Adjourning

As I look back on my adult life I can see many times when I was asked to work in a group.  When I think of the adjourning phase it is difficult to remember how each unique group finished.  It seems that many simply disbanded with no clear end or finally.  The most difficult group for me to leave was the first staff I worked with when I came to Head Start.  This group wasn't the most high-performing group I was a part of, and I didn't have too much in common with each of the members.  However we had come to know each other by working closely with each other everyday.  We worked through a lot of change and helped each other overcome some difficult circumstances.  When it came time for us to go our separate ways we said farewell with a simple luncheon, and that was it.  Many of the groups I have worked with end in this way, and I wish there was more of a recap of sorts.  A way to gauge what was done and how well the group stayed true to its purpose.  As for the group of colleagues I have become a part of through this master's degree; I'm not sure how this will adjourn.  It is certainly different from my cohort group for my undergrad degree.  What end could it have?  I just can't imagine it yet.  Adjourning is essential because it brings the work full circle.  From the beginning to the end it brings closure and makes progress on the goals that were set out in the early stages.  

Conflict Resolution

A recent disagreement I had with a colleague at work had to do with her having very little confidence in herself.  She would often put herself down with negative self talk when working with the children, and when I confronted her she was embarrassed and angry that she was called out.  

To help to resolve the conflict more productively we could have used two of the basic ideals of the center for nonviolent communication vision statement.  We could have used the ideal that "every individual embraces self compassion," if she would have compassion for herself she could forgive herself for the mistakes she makes and not be so critical of herself.  We could also use the ideal that "people joyfully and compassionately contribute to each other and resolve conflicts peacefully."  If we both came to the table with this basic premise the whole conversation could have been approached and resolved joyfully and peacefully.  

How would you deal with this situation?

Communication Quizzes

I have to begin by stating that using these quizzes was difficult for me.  I am out of work for the summer and stay at home with my daughter.  This means that I see one adult on a regular basis, my husband.  I thought I would be able to email these out to others to have them email back to me, but after trying all week to figure it out I had to resort to having my husband and mother-in-law fill them out, because they were the only two that were at my house that I could log them in to fill out. 

After saying that there weren’t many surprises in regards to how I see myself and how they do.  We are all very close, and so the know how I am.  The insight I saw from these quizzes was that these quizzes weren’t too clear in describing the person that it is being said about.  There were too bipolar in the questions.  I think this tells me professionally that communication is important, and not everyone sees it in the same way as I do.