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What I learned in BUSI 2202

The most useful things that I learned is how to give bad news to someone in a way that was both effective in getting the message across while leaving them with a somewhat good feeling after the bad news. I have always had difficulty with it regardless of how many times I had to do it. I currently use this methodology in life as well as other business courses this term. The second most important thing I learned and find I use regularly is evaluating and critiquing how people conduct themselves while speaking publicly. This is especially true with politicians who speak to the current pandemic. I find the Prime Minister is good while the provincial premiers are somewhat lacking. That being said, I find the worse of the lot are news reporters who sensationalize the news as opposed to reporting it. It affects their credibility in my opinion.

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Ashton Kutcher speech

It seemed obvious from the start that this was going to be a persuasive talk.  Ashton started off by gaining credibility and sharing a personal story. In this case his real first name of Chris. Ashton then went on to say what he was going to say, and then he said them which were his opinion on opportunity, what is really sexy and his thought on living life. After explaining each one in turn he recapped what he had said and finished strong to the applause of the young crowd. He gave personal examples on the major points of a persuasive talk, showing a passion for his topics. Even so, I am not sure I believe him. Not his three points but that he holds those beliefs that he shared with the crowd. It seemed to be a bit scripted and not raw emotion like Ellen Page's coming out speech.

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Ellen Page's Coming Out Speech

I could tell from the onset that Ellen was extremely nervous (raw emotions on display) but still willed herself to go through with her speech. I am impressed by the passion that some people hold for a cause, in this case the LGBTQ community for one. Using her position as an actress and producer to appeal to the masses took courage and I found it inspiring. I respect her choice to come out publicly and encourage others to do their part to make the world a better place to live. Her words of "a personal obligation and social responsibility" stuck with me. It has been my experience that most people are not willing to put their personal beliefs out there for scrutiny. It is easier to go with the flow. For someone so young to have that courage will give others hope for change in the future. Good for her.

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Were you brave by Sarra Bareilles

Bullying is nothing new but I had a hard time figuring out what the message was. I had to look up the lyrics. Afterwards it was clear that what was being proposed is "to be brave and speak up" but not sure it was effective to all age groups. The message was lost on me with the dancing, happy people etc. Bullying is very near and dear to me having lived with it. I am the second youngest of 9 children and our father survived the Korean Conflict but not without some invisible wounds. If the message is well received, understood and a call to action by the younger generation then I am happy about that. That is not the effect it had on me. It left me confused on how bullying is seen now by youngsters. Maybe I missed the point. It would not be the first time.

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Gross Domestic Product and Politics - My Rant

I heard on this morning's news that the President of the USA and our own Federal Minister of Finance were going to take action to combat the financial downturn in our economy due the Coronavirus. I read an article in the globe and mail (Report on Business September 2019 issue) supporting what I recently learned in Macroeconomics. That being that what the current political party does to stimulate growth has little to do with what actually happens in the near future. Both the US and Canadian politicians accept credit where none is due. We as Canadians are tied to the hip with the USA in terms of our economy. When they do well we tend to do well and visa -versa. Now they are going to do something, not saying what, to get us out of these economic down times. They can do nothing and get the same results.

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3 Kinds of Biases that shape your world by J Marshall Shepard

The video talks about three kinds of biases that shape your world. I will limit myself to confirmation bias which is finding evidence to confirm our existing beliefs. The video describes climate change and science but it can be used to describe any preconceptions that we hold about anything. We discussed the ways to be an effective listener but did not cover biases that people have that could most definitely prevent them from accepting what the speaker was saying due to the listeners preconceived believes. Regardless of the amount of attention a person pays to a speaker using active listening and open questions, if the listener has a cognitive bias against the message being sent, he will not believe it. It is a point that needs to be understood and limits the effectiveness of communication. Therefore, the bias has to be overcome prior to the message being believed.

https://www.ted.com/talks/j_marshall_shepherd_3_kinds_of_bias_that_shape_your_worldview?language=en

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Steve Jobs Stanford Address

I found that it reflected my own life experiences. I started to get an undergraduate degree almost 20 years ago at the mount. I changed my major from business to science due to the support I received from work for doing so. Two courses short of graduating I had to move for work which was devastating. I was not able to pursue my dream of graduating until recently when I retired. I am now working towards finishing my BBA and am enjoying every moment (some more than others). I learned late that I should have continued with my first choice in degrees but am now making up for lost time. I am a strong supporter in doing what you love and appreciate Steve's message on a personal level.  I plan to share this video with others in the hopes that his credibility will sway them in the right direction.

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5 Public Speaking Tips in 5 Minutes

I found that this video reinforced the topics already covered in our communications course. I found that the speaker not only stated the 5 tips, that seemed to come up repeatedly in our own first presentations, but he actually used them himself throughout his video. I found that refreshing in that I find at times people use the approach of "Do what I say not what I do" when trying to pass on useful information. Of particular interest to me was a sub-point discussed on the topic of master eye contact. In that tip he mentioned the term "Prioritize to maximize". In other words, look at the most important people in the audience the most amount of the time. I have tried to make equal eye contact with all the audience but will now try and put a conscious effort into doing it his way when appropriate.

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Most persuasive commercial I have seen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU2I9SafOSw

I definitely agree with the message that Michael is making. I believe that mind and body work together for the most beneficial results.  His positive message had an optimistic attitude and the similar approach that he took with his friends is reflected in my own life. I have spent my entire adult life trying to promote health and fitness in others either directly or by leading by example. I have even had some success but not always. Even though I am a member of Goodlife and have been for a few years now I still am amazed that I can be touched on such a personal emotional level by someone I do not know. I was able to relate to his story in a way that inspires me to continue training even though with every passing year it is getting more difficult to do so.

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Amy Cuddy's Ted talk on body language

After watching the video I find that I do agree with Amy's message. I also agree that there is a direct correlation to feeling dominant and gender with males usually being more dominant.  People can change their perception of themselves by believing in themselves and with positive self-talk or in this case assuming dominant positions for just a few minutes a day. This impacts me by reinforcing what I have tried to do with my two daughters. Some simple suggestions of letting them know to stand straight and look people straight in the eyes when talking. These along with the posture poses that I will pass on to them to use with their own children will give them all a better chance of being in a dominant/more successful role. Finally, I learned another easy and effective way to help reduce stress by increasing dominance by practicing dominant poses.

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Hi Gabie,

Just wanted to welcome you to my blog. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Cheers Bernie.