Generation X

I am part of Generation X, which includes people born between 1965 and 1982. People born in this generation are also known as "latch key kids". This nickname comes from the fact that kids were now coming from homes in which both parents worked. The kids would come home from school to an empty house and have to carry a key with them or have it hidden near their house.
We saw many major events happen during this generation that helped to shape our beliefs and values. We saw the end of the Cold War, Watergate, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. We saw the first personal computers and were introduced to the Internet. Out of these technological advancements came the beginning of the video game era. We are a generation who is very technologically savvy, especially when compared with previous generations. Generation X is more diverse in race, class, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation than previous generations. We are a generation whose world view is based on change and are more accepting of change. We saw higher divorce rates and changes in typical gender roles, this helped to make us a more independent and self sufficient generation.
While I identify with most values of my generation. There are a few things in which I don't like or identify with. I think our generation relies too much on technology when communicating with others. The use of social media sites such as Facebook, texting with our cell phones, and online chat rooms have replaced a lot of face to face communication that I feel shouldn't be replaced. The start of the video game era is another thing that doesn't sit well with me. While I understand and can appreciate the point of video games, especially ones that can be educational, I think in some ways it has made our generation lazy and anti-social. While Generation X may have been a start to this era I think Generation Y has taken the gaming trend to a whole new level.

Group Project

Skills I Can Offer My Group 

• Organization Skills- I can help our group organize what tasks everyone will be assigned to.
• Editing Skills- I can help edit our assignment and make sure everything looks and sounds the best way possible.
• Communication Skills- I can help make sure we are all talking about our ideas and what needs to be accomplished.
• Motivation Skills- I can encourage other group members to voice their opinions and let them know that all ideas will be taken into consideration.

 

Proposed Code of Conduct

 

All members of the group should have all assignments done by the prearranged time. If there is a problem with any group member not being able to get an assignment done on time, they should then let the other group members know as soon as possible so that other arrangements can be made.

 

 

My Conflict Ranking

 

1. Avoidance      

2. Collaboration 

3. Compromise  

4. Competition   

5. Accommodate



 

Conflict...

Everyone experiences conflict at some point or another in their lives. I like to think of myself as an assertive person when it comes to conflict, but I know that this has not always been the case. There have been plenty of times where I have been non-assertive, and ended up feeling like a doormat or felt that I was taken advantage of.
A conflict I had, when I was younger, with a friend of mine illustrates both my non-assertive and assertiveness. I had agreed to watch her daughter, for a few weeks, since she had just gotten a new job and was looking into daycare. At the time I had a toddler of my own to take care of, and was very pregnant.
Her daughter, it turned out, was a nightmare! She would throw huge fits, screaming, kicking, throwing herself around, and acting all around horrible. At first I didn't say much to the mom about the behavior, thinking that her behavior was due to being somewhere new, or her mom going back to work. When I did talk to her about the behavior of her daughter she was not surprised. This seemed to be the behavior she expected from her daughter. She had failed to mention this when asking me to watch her daughter in the first place.
At this point I asked about daycare and how she was coming along with that. I was blown off and told she hadn't had a chance to look into it yet. It upset me that she hadn't even made an attempt to look into it. I felt that I was being used. Our arrangement was only to be for a short time, until she got her daughter into daycare. Yet I was afraid to say anything about how I felt, I didn't want to seem pushy. At that point in my life I was just not comfortable asserting myself. To make a long story short this went on for months. Finally when I had enough I told her that we needed to talk.
I thought a lot about what wanted to say and how she made me feel. I didn't want to go into a conversation being defensive or making her feel defensive. For all I knew she had no idea how I felt about the situation, since until now I hadn't mentioned anything to her about how I felt. When we talked I told her that I agreed to watch her daughter it was to be for a short time, not for months on end. I felt that I had been more than accommodating with her in the time I'd given. Without leaving any doubt I told her that I would watch her daughter the following week, but after that I would not watch her anymore. Whether or not she was in daycare she would have to make other arrangements for her. She said she understood, but did try to talk me into watching her for just a few more weeks. I politely told her no.
I felt so much better talking to her and telling her that I was done. I didn't make an excuse or back down on what I was saying. This was something new for me, probably the first time I ever really told someone no for something. In this once situation I was both non-assertive and assertive.

We Are Losing Our Listening

In Juilian Treasures video the main message was that we are losing our listening. Our world is full of noise, noises we are aware of unaware of. We have become desensitized to the noise around us and have forgotten how to truly listen to one another, or we never learned how to listen in the first place. We are an impatient world with so many technological ways to communicate that we are losing the ability to communicate effectively with a real person. Not knowing how to listen to others leads to misunderstandings that could otherwise be avoided.
Overall I agree with Juilian's message in the video and found it all very interesting. He was very passionate about his topic, which is very helpful when trying to get your point across. It also helps your audience pay attention and remember what it is you are talking about. He is defiantly a very good public speaker!
Out of the five different exercises he suggests to improve your listening I chose to try the silence technique. There is something very peaceful about shutting out noise for just a few minutes a day. I chose to have my quiet time in the morning before I went to work. My kid were still asleep and I would have my cup of coffee and just sit and relax for a few minutes. Trying not to think about anything can be very hard, especially for a woman! I feel like after I did the exercise I was calmer and able to listen better to the people around me. I was also able to hear the background noises better, the noises that I usually just tune out such as, the fridge running, the coffee pot, or my dog snoring. Maybe I was more willing to listen because I had a few minutes of utter silence to calm myself and the noises around me. I think after taking a break from listening to anything I was more able to appreciate the sounds around me, which is very important when trying to listen to someone else.
This technique showed me that while I believe I am a good listener, there is always room for improvement. Something as simple as a few minute of silence can help calm your mind so that you are more willing to listen. This technique will help me not only in my personal life, being a better listener for my children, but also in my education and professional life as well. There will always be a need for people to listen, and people who truly listen will not only get more out of what is said, but be able to communicate back more effectively.