iExamen 2

I decided to conduct iExamen 2 on Saturday, October 28^th, and was very eager to observe its effect on my daily communication. I was curious to see how only saying things that are kind, useful and true would impact different forms of communication, whether it be face-to-face conversation, social media or texting. My assumption that this assignment would be difficult was correct. This does not necessarily mean I am not a kind person, but I often contribute little comments during conversation that are essential nonsense. Since all conversation during this day had to be “useful” I had to keep these thoughts to myself.

            When I first woke up on Saturday morning it was 11:00 am. I sat down at the dining room table with my three roommates and we all ate breakfast. During this time, I made the first observation of how my communication would be affected. I observed how my roommates often mess around and tease one another, and today I could not participate. My roommates noticed that my behavior was different, so I told them about the assignment. We do not communicate like this to be rude to one another, but it truly shows how close we are with one another. Through this I learned how friendship and love can affect communication.

            As the day went on I walked to the library to do some homework. On the walk, I was much more observant of the conversations taking place around me. I noticed a lot of negative conversation and gossip going on between students. I thought about how people partake in this gossip without really thinking about how it affects the individuals they are talking about. It almost seemed that gossip has become a part of human nature. In addition to this, I became much more cautious in what I was saying. Rather than just blurting out the first thought that came to my mind, I really thought about what I wanted to contribute to a conversation. I found this skill to be extremely valuable because it lead to more deep and enlightening conversation with my peers.

            However, the biggest revelation I had while completing this assignment was on social media. I do not actively post on social media, but I do check it almost every day to hear the thoughts of others and see how people are doing. As I was scrolling through my feed, I paid extra attention to what people were saying, and what the message behind it truly was. Through this I observed a lot of posts on social media have a negative connotation behind it. I had not noticed this in the past, as this assignment taught me to have a deeper look into what people are communicating.

            Through practicing this self-observation, my communication for the day was very different. I took more time to think about what I was going to say. This shows how in our culture we are quick to just blurt out the first thought that comes across our mind. Communicating along these lines helps me because it allows me to partake in more valuable conversation. Through this assignment, I learned in the future I should pause and really think about what I want to say.