Communicating Thoughts

Reflecting back on this week's topic on "Group Communication", I've decided not to use any media work or sources to discuss issues regarding it; instead, I will use my exposure and past experience regarding what it means by "Group" and what are the pros and cons of it...

Well, I'm sure readers of my blog would have had to work in groups or have been involved with communicating within a group throughout or at least once in our lives. So, when you're reading through this entry of my blog, please think of your past experience, and later comment on whether you agree or disagree with what I have got to say (or type...)!

Group communication in sports:
My first encounter with any form of group communication probably dates back to my primary school, when I was part of the basketball team. As mentioned, basketball is a "Team" game, and that implies that winning matches very much depends on the the team working as a whole or a group rather than having individual players performing well.

Being a kid, I was an egocentric and individualistic player blessed with better skills (having started earlier) than my peers during that time. I'll play the game myself, choosing to shoot or dribble when the better option would sometimes be to pass to a team mate. Well, it didn't help that I was so obsessed with winning rather than having fun during that time and it also didn't help when my teammates always try to find for me rather than have a go themselves. Of course, matches in inter-schools end up with many loss because we were essentially a one-man team. well, we finally learn to work as a group in our last match (well, actually I was benched by my coach...) and we finally managed to play as a whole rather then individuals resulting in us winning that match(too little too late)!

But the very important lesson we learn here is, if we all work together instead of depending on one player, we could perform better and achieve better results!

Group communication in organizations:
Well, my second formal need to be part of a group was during my secondary school period, I was the vice-chair for my class during my schools "Entrepreneurial Fair". Now this was the first time I was involved in having to lead discussions on what we were going to do, and how we were going to get things done. It was a class effort, and many ideas were suggested and given much after thought to.
Well, the pros of having a group to discuss what we were going to do led to a myriad of ideas to be considered. Then, everyone was assigned different roles and the whole event was successful as everyone did their parts and we met our target sales! strangely not much problems encountered and everything run so smoothly despite having over 30 people involved in organizing and executing the event!

Group Communication in project works:
Groupthink.... groupthink groupthink... if you're wondering what this is, well this is the biggest problem I have faced with all the group projects I've been involved with during my time spend doing project work. It is the problem of everyone in the group going in the same direction, not considering other ideas or options available leading to a very narrow piece of work.
I used to think that if everyone is heading towards the same direction and idea, it would be a good thing as there won't be disagreements or arguments. But now, I've learn that this is a major problem as often, ideas run dry and people don't seem to be able to come up with something novel!

So what are your experiences in working with a group, and what do you think is the benefit of working in a group and the problem of being in one?

In a week with breaking headlines of the first Singaporean female teacher having sexual relations with her ex-student making the frontpage, there is a pressing need to discuss what is the appropraite level of intimacy a teacher and a student should engage in.

Today, I read an article from the Sunday Times, "One SMS can mar ties" , by Mavis Toh, telling us of how the evloution of digital age has made bonding between teachers and students easier, resulting in the blurring of boundaries that once stood between teachers and students.

He provided a real example of a teacher who once gave out his handphone number and email to students only to attract the unwanted attention of one 15-year old student who not only called him in the wee hours to chat, but also sent him "I love you" messages. His intention for providing his contact details were good, so that his students who couldn't make it to class can contact him about what was taught, but what he couldn't control was how the student were to react to the his availability of being contacted at all times. Thankfully for that girl (well, I don't know how thankful she is or did she really want to further her relationship with her teacher) , this teacher did not have any malicious intentions and did the right thing in distancing himself from her and learning never to give out his hp number again. This case ended here and did not develop into any other deeper relationships that our society frowns upon or it would have been a bigger headline that I'm sure you would have read or heard.

After a week of holidays (where did all that time disappear too?) because of CNY (Chinese New Year), I'm back to blog using more concepts I've acquired from lessons 3,4,5 & 6 of COM101.

CNY is a festive period where Chinese go visiting with the popular greeting, "Gong Xi Fa Cai", exchanged generously. Gong Xi Fa Cai, loosely translates to "wishing you get rich", so is getting rich so important to the Chinese that we go round wishing that others strike it rich as well?
Well, some of the "traditions", or activities, of CNY includes gambling- from ban lak(black jack), Tai Tee, Mahjong, and even now the yearly $10 million Toto draw (darn, no luck this year...)! So, it appears that a lot of people are always in hope of that quick buck, and gambling is definitely one of the most dangerous way to adhere to.

My subject for this entry is a television commercial that struck me on the weeks leading up to and during CNY. It was constantly aired during the commercials (and even on tv mobile!) and came in two languages, English and Mandarin, but why not in Tamil and Malay?

The issue I'd like to raise in this entry is, have you watched this video before and if so, has it left an impact on you? Would it be effective in getting gamblers or family members to call the helpline number right at the end of it?

If you have not watched it, I've embedded the video into this entry, please take a look at it and comment!
Below are the two videos taken from youtube for your reference,
English verison:


Chinese version


This is the transcript of the videos in English:

"You know me,
I know what I'm doing,
I can win it all back.
My luck is changing,
I'm going to strike the big one.
Imagine what we can do.
One more try,
this will be my last...
I promise I'll give it back to you"

The high frequency of this message definitely caught my attention and the communication through the use of the mass media by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has been effective in letting the public know of its existence as well as creating awareness on the problem of gambling that plagues many families.

According to Seiler & Beall,

"Perception is the process of selecting, organizing and interpreting information in order to give personal meaning to the communication we receive."(1999)

So, with that in mind, the message the video is trying to convey also requires us (as receivers) to select, organise and interpret the information and give personal meaning to.

This video has four specific qualities to aid my selection of information:

1. Frequency - as mentioned earlier, this commercial was constantly aired on channel 5, 8 and TV mobile, leaving an impression on me.
2. Contrast - The contrast between the desperateness of the father asking for money and the the fear and sense of hopelessness from the daughter highlights the problem gamblers could induce into families.
   
3. Intensity - The intensity portrayed by the actor with his speech being broken down into short sentences amplifies the message from each sentence.
4. Novel Stimuli - There's two here, the words from the father is typical of a gambling addict, always believing that his "luck is changing" and he just wants "one more try" and it would be "my last". At the end, a young girl, supposedly his daughter, is portrayed clutching onto her "piggy bank", oh my, how much could that be for his father to take from to gamble away?

From the above, I gather that the man is desperate enough for him to ask his little girl for money, a terrible situation that some families face. How I could relate to this commercial is that from my past experience, when I'm gambling, I'd usually go for it and if I lose, I'll try to get back what I lost... Thankfully, I never had to lose much to begin with :x Influence from my social network includes my parents, who are avid gamblers who live in hope of "striking the big one". Again, fortunately for me, they gamble only within their means, and not gambling more than they could afford.

This video also makes use of two organizational principles, figure and ground, and closure.

1. Figure and ground - did you realize that all the shots focuses only on the characters, and after that it highlights the message it intends to send out captivatingly in text , "often, the people who suffer from problem gambling aren't the gamblers."
2. Closure - not much information was provided, but I was still able to come to conclusion with what the whole situation the family could be facing...
   

Within the video itself you could also see the verbal communication between the father and the daughter. The father was trying to persuade his daughter to part with her money by appealing to her with reason and emotions (logos and pathos) in trying to convince her that his luck is changing and to imagine what they could do with it. The language used was also symbolic using words such as "you know me" and "this will be my last", suggesting that he has already tried many times and also taken his daughter's money before. The daughter's reply was non-verbal as she clutched onto her piggy bank obviously not trusting her father's words any more.

The non-verbal communication in this video is normative and idiosyncratic in interpretation as the way the father talks and the daughter's non-verbal reply is typical of a Chinese family where children are usually taught not to rebuff their parents requests. The piggy bank the girl was holding on to was an objectics or artifact to symbolize the girls savings, as the piggy bank is usually where children keep all their money in. Also observe the the facial expression of the father when he's talking to his daughter, and notice the tremor in his body (kinesics) actions and voice (paralinguistic) when he says "one more try", showing that he is even nervous (maybe ashamed?) about asking his daughter for money. Also note his eyes (oculesics) throughout the video, how in instances when he felt ashamed he would look down, and when he mentions "imagine what we could do", his eyes lit up.

Overall, this video is effective in its use of language (simple and concise) and non-verbal cues to accentuate its emotions and meaning. With CNY come and about to be gone, plus the casinos in sentosa and marina resort coming up in Singapore, what better time will there be in arousing public awareness of such an problem and the avenue for help should families need it.

I think this video also has an implied message to all viewers, and the message is for people to think twice before gambling and getting addicted to it, because you won't be the only one suffering...

Overall, I feel that although this advertisement could have been useful in creating awareness of such a problem existing in families, it might not be as impactful in getting people to actually call the helpline.

I have my doubts,
what do you think?

References:
Lecture notes
Seiler & Beall, communication making connection, 1999:31
http://www.upperstorey.com/ncpg3/index.html

P.S. for those of you out there who are facing a similar situation, please do not hesitate to call the helpline,
Problem gambling hotline: 1800-6-668-668