S229

If you are a member of my S229 Summer II course, then please add a short comment to this post.

[Important Reminders: (1) Post your Entry #1 comments in your own blog rather than as comments to my original post. (2) I've noticed some helps for doing the blogs under the "resources" tab on Oncourse.]

As of 7:03 on July 6, I've recieved 12 of the 30 Entry #1 postings. 2:57 to go. :)

Note: If you can't get the blog working right, then just send me Entry #1 via e-mail at ramosley@iuk.edu.

Learning from the Bay of Pigs

The first Bay of Pigs invasion happened in the Middle East. Over 2,000 swine perished that day, and it must have been quite a sight to see that much bacon lumbering over a steep cliff and plunging into the water below. Come to think of it, this must have been where brining pork got its start. For more on brining pork, see Alton Brown's Food Network episode of Good Eats entitled, Ham I Am. Anyway, for more background on this event, see Mark chapter 5 in the New Testament of the Bible (or p. 1245 in your Mosley Authorized Scratch-and-Sniff Study Bible). But enough about that Bay of Pigs invasion.

I have in mind the 1961 version, which technically was not a bay of pigs, but of fish (cochinos), at least according to Wikipedia. Regardless, the so called "Bay of Pigs" fiasco involving the Kennedy Administration's failed attempt to overthrown the government of Richard Simmons is often used to illustrate failure on multiple levels, not the least of which is the failure of small groups to determine the best course of action. Of particular note was the presence of "Groupthink," which is when the entire group agrees uncritically with the leader or with the proposed course of action.

In our S229 Discussion and Group Methods class at IUKokomo, we are beginning to explore ways to make working in groups both more effective and less of a hassle for group members. What follows in this entry are the insights generated by the class on our first night regarding (1) the problems we face when working in small groups and (2) some solutions. I've included these responses below, and they are valuable because they reflect the real-world insights of working adults.

Problems with Group Work

Not staying on track; having your ideas shot down; having your ideas made fun of; lack of ideas and input; members failing to pull their weight; too few people to accomplish the task; power struggles; distraction of outside influences; butting heads; gender differences; the difficulty of being completely honest; cliques; inappropriate talk; too much sharing; conflicting issues; dealing with “know it alls.”

Solutions for Group Work

Interpersonal Relationships

Know one another by doing personal introductions; get to know others in the group; tell about yourself; see each other as equals; let the difficult people know they are being difficult and talking over some heads; don’t bump heads with the leader; have good relations with members.

Time

Have lots of time to go through ideas and work them out; be there on time and ready to go.

Before the Meeting

Don’t dig through purse or briefcase for supplies during a meeting; be prepared to listen; know background information on the subject; know background information on the speaker; have questions on hand about the topic; teach the new tech to the old fogies; have ideas for new discussions or to support the topic in question; make sure ideas are ready to be presented the best you can; bring day planners to the meeting.

During the Meeting

Know the names of your group members; demonstrate candor; listen to comments or ideas; focus on the meeting; use the “devil’s advocate” to your advantage; have a note taker; every topic should have time for rebuttal; share ideas with each other; not letting one person completely take over; have someone who can keep things on track; ask questions; communicate ideas out loud; have a group brainstorming of ideas; ask questions to make sure you understand; choose the best way to communicate (e.g., e-mail); read the group’s minutes from the previous meeting; record the meeting; make sure what needs to be done is cleared with the leader; open with questions.

After the Meeting

Don’t say “I’ll get back to you” then don’t.

Attitude

Don’t be afraid to do something new; be open minded and ready to think outside the box; be objective regarding the subject and people; don’t reject “bad” ideas—build on them to create better ideas; be open if you don’t understand the objective; be willing to compromise; don’t judge or be critical; be accountable.

The Leader Should…

Make sure all group members have each other’s contact information; don’t burden anyone with too much to do; make everyone do equal share of work; make sure everyone has a say in things/ideas; don’t allow slacking; punish skippers or lazy members not helping the group; bring materials for you and enough for the whole group; have a leader who doesn’t dictate; make detailed descriptions of objectives; try to give everyone a shot at discussion—don’t play favorites; relate meeting topics to employees; ask for a show of hands regarding your group’s position on a topic; pass out information; give reminders about the location, time, and equipment needed for upcoming meetings; outline what will take place; make them feel that their ideas count; use PowerPoint for presenting ideas; make sure to give tasks to the ones who can do them; make the topic clear and not too broad; give everyone a say; talk to the quiet ones before hand and let them know that their opinions are valuable; create a positive environment; allow others to speak freely; divide the topic into subjects; have a leader; manage time; give positive criticism; hold members accountable; formulate an agenda; define roles within a group—give everyone a task; find out what each of us is good at for a group; have a good environment for meetings; deal with group concerns when the first appear; have coffee on hand to get the ideas flowing.

Perhaps if we follow more of these solutions we'll improve our group communication, and more importantly, overthrow machete-wielding dictators who sweat to the oldies.

Public Speaking for My Peeps

Yo, RMo here with the lowdown on public speaking.

Let the following tips run barefoot down your mental hallway. You will be a better speaker for it.

Be Yourself.
Don't imitate someone else's speaking style at the expense of losing your identity. Sure, you can learn a thing or two from other speakers, but don't be a carbon copy of someone else. The world already has them. What it needs is you--and you offer a uniqueness that can only come from, well, you. Where would civilization be if Jim Varney had tried to imitate Martin Luther King, Jr.? Okay, never mind.

Be Prepared
In other words--practice your speech in private before you get on the "big stage." Personally, I recommend camping out in an empty classroom or auditorium--preferably the one you'll be speaking in--and running through your speech several times.

Be Visual
Let's face it, we live in a visual culture. Although some listeners get distracted with visual aids, most of us appreciate the help. It keeps our attention better. In fact, anything you can do to engage the five senses is likely to help your audience.

Be Unpredictable
Predictability is the spice of boringness, or something. Zag after you have zigged. Change gears abruptly. Leave metal shavings on the rhetorical highway. Just make sure your audience can handle it. Hint: If you listeners can't watch CNN because the scrolling headlines are too distracting, then you might be more traditional in your approach.

Be Uniquely Differentiated
A prominent motivational speaker talks about the "Unique Differentiating Factor"--that element that makes you distinct as a communicator. It's Walter Cronkite ending each CBS broadcast with the line, "And that's the way it is on...(insert date here)." It's Marty Brenneman, the broadcaster of the Cincinnati Reds ending each Red's win with, "And this one belongs to the Reds." What unique stamp could you place on your speeches?

Be Original
I'll leave you with some examples of speeches I've seen that have been original:

Joshua, a student at IUK, gave a speech against eating meat. He pulls out a food storage container in which he has kept a pound of meat--for a week--under the front seat of his car--in the middle of July. If anything could simulate the smell of--let me put this delicately--a person implementing the facilities in the grossest of all possible ways, this was it. Some students walked out, while others recoiled in horror. Skunks fainted. Onions cried. NO ONE has forgotten about the time that Joshua pulled back the lid on that that rancid putrification. [For the record, I didn't eat meat for a week after that.]

Wyatt Folds, the former Senior Pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, Florida, gave a sermon on the text in James chapter 2 from the New Testament that says if you have broken one of God's laws, then you are guilty of having broken them all. So I walk into the sanctuary on Sunday morning and I see on the platform, the largest light bulb I have ever seen. The thing must have been twice the size of a basketball, and a grid of ten sections had been drawn across the surface of the bulb with a marker. All through the singing, guess what I'm thinking about? "What's he going to do with that thing?" In the beginning of the sermon, guess what I'm thinking? Still, "What's he going to do with that thing?" Finally, at the end, he takes out a hammer from behind the pulpit. Now he's really got my attention! Remember the claim: If you break just one of God's laws, then you are guilty of breaking them all. The ten areas represented the 10 commandments. The question: What would happen if you broke only one commandment? At this point, he smashed the hammer through only one of the 10 surface areas on the light bulb causing the whole thing to shatter with a great puff of smoke. Cool. Very cool.

Request for Counseling

Here is a real page from my third-grade English workbook.

"One day a rinoe got lose, it came charging far are car and nacked it over. It damiged alot of cars. the rhno charged for the zoo again, it went rite through the camel fence, and then the camels got lose. And then the loins and tigers, monkeys, and all the animals go lose the crocodiles got lose. the people went wild, and all the animals went away. there were only a few monkeys left and the zoo blew up."

The fact that monkeys perished in the explosion perhaps partially explains why in a previous post I had written that we need more representations of primates in our sports teams. I guess I had been looking for a way to honor their sacrifice after all of these years.

Metaphysical Reciprocal Affirmation

This doesn't seem much to look at, but this was one of the satellite images/maps I got from Google and used in a trip last year to West Palm Beach. The pink on the map is my highlighting of the route, and if you look closely you can see a clump of trees on the map on the inside corner of where the pink makes the turn. Looking up ahead out the front window, you can see the trees in real life. I found myself intrigued by the relationship between the trees on the map and the trees in the ground. Obviously the map reflects the trees in real life, but up to this point, my only reality had been the map. So, the real trees became, to me, a more tangible reflection of the map trees. There is a reciprocating loop of metaphysical reaffirmation, or something. It's kind of like "trees" (pointing to real ones) are like "trees" (pointing to map ones) which are like "trees" (pointing back to real ones) which continue to be like "trees" (pointing back to map)...and on and on the loop goes. Of course, making the turn to avoid being killed cramps the philosophical process. But that's why there are digital cameras so that we can continue to ride the circuit of metaphysical recipriocal affirmation thereby appreciating the manner in which two objects in human perception can mutually reaffirm the existence of each other.

Note to self: Go get a life. What's wrong with you? Seriously?

If the name fits...

So I'm waiting at a red light when I noticed a well-used, white dump truck with "Grites Excavation" painted in green on the driver's door. To me, the name and the truck seemed to fit. If you are born a Grite, then you probably have an excavation-type career in your future.

Of course, I'm probably completely off the mark. Someone is going to write me back and ask, "What about Prime Minister Grite who led Great Britain in the late 1880s?" Or, "What about the great Giovanni Grite, the Milan-based fashion inspiration for both Versace and Armani?"

On the other side of the coin, I have trouble imagining a dump truck with the name, "Rothenfellows" on the side. If anything, it seems as if it should be "Rothenfellow's Fine Excavation"--written in a cursive script, of course. Naturally, I'm likely off the mark here again as someone will write me to tell me that his uncle works for Rothenfellow's Waste Management Systems in Milwaukee and that there is a Rothenfellow's State Penitentiary in Iowa.

So, is there a positive correlation between names percieved as noble and occupations percieved as noble?

I'm not sure, but perhaps decendents of Thomas Crapper who randomly come across this entry would be kind enough to weigh in.

The Tarantula has Found a Home

Blogger's Note: The following was posted as a comment to my "Regarding the Tarantula" post of May 11. It was too creative not to get space on the front page.

Dear Mr. Mosley,

May we first convey our deepest regrets at the news of Mrs. Mertleman’s passing. Certainly your words suggested that she was a delightful woman. We, of course, can neither confirm nor deny at this time that Mrs. Mertleman was of any acquaintance with our client, Dr. Rudd.

Due to Human Subjects Review Board Provision 2B. III. 4-6. a., any subjects involved in the garage sales research project conducted by Dr. A. Rudd were granted confidentiality as to their identity. When our client, Dr. Rudd, consulted us for legal advice regarding the organ you refer to in your letter, we were, of course aware of the fact that said confidentiality may not, indeed, pertain any more to Mrs. Mertleman because of her recent passing.

Except for the unique ruling in Dante vs. Oklahoma (1995) (but overturned in an appeals court in 1998, currently pending on an extended docket for the state supreme court) confidentiality agreements have generally been limited to the lifespan of the signatories. However, as you know, the strange permutations of Dante vs. Oklahoma (1995) have rippled out to jurisdictions and domains heretofore unimagined. The upshot? We have advised our client that his confidentiality agreement, if it ever existed with Mrs. Mertleman, is still in effect. We must draw your attention to the clause in the last sentence, “if it ever existed” to reinforce that this sentence is not intended to mislead you into believing that Dr. Rudd ever did in fact know Mrs. Mertleman. We can neither confirm nor deny that fact.

We do apologize if the particulars of the preceding paragraphs misled you to believe that we would, indeed, be able to recognize Mrs. Mertleman’s relationship (if she had one) to Dr. Rudd. We do like to, as a firm, be able to recognize the human dimensions that infuse all of our work as a legal entity and never be simply callous to the legal codes and expectations that constrain our expeditious, yet judicious decision making. In honor of our commitment to humanness, and in honor of Mrs. Mertleman’s passing, we too would like to pause for a space of white:







*if the preceding passage was rendered a color other than white due to the technological constraints of the computer you are reading this letter from, Brunderman, Brunderman, Acres and Howellstein does not accept responsibility. (Horowitz vs. Shiawasee County, 1975) We do still hope that you accept our token of respect, honor, grief and general humanness.

Now. On to the matter of the Tarantula. Our Client, Dr. Rudd informs us that one of his subjects, given the fictitious name of Mrs. Bertleman in his dissertation, due to Human Subject Review Board Specifications (as outlined in the sub-codes III.a.viiii.), a delightful woman who played her pipe organ vigorously throughout his interview with her at her garage sale, spoke quite vigorously about her commitment to the professional roller skating associations of America. As a result, our client Dr. Rudd has taken the liberty to contact Whirling Wheelchairs of Wheeling WV, a retirement community strictly occupied by former national level roller skating champions. Whirling Wheelchairs has agreed that the Tarantula would be a lovely acquisition for their recreational rink. Please ship the organ post haste to the following address:

Whirling Wheelchairs
546678 Main Street
Wheeling WV 26003

We must again affirm that your compliance with these arrangements made by our client, are purely voluntary and not in any way reflective of an admission of the identities of aforementioned persons. We should further clarify that if any of the residents of Whirling Wheels are injured during the skating and playing of the tarantula, neither Brunderman, Brunderman, Acres and Howellstein nor our client accepts any liability for injuries sustained.Thank you for your efficacious execution of Mrs. Mertleman’s estate and your rigorous talent at pipeology.

Sincerely,

Phineas Brunderman Jr.
Associate PartnerBrunderman, Brunderman, Acres and Howelstein

Regarding Transportation for the Tarantula

Mr. Phineas Brunderman, Jr., Esq:

It is with pleasure that I inform you that arrangements for transporting the Tarantula to Whirling Wheelchairs of Wheeling, WV, have been finalized. I am posting the letter I have just recieved from the transportation company.


Middle Tennessee Donkey Transport
237 Catoosa Road

Wartburg, TN 37887

Mr. Raul Mosley
2300 S. Washington
Kokomo, IN 46903

Dear Mr. Mosley:

Please accept this letter as confirmation of our agreement to transport a pipe organ (i.e., the Tarantula) from Kokomo, IN, to Wheeling, WV. We will haul ass through Indiana during the last week of June (i.e., the 23rd) and will pick up the organ within that time frame.

Sincerely,

Dr. Alan Monroe,
VP of Operations

Highlighting: It's not just about hair anymore

And now, for my most nerdy post ever.

Chances are, you won't want to read this. It has to do with how to strategically color-code (i.e., highlight) textbooks, scholarly articles, etc.

So, if remembering the information you read isn't your thing, then click the back button immediately.

Go ahead and click.

No, seriously.

Still here?

Okay, here's the deal: About six years ago, I developed a highlighting strategy that has significantly upgraded my ability to read and retain information. Best of all, it is simple and works across a broad range of literary genres.

In a nutshell, here's the system:

Highlight key terms in pink.
Highlight key names in green.
Highlight key themes and "signposts" in orange.
Highlight whatever else you find interesting in yellow.

It's that simple.

Of course, the colors are arbitrary. Use what suits you best.

While key terms and key names are obvious, let me briefly explain the types of statements that I am likely to highlight as orange:

"The most important argument for..."
"The basic theme of this chapter..."
"My main reason for writing this book..."
"My central idea..."

When I review something that I've read, such as a book that I haven't picked up in a few years, I'll look at the orange statements first because they capture the most important themes.

I also use orange to highlight "signposts" like this: "There are four essential characteristics of..." Then, I will underline (in orange) the words "first," "second," etc., as they unfold in the reading. This makes it easy to find key points.

I've found that this system works well in textbooks, scholarly articles, newspaper articles, biblical literature, and even novels.

Occasionally you might need to adapt the colors to the particular needs of a specific genre. For example, I also use blue to designate organizations when I'm reading through business literature, and I use purple to indicate statistical techniques when I'm working through scholarly research articles.

I'll end with a caveat: Following this system may slow your reading down, if for no other reason than having to mess around with multiple highlighters. I think it's worth it, though.

If enough people are interested, we can get together for a highlighting party. I'll bring my 5-pack.