Organisational Communication

Communication is all around us, the topic that i want to talk about today is organisational communication. Interaction in office is very important, it is sometimes structured and one has to be able to communicate correctly in order to be accepted in that environment.

To achieve organisational goals can be the reason why we need communications in organisations. By communicating, we can get things done faster. By right, an employee should understand how communication functions in the organisation, they also has to acquire written and oral skills. Written and oral skills plays a very important role on how other collagues judge us. I think, university years is the best time for us to brush up those skills.

As high quality information is crucial to organisational decision making, managing organisational communication is therfore important. There are 3 structured channels in organisation. That is the downward flow from boss to subordinate, upward flow that is from subordinate to boss and lastly horizontal flow thats for among peers. However, there are details that is lost halfway, or someone may added 'ingredients' to the message, that when it reaches to all it is no longer accurate. Because of this problem, written messages, that can be sent through emails or letters, may be more effective as individuals can see the exact messages. Thus, communication, especially writing skiils is very important in organisations.

Communication and Technology

Communication and Technology is so much linked in today's society. Mass media uses point-to-multipoint communication with technologies as the mediator. This make it easier for massages to travel around the globe. And it covers huge amount of audiences simultaneously. One such example is Computer Mediated Communication (CMC).

Computer Mediated Communication is defined as any form of communication using computers and computers networks, including e-mails, electronic conferences newsgroups and Web Chats. CMC also allows access and interaction between people and databases all over the world.

The use of internet can be a friend yet an enemy to us. Though it does more goods to us such as convenient way of keeping contact with our friends and relatives, easy access of informations, online shopping, quick transfer of data, but don't forget that it can do us harm too.

One such popular CMC is web chat. To many, they find it more comfortable revealing themselves online rather than in the real world. This could be because of the fear that they will not be accepted in the society. On the cyberspace, due to the absent of nonverbal communication, one can create a new or even multiple personal identity that is a person's ability to construct and reconstruct their identity. The bad guy can be "good" on the net if they have intentions. A shy personality might become "brave" because they have special ability that they could not show it in the real world. Such example would be someone who might be good in language, they can even impress someone they admire online due to their ability of creating beautiful languages but it may not be the case if it happens in the reality as this person may not even dare to express their feelings. There seems to be an invisible walls when we chat online. Thus, we reveal ourselves more. Sadly to say, to some, their friends too are invisible friends. On the other hand, too much revealing may not be good too as this could lead to crimes on the net.

The form of popular webchat used is MSN messenger and Yahoo! Messenger.. but apart from that, we also can chat with our friends while we play online games. Facebook too has the facility for online chat. However, you have to be careful for what you said and done on the net. As CMC can be traced. Cyberprints such as cookies allow others to monitor user's interest, habits and lifestyle.

Christian the Lion

The video which I get from youtube, titled "Christian the Lion" has indeed touch my heart. The story is about a cub which was bought by two men called Ace Bourke and John Rendall in 1969. They took care of cub till he was a bit older and gets bigger. They thought that they had to move the lion as it was too big to be kept as pet, they then decided to move the lion to Africa, where usually a habitat for a lion is. A year later, the two men, came looking for the lion in Africa which many people doubted that the lion still remember them. However, to my surprise, Christian still recognised them and was so much excited to see them, even hugged them. I think this video has a great impact on the audience, as the use of the right music, supported the emotion that we felt towards the whole scene. The whole story is moving our heart as it is incredibles. It values friendship even between human and 'beast'.

Love knows no limits and true friendship last a lifetime

Benjamin Button

The movie title "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" brought a fresh ideas to the audiences. It is originated from a short story in 1921. The story is unusual. It is about a boy who is born with a weird disease. He has appearance and physical maladies of an elderly man. Can you imagine how scary it is? His mind is the same as how a mind of his age will be, however, as he grows older, he looks younger and younger. The story is very engaging as thourought the movie, there is a sense of curiousity being developed with each scene. The style for the movie is narration, being the daughter of Benjamin reading his diary. On the other hand, the technology being used is also amazing, take the makeup for actor/actresses (brad pitt) for example, they really resembles elderly people, and i am sure if you happen to meet him on the street you will think that he is an old man. The problem began when he falls in love with a girl name Daisy. He had a child with her. Benjamin, believing he cannot be a father to his daughter due to his reverse aging, and not wanting to burden Daisy with having to raise two children, he sold all his belongings and stayed in India. However as he is nearing his death, he came back to his hometown and Daisy took care of him, until he died on Daisy's arm. I think this love story is very inspiring as they are able to keep their love, regardless of the anything..

Plastic Beauty

What came across your mind when you heard of plastic surgery? Yes, Beauty... regardless of its price, the guts to go under the knife, they did it just because the wants to get prettier. 7 out of 10 korean girls aged 35 and below already had it. i once visit a plastic surgeon out of my curiousity. A well-known korean plastic surgeon that happens to be in Singapore for consultations for potential patients from here. To my surprise, he mentioned that he usually have 15 to 20 patients a day! and.. for a nose jobs done, he will charge about USD$3000. what a price! regardless, plastic surgery is still on demand.Most Asian always wanted double eye lids like caucasians.These plastic surgeon do operations for eye-lids, nose, chin, ear, almost everything you can find on the face. So, now you know why all Korean actors/actresses are handsome/pretty? :)

Interpersonal Communication

Interpesonal communication is usually involves communication between 2 people. One example that was brought up in my communication class was about love relationship. Most of us has experience the feeling of falling in love and being hurt.

By theory, in the Knapp model of relational development, In the article "The Rhetoric of Goodbye" there are five stages of coming together and five stages of falling apart. What are they? let us discuss about it and maybe you can think about where your position is in terms of your love life. :)


Coming Together
The first stage is initiating, this is the stage where you opposite gender friends wants to know you, this is done after filtering his surrounding.
Second stage is experimenting, this stage involves small talk, and started to "feel each other out". There are more self disclosure in this stage.
Third is Intensifying where there is increased in commitment. You start to think of them most of the time, and maybe most of the time you can find yourself daydreaming. You will then starts to disclose your feelings towards each other. And physical contact starts coming in.
The forth stage in coming together is Integrating both of you starts to tell your friends that you are a couple and definately both of you will try to coupling individual characters into a realtional unit, because you are an item now.
Lastly, it ends up with Bonding. This stage cames when you start to make commitment with each other and has shared future together. It is mark by public rituals such as marriage and engagement and having child together.


Now come the bitter part of relationship, that is Falling apart (if any).
The first stage in this is differentiating. That is both of you find there are alot of differences between the two of you and you can't seem to get everything works out because it was too many overt conflicts.
The second stage is Circumscribing. where you starts to deny your feeling and communication between the two of you is restricted to safe areas.
Third is Stagnation, in this stage there is absent of joy and excitement and there will be a routine "scrips" as you no longer find interest in your other half.
Avoiding makes it the forth stage in falling apart, you starts to avoid one another and withdraw physically and emotionally. In this stage there will be a lot of dilemna as you start to get that hint of breaking up.
Lastly is of course Terminating the relationship. You stop contacting each other and move on to other relationship.

The things that are essential ingredients for a good relationships are commitment and dialog while communicating problems in a relationship is criticism, complaint and avoidance. So, if you want to maintain a good relationship, communicate more!


So, where do you stand?

American 44th President Inauguration

"Will President Barrack Obama be able to pull American out of the economic crisis?" I am sure this question crosses everyone's mind during the Inauguration process held in Mall in Washington.. Millions witnessed the historical moment, the first black president. As i watched the live telecast of the process, i can feel the excitement as if i was standing there too. Obama, being the minority (African-American) in the melting pot society, managed to gather support from the public and break the 'five-decades of struggle for African American'. On that day despite the freezing temperature, people from every corner of America, in fact the world has at least a representative. He was much admired. He was a man of wisdom. He was a man full of smiles. Lastly, I feel proud that he once reside and studies in my country, Indonesia. Will he be able to guide the most powerful nation out of crisis?