This is a discussion post for managing stress. Just please cite all references that you may have to use. The two classmates that has to be responded to below as well!!!
In your opinion: Communication is widely considered an essential ingredient for successful personal, school, and/or work relationships. We have many more tools (e.g., cell or smart phones, e-mail, instant messaging, twitter, etc.) with which to communicate quickly and efficiently. With these ways of communicating today many formalities and etiquette appear to be lost around how we communicate with others. Some even believe an entire generation is losing a sense of etiquette in day-to-day communication and that this can have a detrimental effect on interpersonal relationships. To what extent do you see this lack of etiquette? Are there times when an abrupt “in-your-face” sort of communication style adds stress to our lives, or perhaps to those with whom we are seeking to communicate?
For each of the subsequent questions, please meaningfully integrate your readings including the text, articles, videos, and module notes in our conversation with each other.
• What are some of the more important communication expectations today? How can these expectations affect stress levels?
• What impacts our stress levels for better or for worse? How does our increasing reliance on email, instant messaging, and texting affect how we communicate and manage our time?
• What actions can people take to decrease stress in communications? How about to manage conflict?
Respond to these two people. Please keep them in order and separate!!!
Angela post-
I have to say that I like my smartphone. I have many apps that I use daily, whether it be for exercising or shopping rebates. I like being able to read assignments for school on it, and I use it to watch funny videos or listen to music. Now, here is where I have to say that I do like using it for making a call to talk to someone, but I have never been a fan of text messaging or sending emails. I think that with text messaging, for example, etiquette could be lost. I think text messing can be fine to say a quick hello or to let someone know that you are on your way or you’re going to be late. Sometimes, I get these incredibly long text messages from someone, and the information included should really be communicated by a phone call or a face-to-face interaction. I have even had a past boyfriend who broke up with me via text message. A complete lack of etiquette there.
I also feel that things get lost in translation with text messaging or emailing. For example, at work, I get lengthy emails from customers with questions about their policies, or to complain about rate increases. It’s not the response itself that stresses me out, as I can talk about coverage and rates all day without a problem. I get stressed because I feel that if I don’t respond to them immediately I am being rude. This is sometimes hard to do, as when I am typing a response to an email, the phone is ringing, and I must answer it, or a customer comes into the office and comes over to my desk needing immediate assistance. I prefer to speak with people by phone so that I can explain things better, and so that other customers can see that I am busy helping another person. Also, when you are reading a text or an email, you are reading it in your own voice. So, a message can be interpreted wrong. With vocal communication, you can hear when someone is compassionate or apologetic, or when they are angry or frustrated. I think solely using written words can ruin that empathetic connection that we feel towards one another.
Also, I think that many within society have become too dependent on handheld devices. I am sure many of us see many people, both young and old, walking around with their heads down because they are busy staring at their cell phones. I have seen people almost get hit by vehicles because they’re not paying attention. My mom and I are were just talking about how we see fewer people holding open doors for others, because they are oblivious to their surroundings, and they are immersed in their electronic devices. It got so out of hand, even in our family, that for gatherings we have a “no cell phone at the table” rule. I am on board with this because when I am around my family, I want to talk to them and share what has been going on in our lives with each other. Something that is hard to do when everyone is scrolling through their Facebook feed or taking photos of themselves or their plates of food for Snapchat and Instagram.
Though as the great Bob Dylan once sang, “The Times They Are a Changin’”. If the newer generations of today are losing social etiquette, then we must figure out how to make it more present in the ways we communicate with technology. Perhaps we could start by picking up the phone more and talking to someone rather than sending them a text. I know that this could feel weird for some, but as a person who is always on the phone for work, it can become easier with practice. I also think that we could benefit from using Facetime or Skype more often when communicating with others. I would love to be able to use this at work, and actually see the customers that I am talking too. I haven’t quite figured out how to get people to stop staring at their phone screens all day though. Perhaps this is just something that will keep occurring, and I will have to adapt to it.
Answer to Angela’s post-
Johns post
Being a father of seven, I have witnessed the evolution of this current generation’s lack of etiquette from computers, then internet, video games, on-line gaming, cell phones, mp3 music & players, smartphones, to social media. With my older four children the ones ages 22-31, there was still around a 50% etiquette level as far as interaction with “humans” and situational and surrounding awareness. With my younger three ages 15-21, I saw a dramatic dependency on the social media and smartphones, so much so that they had withdrawals similar to an addict! They also had no spatial or outdoor orientation due to their heads and eyes being “locked” unto their phones. I see this social interaction causing anxiety in many due to the actual face to face interaction being taken away, and they find it difficult to actually talk to someone. They’ve lost the fundamentals of a firm handshake, eye contact, simple reverence, and attentiveness. Although there are many benefits of this social and technological age, I firmly believe that society needs to continue to teach and reiterate the importance of the fundamentals of physical interaction.
Response to John
