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Being a friendly, outgoing, and a socially confident individual has always been a major part of my personality. In a crowd full of introverts, I am the talker, the life of the social gathering. In a sense, I use to believe that as long as I can communicate, there is nothing I cannot do. From my years as a student on campus, I have now realized that anyone can communicate, but it takes more than just communication to solve conflicts. Communication must be tailored towards its prospective population in order to achieve an intended goal.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Immersed in a diverse classroom setting with approximately twenty other first-year students such as myself, our challenge throughout the semester was to clarify our purpose here as students at the University. In one topic covered in class on September 29, 2015, entitled “resolving conflicts," our professor mentioned that as college students there will be times where we would be assigned to work in groups, rather that be in classrooms or as apart of student organizations on campus. He then went on to explain the concept of task role distribution our group projects. This concept was developed in an effort to structure group work on college campuses. Sometimes certain students assume too much responsibility for a group’s work, while other students may be reluctant to contribute to the group’s activities. Assigning roles helps to distribute responsibility among group members and ensures accountability for all students' participation (Stempfle). 

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As a part of the class, one of our early assignments was to participate in a service event in the surrounding community as a class. Finding a population to serve was the easy part it was collaborating amongst twenty additional classmates to make a successful service event that brought the most challenges. The population we chose to serve were children attending the “Boo at the Zoo” event put on annually by Riverbanks Zoo located in Columbia, SC. Here is a video showing some of the events that children particae in while at the zoo on the night of the event.I quickly took on the position as the group’s leader to ensure the success of the service event. I made a GroupMe chat, which created a common method for all of my classmates to communicate and exchange ideas and thoughts that would be enough to ensure a successful event. It was not long before I realized that it would take more than communication to accomplish such a task. Although the GroupMe provided an avenue to communicate, it was the center of chaos. There was no sense of organization. No one knew exactly what their role was and what they were responsible for doing. I sought the solution in the tools that I obtained during the lecture pertaining to task role distribution. I began to assign specific roles to each student based on their individual strengths and weaknesses. This eliminated the chaos and confusion that came with unassigned roles. Without individualizing my approach of communicating to a population of college students through task role distribution, our service event would not have been successful.  

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Being on a college campus the two populations that are mostly seen are those in early, middle, and late adulthood. Early adulthood includes the student population (ages 19-40) while middle and late adulthood (ages 40-65) includes parents, professors, and university officials. According to Erickson's theory of social development, those in early adulthood struggle with intimacy vs. isolation regarding relationships (Wright, Emma Kate). They need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people. Success leads to strong relationships, while failure results in loneliness and isolation. In referring to adults in the middle to late stages Erickson suggests that they struggle with generativity vs. stagnation (Wright, Emma Kate). These adults need to create or nurture things that will outlast them. Most fulfill these needs by having children or creating a positive change that benefits other people. Success leads to feelings of usefulness and accomplishment, while failure results in shallow involvement in the world. Learning about the stages of development in such depth in PSYC 420 gave me a better understanding of how to tailor my communication with those not only on my level of development as early adults those contrasting populations such as middle and late adulthood. Doing so not only makes communication more effective but also increases the rate of solving conflict. 

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Being an employee with University Housing at the University of South Carolina has immersed me in an environment that requires communication with early, middle, and late adults. I am employed as a University Housing S.P.U.R.S (students providing undergraduate residential support) working out of the main housing office located in the Patterson residence hall, as well as an Office Assistant in the Central Campus Housing Office located in Sims residence hall. As a S.P.U.R.S. staff member, I communicate with current and incoming students and their parents about things such as the housing application process, residence hall life, dining services, and general campus life as a student here at the University. My role as an Office Assistant is geared specifically towards supporting the concern of students who reside in any of our residence halls located within the central campus. These halls include South Tower, Patterson, Women's Quad, Preston Residential College, East Quad, and The Carolina Men's Community at McBryde. As an Office Assistant, I assist students with residential concerns according to housing policies such as moving in and out of their halls and proving assistance when it comes to getting locked out of their rooms. 

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 Both positions not only include administrative and clerical tasks but also requires the ability to critically think and apply interpersonal skills catered to specific populations in order to solve problems that arise. One incident that comes to mind is when an out-of-state student and her family came to the University for move-in day only to find out that they had not properly signed up to live on campus. Imagine driving miles up miles to begin to your college career only to find out the possibility that you had nowhere to stay. That moment was filled with frustration and anger coming from the student who was an early adult, as well as, shock and disbelief coming from the middle adult population, which were her parents. As an employee of the University, and more importantly University Housing, I knew that I must choose my words and actions wisely and tailor the way I communicated with each population separately.  

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Through PSYC 420 I knew the need of the student (early adulthood) was to form strong and lasting relationships while the need of the parents (middle adulthood) was to nurture. I began by addressing the student and letting her know that I did not have all the answers myself but that I would get her in contact with a housing official that did. I guaranteed her that if she had any issues or concerns as a student, she had the option of coming to me as a senior on-campus for help and guidance, thus establishing the foundation of a strong relationship. When addressing the parents, I made sure to maintain a calm tone and attitude and assured them that their daughter was surrounded by a campus of university officials who would make sure to provide her with a safe environment while on campus. Targeting each population separately allowed me to effectively communicate with them individually and focus on solving the issue at hand. I was able to utilize the same theories I learned so much about as a student in PSYC 420 to individuals seen daily as an employee of University Housing to overcome conflicts when they arise. 

As a student in UNIV 101 and PSYC420, in addition to being employed by University Housing as an S.P.U.R.S and Office Assistant has taught be so much when it comes to effectively communicating. Anyone can communicate, but in order for it to be effective and solve problems, communication must be tailored towards its prospective population. 

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Artifacts 

WTC Artifact #1- UNIV 101 Reflection Essay 

BTC Artifact #1- Boo At The Zoo Video 

WTC Artifact #2- Erickson & Piaget Posters 

 

Citations 

Stempfle, Joachim, et al. “A Functional Theory of Task Role Distribution in Work Groups.” Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, vol. 4, no. 2, 2001, pp. 138–159., doi:10.1177/1368430201004002005. 

Wright, Emma Kate "Chapter 1: "Introduction to Development." 2015. PowerPoint presentation