Yes Sir, No Sir: The Four Most Important Words for Boot Camp Survival

   

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          As the plane wheels came to a screeching halt on the runway, 

the nerves began to set in.  Everyone was to meet up at a special 

place at the airport. Yes, there were others like me that were about

 to have their lives changed forever. With a quiet nervousness and 

apprehension throughout the group, we boarded a bus in the dark 

of night. Unaware of what awaited us at the end of the ride. 

 Knowing where we were going did not help ease the anxiety, as no 

one knew what to expect once we got there. This new world we 

were approaching, was a mystery to us all. The fortunate ones 

were able to nod off to sleep during the ride.  Most, like

myself, sat there too scared to sleep. Then it happened. The bus 

doors slammed open.  We were ushered at a rapid pace out the

 door, stepping on the heels of those in front of us.  All we heard 

were several loud commanding voices screaming, “Welcome to 

basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.”

Blog Critiques: What it Takes to Keep Readers Coming Back

            When we first started this class and found out we had to produce a blog for our final assignment, I cannot speak for my classmates, but I was very apprehensive.  By looking at my classmates’ blogs and reading their comments, it seems like I was not the only one wading into unfamiliar territory.  The purpose of this paper is to provide valuable advice and information on how we can all improve our blogs.  As I look at each of my classmates’ blogs and evaluate their work, and point out the good points as well as what needs improvement, it will also help me see if those same problems are present in my own blog and how I can incorporate those changes to mine as well.

My resume

Frances J. Canode
19151 Commonwealth Terrace, Leesburg, VA  20176
602-292-4129
joycanode@gmail.com

An exceedingly driven individual that believes in hard work and determination.  My goal is to help others and aid in the service to our veterans by sharing my I CARE attitude with my coworkers as well as the general public.

Barriers to Organizational Development

Why do you believe organizational development is so difficult?

Our text states that there is a natural degradation (entropy) of the organizational systems that leads to disorganization (Kreps, 2011). This is due to the fact that the major cause is human processes (Kreps, 2011). Humans are not perfect or infallible which brings about many problems within an organization. If a machine breaks down causing production to slow down, you get the parts and fix it. When there is a human breakdown that causes problems it is not so easily solved. Especially today when there is new politically correct ways to communicate with employees so as not to offend anyone. Working with human problems is more time consuming and challenging.

Final Paper Research

Topic Choice

The topic I chose for my final paper is homeless veterans. Recently I applied for a job with the Veteran’s Administration. Doing research about the position I was applying for opened my eyes to the tremendous need for assistance for our veterans and education of the general public to these needs of the veterans. The problem of homelessness is an end result of the medical and psychological problems that the veterans have incurred from their service to our country.

Benchwarmers: Waiting for Their Time to Shine

                                                  www.quickmeme.com

When you hear the word benchwarmer it has a negative connotation. You picture these athletes sitting on the bench game after game, hardly ever getting to play, and never hearing their name announced overhead like the players in the starting line-up. The Dictionary of American Slang (n.d.) defines the word benchwarmer as a person that is not among the most active and important member of an enterprise, like a substitute athlete that rarely plays.

Being a benchwarmer is not a negative thing, but can be a positive way to become more successful in life and reaching your goals while helping others reach theirs.

Review the Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication article and provide an example of how and when you might apply these basic guidelines.

The longer we listen to one another -- with real attention -- the more commonality we will find in all our lives. That is, if we are careful to exchange with one another life stories and not simply opinions.
- Barbara Deming

      I love the above quote by Barbara Deming and I feel it is very appropriate for this discussion about intercultural communication.  As Martin Hahn (2005) pointed out in his article “Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication” we have to take responsibility for our communication.  This means that we have to show respect to others even if they are different than us.  We should not be judgmental, thinking our way is the best and if we do like Barbara Deming states in her quote and get to know each other by exchanging our life stories and not our opinions we will see we have more in common than we think.

          

Proposal for the Implementation of the FlexPath Program at Ashford University

Dear Ashford Administration:

Introduction

           This proposal examines the benefits of a new learning program called FlexPath, showing how this new self-paced learning option will develop the same skills as traditional programs, yet in a more flexible and cost-effective way.  For some students five weeks is not enough time to learn a new subject and for other students, the opposite is true.  A student proficient in high school algebra would certainly not require five weeks to complete the course, whereas a student having been absent from math class over the past two decades would relish the extra time to grasp the algebraic concepts.  The implementation of the Flexpath plan would give students the opportunity to learn at their own pace.  Rather than weekly participation and deadlines, they can complete their work at a speed comfortable for them, anytime during the course. This would enable them to really learn what they are studying, instead of just going through the motions of learning.  Due to the fact that online learning is still a new concept, there have not been enough studies to show how the quality of learning is affected with five-week classes.   Speaking from my own experience, having a high grade-point average does not mean the subjects taken were actually learned.

Together All Things Are Possible

 President Obama clearly pointed out in his March 18, 2008, the "More Perfect Union" speech at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia regarding the role race played in the 2008 election, that even though we have made great strides and changes in this country, more action is needed.   For many years the answer to the slavery question was already embedded in our Constitution, but was left to future generations to fulfill. This Constitution promised the people liberty and justice for all, but words on a piece of paper were not enough.  As President Obama stated it took many generations that were willing to work together and do their part, even when it meant protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts.  Many risked and lost their lives to achieve that promise of equality and freedom.  Now each generation must continue to work at creating a “More Perfect Union” and world (National Constitution Center, 2009).

Homeless Veterans Choose To Be Homeless

Homelessness has been an important national problem in the United States for more than 3 decades (Tsai, Kasprow & Rosenheck, 2013). There is a lot of talk and even promises from the President of the United States that there will be an end to the homelessness of veterans with a deadline date set for the end of 2015. The idea that there will be no homeless veterans by the end of 2015 is a great goal but one that will not be reached. There will not be an end to veteran homelessness due to the fact that some of the homeless veterans choose to be homeless.

Conflict: An Opportunity for Change

          

 Conflict is present in our day to day lives, as it is needed in order to bring about those changes that help us grow.  Whether the change is for good or bad depends on how the conflict is managed (Abigail & Cahn, 2007).  Knowing that conflicts are an important part of organizational development and being able to resolve conflicts effectively is the only way an organization can hope to be successful (Cottinger, 1997, para 3). 

All About Conflict

All About Conflict     

      Conflict is defined as a process that begins when an individual or group have differences regarding interests, beliefs, values, or practices that matter to them (Cahn & Abigail, 2007).  Conflict is unavoidable and it is a natural process.  It occurs at many different levels such as interpersonal, social, and business.  The effect of conflict depends on how a person handles an interaction, how individuals perceive that situation and the method which an individual chooses to manage or resolve the conflict. (Mukhtar & Habib, 2010).   During this course we learned how to identify the different types of conflict and how to resolve them through effective communication techniques.  This paper will show why conflict occurs, how conflict management is an important communication tool, the positive and negative effects of conflict in our lives, the role of personality types in the management of conflict, and the different communication techniques used in order to make conflict management effective.

Communication Structure for Successful Organizational Communication

The goal of this proposal is to assist the organization to understand the importance of using organizational concepts and skills in a communication structure, and how they will provide successful organizational communication.

This proposal will provide five concepts that are important for successful communication in an organizational setting and how to implement them. 

Media Technology

https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/7/005/06d/223/38308b4.jpg The Web and Social Media At one time most of these names in the above image were related to the old fashioned types of media technology; television shows, magazines, or newspapers, being that traditional media was TV, Cable, radio and print. Now they have all been combined and can be seen online on the web and social media (LinkedIn, 2014). All of the information shared online and through the social media has a great impact on our ideas and perceptions in a much faster way (LinkedIn, 2014). Web and social media give us the opportunity to share ideas, meet and work together fast and easy because it is right at our fingertips (LinkedIn, 2014).

Blogging: The Guidelines of Purpose, Design, Content and Audience

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Blogging:  The Guidelines of Purpose, Design, Content and Audience

            This week we learned about blogging and actually set up our own blog.  When writing a blog there are many different aspects that have to be considered and guidelines to learn.  It is not just writing a bunch of words and ideas and sharing them with random people.  The blog must have a purpose for being written.  It has to have an appealing design to attract people to read it.  The content has to be interesting enough to keep people coming back to read it.  You also have to figure out what people or audience you are trying to reach and be able to make the content pertinent to that audience.

Not The End It Is Just The Beginning

This blog is for my last class, Communications Capstone.  It is the last phase of my educational journey, but it is the beginning of the exciting road ahead.  This blog is a compliation of all the blood, sweat and tears, as well as joys and triumphs of my years studying and getting my Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at Ashford University online program.  I will be able to use this blog as a tool for my future employers to see what special skills I have obtained that will enable me to become a valuable part of their team.  So for all of those who will be reading this blog I hope the words you read will give you an insight not only into the person that I am, but who I hope to become in the future.

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