The Power of Words: The TAKE-AWAY

I will share 3 posts on the idea of words and how they relate to our sense of identity & perception. Hopefully this series will help you better relate to the topics of chapter 3 (identity) and chapter 4 (perception).

So, in my previous two posts, on the GOOD in words, as well as the BAD, I spoke of the power of words to heal us, to make us proud, as well as language’s power to hurt, to divide, and to diminish.

In this series, what I want you to understand is one critical and cardinal rule of communication: you have the power to choose the words you use. In each interaction, you can choose to use language to help others, to make them feel good about themselves, to empower people. You can equally, though not necessarily as beneficially, choose words that tear others down, that make them feel less than, or to make them feel powerless.

You may not have the biggest vocabulary, but you can choose to change that, too. Learn the meaning of a new word every day for the next week. Add the word to your conversations that day, and incorporate it into your daily usage for the next week. Make it a habit. Eventually, you will find the power of those words.

Next, you can learn how cultures view particular words. There are reasons we avoid certain words on television and in movies. There are reasons we find some words offensive when used casually. Learn how some words may be viewed by someone with a different experience from your own. Understand why it’s important to learn that difference, so that we can be more culturally sensitive, but also so that we don’t place someone in a situation where they feel powerless.

Finally, you can choose how to best respond in a situation. Take a step back from being angry when possible, and respond with a little more empathy. Understand where others come from, their perspective.

Use your words, but choose them wisely.

The Power of Words: The BAD

I will share 3 previous posts on the idea of words and how they relate to our sense of identity & perception. Hopefully this series will help you better relate to the topics of chapter 3 (identity) and chapter 4 (perception).

This post is going to be slightly interactive: you will need some paper (or a note card), a pen, and an open mind. I’m going to start this post with a video clip from the 2004 movie Mean Girls.

Some of you may have seen this movie and hated it, while others consider it an essential to their movie collection. Regardless, pay close attention to Ms. Norbury’s words as the clip begins, specifically focusing on the idea of the power of insulting words. “When you call each other…, it makes it okay for guys to call you…”

Think about some of those words that we use to insult people around us, words that describe someone’s assertiveness, their drive, their affectional orientation (sexual orientation), their mental abilities, their family tree/lineage, their race… Write a few of those words on that card or paper you have. I’ll wait…

For some of you, that brief exercise was no problem. I mean, those words mean nothing to you, so whatever, right? For others, you may have struggled to write that word… that one you were told to never use. Or the one you were called by someone you loved. Or the one somebody called that person you love.

Let’s try a different approach: a few “cycles” ago, in the show America’s Next Top Model, each of the models vying for the show’s modeling contract was asked to think about a word they had been called that hurt them. They were then told to “wear” the word in their shoot. Here are a few of those models…

Some of those words may not seem too harsh for televised reality. On the other hand, we each know that words can just as readily be used to hurt us as to heal us.

In my next post, I’m going to share with you my much-anticipated “take-away” from this series on The Power of Words.

Test 1 (face to face classes)

With your first test next week, covering chapters 1-4 of your book, you may want to review key areas of the textbook. That said, I will remind you of the following ideas as you begin to study:

1. Use the chapter objectives to help you better focus your study efforts
2. Take notes as you read and review; not only does this help you retain information, but also it will help you when you review to sharpen your focus on important ideas
3. Review a little each day (about 30 minutes) between now and then

The following information is not a study guide, but a key focus area, which will help you better gain insight as to where questions will derive. Keep in mind that anything in the chapter (unless otherwise stated–*ahem* chapter 2) is considered fair game.

Chapter 1

• Introduction to chapter
• Co-rumination
• Importance of studying human communication
• Components of human communication
• Synergetic model
• Influences of communication
• Communication ethics

Chapter 2

• Introduction to chapter
• Contemporary approaches to studying human communication

Chapter 3

• The importance of identity
• What is identity?
• Individual and identity
• Individual, identity, and society
• Ethics and identity

Chapter 4

• Importance of Perception
• What is perception?
• Cognitive complexity
• Individual, perception, and society
• Improving your perception skills

You will also want to review the assignment packet for basic information (focus on pages 1 & 2).

Textbook Reading Hacks: Visual Learners

Okay, so I told you one way to determine your learning style already. If you happened to discover that you are primarily a visual learner (or if visual learning was one of your multi-modal strategies), I’m going to suggest a few ideas to help you learn by using our book.

Visual learners tend to do well with lots of color and ideas. One thing I tend to suggest is to read with a variety of colors of highlighters, pens, or colored pencils at the ready.

• Use a different color to mark different types of things
  • Terms in one color
  • Concepts & explanations in a second
  • Examples in a third
• Mark things in different ways
  • Use highlighting for a term
  • Underline a concept’s explanation
  • Draw a box around the example
• Draw charts or graphs when needed
  • Use Venn diagrams (overlapping circles) to compare & contrast ideas
  • Use Web diagrams (mind maps) to show how ideas relate

The principle here is to make sure that you find ways to remember ideas later on.

One last idea: save a particular color for things I go over in class. This way, when you go through your materials and see that color, you can know that it was something I brought up in a class discussion, rather than something you read on your own. I have even seen students use a different color of notebook paper for that purpose.

Welcome to the course!

For those of you who are just joining the class this semester, I heartily welcome you to the course! Let me mention a couple of things here that we might not get to in a face-to-face session.

First, I believe that learning, like communication, is an ongoing and dynamic process. Some days everything just “clicks,” while other days are molasses brains, slow and frustrating.

Second, I want to see every student do their absolute best. Some students and I hit it off immediately, and we can joke and smile easily while remaining productive. Other students don’t like my style of teaching or my explanations. Regardless, students who apply themselves and take the learning part seriously get more from the course than those who care about points.

One of my personal goals for this course is very simple… I don’t want you to simply be able to regurgitate something; I want you to understand it fully, to make it part of you. This class has the power to change everything about your life, from how you study and learn to how you relate to your family, friends, coworkers, bosses, and your romantic partners. But you have to WANT to learn this material.

I’ll try to post some information the next few days that will help you better plan ahead for this course.

What I wish students would understand about writing for a college class, part 5

You’ve turned in your work (hopefully on time!), and are anxiously awaiting your grade and the instructor’s feedback. Some are hopeful that their work really paid off; others dread the grade’s appearance.

Let me talk about a basic element of college grades: grades are important and determine a lot of your near future. Getting into a program, maintaining scholarships, graduation, or being considered for a job can be influenced by grades. The most important factor, however, is that a grade does not define you; it only shows how you performed in a class.

Second, most instructors have a philosophy of grades. Mine is simple: grades are earned, not given (just like respect and self-confidence). If you want a good grade, you have to work for it. That means understanding the assignment, expectations of your instructor, and how you’re being graded all play a role in earning the best possible grade (as I’ve discussed in the last few posts).

Third, and probably most essential for my students to understand: I tend to feel empathy for students regarding their grades. When it’s high, I rejoice with them. When it’s low, I feel saddened to my deepest core of self. I want students to do great things, which is why I tend to go over assignments in class and work to ensure they have access to all parts of the assignment from the first day of class.

Fourth, grading takes a while. I don’t simply look over and see if it’s “good enough.” My intention with grading is to ensure that students know why they earned the points they do (or rather, why they didn’t get all the points they wanted on something). I don’t just grade, either; the bulk of my time is spent on providing written feedback on what I liked and what I want to see improved.

Keep this in mind when you go forward with assignments: It’s not just content, as we discuss in my class: it’s how you present the message. An analogy I use frequently to remind me is that a gourmet meal sounds incredible! At the same time, if that beautiful filet of beef, blue cheese, and shrimp is served to me on a dirty trash can lid, I don’t want it. So it is with writing: you can have a brilliant idea, solid understanding of a concept, and superb analysis, but if you convey that message with a lot of spelling, grammar, punctuation, citation, and formatting issues, it influences the reader to think less of your ideas.

Remember what I discussed in class regarding listening and nonverbal communication: appearance matters. We wouldn’t be inclined to take financial advice from a person begging for pocket change on the interstate exit. They could be a financial expert, but we might simply dismiss the idea because of how they look. So it is with writing, too.

All this to say, take pride in the work you submit. Know that I am rooting for you and want you to succeed! If you don’t get the grade you want, read my feedback. You can also make time to come talk to me about what you can do to improve in the future. I’m always hopeful for your improvement, regardless of where you start.

What I wish students would understand about writing for a college class, part 4

Assignment due. Three days away. Haven’t started writing.

Procrastination, as I stated in the last post, is the enemy of learning when it comes to college writing. Another challenge I find is that citations are REALLY tough for students.

Maybe you haven’t been expected to credit your works in text with other classes. Maybe you learned it a couple of years ago, but your instructors didn’t make you use it. Whatever the background is, know this: Your instructors in college WILL expect you to credit sources in your papers. In my class, I also expect speeches to have incredible citations.

For students enrolled in our Introduction to Oral Communication class, our library has developed a website JUST for our students. This includes the best databases for our class, as well as information on how to cite in the Works Cited page. Citing in text is a little more challenging. My recommendation is to meet with our Academic Commons Writing Tutor.

You can also schedule time with me, but I hope you will take advantage of all the personal and web-based sources our campus provides you. By working with someone who specializes in writing, you can get more information that will be more helpful and personalized to you.

If you struggle with writing skills, from grammar and punctuation to citations, I’d also recommend that you take some time to search the web for video tutoring. Lots of colleges have created short videos that can help you understand which form of a word to use (your vs. you’re; there, their, they’re; to, two, too; etc.) to how to properly cite sources within a text.

Remember this, especially in college writing, simply putting a source on the Works Cited page is NOT enough. You MUST give credit in the paper, or it’s seen as padding your source list.

One more post in this series–on grading these assignments from an instructor’s perspective.

What I wish students would understand about writing for a college class, part 3

When it comes to writing more effectively for a college class, I always hope my students will surpass my expectations. In order to do that, however, true scholars know some of the poorly-kept secrets of success…

1. Writing is a process, not an event.
Unlike what you may have experienced in high school, a first draft effort probably will read to your instructor like a first draft. When we are challenging to you excel, your first effort is likely not enough.

I had to learn this the hard way in college. Even though I constantly edited papers as I went, I’d still end up ultimately sending a first draft for a lot of assignments. My instructors would blast me for it. More than once, my perfectly planned paper was nothing more than C work to an instructor. When they asked to view a draft to compare to what I submitted, they were almost identical. Sure, I had changed some grammar, a few words, but ultimately, it was the same paper. That mindset had to change.

2. Reading the instructions is essential
That assignment my instructor handed out or posted on the course system wasn’t just for suggestions or fun. College instructors EXPECT students to know what the assignment is AND how they will be evaluated.

Yes, sometimes my assignment sheets are long (a whole page–sometimes 2 pages!), but that’s to help you in the event that you are preparing the night before–more on that later–and can’t ask me questions. Everything you need to know about my expectations is on paper (or a digital facsimile of paper!).

Keep in mind that I provide a scoring guide for EVERY assignment. That means you know how much not citing a source can hurt the grade. It also means that you know where to invest your time. For most assignments, content is the biggest effort, so you need to go through ALL content.

3. Procrastination is the enemy of success.
When completing an assignment, waiting until the night before (or even a couple of days before) it’s due is problematic. Not only are you scrambling to review resources, you’re also trying to flesh out complex ideas with almost no time to process. Occasionally, you may have a good flash of brilliance, but frequently, it’s a struggle to analyze, develop examples, and refer back to concepts.

In other words, DO WHAT WORKS! Spend time going over the assignment as soon as the instructor talks about it (before, if you have access to the information). In the weeks leading up to the due date, spend time with your instructor. I’ve had no fewer than 10 students come by to talk to me about their work this semester; those students do GREAT on the assignment, generally speaking.

Another post on this topic to come soon!

What I wish students would understand about writing for a college class, part 2

As I said in my last post, I completely appreciate the challenges you go through as a student. Believe me, when I go home after a day of teaching or grading, all I want to do is curl up with a good show on Netflix, binge watch to my heart’s content, and scarf down food.

At the same time, I know that’s not helpful or healthy. Further, that doesn’t get my WORK done. College is true work, both for the student and the instructor. That said, I hope you remember this simple fact…

This quote has gotten me through a lot of pain, frustration, and challenges I’ve faced over the last few years. As I told one group of students, I had good grades and generally, school came easy to me. At the same time, I can be fully honest and tell you that college was still tough for me.

The classes I am most proud of in college aren’t the ones I earned As in, though. The grades I am MOST proud of are the hard-fought Bs, the classes I struggled through, the ones that I had to spend extra hours in a lab looking at rocks or writing the same paper for the fifteenth time. One instructor flat-out told me my paper wasn’t good enough and that I would need to redo it (again) if I wanted a B. Yes, at the time, I was furious; I’m a good writer! I’ve been told so all my life…

But writing for THAT instructor was different; his standard was harder, more direct. It wasn’t about flowery language (my strong suit in high school); rather, he wanted me to fulfill the page requirement by supporting my ideas more effectively. He wanted TRUE content, not fluff, and when he said 3 pages minimum, he meant that I shouldn’t end the paper until the top of the fourth page, not 2 inches from the bottom of page 3.

If you’re frustrated, I get it. But come talk to me about it before you hand in something that you think “will do.” I don’t want your “will do” work; I want your BEST work.

What I wish students would understand about writing for a college class

As I’m grading papers this week–nearly a knee-deep stack of papers, no less–I am realizing some basic things I wish students knew about writing for college. With this in mind, I’m going to have a couple of blog posts for you about what I want, expect, and challenge my students to do.

College writing is not like writing in high school, first and foremost. That may seem obvious to some, but when you’ve been taught one way to do things and your college instructor wants something different, it’s a challenge to completely shift gears.

PLEASE KNOW, MY STUDENTS, THAT I APPRECIATE THE CHALLENGE YOU’RE FACING.

I’ve been in your shoes. My instructors in high school always commented that my work was excellent, that I had a “way with words,” and that I would be successful as a college writer. To some degree, they were accurate. However, I also struggled in some of my writing classes because my instructors wanted something different than I had done previously.

First, your instructor is here to help you. My office hours are used for a lot of different purposes: grading, editing tests, committee work, student organization sponsorship, etc. That said, my primary purpose of office hours is to work with students enrolled in my classes. Please come see me and talk with me about assignments, confusions, or other challenges you’re facing.