclable goods are overfilling the landfills instead of being reused. We
seeked out information from other places in the world, whether it be in or out of the
country, we saw major differences in recycling programs. Oregons garbage cans are
smaller than their recycle cans, showing that there is actually more to be recycled than
to be thrown away. Countries have fines set in place when their garbage cans are
overfilled. We were surprised at how well other places prioritize recycling, unlike Utah.

With outside information, we began to brainstorm ideas on how we can create an

emphasis on recycling. We shouted out random ideas, they ranged from something as
simple as a petition to something wild, like chaining ourselves to trash cans. Throughout
the brainstorm process, there was no judgement and it made it easier to receive
everyones input, rather than just hear from a couple of people.

After brainstorming, we ranked our best solutions from zero to five. Zero meant
that the solution was ineffective and five meaning that it aligned perfectly with our
criteria. We came up with both the pros and cons of each situation in order to pick the
best method possible.

While evaluating each solution, we were able to combine two of them in order to
come up with one. Ranking our ideas actually helped to see the logical side of things
and as we did, combine different concepts in order to make great one.

Throughout our process, there were some bumps. Those will be discussed in
page five.

Group Assets

In our text, we focused on things that would help us when talking to state
representatives about our topic. We looked at assets that would help us with our
communication toward state officials and how we can avoid conflict not only within our
group, but with whomever we were dealing with when it came to proceeding with our
solution.

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 In our book, Communicating at Work, by Ronald B. Adler, Jeanne Elmhorst, and
Kristen Lucas, we learned that there are things such a trigger words which can set
someone off. Some terms have such strong emotional associations they act almost like
a trigger, setting off an intense emotional reaction in certain listeners (85). When
speaking with other individuals, it is important to word your sentences carefully so there
is no misunderstanding. Everyone has trigger words and if someone reacts heavily with
such words, it is important to apologize for using language that could have been
offensive to them.

Learning to deal with conflict is also something that can help when talking to
someone as important as a lawmaker in Utah. Adler, Elmhorst, and Lucas state, Like it
or not, conflict is part of every job (125). Communicating at Work taught us how to
handle conflict constructively. If a lawmaker did not want to regulate recycling within
private businesses, perhaps there could be a negotiation. That way, both parties can get
what they want without having to deal with confrontation.

Group Limitations
As a group, we did not argue or disagree regularly. We were open-minded of
others views and ideas. However, there was always a sense of blur. I, personally, was
not there the very first meeting. I was very confused and when I sought out help, I
remained in the dark. Eventually I tried to get the hang of things without really
understanding what was expected of me.

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 Coming together for our meetings was always good. I am very shy to begin with
so my participation was minimal. Although I knew there was no judgment and the
atmosphere was good, I found it difficult for me to speak my mind.

We came up with a group chat through Google Hangouts, however, we never

really used it. It was good because there was one time when I needed a question
answered and it was better than sending out an email, I was able to get a quicker
response.

Other than those minor problems, our group got along very well. We got things
done in a time manner and if they were not done on time, they were being done ahead
of schedule. We worked effectively in person. In a way, there was not a need for the
group chat unless there was last minute questions.

Overall, we had little to no issues. When it came to getting things done, we all
worked hard to aim for the same grade. I think it is due to the fact that we want good
grades, we pushed each other and learned to work with one another, even if someone
was too shy to speak. It was a good experience and I will take what I have learned and
apply it to my next group project.

Recommendations

With this project, I was able to learn some strengths and weaknesses about
myself. I have learned that I do not conversate as much as I should when it comes to
participating. I have to learn to speak more or when others are not speaking enough,
encourage them to spill their ideas.

I would definitely utilize the group chat more because it is a great tool to have
when there is miscommunication going on or when someone happens to miss a
meeting. I would never hold a virtual meeting because I feel like it is important to see
the reactions on others faces. With virtual meetings, you do not know what is happening

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on the other side, meaning there could be distractions. Overall, having something
almost everyone has access too, like the internet, it a great way to keep up with
someone and making sure everyone get their work done.

In future projects I am going to try having outside of class meetings to see if they
improve the comfort level within the group. Being comfortable with your group members
is vital because it allows trust to grow and the group works better.

Conclusion

My group came up with a survey, followed by a petition in order to fix the lack of
recycling in Utah. We found the importance of recycling to be crucial information that
must be spread. We worked well together and we were able to rank our ideas to choose
the one that best fit our needs.

My group decided that our plan would be complete in January 2018. We will
gather information and research to prove our topic to be important. We will survey
communities to show that it is something others are concerned with.

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 In this assignment I learned new ways to work well with others. I plan on using
these skills in future group assignments so that I can give my best effort when it comes
to participating.

References

Adler, Ronald B., Jeanne Elmhorst, and Kristen Lucas. Communicating at Work . New
York : McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.