Attending Skills Essay

Bolton, in his book People Skills (1979), describes attending as giving all of your physical attention to another person. The process of attending, whether you realize it or not, has a considerable impact on the quality of communication that goes on between two people. For example, by attending you are saying to the other person â€Å"I am intersted in what you have to say†, however, a lack of good attending communicates that â€Å"I really don’t care about what you have to say. † The body can be used as a tool to facilitate good communication. This is done through positioning the parts of the body so that they invite and hold an interpersonal relation. A relaxed alertness expressed by body posture seems best suited for fostering good communication. Bolton offers these suggestions to establish a posture of involvment: * Lean toward the speaker. This will communicate energy and attentiveness. * Face the other squarly (i. e. , your right sholuder to the speakers left). This communicates your involvment. It is especially important for you to position yourself so that you are at eye level with the speaker if you are seen as a authority figure. This will circumnavigate feelings of threat and can greatly aid in forming an interpersonal relationship. * Maintaining an open posture is also important for fostering interpersonal relatedness. A closed posture (i. e. , crossed arms and or legs) often communicates coldness and defensiveness. * You also need to be aware of your proximity to the speaker. We all have a concept of â€Å"personal space. † When those boundaries are crossed it puts the other on the defensive and makes them feel uncomfortable. However, to much distance communicates aloofness and disconectedness. Body motion, it’s a funny thing! Have you ever paid attention to what your hands were doing during the course of a conversation? Some of us simply shove them in our pockets or let them hang aimlessly by our sides. Then there are others, like me, who tend to fling them around as if to place some kind of emphasis on each word! There is such a thing as too little and too much. Body motion is good but it can be over done if you are not careful. The purpose of gesturing when you are listening is to encourage the speaker to continue speaking. This can most easily be done with a periodic head nod. A good listener moves his or her body in response to the speaker. Effective eye contact says that you are visually attuned to what the speaker is saying. Good eye contact involves focusing on the speakers face and occasionally shifting the focus to other parts of the body. The key is that the other is aware that they have your attention because your eyes are â€Å"on them†. Good eye contact should seem natural to the other person. What ever you do, don’t â€Å"stare them down. † This makes you seem anxious and sometimes critical of them. The environment where the communication takes place is also an important factor in whether an interpersonal relationship can be formed. It is not always posible to move the conversation into a private room or office, but every attempt should be made to reduce the number of distractions that are present. In his book, The Skilled Helper (1998), Gerad Egan offers what he has labled the Micro Skills of Attending. The are very close to the infomation I have presented above from Bolton’s People Skills. He has developed the following acronym to help counseling students remeber these vital skills in communication. The listener has a specific responsibility in the course of communication. That is to stay out of the speakers way and to try and follow where he or she is leading. The goal of listening is not responding but understanding what is trying to be communicated. A door opener is a noncoercive inivitation to talk. Sometimes door openers are not necessay to â€Å"get the ball rolling†, but may be needed later in the conversation if the speaker does not seem to want to continue. Door openers don’t have to be verbal cues, a good listener can also use his or her body to send the signal â€Å"I am interested, you have my attention, please tell me more. The â€Å"four elements† of a door opener, as discussed, by Bolton are; (1) A discription of the other person’s body language (i. e. , you don’t look like you are feeling well today. ) (2) An invitation to talk (3) Silence (to give the other person time to decide if they want to talk and what they are going to say. ) (4) Attending (this inclueds all of the attending skills that are discused on the attending skills page. ) What on earth are â€Å"minimal encourages? † In the attempt to follow it is important not to become a nonparticipant in the conversation. Minimal encourages refers to the amount the listener speakes and the amount of direction the listener gives to the conversation, which should be very little. Sometimes encouragement is needed but the speaker needs to remain in control of the conversation. The same is true for questioning as is for encouraging. The problem is not questioning itself but the fact that most people do not do it well. Most people ask closed questions that only require specific and short answers such as â€Å"yes† and â€Å"no. † The trick is to ask open questions that are designed to spur the conversation on when it gets stuck. This means that questioning will be relatively infrequent. Finally, attentive silence is one of the most important elements in following the listener. We live in a culture in which silence is not comfortable. We often inturpert it as a cue that we need to jump in and say something. In fact, silence is an opportunity for the speaker to reflect on what he or she has said and to gather their thoughts before their next statment. What we say is not as important as giving the speaker the time he or she needs to clearly communicate their point. An important aspect of listening is to help the listner clarify his or her communication so that they can get their meaning across. To practice reflective listening is to serve as a mirror for the person speaking. One way that the speaker can do this is through paraphrasing. A paraphrase is a conscise response to the speaker that restates the essence of the communication in the listener’s own words. The paraphrase deals with facts or ideas and not the emotions. In this respect it focuses the content of the speakers message. Another aspect of reflecting is the mirroring back of the speaker’s emotions as they make their statments. It is important to tune into the speaker’s emotions. If we, as listeners, miss the feeling content we have missed a major part of the speaker’s reaction and experience. Reflecting feelings also give the speaker an opportunity to evaluate how he or she is responding to a problem situation. Not only should the listener reflect feeling, he or she also needs to reflect meaning. Content + feeling = meaning. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But, if you get the feelings wrong or the content wrong then you can’t understand the speaker. Reflecting meaning alows you to be sure you are â€Å"getting† what the speaker is saying. Reflecting feeling and content are the baby steps to reflecting meaning. Meaning expression can use the basic empathic formula; you feel _______ because _________ , or some variation on this formla. After a while the formula will disaper and a natural empathic responding style will develop. Finally, there is the concept of sumative reflections. This reflective response is designed to recap the major themes of the conversation and comes after an extended period of the conversation. During the course of the conversation bits of useless information can acrue. The sumation can serve to help the speaker to sort through the litter and to construct a more complete and compact conceptualization of the issue being discussed.

Age of Extremes Essay

The twentieth century was rich in events and outstanding personalities. In his book Age of Extremes, Eric Hobsbawm provides an extensive review of what happened during the Twentieth Century and the impact of those events on human development. According to Hobsbawm, the Twentieth Century was both the Age of Catastrophe and the time of the extraordinary economic growth – a complex sandwich of events and developments that changed the human society â€Å"more profoundly than any other period of comparable brevity† (Hobsbawm, 1995). In the first two chapters of Age of Extremes, Eric Hobsbawm (1995) tries to evaluate the social and historic legacy of the Twentieth Century and creates a brief picture of the events and accomplishments that took place between 1914 and 1991. The author is confident that human society cannot distance itself from the events of the past, because everyone on the globe, irrespective of their life history and personal background, went through more or less similar central experiences that affected them all (Hobsbawm, 1995). Hobsbawm (1995) traces the evolution of the Twentieth Century from the First World War, which marked â€Å"the breakdown of the western civilization of the nineteenth century† (p. 6). The western civilization was characterized by capitalist economy, liberal constitutional structure, bourgeois image of the hegemonic class, and the glory of scientific, educational, technological, knowledge, and moral advance (Hobsbawm, 1995). The decades following the beginning of the First World War were the Age of Catastrophe: until the end of WWII, the society stumbled from one calamity to another and lived at the edge of survival (Hobsbawm, 1995). The failure of the major colonial empires and the economic crisis of unprecedented depth added their share of complexity to the state of world affairs (Hobsbawm, 1995). Hobsbawm (1995) believes that the victory of the Soviet Union over Hitler was one of the most important events of the Twentieth Century. Without it, the whole Western world could have turned into set of variations on fascist themes (Hobsbawm, 1995). The rise of the socialist movements was the direct result of the weaknesses in the nineteenth-century bourgeois society (Hobsbawm, 1995). How and why the world threw itself into the Golden Age of capitalism between 1947 and 1973 remains one of basic historical puzzles; but the Golden Age could not be endless and the global crisis that followed affected all, irrespective of their political, social, and economic configurations (Hobsbawm, 1995). The economic crisis gradually extended to cover political issues – the collapse of the Soviet Union produced an enormous zone of political uncertainty and destroyed the stable system of international relations (Hobsbawm, 1995). The economic and political uncertainties were followed by the moral and social crisis – the crisis of beliefs, which humans had used over the course of the Twentieth Century to win their battle over the nineteenth century’s ideology (Hobsbawm, 1995). The century that had begun with unbelievable optimism and faith in the future ended with a bang and a whimper, leaving the society in the midst of the moral, social, economic, and mental collapse (Hobsbawm, 1995). In Hobsbawm’s (1995) view, the Twentieth Century was the time of unprecedented achievements and dramatic failures. The cyclical nature of evolution resulted in continuous instability and profound economic, social, and political shifts. For many countries, the Twentieth Century became the time of remarkable changes and the beginning of the new era of uncertainty and chaos. Whether countries succeed in resolving the existing controversies depends on how well they can learn the lessons of the past and use wisely the historical, political, and moral legacy of the stormy Twentieth Century. Conclusion The Twentieth Century was the time of unprecedented achievements and failures. The capitalization of the word combination â€Å"Twentieth Century† by Hobsbawm (1995) is not accidental. The author feels that the Twentieth Century reflected a unique paradox: the triumph of the material values and their absolute rejection at the end of the era. The century that had begun with unbelievable optimism and faith in the future ended with the deep crisis of the moral and mental ideologies, leaving humanity in the midst of the social, economic, cultural, and moral collapse. Whether countries succeed in resolving the existing controversies depends on how well people can learn from the past and use wisely the historical, political, and moral legacy of the stormy Twentieth Century.

Value of science

Richard Funnyman Is a world renowned physicists, he is known especially for his help In the development of the atomic bomb. Considering that he Is the creator of the worlds most dangerous weapon, The Value of Science can be interpreted on an entirely different level as Funnyman goes back and forth on the concepts of good vs.. Evil as a way to reflect his moral conscience. Richard Funnyman' morality can be seen through his passages about good and evil in the world of science and the world outside of science.During Funnyman' opening point he states that when good things re created because of science It Is because â€Å"moral choice† (Funnyman 64) led them to that discovery. In other words, when someone makes something beneficial in science it is simply because while they were making it they were considering what is right and wrong. He continues by saying that each scientist is given the power â€Å"to do either good or bad† (Funnyman 64). However, there are no instruction s on how to decipher which one you are doing.Therefore, you could create something disastrous due to the lack of direction. In addition, he references a Buddhist proverb, â€Å"To every man Is given the key to the gates of heaven; the same key opens the gates of hell† (Funnyman 64). He is relating this quote to the good and bad choices that can be made in science. For example, in the proverb the â€Å"kef' would be the science, â€Å"heaven† would be the good that can come from science, and â€Å"hell† would be the bad that can come from science.However, whether it be the power to do something good or bad or the key to heaven or hell there are never and instructions on which choices will lead you here. If you don't have Instructions, â€Å"the key may be a dangerous object to use† (Funnyman 64). Based on the diction he uses In this section It suggests that he Is feelings guilty for the effects of the atomic bomb since he is using words such as â€Å"bad †, â€Å"evil†, and â€Å"dangerous†. It suggests that perhaps Funnyman feels as if he opened the gate to hell rather than the gate to heaven through his invention.His guilt is further shown with his comparison of science to the world outside of science. Richard Funnyman uses things outside of science to compare and Justify his morals about what he has done In science. For example, he states that education, communication, and applied science can be a â€Å"strong force, but for either good or evil† (Funnyman 69). It can be interpreted that he is referencing the atomic bomb by the repetition of the words â€Å"strong force† because the atomic bomb is the most feared bomb in the world due to how much power it is has.Also, when he says that these strong forces can be used for â€Å"good or evil† (Funnyman 69) it could mean that the mob could be used for good, In which cases It wouldn't harm any civilians, or It can be used for evil, like how It was used In World War II where the bomb was used and killed 80,000 people instantly. He is using these examples outside of science as a way to show that, yes, science can create horror, but there are so many other things in the world that can create the same outcome. Following this further, he states that â€Å"nearly everybody dislikes war and continues by saying that â€Å"our dream today is peace† (Funnyman 69).However, he further explains this point by giving an example of how eventually peace turns Into a bad thing also. This rationale used by Funnyman war. If this is the case, his example of peace being a bad thing would reference the fact that, the atomic bomb ended the war, but there was so much horror in the way it ended that it is impossible to actually have peace. The passage â€Å"Education, for Good and Evil† as a whole suggests that he is trying to take attention off of science alone being bad, by bring other things into the equation.This section of his writing shows his morality through his diction and repetition, if there were no remorse for his decisions the whole piece would take a completely different purpose. Origin, an ancient theologian, once said, â€Å"the power of choosing good and evil is within the reach of all. † Richard Funnyman shows that this is entirely possible to do, given that the person making the decision is in touch with their morals. Good things can be created from knowledge, but the biggest part of creating something great is the use of moral choices.

Revolutionary War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Revolutionary War - Essay Example Washington never understood why slaves would freely choose to fight for their new home. The great majority of slaves only cared about their freedom, so joining the American colonists provided an avenue for this wish. The reason why more blacks joined the Loyalist forces is because they were offering freedom to those who fought. As a result, the Loyalist forces had more men to fight with and had the upper hand in the war. Thousands of blacks chose to side with the British forces because of the promise of freedom—something that the American colonists were not so willing to offer. George Washington barred the recruitment of black soldiers even though they had already fought with whites at Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. This choice proved to be a terrible mistake—although not fatal. It took until the winter of 1777-78 for Washington to reconsider his earlier decision. The American colonists were losing the war and the Continental Army had fallen to only 18,000. Because of these circumstances, Washington finally decided to enlist a regiment of black slaves from Rhode Island. Even though Washington allowed blacks to join the war effort, they were used in basic capacities only. George Washington did not trust blacks at all—he believed that they would take advantage of their new found freedom and run away and desert the army. Washington came from a Southern background and felt that he had to appease South Carolina’s leaders over the issue of slavery. After the war had ended, Washington demanded that former slaves be sent back to their previous masters. This also included the blacks who had fought for the British Loyalists and were now considered American

Risk management cycle and strategy of Money laundring in the US Essay

Risk management cycle and strategy of Money laundring in the US - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the issue of money laundering has been the center of debate for quite a long time. Criminals and other terrorist groups have continued to use money-laundering schemes to hide their intermittent sources of money obtained by fraudulent means. According to the Office of the Foreign Assets Control, the United States continues to lose large amounts of dollars through money laundering activities. The country is also facing imminent risk of ever-lasting criminal and terrorist threats since the rate of money laundering activities is still high. As of today, economists in association with financial analysts fear that the United States will face an unimaginable loss of foreign investors in the not too far future mainly because of money laundering risks. This is so because the presence of money laundering activities brings about significant risks, which tarnishes the safety and soundness of a country’s financial industry Typically, money l aundering is simply the process in which an individual or a group conceals the source where they obtain money via illicit means. The ways in which fraudsters can launder money are several and they can vary in accordance with their sophistication. Every year, the government of the United States quotes the amounts of money that the country loses through money laundering activities. Given that most of the money obtained through fraudulent means goes to fund criminal and terrorist operations, it is agreed that the risks involved in money laundering expand to encompass the safety and security of the nation. As a result, the United States is likely to be sitting on a time bomb since anti-money laundering agents are moving at a slower pace, unlike fraudsters who are at the verge of compromising the face value of the United States’ financial sector. Recently, the International Monetary Fund’s report revealed that two to five percent of the world’s general economy is com posed of laundered money. Nevertheless, the task force charged with the duty of combating money laundering business, commonly referred to as the FATF, communicated that it is not easy to provide an estimate of money obtained through laundering.

Educational Problems in Philosophical Perspective Research Paper

Educational Problems in Philosophical Perspective - Research Paper Example John Dewey summarized this debate in his book Experience and Education (2007). According to Dewey the practical affairs at school surround the debate between the traditional and progressive education. The traditional view of education is based on the premise that education is a body of information and skills crafted in the past hence schools are supposed to transfer to the new generation (Dewey, 2007). Many develop standards in the past like moral training, such as developing habits in the students confirm to these rules. The normal pattern of a social institute is in sharp contrast to the schools. For instance one can imagine the environment in an ordinary schoolroom. It includes time schedules, classes, exams, rules etc. Hence there is a general pattern that is found in the organization. In comparison, the environment at home where families live and communicate with each other, is completely different from the picture of a school classroom just portrayed. Regardless of which side the debate goes there is no denying that the main aim of education is to equip the youth for future responsibilities. Education aims to make them successful in their lives. This is achieved through imprinting information and skills in the minds of students, whenever they are understanding any instructional material. However, there are certain dependent factors that come along with this approach.

Prop 30 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Prop 30 - Research Paper Example In November 2012, elections were conducted all over California in order to evaluate whether people were ready to increase the tax rates so that budget cuts could be prevented in the educational sector. According to the website of California Secretary of State, 54% of the voters favored taxes to be increased to finance education system. On the other hand, almost 46% of the total vote’s caste was in opposition to this initiative. Contextually, it should be mentioned that Jerry Brown, the governor of California had given full support to Prop 30. On the other hand, small businessmen and entrepreneurs opposed this proposition. They said that increasing the taxes would affect the businesses in the state adversely. Hence, that would be compensated by job cuts and shut down of smaller firms. Thesis Prop 30 is based on an utmost democratic approach that not only supports the freedom of expression but also takes on a combinatory political approach that ventures to adjudge popular mental ity on the mandate of free education. Particularly after the Civil War and abolition of slavery, equality has been a key area of both debate and pursuit in the American society, where social stratifications are supposed to be aligned to the merit based parameters. But what if education becomes costly? What if the economically backward children are left behind and the public schools raise their fees? Nevertheless, a just education system should be accessible to the economically backward people too. Hence, if it be necessary to increase taxes on the general public so that the schools can be financed better and broader educational outreach is harnessed, people must take a positive approach. California indeed needs educational reforms and the majority of Californians wish to see reforms. In this way, Temporary Taxes to Fund Education should be supported to provide more wealth to the educational establishments. By the means of public funding, governments can really open up the doors of w elfare economy to fulfill the popular aspirations. In the first go, this all may seem to be politically biased populist measures. But if we think a little deeper then we can accept that Californian education system has some real problems which should be solved with real solutions. Hence, Prop 30 was a move that deserved popular support. Discussion Educational disparities raise serious questions on the credibility of American Dream. â€Å"California leads the United States in the total number of African Americans enrolled in higher education, although the proportion of African American students enrolled in higher education continues to decline. Close to 76% of all African Americans in public elementary school graduate from high school, but only 13% go on to graduate from institutions in the California state higher education systems.† (Allen, Bonous-Hammarth, and Teranishi, 1-2) Higher education prospects in California appear to be parallel to a racially biased apartheid system . It reflects a sort of extreme socioeconomic disparity. An outstanding and reachable public higher education system augmented California’s economic development. But today, the lack of an equal opportunity based educational paradigm is playing a significant role to undermine the future prospects of the African American population. Therefore, educational reforms must be initiated to help California maintain its justifiable vibrancies and democratic institutions. Nevertheless, certain

Enabling Australian Aged Clients to live independently in the Research Paper

Enabling Australian Aged Clients to live independently in the community through Advanced care Planning - Research Paper Example Data Sources: The data collected for the purpose of this paper are fundamentally from secondary sources such as articles, journals, books, online publications and governmental reports among others. It is owing to the fact that the findings obtained from these sources shall substantiate the need of updated and reliable information regarding the healthcare policies and services rendered to the elderly population in Australia. Discussion: The discussion conducted in this paper attempts to develop an understanding in relation to the issue identified with reference to the theories and the views put forward by various authors. Based on these views, the discussion further elaborates on the critical analysis of the healthcare services rendered to the elderly population by the concerned organizations in Australia. Implications for Health/Discipline: The implications obtained from the discussion of this paper indicate that nursing training and development programs shall be needed to augment th e efficiency level in Australian healthcare units. ... been discussed in this section which includes developing knowledge not only amid the elder population but also amid the younger populace from a long-term perspective. Summary Statement What is already known about this topic? The nursing practices and its importance along with the role of modern services in the healthcare units for serving the patients and aged clients Role played by aged clients within the community in developing, training and controlling the young generation with proper cultural norms; thus influencing the social structure What this paper adds? An explanation of the rising trends of aged clients in the Australian economy and its effects on the social inclinations An account of the modern facilities and policies adopted by healthcare units for serving the aged clients in order to make them live independently and influence them to serve the community well-being Implications for practice and/or policy Suitable policy should be adopted by the healthcare unit in order to serve the patients according to their requirements Suitable policy helps to build a good working environment for the doctors and the nurses along with avoiding the misunderstandings and conflicts existing within the social environment Introduction In many countries, aged people are often identified to be treated impatiently, disregarding their value of life and their contribution to the overall societal development. Hence, at times, the elderly population has to witness challenges in availing better facilities from the community as well as from personal belongings. In protecting the elderly population from these circumstances, government and social bodies can be identified to implement certain steps such as building of old-age homes and supplying the aged member present in the house with

Sex Education In Public Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sex Education In Public Schools - Essay Example As much as proponents argue for it stating some benefits, its drawbacks overshadow them in the long run. One of the reasons why sex education should not be taught in public schools lies in the fact that the topic is not taken seriously by both the students and teachers. The whole affair runs through like a leisure teaching and learning experience. One proof of this lies in the lack of exams after its classes (Dogra, 2010). Where the students are not to be awarded grades raises concerns as many will not work hard to understand. This then beats its purpose while related to other courses like mathematics or science. Just as any other recreational course, sex education intends to teach just a few who are willing to learn while others spend the time to do other things. Sex education leads to embarrassment of many students and teachers in the classroom. Considering the tender ages at which it is introduced teachers find it uncomfortable to teach the subject (Dogra, 2010). The same applies to students who become overly excited. At some point students mock others who depict signs of puberty e.g. developed breasts, height and so on. This leads to low self esteem to the ridiculed students which may in the long run affect their education and the whole learning experience. A sex education class in most cases fails to serve the purpose of informing. Sex education is rarely given the respect and time offered to other subjects. Most instances it is offered as an interlude while teaching physical education. This also shows that many schools still do not regard it as important and it is a burden to their curriculum. Teachers on the other hand are not adequately trained on how to teach it (Dogra, 2010). Due to its extraordinary scope, there is need for them to incorporate other methods other than normal ones. They end up teaching according to their

Levels of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Levels of Management - Essay Example This essay talks about different levels of management. According to Bernard L. Erven (1999), the five functions of management are â€Å"planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling.† Though management involves additional functions, most can be categorized under one of the five. However, the level of management does determine how much involvement the manager may have in each of these functions and what the manager’s specific responsibilities are. Senior managers are more likely to be responsible for the bulk of strategic planning. Line manager are likely to be involved in planning as well, though the main responsibility is identifying how specific jobs should be completed or altered to help the organization implement its strategy. For the senior manager, problem solving involves analyzing the business environment and evaluating all possible alternatives and related outcomes. Reports from industry sources, financial officers, middle managers and others will likely be accessed to explore all possibilities. The responsibility of the line manager is to provide senior managers with information regarding the capacity and capabilities of workers, through production reports. For the sales manager reports on current sales and marketing strategies, and customer purchasing trends may be required. The most inexperienced workers may contribute more to the strategic planning process. Experienced managers may be more likely to consult with workers directly, to obtain information for developing or changing the strategy.