Communicating Differently

I am currently a stay at home mom, and when I first read the instructions for this assignment, my thoughts were, I don't communicate with anyone outside of the family, how in the world am I going to complete this assignment. As I went through the week I started to pay attention to every interaction that I had, from the cashier at the grocery store, church events, and the community center that I volunteer at.
I found myself communicating in slightly different ways in each of these settings through the culture of all are very similar.  At the grocery store, the conversation is the same, no matter the race or age of the person. It's hi, did you find everything, have a nice day, etc.  I thought of doing an experiment of giving a not typical answer just to see what happens, but then I had the flu and did not get to go on my third trip of the week. 
Due to the flu, I also missed going to church Wed. night, and I did not volunteer on Thurs. at the community center.  I thought back to my interacts at those places.  At church, I am on my best behavior and trying to teach of anywhere between 8-20 preschoolers.  My communication reflects that.
At the community center, I identify more with the people coming in for assistance than I do the people I volunteer with. I know what it is like to be in their shoes and my communication reflects that.  I think here is the place that I use the communication skills that we have been talking about the most.  The Platinum Rule works well here along with compassion, kindness, and empathy.

Communication on TV

 I have had several friends tell me that I need to watch The Crown on Netflix so I used this as an opportunity to do just that.  Before I started watching it,  all  I knew was that this was the story of how Queen Elizabeth came to power. 
I was very confused at first watching it without sound and knowing very little about the show. It started out with Phillip being knighted and then kissing Elizabeth. As I watched it, her body language looked like she did not want to be kissed. At their wedding, she appeared to not want to marry him which made me google if she had an arranged marriage.  She was very stiff, looked down, and back at her father multiple times. I thought she was going to run at one point.   After I watched it with the sound I found out that she did want to marry him, but no one approved of their marriage.  I am guessing that is what lead to the stiff awkward body movements.
Through out the show the King keeps spiting up blood and I could tell that he was going to die. He had surgery, and talked with the Dr. and he cried. I was right about this part, but I was wrong because I thought that he had told Philip as they were duck hunting that he was dying, but he did not. He hinted at it by telling Philip he needs to give up his career to take care of "her." 
I found it odd that Princess Elizabeth is often referred to as "her" through out the show.  I think I may have to continue to watch it to see why.
I think if I had did this with a show that I watch such as, "This is Us," I probably would have done a better job at guessing what was going on.  This is because I know the characters, how they generally handle things and I know the plot.  All of this information makes guessing at what is being communicated easier. 

Reference
Morgan, Peter. (writer), & Daldry, S. (director). (2016). Wolferton Splash. [Netflix series Episode].In Daldry, S. (Producer). The Crown. United Kingdom: Netflix.

Communication Skills

My husband is Senior Lead Quality Assurance. Basically, he leads a team that tests software before he goes on the market.   He works from home a few days a week and has frequent conference calls during these days.  I often listen as he can take a call that is utter chaos as people are blaming each other for the reason why a product does not work and turn the conversation into something productive with everyone taking a part to get the project done. I often ask him "how do you do that?"  His response is "you just have to know how to get each person to do what you want them to do and be happy about it."  I think that is not easy, I can't do that.  I would love to be able to lead a team the way that he can as far as getting people to listen and do what needs to be done.  He doesn't raise his voice, he just says we have a problem and how are we going to fix it.  He hears everyone's ideas and the team states which one is best or often a combination of answers. People then volunteer to take different parts and work on it. 
I want to model some of my communication like him. He knows each person on his team, what they are good at, and what words to use to motivate them.   He gives each person time to talk and the team as a whole makes the decision and he guides it to the answer he wants without them realizing it.  Each person feels valued and important which is what makes him a great team leader.