There is no "I" in Team

This past week when we were preparing for our group project I learned about some things that I can improve on. I was grateful to my team members that expressed to me things that I could do better and how we could better work as a team. Communication is key in any team setting.

Here are some things I learned this week:

- Don't take others reactions personally. There is always a reason behind what is said, take the time to figure it out and come to a conclusion about what moves to make next. 

- If you don't have the answers, it is okay to say "I don't know." Then go and find the answers and tell the team what you have come up with for the findings, or better yet come out to a solution together. 

- People want to feel heard more than they care about you agreeing with them. Don't just nod in affirmation. Ask questions such as:

       - tell me more about your concern

       - I see where you are coming from, what led you to that belief? 

I am not a master communicator, I clearly have a lot more to work on. Baby steps. 

 

The Google Hangout

Technology is a two edge sword. The fact that I can video conference people from all over the world is a phenomenal thing to think about. But all of my joy and saying "hey this is neat" stops when I have problems with whatever software I am using. We encountered this in our Google Hangout just a few days ago. A few members of our team were not able to access the video for lack of network connection. Nathan and I had good reception from home. It just goes to show that you cannot rely solely on PowerPoints and Google Docs and Excel sheets to get things done for you. 

During the entire project we have been using a Google Doc that has been very helpful in helping receive real time feedback with regards to the material that we researched and our material that we wrote for the report. 

I love being able to interact with people and find a balance in a group setting. There will always be a need to set aside differences for the good of the team and it is fulfilling to see the final product when all is said and done. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYu_bGbZiiQ

Group Presentation Part I

So I may be biased but I think our group killed it at our presentation! Now of course there was room for improvement. There always is. When you stop learning, you stop progressing. Here is my takeaway from the presentation.

Individually I thought I provided a good hook and got people involved. I believe the key to any presentation is change. Change the way you present information, the examples you use, the way you get people involved. Always keep people on their toes wanting more while still delivering a concise informational message. Now some things I can work on is my eye contact when I am not speaking. I should be looking at who is speaking and my other team members. I also could have interacted with them more, made it more fun. 

As a team I think that we had good transitions and some comical things to lighten the mood. I think that we could have spent more time designing our slides and more class participation. 

Part II will be better. Mark my words ol sports. 

Design: make or break

This week we had to do a briefing article on a topic of our choice. Professor Middleton asked that we do it in a magazine layout. As I searched the web for magazine template layouts, I was amazed at the creativity and design of some of the magazine I saw on blogs and design websites. Steve Jobs said that "creativity is just connecting things." Seeing things in a new light, a simpler light. As I sat trying to design my magazine article I thought of how I am seriously  lacking in "right brain" thinking or creative thinking. Howard Gardener, a psychologist proposed a theory of multiple intelligences. He thought that humans engage in both right brain and left brain activity, and the more intelligences we use out of the seven he proposed, the better we are able to learn and grow. The seven intelligences are:
- lingusitic
-logical-mathematical
- musical
- bodily-kinesthetic
- spatial 
- interpersonal
- intrapersonal

So what? My goal once the semester is over is to engage in more right brain activities. At the top of my list are learn the piano, learn Adobe Suite, and learn how to edit videos. 

Let's get creative and get out of the mold of the classic university academic standards of how things should be done. 

The Process of Learning

Doris Lessing said, "That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all of your life, but in a new way." This past weekend I was reflecting on my college experience. I have been surrounded by wonderful intellect and professors that have a passion for what they teach. Some of the best teachers of my life have been here at BYU. But someone asked me a question a few days ago about finance. Something about discount rates and the rate of return. I sort of remembered what they were but could not make heads or tails of the problem. Then I thought about my other classes, everything from psychology to art history, and I could not recall hardly anything from class. The process of learning for most is to cram and put the information in short term memory. Where is the benefit in that?

So what? As of this week I have made a plan to start to review and study smarter so that I can have this information readily available. After all I'm here for an education not a diploma.

Online Interview

Interviews are always an opportunity to reflect and see how much you have really achieved in your life and how prepared you are to present who you are as a person. I interviewed with Sarah and she asked some good questions. The question that was most interesting to me was, "What are three qualities you have that make you qualified for this job?" I thought about what was said in class about putting qualities and action verbs from the job description in the resume. I tripped up a little bit and had to think about it. It is wise for future interviews to have thought about qualities that would be a good fit for the jobs I am applying for. 

Sarah did a great job at using hand movements and being animated about the interview. Even though it was a online interview I could have been more animated. This was a great experience and I learned a great deal and what I need to improve on. 

4.72/5 

See the world with different eyes

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to a stake conference. One of the speakers was a girl named Jalene from Texas. As she got up she said something very interesting, "As I stand before you today I ask that you look at me through Heavenly Father's eyes and not your own." That made me step back and think of how many times I judge people without even knowing them. They saying goes you judge a book by its cover but I beg to differ. There are more than 7 billion people in the world and each has a formula. A formula made up of mannerisms, personality, and experiences that makes their life a unique story. Why not put in a little effort to figure out what those stories are about and learn something from it? 

As our team presented on Thursday, I thought about how we were being critiqued and given feedback. Everything that our classmates and my professor were seeing was the material we were presenting and how we presented it. There was no way they could know about our lives or things we are going through in our lives at this time. My take away is to be who you are and get to know people. Don't simply take what people say once or a certain action as a definition of that person. Spend time to figure out their story. 

Here is an article about Charismatic People. Check it out and see what can help you get to know people better. 

Lessons Learned

This last week was an interesting one for me. A number of things came to my attention that I need to improve on as a person. I had been thinking them for a while and a series of events led me to seriously contemplate and make a plan of action. The idea started with a list I came across about becoming a gentleman. The following things are on the list:

- stand when a girl enters the room

-say please and thank you

- work hard

- mind your manners

- offer a lady your seat

- don't curse

- extend a firm handshake

- keep your word

- respect your elders

- always make eye contact

- open doors for others

- stand up straight

- stay well groomed

- act chivalrous

- read books often

- have a romantic sensibility

- shy away from gossip

- be punctual

- love well

- stay humble

As I looked at this list I could see some things that I wanted to improve on. And it wasn't until we did the mock interviews this last week, when I had to talk myself up and talk about PAR stories that I realized that I want to have more credibility and present myself better. So here is to change and applying these things more in my life. The ones I am focusing on this week is acting chivalrous and shying away from gossip.