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Bonaventure Koh

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COM 231 C

Describe the three most important lessons that you have learned thus far, about the influence process from this course.

Ah! With a blink of the eye and a somersault into the skies, I am already midway through Fall semester, and more importantly, close to the halfway mark of my university journey. School has been interesting thus far, with all my fun loving and at times retarded school mates around me. Like how a rainbow made up of so many different colors blend in well together, our different personalities actually complement each other. From wimpy Andrew to serious Ken, study-super-last-minute-but-score-well Tab to goody-two-shoes Nic. Not forgetting I-only-aim-for-full-marks-for-my-exam study freaks Bryan, Lucas and Nico. We are just like ingredients from Rojak that are only pleasant to eat when mixed together. These are the people that make me want to go for class week in and out. The l4d times, bare-it-all sessions, and not forgetting drinking sessions have truly been memorable. Aside from these fun and unforgettable times that being in UB has brought me, I have also learnt many lessons from my modules I have taken so far. In my current persuasion module, I have also learnt theories and techniques that relate to my everyday life.

First up the list is the Martin Luther King Jr ‘I have a Dream’ speech. Prior to persuasion class, I had only heard or read about it, but never had the chance to hear it. The speech was so breathtaking and inspirational that it literally swept me of my feet (even though I was sitting down at the point of time). In particular, the tone and indefinite metaphors used contributed to the desired effect of the public speech. Like what Dr. Sachs put it, ‘You gotta be heartless if you do not feel anything after hearing the speech!’ I feel that in order to be a accomplished public speaker, one only has to learn from this speech which has been dubbed by most as the ‘most influential public speech of all times’. On a side note, I will probably learn the speech by hard when I am running for elections in the not too distant future.

Secondly, I have also learnt that the effect of persuasion is related to the level of attractiveness you perceive the other party to be. I was quite surprised when I heard this as I would never ever in a million years thought of persuasion in this manner. Thus, I did some soul searching after this lesson and found this was actually true. Embarrassed I might be to say, I must admit that more often than not, I have found myself succumbing to the requests of members of the opposite sex whom I have deemed attractive. To illustrate, my willingness to drop my loose change into the tins of Flag Day volunteers who are unattractive has been found wanting as compared to when a pretty or cute girl asks me to make a donation for their Flag day. Please do not snigger to yourself when you read this. I am sure you too have been willing ‘victims’ of members of the opposite sex whom you have deemed attractive.

Lastly, another lesson which I have learned in persuasion class is the techniques of persuasion. The foot-in-the-door technique has been proven to be very effective time and again if used appropriately. Just today, my friends and I were walking around Bugis when we decided to have steamboat for dinner. As there were many different steamboat selections to choose from around the area, we were spoilt for choice. As the saying goes, ‘Too many choices do us more harm than good’. Finally, we saw a signboard in bright purple which literally screamed, ‘$17.80 only for Adults!’ Satisfied with what we saw, we walked into the shop thinking that we had found the cheapest place to have steamboat. The menu came and right on top of it was ‘Additional $5 for soup’. In other words, the five dollars was mandatory. Like hello! Who eats steamboat without any soup? Thinking that it was only an additional five dollars more and being typical Singaporeans, not wanting to feel embarrassed by walking out just because of it, we decided to carry on with our steamboat plan. This was just the first ‘step’ into the door and we had just been unknowing victims of the foot-in-the-door technique. After dinner, where we ate our hearts out, we proceeded to the counter to foot the bill. The receipt showed an additional 10% for service charge. I had initially thought that there was no service charge as it was not stated on the signboard which we saw before we came in. However, thinking that it was only slightly more and partly also because we had to pay since we had already eaten, we footed the bill without any further qualms. Yes, they were sneaky, but were not in the wrong. From this illustration, it can be seen that persuasion techniques when used at the appropriate times, can be very effective. The lesson I have learnt in class and experienced it firsthand has certainly taught me so.

Of course, there were many other lessons learned in persuasion class which I felt were useful too. Like the readings given to me stating the current situation of teenagers in the US. They are not as smart as I thought them to be. All in all, persuasion class has truly been an exciting class with much stuff that can be applied to one’s everyday life. The same can be said of school and my school mates. I am so not looking forward to graduation day.

Directions to my house. (click on picture and drag to move the map around)

the LAST :D

ok. time for the last post of my communication blog. today, we were thought on the modern organisational culture. One aspect that remains clearly etched in my mind is the informal organisational structure. In a organisational structure, there are a few important roles. Most would relate this to the structure in a office. Relating it to my current school life, I find that these roles really do exist. The names of the people and the roles they play that I am going to mention is just my opinion.

Cosmopolite - Hmmm, no one really fits the bill perfectly, but I guess the one who comes closest would be Eileen, since she has many connections out of school, as she belongs to some company called "TalentCrowd" (See Eileen, thank me for helping you advertise!)

Bridge - Lucas. Yeah, Lucas is not in my Communications class. He is only in my ESL and MUS class. We are both in the same clique. Also, he has another clique for his other modules that he is taking. As such, he is a member of a clique with connection to another clique. This means that when, for example, my clique wants to find more people to participate in a event, we can look for Lucas, as he acts as the "bridge" between us, and his other clique.

Clique - Without a doubt, the group of people who belong here would be Chern Harn, Leanne, Yi Wen and Claudine - avid online shoppers. They all have similar interests, which is to "shop till they drop". In a sense, this has bonded the few of them closely since they will always have topics to talk about. One example would be this. On a typical school day druing breaks, Leanne would go like "Hey! I saw this top online yesterday! It's very nice and cheap! I'm so gonna get it!" and Chern Harn would go "You mean that new design on http://www.abcdefghijk.blogspot.com/? YES! YES! YES! I saw it too! I'm also gonna get it! Lets get it together so it would be cheaper!" The others soon join in the conversation. In this way, as it can be seen, cliques are formed.

Isolate - I would say that I have not met the person... yet.

Opinon Leader - JX. Since she is the oldest amongst the group of us, she is supposed to be the wisest in terms of decision making. Therefore she is able to influence us with her ideas and thinking.

Well, if you have some one else in mind for the roles mention above, feel free to speak your mind! Haha. Cheers :)

Mass Media and its influences.

I was thinking of something to write while listening to my music player when I heard the High School Musical song "Breaking Free". It reminded me of the female lead singer who sang it - Vanessa Hudgens. Although I have not watched a single episode of it, i do listen to the songs and personally, i find them nice. The songs remind us of our time when we were in high school. There is only one word to describe the perceptions that those actors and actress potray in the movie - Innocence. They portray a squeaky clean image to the audience. Therefore when a nude photo of Vanessa Hudgens was circulated on the Net, I was very surprised. I am sure many people felt the same. This whole incident was blown out of proportion when there was speculation that Disney would terminate their contract with her as her image had been destroyed and that it is bad influence for the audience, especially little kids watching it.
Personally I feel that it is unfair to her. First of all, Vanessa is still an ordinary person. It is not her fault that the mass media has portrayed her as a very innocent girl. Our perception of her as an innocent girl is so deep that it is hard to change it. The way the mass media influences its audience adds fuel to fire. which brings me to the agenda setting function theory. this refers to the media's ability to raise the importance of an issue in the public's eyes through repeated coverage. As such, the seriousness of the issue is exaggerated even though it is jus a small matter. Therefore, using this case as an example, it can be seen that mass media plays an important in shaping world views.

short & sweet

I was studying in school one day when there was a fire alarm announcement. I immediately thought of the mass media effect. The magic bullet theory is seen as a powerful effect. It states that audiences are passive, we accept what is presented to us. Imagine yourself studying alone in the student lounge when there is an announcement saying that there is fire in the building. What will you do? Your first thought is to pack your stuff and evacuate the building as fast as possible. I am sure everyone else who has heard the announcement would do the same. This proves that in this case, mass media is powerful. Those who have heard the announcement would believe that there is a fire in school and they allow the sources to tell them what to think.
I feel that mass media these days play an important part in our lives. For example, we are influenced by what we watch on TV or what we read in the newspaper. I feel that newspaper these days are propaganda. this may be due to the fact that SPH is controlled partially by the government, as such the news broadcasted is controlled by them.

Smallville

Smallville is a TV show based on one of the most popular superhero of all times – Superman. It premiered in the United States in early 2001. Season 7 has just ended. This series is focused on the adolescent days of Clark Kent; about what he went through as a teenager as well as those people around him. It also includes the difficulties that Clark always had to face. This included making a choice between his love life and his “destiny”. Avid followers of the Superman comic series will know that Lana Lang was Clark’s childhood sweetheart. Why didn’t they stay together then?

When I first learned Knapp’s model of relational development, the first couple whom I related to was Clark and Lana. The relationship between the both of them actually developed over the course of a few seasons. I will explain them stage by stage.

Stage 1 (Initiating) : This is not shown in the TV series. This is where both Clark and Lana just got to know each other. Both of them, Clark in particular, try to create a favourable initial impression towards each other. In addition, they try to look for ways to open communication channels. Conversation topics are relatively shallow.

Step 2 (Experimenting) : This is where both parties get to know each other more. As evident in Season 1, Clark and Lana get to know each other more. The relationship between them at this stage is generally relaxed, non committal and somewhat ambiguous.

Step 3 (Intensifying) : Throughout the rest of Season 1 up till the start of Season 5, both parties are at this stage. This is due to the fact that Lana does not know about Clark’s secret. She knows that Clark is keeping something from her and is unwilling to commit till Clark shares his secret with her. On the other hand, Clark does not want to tell Lana about his powers as he is scared of losing her if she knows the truth about him. Clark has ever contemplated telling Lana the truth in order to be with her. Though they are not officially a couple yet, they still remain as very good friends and even share special moments together. Their actions and thoughts seem to complement each other.

Step 4 (Intergrating) : At the start of Season 5, Clark is given the chance to become a mortal. He accepts it reluctantly, knowing that at the expense of saving the world, he can be with Lana. At this point, they become a couple both in their own and in others’ eyes. They both share intimate moments together.

Step 5 (Bonding) : None in the context.

Step 6 (Differentiating) : This is where Clark and Lana start to notice previously overlooked differences between the both of them. This is made worst when Clark is given back his powers in Episode #5-3.

Step 7 (Circumscribing) : Differentiating leads to circumscribing. This is a point in which certain topics are placed off limits. Both parties are unwilling to talk about it. In this case, Clark is unwilling to reveal his powers to Lana. Commitment level decreases and tension level between them increase, as evident in Episode #5-10, where both parties have a talk about their relationship.

Step 8 (Stagnating) : As the series goes on, Clark and Lana start to hang out with each other less. Even when they do talk to each other, situation is often akward.

Stage 9 (Avoiding) : Both Clark and Lana separate themselves emotionally from each other. They feel they having nothing more to offer each other.

Stage 10 (Terminating) : Both parties decide to terminate their relationship with each other. Lana feels they do not belong together, while Clark decides that it is better for him to be alone. This is the time where the both of them come to terms with that fact that the relationship did not work out.

Well, have you guys experienced these 10 stages before? I’m sure you have. Share your experiences! Let me start the ball rolling – NO =D

Protege

Photo taken from -> http://i6.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/99/b0/290a_1_b.JPG

Protege is about an undercover cop who has spent the past few years of his life infliltrating the heroin trade industry and working his way up, gaining the trust of his drug lord boss in the process. He gets involved romantically with his neighbour, who is also a drug addict. Things get complicated when he is made his boss's protege. When it is time to bust the syndicate, he realises he does so with a heavy heart, such is the bond between him and his "mentor".

I feel that this show is well produced. The producer is sending out a message to the audience - that all junkies come to a bad end. In particular, group communication can be inferred from the movie. In the movie it is shown that the heroin gang has a very structured organisation, all the way from the leader to the runners. They are interdependent and members of the group all share a common goal. Each member of the group does his own part. For example, the leader coordinates movement, the runners act as the link between buyers and sellers. This is also known as group synergy, where there is more input as compared to all invidivduals put together.