One subject that was touched on in Chapter 2 that I want to talk about is Irreversibility. The author brings up a really good point in regards to this subject. “Once something is said- in anger, frustration, enthusiasm, or excitement - it can never be taken back and will have some impact on the participants and future discussions.” (Pg 38). I find this to be very true. Once something is said and even if the speaker didn’t mean for it to come out that way, there is no real way to the people who heard it to forget how it originally made them feel when they first heard. Even if the person apologizes and tries to take it back, the damage is already done. Some groups are strong enough to overcome something like this, a lot of groups aren’t. Which is why you especially need to be careful about what you say in your group setting with people you may not have a prior relationship with. First impressions can never be re-done.
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That's a really good point in regards to irreversibility. i think this concept is much more apparent in small groups than it is in "one on one" communication because when you say something, it affects everyone in the group differently. Irreversibility is easier to fix with one person because they have one way of receiving your initial comments or actions, whereas a group has several reactions. That makes it much harder to change the way each person sees you from that point on. I think sometimes groups feed off of one anthers reactions as well, making first impressions really important in a small group.
ReplyDeleteJrod, I definitely agree. If you say something out of anger or frustration its usually true, and how your really feeling at the moment. But in actuality the situation is not what you had intended, and the words you may have accidently bursted out of rage have been hurtful to the person. You are right, you can't take what you said back the only way to solve the situation is to communicate. And it would be easier to communicate with a friend, who you have known for a awhile, because your used to communicating with them.
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