Journal Entry 5: Meeting Remotely

This week’s discussion topic focused on meeting remotely and the most effective way to conduct a meeting. Our reading focused on management strategies that should be implemented and considered when structuring a meeting within a company or organization. Ironically this topic was prevalent within my past week here in London. In Tuesday morning’s class, we have a large social project ahead of us to complete this semester in which we gather in a team to organize a fundraising topic to implement social change on a certain topic we choose.  This past week my two other team members and I finally chose to sit down together and discuss what exactly we planned on doing for the project. Looking back, I can see both positive and negative aspects that took place during this meeting and now after assessing this week’s reading, our team can implement these techniques into our future collaborations. When deciding upon a time to meet, it was not done efficiently. We continued to tell one another yes yes we will meet sometime this week and continued to brush it off without implementing an actual time and place. Rather, I finally put my foot down and called them one evening during the week and told them I would come over to their apartment to discuss the project. For our next meeting, it would be far more efficient to set a certain time and to choose a place, which will be more constructive for us to work and collaborate. An apartment creates a more relaxed environment with easy distractions whereas a coffee shop or library will create a more diligent atmosphere. With this stage in our lives, the meeting time is the most important aspect to consider when conducting a meeting. As each of us are traveling each weekend to different places and having different class schedules, finding the right time to meet with one another is key. As we experienced in class this week as well, we had a guest speaker Skype in to talk to us from Egypt. It was important to realize the time difference as she was hours ahead. We gave her great thanks for making her workday even longer and Skyping in to teach us at 9 p.m. her time. Scheduling is such an important aspect when coming together to work.  As we finally sat down to work there was no one leader. We considered one another equals on the project and therefore we all were eager to participate and lend our own opinions. For the next meeting, it would be more efficient to assign each of us a certain aspect to focus on rather than spewing out random ideas and having no strong focus on who is doing what.  The reading referred to the leader of a meeting as a facilitator. A facilitator is someone who can direct the conversation, keep the meeting on track and in a sense is a moderator for the entire gathering. Since the project is equal we cannot necessarily have one lead facilitator but in a situation like this, we can assign certain tasks for one another to complete the work efficiently. I could be in charge of keeping the meeting on track, Jamie could be in charge of researching the media related to the topic and so on. By mediating the tasks, we can have more quality research on each aspect of the topic. Overall, professor Robinson said the most important aspects of a meeting were to send an email prior to the gathering and both starting and finishing on time. I will incorporate both of these aspects for the next meeting and am sure to find a much more efficient time spent working.

Journal Entry 4: Negotiating through Email

This week’s discussion centered on negotiations by specifically looking at the art of communicating via email. Our discussion in class had every one brimming at the surface with information to add because in our day and age and especially our changed circumstances abroad, each of us are dealing with this global form of communications. I thought what better way to really evaluate this topic in comparison to my every day life here in London than to look at the emails I sent out this week. I wanted to evaluate my emails by comparing their effectiveness and context in regards to tonal cues, length and purpose. As I look at my list of emails from the week, it is astounding to see the difference in the context of emails I was receiving back at USC versus now here in London. Back at SC, my emails consisted of daily mass informational emails from my sorority, countless emails from professors commenting on the slightest details regarding class assignments, various messages from USC Annenberg on internship opportunities and the rest mainly consisted of little interests I partook in such as fandango fan mail and fashion sights updating me on their latest apparel. What a change now as I glance as my weeks email intake. I now have countless flight, transportation and hotel booking confirmations either from the companies or my friends forwarding me their travel documents, talk mobile updates reminding me to top up my phone and the rest consist of daily reflections of my life here in London to loved ones back at home. No swarms of emails from professors or nonsense updates. Prior to coming to London, I never really sat down and wrote a daily email reflecting on my day. Even though I was far from some family members at USC, I would never have used email to communicate with them. The various call every now and then would have sufficed. However now as I experience new and exciting things each day here in London, I find myself glued to the keys of my computer and forming detailed emails on a daily basis. I decided to pick a few emails I sent and pick them apart in regards to the aspects we discussed in class to decide whether or not my emailing skills abided by what my professor described as most effective. This week I traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark so I decided to send my dad an email regarding the weeks finances. I titled the email: Hi Dad! It was short and concise. I got to the point and wrote everything that was necessary for my dad to understand. It was an important topic we were discussing so instead of the caption I used, I should have been more specific so he knew what he was getting into prior to reading the email. We discussed in class how it is difficult to incorporate empathy into an email. However, I find that to be untrue. I have taken the time in each email to thank my dad for allowing me this wonderful experience. I have the ability to write out my words and express fully what I want to tell him. Nothing is there to distract him from my words and he knows the time I took to write it out means my sincerity. I applied to an internship this past week. I have applied to countless internships before so I found the structure to my email to abide by what was discussed in class. I titled the caption: Whitney Griffith Internship Submission. I was short, concise and to the point. I ended the email with every means of contact and an appreciate tone overall for the company to take time for reading my email.  These emails were definitely low culture forms of communication: black and white and to the point. I found myself negotiating by the end of back and forth with my internship application due to the fact I am in Europe and their company is back in the States. I have to account for time change (They may think I am late in responding when in fact I am experiencing a large time difference) and how to negotiate a proper interview from so far away. All of these different aspects I have to account for when communicating globally. 

Journal Entry 3: Presentations

This week’s discussion focused on the art of an effective power point. More specifically we compared the positive and negative aspects brought on through the use of power points, presentations, reports and the differences that separate each. What better way to incorporate my own living habits here in London with this class than to discuss the courses I am taking here and the consequential changes I have come to experience. This topic has provided me the unique opportunity to compare the large differences between the presentation techniques implemented by my London professors with my professors back in the States. I am currently enrolled in four classes while here in London: Communication and Global Organization, Communication for Social Change, Media Consumption and Popular Culture. This semester has been a large adjustment for me already in comparison to a normal workload at USC. I am also a film minor, so when I am at USC I am taking both communication and film course, whereas, here in London I am taking only communication courses. Rather than breaking up the topics, I have divulged fully into the study of media and communication. These aspects rely primarily on reading and writing. My film classes, however, are largely interactive in which I am either watching movies or making them myself.  Film classes have a unique form of presentation that incorporates no form of power point. My film professors generally base their curriculum around initially getting up and discussing one topic in film and then following it up through a visual representation by viewing a film. My communication classes at USC, however, are strictly structured through the use of power point. One professor sticks out the most in my mind, Professor Durbin. Each semester I sign up for a class with him, I can look to expect the same exact structure. You are instructed to buy a book which is a notebook compiled of his power points with missing blanks. When attending the class, you are to fill in the blanks as he projects the same power point onto the screen. My USC professors will elaborate some with the use of oral presentation but the entirety of their classes are done by studying directly through the power points they have created for the semester. This is drastically different than the style of teaching I have come in contact with here in London. I have come to sense professors here dislike the use of power points and rather rely solely on the use of oral presentation when discussing topics. Only one of my classes here in London, Media Consumption, incorporates some form of power point but even then, that use is limited. The communication classes are far more involved here. At USC, I find myself in the middle of a huge lecture hall and attendance can be easily avoided. In London, however, classes are a few in size and the day revolves on individual input and interactive learning. In my classes I have already performed mock interviews, oral presentations on the spot, class debates and open discussion on topics. Professors in London rely heavily on oral and video presentation. My classes generally involve the professor discussing the topic the first half of the class and ending the course with a video and or music representation. So rather than seeing any similarities between the communication courses in London and at USC, I see a larger parallel of presentation techniques of London communication courses to my film courses. Overall, I can find positive and negative aspects in both. By implanting an oral presentation followed by a video, I find myself focusing much more on the topic and having a visual representation to further explain it helps immensely. However, at times it is hard to focus on just a speaker for such long periods of time and there is no formal structure for a student to follow and feel confident on the material. Implementing videos are my greatest help in learning. Overall, every teacher in every city, country or state implements his or her own forms of course presentation. I look forward to seeing the many more differences I will experience while studying in London. 

Journal Entry 2: Global Information and Communication

This week in class we discussed the transformation of global information and communication markets. One aspect the authors discussed in this week’s reading was how markets are in fact considered webs rather than categories. For example, there are no longer set categories when purchasing items. In the past, if a consumer needed to purchase a camera or computer, they would look to those as entirely different markets and purchase each item individually. Now consumers purchase entirely different. The Internet can come in the form of blackberries or iPads, a flip cam is purchased over the standard video camera and photographic cameras are now installed into cell phones. There are no longer defined competing markets and therefore these categories merge together to form an overlapping web. I can relate directly to this change within the communication markets. In this post I will examine the company Apple specifically when discussing this communication trend.  Prior to departing for London, I made the big purchase and finally bought myself the iPhone. Why did I choose to make this purchase? Well for several reasons. The iPhone represented the ultimate package: a camera, the Internet, email, texting, calling, a built in ipod and countless apps that would make my stay in London safer. Such apps for instance included maps, restaurant guides and cab services.  The iPhone’s biggest draw was its inclusion of a built in camera that would allow me to see the faces of loved ones and family when I called home from my phone. The application Facetime allows me to make a call and see my mom staring back at me while on the phone. Also, by having Skype on my iPhone I can do just the same. When I am out and about sight seeing in London, at times I will get upset with myself because I will want to take a picture but have left my camera at home. No longer is this a problem for me because my trusty iPhone can get the job done. Apple is constantly updating and revolutionizing their own technology. Newer versions of their already state of the art technology is constantly coming out and will only continue to grow and develop further in the future. When I bought the iPhone, an interesting exchange occurred between the Apple sales representative and myself. I was of course ecstatic to purchase the phone but there was a large part of me that was hesitant. Why would I be cautious about buying this amazing form of communication? It’s simple. Apple is constantly improving their equipment and creating new gadgets to their own software. Why would I buy an iPhone now when I could buy the newer version when I return from London? I asked the salesman this simple question: Will there be a newer version in May? His answer was quick and without hesitation: Of course, it’s Apple.  This statement proves the exact point discussed by the author. And as I walk the streets of London, not only is it us Americans that have an addiction to Apple technology, it seems the Brits do as well. I was in awe of the popularity of this American brand abroad and how dependent the world has become on iPhones and various Apple technologies. My teacher for one of my classes even went as far during her introduction of herself to the class to mention her love for her iPhone. The future of technology is constantly growing worldwide and will only further prove this developing web of consumerism.
The epitome of today's all encompassing technology market:

Journal Entry 1: Haiti Panel

A field trip to UCL this past Monday lead us to a panel discussion entitled: London-Haiti Live Anniversary Panel Discussion-“Communicating with Haiti: Where the Response Failed, Where it Succeeded, and How we Move Forward.” It featured a diverse panel including four speakers and Alex Joseph, the accountability officer speaking live to the audience via Skype. After listening to the entire presentation I came to realize how the Internet, changing technology and our world’s rapidly improving forms of communication are key in not only the survival of countries but for every day life as well. How this NGO chose to communicate their message through the implementation of Skype and Twitter displayed how with the convergence of these new technologies and social communicating processes, the world can dramatically be altered. Since moving to London, I have become completely dependent on the use of technology, most specifically through my computer. When living in the States, if ever I needed to contact a friend or loved one, I would shoot out a quick text or call and instantly be connected. My phone never left my hand. However, since moving abroad, my communication process has dramatically changed. In order to communicate to loved ones or friends at home, I stay glued to my Facebook and Skype accounts. And not only do these two social media avenues assist me in communicating with people across the world, I use these networks to also stay in contact with my friends here in London. With the dazzling phone we purchased for our stay here for the upcoming four months for a whopping one pence, it only provides me with a limited amount of calls or texts and I constantly try to avoid using it at all in order to avoid a high phone bill. So rather than use a phone to call my friend down the street, we have adapted to these new communication conditions and rather stay connected via Facebook or Skype. I had never used Skype prior to my stay here and when I would venture onto Facebook, I never left my chat on for people to see that I was online. However, now that I solely depend on its use, I make sure to always be available online and have found myself attached to my computer rather than to my cell phone. So as I have come to realize this dramatic change in my every day life in regards to technology, I sat and watched the panel implement these similar technologies I am currently dealing with as well. I was in awe of its power. Having the ability to have Alex Joseph speak live all the way from Haiti and even go a far as to answer questions from London students and live Tweets from people unable to attend the function, was a marvel to witness. Never have I witnessed such technological capabilities and realized how the communication process can change the world when used in its full capacity. A foreign leader can communicate for assistance from a country in need hundreds of miles away and a daughter can see the face of her parents when far from home. The overall discussion performed by this panel may not have been the most interesting form of presentation because they primarily functioned through verbal storytelling of their experiences rather than implementing engaging PowerPoint in conjunction with their discussion. They might have implemented innovative forms of technology but their presentation brought about a valid point as well, technology is not effect when used incorrectly. Alex was barely understandable due to his heavy accent and their lack of organization caused them to look unprofessional. They left their chats and tweets up for the entire class to see which is not professional. Yes, I was in awe initially of their use of technology however it quickly lost my attention due to the form of presentation they implemented.  Regardless, their use of Skype and Twitter definitely left me thinking.  Their overall presentation lacked the strength they may have hoped to produce but viewing their discussion taught me how, if done myself, a panel discussion should actually be held. Technological communication has changed the world and I know Thinking Development will utilize all the workings they have in order to make a difference in the lives of these struggling Haitians. Here are the social media powers I discussed in this post: