Daniel Johnson, Jr.

I’m teaching a class on Interpersonal Communications this term at Antonelli College. It’s designed to reinforce and expand interpersonal communication as it relates to having a successful business in the world today. The context for the course encompasses psychological, relational, situational, environmental, and cultural communication. We’re learning how interactions and reactions have a direct connection in the professional setting.

The textbook, which we got from Cengage, called IPC.

Each week I assign for homework a journal entry about something we cover in class. I don’t require that they share it publicly since that may mean they choose not to be as vulnerable as they could be.

I also mentioned that I’m doing the homework along with my students, but I’m doing it here on this blog. As always, you’re welcome to join in the discussion.

Openness to other cultures and worldviews

In class this week, we talked about how culture and worldview affects us in our interpersonal communication.

How can you be more open to other cultures and world views?

Neighborhoods in the Greater Cincinnati area are organized so that residents don’t really need to leave in order to shop for basic necessities like groceries. This is especially true if you’re limited in transportation. Aside from work you probably don’t have even to leave your neighborhood.

The culture on the West side of Cincinnati is different from that on the East side. In 1990 after the Berlin Wall fell in Germany, Cincinnati Enquirer politicial cartoonist Jim Borgman did a about an “East-West Wall” that exists in Cincinnati. It’s among his personal favorites, and you can see the first in the series among the Borgman’s favorites page.

This isolationist perspective also extends to my country as a whole. Like it or not, many Americans like me grow up at some level thinking that the world revolves around the United States of America.

So when I think about how to expand my culture and worldview, I recognize that I need to get out of my neighborhood more often. Get over to the other side of town and see what’s going on over there. Get downtown more often. Get across the river into Northern Kentucky.

Moreover, it’s become more important for me to read and watch news from outside Cincinnati, Ohio and outside of the United States. One of the local PBS stations shows world news, and I’ve found myself lately following it. Hearing reporters talk about the United States as an outsider helps me appreciate that perspective more.

Finally, I’m thankful to be a part of one of the most culturally diverse churches in the Greater Cincinnati area. Spending time in this congregation makes it easy for me to see White, Black, Hispanic, African, Russian, Arabic, and other cultures together.

Interpersonal Communications Series

• Week 1 – Communication apprehension
• Week 2 – Misconceptions of others
• Week 3- Openness to other cultures and worldviews

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Last week I mentioned I’m teaching a class on Interpersonal Communications this term at Antonelli College. It’s designed to reinforce and expand interpersonal communication as it relates to having a successful business in the world today. The context for the course encompasses psychological, relational, situational, environmental, and cultural communication. We’re learning how interactions and reactions have a direct connection in the professional setting.

The textbook, which we got from Cengage, called IPC.

Interpersonal Communications Series – Week 2

Each week I assign for homework a journal entry about something we cover in class. I don’t require that they share it publicly since that may mean they choose not to be as vulnerable as they could be.

I also mentioned that I’m doing the homework along with my students, but I’m doing it here on this blog.

You’re free to join in the discussion, if you’d like.

Misconceptions others have about you

What are some of the misconceptions you believe others have about you?

This is a tricky question, when I consider it in the context of what we learned in Chapter 2, Communication, Perception, and the Self. The main theme is that we cannot always trust our perceptions. This means not only that others have misconceptions about me, but also I have misconceptions about their misconceptions about me.

Right?

All is rosy

I think one of the biggest misconceptions others have about me is that everything is great in my world. I don’t like making my circumstances be the most interesting thing about me, so I try to put on a good face.

It’s a dangerous thing.

Last fall, in a post entitled “Open Up and Get Real,” I wrote:

Whatever we say online builds the brand, the reputation, that others who pay attention to us see. We have a tremendous ability to influence that across so many different channels. It’s become easy to paint a picture that things are rosy, when in all likelihood they might not be.

Online and offline, you form opinions about me based on your interactions with me. It’s what personal branding is about.

I’m influencing your perceptions by what I publish online for you to see.
I’m influencing your perceptions by how I try to present myself when we meet in-person.

All is not so rosy

So I’ll be honest.

I’m going through some harrowing circumstances right now, yet I’m not convinced that this forum is a good place to share what those are. Even now, as I write this, I’m struggling with exactly how much to share. I don’t like my circumstances being the most interesting thing about me.

Feel free to reach out privately if you’d like to know more.

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I’m teaching a class on Interpersonal Communications this term at Antonelli College. It’s designed to reinforce and expand interpersonal communication as it relates to having a successful business in the world today. The context for the course encompasses psychological, relational, situational, environmental, and cultural communication. We’re learning how interactions and reactions have a direct connection in the professional setting.

The communications junkie in me LOVES this class!

I really love the textbook, which we got from Cengage, called IPC.

Interpersonal Communications Series

Each week I assign a journal entry on something related to what we’ve discussed in class. Originally, I was going to require that students email me their journal entry. After talking about it with my peers, I decided not to require them to email me their entry because it may lead to them not being as open and vulnerable in what they write. All I do is have them show that they did it, and they get credit for the work.

I’m doing the assignments, too. But I’m going to post mine to this blog in an Interpersonal Communications series. I invite you to join in the discussion, if you’d like.

Week 1

With whom do you communicate best and worst in a one-on-one situation? Why?

In one-on-one situations, I tend to communicate best with those whom I naturally feel close to. We already have some type of history together and can build on our shared field of experience. When it’s hard to find that shared field of experience with someone, I find it harder to communicate with them.

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Image via Wikipedia

If you grew up watching Sesame Street in the 70′s like I did, you might remember the segment called “One of these things is not like the other. One of these things does not belong.” The point of it was to have us pick out which one didn’t fit.

Typing as a College Prep Course

Among the other classes that were availble in the College Prep (C/P) curriculum in high school, Typing seemed at first like it didn’t belong. It might seem like a no-brainer here in the 21st century, but at the time, it didn’t.  Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, American History – those were the ones we’d expect as college prep classes.

But Typing? Seriously? (more…)

Imagine if you woke up one morning, and your hearing was gone. Would you be able to listen with your eyes and other senses?

Learn To Read People

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with how we communicate. It probably goes back to my time an awkward, insecure kid, looking for as many ways I could relate and understand people better. At a book fair in fifth grade, for example, I got a book about handwriting analysis; i.e., what our handwriting tells us about ourselves.  In junior high school, I read a book called Face Language, which talked about how you can discern things from people from their faces. There was another book, I think, called Body Language.  Suffice it to say, I’ve been a lifelong student of reading people. I’m still learning.

Listen With Your Eyes

Have you ever heard of method acting? Many actors, in preparing for a role, do things to put themselves in situations like the characters they are portraying. Francis Ford Coppola wanted Matt Dillon to understand what life in jail was like. To help prepare him for his role as “Dallas” in “The Outsiders“, Coppola had him spend the night in jail.

This past Saturday, my family and I went to the “All About Deaf Kids Fair” at Cincinnati Christian University, put on by the Deaf Institute, and it was a great time.  The theme was how we communicate in ways that are not just with our ears. They even had earplugs that us hearing people could wear to force us to “hear” with our eyes more. (more…)

Cover via Amazon

You… are a professional communicator, parent, family member, teacher, friend, or just someone who wants what you say to be remembered. But, you ask, how do you do that, exactly?

MADE TO STICK

In their book Made to Stick (affiliate link), brothers Chip and Dan Heath describe their journey of analyzing messages that have stuck with us. They looked at urban legends, proverbs, and other forms of communication that people across history have been able to remember.

They have been able to identify six characteristics of messages that persist. They even came up with a handy, sticky acronym to help us remember them: the SUCCESs. (more…)

Sometime in your life you will go on a journey. It will be the longest journey you have ever taken. It is the journey to find yourself. — Katherine Sharp

In the spirit of over-communication… I’m sorry.

Background

This morning I knew I needed to get the word out about this weekend’s New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday event.  At only 5 days away, I personally felt a sense of urgency, since this group looks to me, Founder and Event Organizer, for direction.  While this sense of urgency originated from a “good heart”, the way the communication was executed had a varied effect on others.

I remember many years ago, that the head of a consulting division would send out messages across multiple channels, prefacing with “In the spirit of overcommunication…” His intent was to make sure the message reach everyone, at least on one channel.

That’s a lot like what we have in social media, isn’t it? We have Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, e-Mail, and several other media channels in which to communicate.  At any given moment, people are watching any one of these channels; many are watching them all.

Here’s what I did:

1. Created Eventbrite page for the June 2009 New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday event.
2. Sent e-mail invitations to people who have either come to previous events or have indicated an interest in getting an e-mail invitation.
3. Sent e-mail invitations to people in my address book whom I thought MIGHT be interested.
4. Total number of email invitations sent: 289
5. Registered for the event myself, notifying Facebook that I did.
6. Sent a message to the New Media Cincinnati Facebook group, notifying them of the Eventbrite link.
7. Total number of Facebook messages sent: 343
8. Set up a Featured Discussion at the New Media Cincinnati LinkedIn group, notifying them of the Eventbrite link.
9. Total number of people in the LinkedIn group: 143
10. Wrote a blog post at newmediacincinnati.com with the details with the Eventbrite link.
11. Let people know via the New Media Cincinnati Twitter account at the various stages above know that something was coming through public updates.
12. Sent direct messages to several local people who follow the New Media Cincinnati Twitter account, with the Eventbrite link. Total number of direct messages sent out: close to 1000?

And that’s when the kerfuffle started.

Too much of a good thing

Apparently, the direct message from Twitter was the breaking point.  I only intended to get the message out as quickly as possible, across as many channels as possible, so that people can have an opportunity to respond to it.  This is especially needed when the anticipated demand is greater than the seating capacity.

Even so, I was only seeing things from my perspective. I misunderstood why people follow or have become affiliated with the New Media Cincinnati social media group among its web presence as though it was permission-based messaging.

Not everyone sees it that way, as I have found.

The problem

I don’t know how to communicate with you.  Everyone uses social media differently, and that’s okay.  Even so, there comes a point when there is too much communication, too much information.

Some of you won’t come right out and say that I’ve been communicating too much; you just delete the messages you don’t need.  But others have. It’s taken a few hours, and I’ve finally gotten the message.  I need to rethink how I communicate with the group and even consider limiting it to one channel.

Whatever that channel becomes, I will need to better space out the communication and remain consistent. It also has to be something I can do efficiently, since I’m still running this group pro bono.

How can I communicate messages to the widest possible audience possible, in the most efficient way possible?

No social media expert

This is why I’m definitely not a social media expert.  This has been one of the lessons that indicates I still have much to learn.  As Katherine Sharp indicated, I’m just a guy on a journey.

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