Kevin Rosario - Reflection #1
👀 My Take on the Group Presentations
When we were assigned to watch the group presentations and reflect on them, I wasn’t sure what I’d take away from it. But as I watched each one, I actually found myself engaged, curious, and even learning things I didn’t expect. Every group took a different approach, had different energy, and brought something valuable to the table. Whether it was the way they explained a concept, the examples they used, or just the creativity in how they put it all together, I walked away from the experience with a better understanding of communication as a whole.
Each group focused on a different chapter, and while the topics were different, the underlying theme was the same: communication matters. In leadership, in group dynamics, and across cultures—it plays a role in everything we do. Here's my honest breakdown of what stood out from each presentation, and how it all connected to what we’ve been learning in class.
✋ Group 1 – Chapter 3: Intercultural Communication
Group 1’s presentation brought in a fresh perspective by focusing on intercultural communication. They started off with something fun—hand gestures that mean different things in different countries. I honestly had no idea that something as simple as a thumbs up could be offensive somewhere else. It was a light way to introduce a deeper topic, and it worked.
They went on to talk about dominant cultures, co-cultures, and the concept of power distance, which was new to me. Power distance is all about how much people in a culture accept unequal power relationships. In high power-distance cultures, people just go along with authority, while in low power-distance cultures, people are more likely to speak up. That got me thinking about how differently people behave at work or in school depending on their cultural background.
They also included discussions about religion, disability, race, socioeconomic status, and language. I appreciated that they didn’t shy away from these real-life factors. Communication isn’t just about words—it’s shaped by everything we bring with us, like our beliefs, our background, and even how we see the world.
One part that stuck with me was the melting pot vs. salad bowl analogy. In a melting pot, everyone blends into one shared culture. In a salad bowl, people keep their cultural identities but still exist side by side. I’d always heard the “melting pot” term, but honestly, I think the salad bowl makes more sense today. You can be American and still proudly hold onto your roots—your language, traditions, and customs don’t have to disappear.
👥 Group 2 – Chapter 9: Communicating in Groups (My Group)
This was my group’s presentation, so I obviously had a more hands-on perspective. We covered group communication, including the different types of groups people belong to and how communication changes depending on the type of group.
From families and friend circles to support groups, interest groups, and work teams, we tried to show that group communication isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. For example, you might be super casual and open with your friends, but way more formal and structured in a team meeting or classroom setting.
One of my sections was about conflict types, and I specifically focused on pseudo-conflict—which is when people think they’re disagreeing, but really, they just misunderstood each other. I’ve seen that happen in real life so many times. One person says something, the other takes it the wrong way, and suddenly there’s tension that didn’t even need to be there. Learning how to recognize and clear up pseudo-conflict can honestly save so much stress.
We also went over the five stages of group development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. Even though I don’t think our group went through each of those steps clearly, learning about them still gave me insight into how teams are supposed to grow and function. In a typical group, members start by getting to know each other (Forming), then go through disagreements or confusion (Storming), figure out roles (Norming), work smoothly (Performing), and finally wrap things up (Adjourning). Understanding these phases helped me think more about how group dynamics work in general—even if our group didn’t fully follow that path, it made me more aware of what to look for in future team projects.
Working on this presentation made me realize how important it is to have strong communication even in casual group settings. It’s not just about getting things done—it’s about making sure everyone feels heard, respected, and included.
🔎 Group 3 – Chapter 10: Leadership & Problem Solving
Group 3 kicked things off with their chapter on leadership and group problem solving. One of the first things I noticed was how organized their presentation was. They laid out the types of leadership clearly and gave real-world examples that made it easy to follow along. Terms like autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, and transformational leadership aren’t always easy to remember, but the way they described how these leadership styles show up in everyday life made the concepts stick.
What really stood out to me was the section on crisis leadership. They talked about how leaders respond under pressure, and that hit hard because in today’s world, that’s when true leadership is tested. They brought up examples like Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, and how he stepped up during a literal war. It wasn’t about his background or political experience—it was about showing up when his people needed him. That example gave the concept of crisis leadership a human face.
They also introduced the “Five Whys” problem-solving technique, which was totally new to me. It’s a simple idea: you ask “why” five times to get to the root of a problem. It’s something I realized could easily be applied to school projects, work situations, and even everyday misunderstandings. Instead of reacting or placing blame, it encourages you to slow down and think deeper. I’ve already caught myself using it once since then.
Another thing I appreciated was how they explained that different leadership styles aren’t “good” or “bad”—they just depend on the context. For example, an autocratic leader might be great in an emergency but not so much in a creative group setting. It reminded me that flexibility is one of the most important traits a leader can have.
💭 Overall Thoughts
- 🌍 Group 1: Reminded me how gestures and culture shape communication
- 🎯 Group 2: Highlighted group roles and conflict management in real-time
- 📢 Group 3: Showed how leadership and problem-solving shape team results
✍️ Final Word
This assignment didn’t just help me review material from the textbook—it made the chapters feel real. Watching other students explain and interpret the content in their own way helped me understand it better. I think that’s what learning should be about—not just memorizing terms, but actually connecting ideas to real experiences and situations.
Each group deserves credit for making their topic engaging and informative. Whether it was through examples, visuals, or just honest effort, everyone brought something valuable to the class. And now that I’ve had a chance to reflect on it all, I feel more prepared to use what I’ve learned—not just in school, but in life.
Kevin Rosario
👨💻 Programmer • 🚔 Future Law Enforcement Officer
Student at Miami Dade College with a passion for leadership, justice, and making tech useful for people.
Really good Kevin. Of course I expected this from you. You are very bright, intuitive, and an excellent communicator!
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