GOODBYE.

Dear You,

As the adage goes, all things, even my Communication 101 blog, must eventually come to an end. I hope you have enjoyed reading and commenting about my entries, as much as I have writing them for you, my dear reader. Thanks for your time! :)

With that, I end this last entry with a poem.

Thanks once again for dropping by
Whenever you comment you make me high
Hey, look at that bird in the sky
It looks like a winged blueberry pie
Have you read "Catcher in the Rye"?
It is no lie when I say I tearfully bid you goodbye

Sincerely,
Me

HEY HO, LET'S GO!

According to Edward T. Hall, there are two types of cultures. One high in context, and the other (you guessed it, genius!) low.

High context culture focuses on information preprogrammed in the receiver and its setting, and does not place much importance on the message itself. There is a prevalence of restricted codes, contextual cues; subtle cues are more important than the actual words written/spoken. Explicit communication is considered rude and brash. (Talk less, think more)

Low context culture, on the other hand, focuses on the transmitted message in order to make sense of the context. Silence is interpreted as incomprehension; and, indirect communication is considered deceptive. Importance is placed on speech because in low context culture, it is used as a tool to express, clarify and influence. (Talk more, think more)

This subtle difference is especially important to advertisting companies which want to strike a chord with their target audience that is the masses. On a side note, if an advertisement is related with local obstrusive issues, it will be less effective. This is why several multinational corporations such as Sony and Nike, have numerous websites with specific content for varying regions. Depending on the product/advertisement concept, you wouldn't see an ad here in Singapore of a person escaping from a prison for quite sometime...

Happy Deepavali everyone! Thanks for please-commenting-here haha :)

GREETINGS.

Culture. To many (or me at least), that word means, "a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Singaporean culture" (dictionary.com).

However, in the context of communication, culture refers to "templates for living". These templates tell us who we are, what groups we belong to, and how we live our lives. They influence and interpret behaviour. Culture is learned, shared, dynamic and multifaceted.

There are many ways to greet people all over the world. For instance, according to this web article, if you were to spit at someone's feet here in Singapore, it would be considered pretty offensive and illegal. However, that's the way some South-East Africans say hello to each other (though they only pretend to spit).

In a world as diverse as ours, it is important to respect others' culture, lest it leads to unnecessary misunderstandings. It is easier said than done, but we have to go against our human tendency to judge and conclude prematurely. Only then will the sun shine brighter and birds sing louder- the world will be an infinitely better place! :)

WHAT'S UP?

"Two heads are better than one." This adage might ring true for certain circumstances, but this doesn't necessarily mean that more heads are always better! Arithmetically speaking, the more people involved in a group discussion, the greater the number of ideas generated- but so is the amount of feedback/noise/irrelevant nonsense.

Although a group may be more dynamic and synergic in terms of productivity (if focused on the task at hand), it is prone to a detrimental effect known as Groupthink (GT). According to prominent research psychologist Irving Jarvis, GT is "a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action".

In other words, excessive belief in your group might actually be negative because it could be an illusion of invulnerability, morality or unanimity- all symptoms of GT.

To combat this intangible enemy, a group should appoint a third party to advocate and supervise; or reflect objectively on their own if they're mature and aware enough. A patient cannot be cured if he does not admit he's sick enough to see a doctor- similarly, a group needs to be educated of the existence of GT before they can combat it.

I'm basing this week's article on GT because my group is incredibly proactive and deeply involved in our communication project- hence, we are subject to GT ourselves! But at least one of their group members is enlightened! Haha! <:D

GOOD DAY.

I was never a fan of silver screen musicals. I love music, but I never really appreciated the idea of replacing dialogue with lyrics, probably because this takes away much from the movie's realism.

However, the poster of Mamma Mia! caught my attention for the actors featured on it seemed to beckon, "Take a chance take a chance take a chic-a-chance-chance take a chance on me!" The stellar cast (ethos) and apparently catchy ABBA music were also compelling reasons for me to actually try this 'new' genre for myself.

And I have to admit, I did 'sort of somewhat' enjoyed myself a little. The plot was brilliantly ridiculous; singing and acting were fairly good but I think it was the renowned Swedish (not American!) pop band's evergreen music that ultimately endeared the characters to me.

The melody of the songs are all pleasing to the ear; but in my opinion, it's the easy-to-comprehend lyrics that made ABBA, and hence Mamma Mia! a worldwide success. If the songs' simple lyrics were replaced with bombastic words instead, things might not have turned out the same for the band and movie. Choosing the right words is important- the difference may seem insignificant but the subtleties are paramount to an audience's perception, communication. As the saying goes, "God is in the details."

Take a chance on Mamma Mia!

HI, HOW YOU DOING?

AIG (American Insurance Giant Group) is the parent company of local favourite insurer American Insurance Association, better known in its acronym form as 'AIA'. It is also the shirt sponsor of the prestigious Manchester United Football Club; happens to be my insurer of choice; and was also very recently on the brink of bankruptcy.

When I first heard that AIG was on the verge of collapse, my intial reaction was to immediately sell off all my shares (no wait, I don't have any) terminate my policy. Later, I chanced upon a news article that the US government was going to inject USD 85 billion (not sure how many zeros that is) to prevent this calamity, and that even our very own Monetary Authority of Singapore was confident of AIG's continued existence. I then felt assured of well, being insured.

This got me thinking. The mass media is one of, if not the most powerful form of communication today. Broadcasting corporations have the power to influence its audience to a certain extent, for they can subtly portray people and situations in a positive light or otherwise, with the omission or addition of certain keywords, presenters' nonverbal cues, etc. Since young, I have always thought that news reports in any form were objective and true, but I have realized that this is not always the case.

While I maintain that our local news companies are generally more credible and trustworthy compared to those of other countries, I feel that it is also important to remember that the very mechanics of media might result in occasional flaws in reports.

Take for instance, a journalist who has to rush an article within an impossible deadline; or one who has limited jurisdiction at a scene, and so he is unable to get the details that really matter.

Too much of salt is unhealthy, but a lack of it is just as detrimental. We should take whatever we see, hear (and eat) with a moderation of salt; and not just blindly consume whatever we're fed.

HEY THERE.

I'm not sure about you, but I think I've been doing something wrong all this while.

Usually, I first think of a subject matter to write about, then I consider how much communication value it has. This futile method leads to frustration because I often want to write about stuff that has little to no relevance, such as CENSORED. I think I'll defeat my writer's block (is it still called that if you have too much to write about, instead of nothing? Comment! Haha.) this week by using a different strategy. I'll think of what aspect of communication I want to write about first, then choose what fits the bill. Genius! :D Let's try:

This week, we'll be looking at wonderful Perception.

How we communicate and how we behave- it's all really based on our individual perception. Think about it- your eyes and mine both have varying degrees of myopia, astigmatism, shape and size right? So, it makes perfect sense that we would see the world differently (literally and metaphorically) too. This is probably how the adages, "One man's meat is another man's poison" and "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" came about.

Perception, as defined by Seiler & Beall, is "the process of selecting, organising and interpreting information in order to give personal meaning to the communication we receive". Of course, we have the choice (or not) to omit or misinterpret certain stimuli, so this is where miscommunication occurs. We manage this by communicating to gain better (or worse) understanding, if given the opportunity.

Take yesterday's "clash of the cash" for instance. The two richest football clubs in the world went head to head in Manchester, and a highly controversial (as most things football go) incident occured:

This is a ESPNSoccernet picture of John Terry being given his marching orders for a professional foul on his opponent. The referee perceived Terry's action as a red-card offence (when it clearly was not according to the official FIFA rules), and hence sent him off the field.

You can tell, via their nonverbal cues, that the Chelsea trio of Carvalho, Anelka and Terry (L to R in black) perceives the referee's decision very differently. Are they communicating emotions of sadness, anger or disappointment?

Everything is subjective. So before you conclude or judge (or issue a red card wrongly), perceive differently first. Try putting yourself in someone else's shoes, no matter how smelly they may be. Cya next week!

HELLO.

Ladies and gentlemen, you have landed on Josh's blog. Welcome! Admission fee is one comment; feel free to add more if you're feeling generous. Thank you and enjoy.

Movies are not a waste of time. It is a powerful form of communication if its audience is susceptible to its verbal/subliminal messages. If a particular film is well-directed and immersive enough, it's a brilliant form of escapism from the daily stresses of our fast-paced lives. On this note, movies can also inform, influence, and ultimately, inspire.

Renowned Disney computer-animation studio, Pixar recently released their latest film, "Wall-E" to worldwide critical acclaim. I can see why. It has spectacular imagery, poignant romance and impactfully advises us humans to stop polluting and start saving our only planet before it's too late. Al Gore would approve.

Personally, Wall-E appealed to both my heart (ethos) and mind (logos) with its contrasting, heartwarming moments of love and desolate scenes of utter destruction. There was one fascinating aspect of communication that was largely at work throughout the entire show- and that was 'action (nonverbal messages) speaks louder than words (verbal)'. I feel that the animators' expert use of nonverbal cues to convey the actors 'thoughts' was focal to the show's success. Without this, the robots would not have been able to communicate to us, its audience, with such vividness and would not have endeared and captured us so utterly.

But if you're looking for a laugh and/or suffering from Post-Beijing Olympic disorder, go Mad about English! Thank you you [sic]!