Interpersonal Communication

For the first time at JMU, I found a 9:05 class that keeps me truly awake without any head-bobbing or heavy eyelids.

Introduction to Interpersonal Communication with Jennie Rosier. To be honest, at first I chose this class because I needed another 300-level SCOM class to fulfill my graduation requirements. However, I am beyond happy with my choice in picking this class.

The class started with discussing the personal self and then moved onto attachment styles in children and adults, experiencing and expressing emotions, communicating non-verbally, communicating verbally, and listening actively. Currently, we are discussing relationships with romantic partners and I have never learned so much about relationships in my entire life. In fact, I’ve never learned so much about interpersonal communication during my time as a SCOM (School of Communication Studies) major.

Jennie is real. She uses anecdotes of her own family to help explain the concepts we are talking about. Not only that, but she is also incredibly passionate about what she does. It is obvious in her teaching style and her demeanor every morning. I wish I had discovered her classes earlier and not as a second semester senior because I would have definitely taken as many as my schedule would have allowed.

But the class isn’t just useful and fun for me, it’s also incredibly useful. As a future PR professional it is important to know how you are communicating with others non-verbally and what unintentional messages you may be sending out during a meeting with a client. Of course knowing how you are communicating verbally is important as well and I believe I have learned valuable advice and lessons from taking this class.

If I could give any SCOM major any advice it would be to take Intro to Interpersonal Comm with Jennie, not just because she’s an amazing professor, but also because the class is incredibly useful for whatever field they may be going into.

Lean In or Recline?

1135024 Sheryl Sandberg, author of Lean In, is creating waves in the discussion of women in the workplace. After her 2010 Ted Talk, she decided to write Lean In in order to keep the discussion going.

In various classes, I’ve spent a lot of time discussing Sheryl’s idea of “leaning in” and what it means for women in the workplace. This topic was a significant topic in my Industrial/Organizational Psyc (aka Psychology of the Workplace) class. Sheryl is also now a part of the “careers” section in Cosmopolitan magazine, helping Joanna Coles change the face of the magazine.

Recently, my cousin posted an article on Facebook (ironically) that bashes Sandberg and talks about why women should “Recline” instead. The article, written by Rosa Brooks, talks about her “epiphany” in realizing she hates Sheryl Sandberg. In the article she says, “This, of course, is why I hate her. Sheryl, have you ever stopped to consider that all this “learning in” is ruining life for the rest of us?”

Brooks then goes on to discuss how she personally experienced “leaning in” and how she became miserable because she had no time for anything else. She was tired and never saw her friends. The article ends with this quote:

“We need to fight for our right to lean out, and we need to do it together, girls. If we’re going to fight the culture of workplace ubiquity, and the parallel and equally-pernicious culture of intensive parenting, we need to do it together — and we need to bring our husbands and boyfriends and male colleagues along, too. They need to lean out in solidarity, for their own sakes as well as ours.”

I found the article to be interesting because I never thought of the other side of “leaning in” or “reclining.” Since Sandberg is such as successful woman, I admired her will to want to change things for women in the workplace. However, Brooks makes a great point about how leaning in can cause us to overwork ourselves and not leave time for ourselves to do the things we enjoy. Additionally, as I start the real final lap (since it’s after spring break) thinking about how to balance “leaning in” with “reclining” has helped me figure out how I want to behave in the workplace as well as outside the workplace.

1 minute without your phone could change a life

As I sit here trying to study for my upcoming psych of learning test, I am helping to make a difference. My roommate posted a link on Facebook to the UNICEF Tap Project and curious, I clicked on it. The whole idea is that for every minute you don’t touch your phone, the UNICEF sponsor, Giorgio Armani, will donate the equivalent of one day of water for a child in need. Since I should be studying and not touching my phone anyways, I thought why not try it out.

As you proceed through the minute, UNICEF provides facts and statistics about how clean water makes a difference in countries in need. One of the statistics shown is the record of the day of how long someone was able to go without their phone. Today that record was 44 minutes. At first, I was impressed… until I realized that isn’t even the length of a single class on Monday/Wednesday/Friday at JMU. Usually I can’t go an entire class without checking my phone or even touching it. And if it’s a 75 minute class on Tuesday/Thursday? Forget it, I’m checking my phone at least 3 times during that period. How pathetic is that? I am so incredibly attached to my phone that I can’t even go an hour without looking at it.

In the public relations world, technology is incredibly important. Whether that is being up-to-date on the latest technology or being connected to the public through various social media platforms, PR is all about it. But at what point does it become too much? When should we learn to step away from our phones, tablets and computers?

My roommates and I are going to the Dominican Republic for spring break this year and personally, I cannot wait to have an entire week away from my cell phone to be present with my favorite people on a beautiful beach.

The Final Lap

Having my first last day of classes ever was a weird feeling. With a month-long break I feel like it should be fall semester because I haven’t seen campus in so long. Spring semester always goes by much faster than fall semester for some reason and I hope this year it could slow down for once. I’m excited for my classes to begin even though this semester will be a lot of hard work.

Of course, in all my communication classes we went around the room and introduced ourselves and talked about interesting facts or what we are interested in within the communications major. That didn’t happen in my 70+ max capacity psych class, though. Being a double major is always interesting. I get to see how two different departments work and see the differences (and similarities) between the professors. I’m fortunate in the fact JMU has amazing professors in every department. I am biased towards the professors in SCOM and psych though, because the professors are truly phenomenal.

Yesterday in my psychology of learning class, my professor spent a good chunk of time going over his history with school and how he got to where he is today at JMU. He story consisted of not doing so well his first few years as an engineering major, finding a love for psychology and changing his major. At JMU, he teaches psych of learning, research methods and a senior seminar class. He also has the opportunities to conduct research he is truly interested in. After finding his own passion for psychology and teaching, he studies what makes other people passionate and why they are passionate. He also strives to instill a sense of passion in his students and after one day in class with him I already know it is going to be an inspiring semester to say the least. His enthusiasm for psychology of learning made me interested and focused, even though classical and operant conditioning are not my favorite subjects in psychology.

Today, I had a SCOM professor give similar advice to the class. I feel like passion and enthusiasm are strongly emphasized senior year. It is not that in previous years professors haven’t talked about being passionate, but I’ve noticed as we get ready to leave the JMU nest professors are trying to get us to get over grades and lean more towards actually learning the material and wanting to know more. I have had numerous psychology professors say “If you focus on learning the material, the grades will follow.” Because ultimately, my grades won’t matter one day. People will want to know what I learned, not that I got an A in advanced public relations writing.

So this semester I’m going to focus on learning as much as I possibly can from my classes as well as my professors. This semester I also want to get to know my professors better than I have in the past. Especially my professor studying passions, I hope he can help

Thoughts on Graduation & Exploration

It has been far too long since I’ve updated this blog! After my last post, classes ramped up because of the upcoming Thanksgiving break and then ultimately finals. Winter break has been wonderful, just enough time at home for me to catch up on Breaking Bad and Games of Thrones before starting my last semester at JMU. It is so crazy to think four years ago I was getting my early acceptance letter from JMU and now graduation is five months away.

Many Dukes refer to JMU as “the promised land” or “the happiest place on earth” (sorry Disney). The “Madison Way” is holding doors open for people, even if they’re an awkward ten feet behind you. Or using your dining dollars to buy someone’s coffee, just because you can. I know, however, that the memories and friends I have made here will last a lifetime and I will always be incredibly grateful for the opportunity to attend this amazing university.

While I’m not 100% ready to leave the Valley, I am becoming more and more excited to see what the “real world” has to offer me. Other than moving to Harrisonburg, I have lived in the same city and same house for my entire life. The farthest west I’ve been is Tennessee and the farthest south I’ve been is to the Caribbean. I would love to see the world. I have a cousin who has lived in England, Norway, Australia, and Sudan. My roommate interned in Ghana for two weeks and my best friend studied abroad in London for a semester. All of their experiences have made me want to step out of my comfort zone a bit. I have a love/hate relationship with change. While some of the time I don’t like things to be disrupted…at the same time I have a yearning for something different. I would love to travel and experience other cultures and countries, but for right now I think moving to another city such as D.C. or Philadelphia would satisfy that craving. Of course I’ll miss my roommates and all the wonderful people I have met at JMU, but I’m also excited to see where everyone ends up. I have friends looking at Houston, Seattle, Colorado, and California and while those are big changes, they are also excuses for me to travel more!

This may be a somewhat childish analogy but recently after watching Pocahontas I’ve been thinking more about which way my “arrow” will point. For a quick refresher, in the movie Pocahontas has a reoccurring dream about an arrow spinning and spinning and she believes this arrow will show her which path to take in her life. After meeting John Smith and disobeying her father, her arrow ultimately points to saving John Smith’s life and reconciling the Native Americans with the new settlers. As a child I always saw Pocahontas as just a great Disney movie. But now at the age of 21, it makes so much more sense and has a very different meaning. Just like Pocahontas, I’m trying to figure out which path I should take after graduation. Even though I want to know right now what I’ll be doing after May, I know it’s better to see where this semester will take me.

“

JMU is not just an institution of higher learning, it is a spirit, it is an atmosphere, it is… A way of life I am glad to say that I have lived”

Incoming Call: Lesotho, Africa

When I got to JMU as a freshmen I was incredibly homesick. I was having a hard time letting go of Richmond and seeing JMU/Harrisonburg as my new home. Fortunately, before I left for JMU I was able to meet Matt Merritt. I have always said, “Matt Merritt IS JMU” because the kid was involved in just about everything. I saw him constantly and it was comforting to see a familiar face.
Matt encouraged me to get involved on campus and promised it would help me fall in love with JMU. Turns out, he was right (Thanks Matt!). I joined a Christian organization, honors organizations, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and applied to be a First yeaR Orientation Guide (FROG). Matt was one of the main factors in finally deciding to apply for FROG. I can say without a doubt being a FROG was one of the best experiences I’ve had at JMU.

Matt graduated last May and accepted a position with the Peace Corps. He left in October for his two year adventure to Lesotho in Southern Africa. I was lucky enough to see Matt about two weeks before he left in Harrisonburg and it’s crazy to think he won’t be stateside until 2016.

However, thanks to the app Viber, today Matt was able to call me! It was so awesome getting to hear him talk about everything he has done so far within his village and how excited he is for what is to come in these next few months. When he called me it was about 2:15 EST and around 9 pm in Lesotho, crazy to think he was getting ready for bed as I was getting done with classes.

Our conversation reminded me of how incredibly fortunate and blessed I am to have the opportunity to even be at JMU getting a degree. One of the biggest things that stuck out to be was when he said “I’ve been here for a little over a month and have yet to have a bad day.” Wow. Sometimes I don’t even give the day a chance to be a good day and decide that because it’s Monday and cold, it will be miserable.

Talking to Matt was a great (and timely) reminder to be thankful for everything in my life- big and small. If anyone is interested in seeing what Matt has been up to, you can check out his blog here.

Maximizing vs. Satisficing: Which one are you?

(That is not a typo in the title, don’t worry, I’ll explain.)

I love being a double major. Throughout my course work I have found so many different topics overlap from communications into psychology and vice versa. For my Industrial/Organizational psychology class we had to read a research article I found to be particularly interesting. The article, Doing Better but Feeling Worse: Looking for the “Best” job Undermines Satisfaction, was about maximizing and satisficing and how these choice-making strategies can affect general happiness and job performance.
The article defines maximizing as “to seek the best and requires an exhaustive search of all possibilities.” Satisficing is “to seek ‘good enough,’ searching until encountering an option that crosses the threshold of acceptability.” The example used is when watching t.v., maximizers channel surf and look at all the channels, leaving little time to actually watch a show. On the other hand, satisficers would channel surf until he or she found an acceptable show and actually watched said show.

The research led to show that compared with satisficers maximizers do better financially, but feel worse. Maximizers are more unhappy with their choices after they have made them, even if it is a good decision. On the other hand, satisficers are happy and are not just settling. They are falling under what they consider to be an “acceptable threshold.” The article also states that maximizers might act this way because in the past they have been high achievers with past successes and have learned to expect more of themselves.

As the discussion on this article continued in class, we began talking about how this actually applies in the workplace setting and in real life. My professor brought up social media and how maximizers would be on all the different forms of social media and constantly checking the sites, which in the end only leads to unhappiness. This lead me to think about public relations professionals. Could public relations professionals turn off social media for a day and still feel like they are able to complete their tasks for the day or get projects done?

Soon this conversation led to talking about the 40-hour work week and how stress and overworking are socially reinforced constructs in our culture. I remember being in middle school and just doing my homework to get it done so I didn’t have to worry about it anymore. But then I got to high school and suddenly it was “cool” to put off doing work until the last minute so you’re up all night studying or writing a paper. In college it seems as if people are competing for who got less sleep or who has more work to do. My professor made a great point, you never hear anyone say, “You know last night I got a great full nine hours of sleep and I woke up feeling really refreshed and had a great start to my morning and I don’t need any coffee today!”

Our culture values spending more time at work and you are considered a better person if you work longer and harder hours. However, working long hours in the long run causes productivity to go down and people are likely to “burn out” faster. This entire discussion gave me a lot to think about for my future career. The public relations world is often never ending, with taking calls and checking emails at home.
It is readings and discussions like these that make me so grateful to be studying both psychology and communications. I feel that having this knowledge about maximizers being unhappy will help me to remember to not become fixated on what could have happened if I had made another choice or picked a different job.

Along with the reading we also had to complete a survey and score ourselves to determine which side of the scale we fall on. The higher the number, the more likely you are to be a maximizer. I scored a 3.5 which I feel is pretty accurate of myself. While I have high standards for myself and work hard, I don’t overstress myself to the point where I am only worrying about the options I should have chosen instead of the one I did choose.

So what do you think you are, a maximizer or satisficer?

Back in the game

Lately I’ve been on a writing kick. Of course I write for classes all the time, I am a public relations student after all. But I’ve been getting back into the habit of writing for my own benefit. Reading through my old journals have been a big source of inspiration, even though my personal journals contain mostly jumbled thoughts and ramblings. It feels good to open my journal to fresh pages waiting for my ideas.

This blog is the same way. For some reason the blank blog post is scarier than a blank journal… but it still has the same effect as writing in a journal. I’ve started paying more attention to how other writers express themselves as well. Especially journalists in various mediums- newspapers, magazines, online news sources, etc. The more I read, the more I pay attention to the little details.
I have this urge to devour as much information as possible and to read everything. But that’s a good thing, it’ll keep me busy for a while.

A Beginning

I decided to bite the bullet and start a website/blog. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time but didn’t quite know where to start. I’ve filled journal after journal with my musings and ideas for years. But there is something about putting those ideas out on infinite web that scare me. So instead of thinking about all the possible blog posts I could be writing, I am actually going to write them. So welcome and thanks for reading.

Kathryn G. Flocco

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