Category: Communication

Introduction

Effective communication involves using rhetorical techniques to sway an audiences attention. Excellent orators like Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai use ethos, pathos, and logos in their touch. Ethos enables the orators to establish their authority making their message credible. Logos involves a logical argument that shows the rationale for the speech. Meanwhile, pathos enables the orators to sway their audience emotionally. Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai demonstrated effective communication in their speeches: I am prepared and Nobel Peace Prize speech. The two orators used ethos, pathos, and logos to appeal to their audience.

Rhetorical Analysis

Nelson Mandela gave his speech in the South African courtroom during the Rivonia trial in 1964 during the apartheid era. During this time, apartheid opponents were being tried for resisting government laws (Msamati, 2017). The purpose of his speech to his audience was to demonstrate apartheids injustices. Malala Yousafzai delivered a speech at the United Nations on the value of education on the 12th of July (Yousafzai, 2014). She employs her personal experiences and her broad knowledge of terrorism disasters to persuade her audience of the arguments and message she was attempting to convey (Yousafzai, 2014, 9:47). When the Taliban took control of Pakistan in October 2007, they forbade females from attending school. Both speeches are works of art in verbal and non-verbal communication. The speakers employed rhetorical elements making their speeches memorable and impactful.

Nelson Mandela employs ethos to emphasize his qualifications as a credible speaker and reveals his successes to counter peoples perceptions of him as a prisoner. Mandela said that he was the first accused with a Bachelors degree in Arts and practices as an attorney (Msamati, 2017, 00:57-2:30). Furthermore, Mandela told his audience that he was a convicted prisoner for five years (Msamati, 2017, 2:40-3:00). He also uses the same rhetorical strategy to take advantage of other peoples credibility. He recounts his journey with the ANC, saying that he met with sympathy&and promises of help for their venture in South Africa (Msamati, 2017, 1:44-2:30). Mandelas speech on struggle and oppression is credible since he was among the prejudiced Blacks.

Malala uses ethos to demonstrate her familiarity with the subject when she says, Dear Friends, on the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They thought the bullets would silence us. But they failed (Yousafzai, 2014, 5:30-6:30). She has direct knowledge of the issues that womens rights and girls education suffer because she was shot for speaking out about them. Malala treats the audience as if they were on an equal footing when she says, we, Brothers and sisters, us, and we are all together, united for the cause of education (Yousafzai, 2014). By utilizing these lines, she engages the audience and treats them as equals because she believes they must band together to fight for education.

Both speakers employ logos to appeal to their audiences reasoning and build logical arguments. Nelson Mandela defends his violence by explaining why the ANCs fundamental peace beliefs were ineffective in bringing about change (Msamati, 2017). He says, fifty years of non-violence had brought the African people nothing but more& repressive legislation and fewer rights (Msamati, 2017, 2:20-3:40). He also directs the audiences attention to the governments wrongdoings and the consequences of the ANCs movement (Msamati, 2017). He says, it showed that a government that uses force to maintain its rule teaches the oppressed to use power to oppose it (Msamati, 2017, 2:20-3:00). Therefore, Mandela justifies why a regime against apartheid and violence was necessary for South Africa.

Yousafzai emphasizes her research when she provides readers with basic knowledge of other countries and the issues they face daily. The audience understands her speechs context and relates it to their life situations. Her concrete facts also give her more credibility when speaking about such subjects (Yousafzai, 2014). She says, In many parts of the world, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan; terrorism, wars, and conflicts stop children from going to their schools& In India, innocent and poor children are victims of child labor. Many schools have been destroyed in Nigeria (Yousafzai, 2014). The use of logos demonstrates that Malala wanted to express her gratitude to everyone before moving on to her speechs main point.

Both speakers employ pathos to appeal to their audiences emotions and be part of the desired change. Mandela used words like fight and struggle in the closing paragraphs to create feelings of violence and war (Msamati, 2017, 11:48-13:57). He sends the message that his arrest does not signal the end of the push for national reconciliation. Meanwhile, Malala used statements like Dear Friends, on the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead and And that is why they killed 14 innocent medical students in the recent attack in Quetta to provide listeners with a sense of comfort and reliability through statistics and other factual information (Yousafzai, 2014, 11:30-15:30). Malala and Mandelas speeches evoke a struggling feeling among their audience.

Conclusion

Rhetorical elements are crucial in a speech since they help the speakers effectively communicate. Furthermore, the rhetorical features enable the speakers to connect to their audience and call them into action. Nelson Mandela recounted the Africans struggle during the apartheid. Meanwhile, Malala recounted the childrens struggles at the hands of terrorism. The speakers speech encouraged the audience to participate in the fight for social justice. Therefore, pathos, ethos, and logos allowed Malala and Mandela to communicate effectively.

References

Msamati, Lucia. I Am Prepared to Die. Almeida Theatre, 2017. Web.

Yousafzai, Malala. Malala Yousafzai Nobel Peace Prize Speech. Malala Fund. 2014. Web.

Communicating in the Digital Age is an article by Roshong (2019) dedicated to the problem of adaptation of communication to modern technologies. The author points out the dramatic changes in work and life that the digital revolution has incurred. However, people do not yet realize how distracting the world of endless notifications and interactions is. Not only is work productivity hampered, but a person also has to spend time restoring focus and concentration. The article aims to show that the ability to work in a hustling and dynamic environment is an essential skill in the Digital Age. The intended audience is business managers and employees who are responsible for the organization of corporate communication. The authors thesis is that it is imperative to ascertain effective communication means to help companies and employees achieve the intended results.

The article does not follow the standard study format, and it does not detail the employed research methods and chosen sample. However, the author offers practical implications, the first of which is understanding modern paradigm shifts in communication. Most importantly, user-centric communication has taken over one-way messages intended for large audiences. In practice, users decide what sort of information they receive and share and what platforms they use. Second, digitization has allowed alternative ways of data visualization to thrive. Whereas text and images comprised most of the information, now multiple multimedia options exist. Third, information flow has become continuous and transpires on a global scale, whereas previously, all information was periodic and specific to a particular region. All these tendencies signify the need for businesses to adapt and use digital capabilities to their advantage.

The second step is to prioritize means of communication that are both qualitative and fast to consume. For instance, a concise infographic is more effective than a text paragraph. The reason for it is that such data visualization conveys why the message is important and the content of the message itself. Meanwhile, reading a text paragraph takes more time and is less likely to keep the audience engaged. This does not imply that traditional means of communication are now obsolete. For example, phone calls and physical meetings can still be utilized. However, they should also be adjusted to the modern pace of communication.

The third step is to ensure that data is user-centric. Modern technology allows services to be customized to meet customers personal preferences. An especially important part of user-centric communication is feedback, which allows for making customer service more personalized. Meanwhile, the information itself should be dense, engaging, and easy to consume. There are numerous modern solutions that add agility and convenience to the exchange of data. Digital workspaces and data-sharing applications are tools that increase communications versatility. However, the more communication with customers is done, the more transparent the company that services these interactions has to be. Users have to be sure that their personal data is not compromised and that data privacy is protected.

The ultimate point of the article is that leaders cannot change the nature of modern communications, but they can adjust their leadership styles to the dynamic informational environment. Just as the abundance of digital noise can distract employees from working efficiently, proper use of means of data exchange can improve the quality of interactions with colleagues and customers. In order to properly adapt, it is essential to adopt a new communication style that is user-centric, respectful of personal preferences, and transparent at the same time. Combining these qualities with modern information technologies will produce effective and engaging communication, which will satisfy both customers and colleagues.

Reference

Roshong, M. (2019). Communicating in the Digital Age. Strategic Finance. Web.

Basically, chemical communication is the understanding a community has with the planet Earth. With the environment, be it economics or politics, this communication usually affects the relationship one has with the Earth. To evaluate this properly, the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) uses a scientific approach that includes many aspects of chemistry, physics and biology. Following these studies, challenges have been noted to affect this communication.

Understanding this communication system is one major challenge that is faced especially in physics. In relation to physics, the evaluation of the calculation of quasiparticle decay times based on many-body perturbation theories. This is visible in a representation of the quasiparticle in angular momentum verses the energy coordinates. The particle confirms to have properties instantly different from Fermi-liquid. The calculations explain the great stability and long-lived nature proving their competence for application in molecular electronics.

Chemical communication also faces the proximity mechanism that unravels it. This can be dealt with by viewing a variety of specialties in Biology. The appropriate elaboration of this communication is through the study of Biological Engineering, which is an application of different concepts and methods of biology to get solutions to life sciences. This branch of engineering uses the fast growth of knowledge called Molecular Biology to learn and improve on daily application with living organisms. This study has shown that chemical communication causes cohering or sticking together especially physically so as to end up with a continuous homogeneous group. The force takes effect at an insensible distance that goes against the law of variation.

Thirdly, unsolved questions of chemical communications are also a major challenge. This system of communication that is better known as pheromones is often used by many animals for diverse purposes. Communication is achieved by use of chemical marks and chemical scents. They are both used to mark their territory or attract the opposite sex for mating. Through this, animals can also smell their prey and note the presence of other animals.

Giving examples of this, the male lion, who is a loner, marks its territory for over 100 square miles. The Canada Lynx urinates on trees and tree trunks to mark their zone. On the other hand, the snake uses its forked tongue to collect pheromones of other animals in the atmosphere. In addition, scents can be used to identify members of a family, like in the case of the mule deer that has scent glands on its legs. Last, but not least, the domestic cat, that has scent glands at the end of its tail, forehead, and their mouth, rubs its head against someone or something to mark its territory.

Among our society, chemical communication can be either a cause of confidence or insecurity. An approach to the society with honesty and faithfulness may mark boundaries to be reached and realistic understanding to be attained. Nevertheless, with wrong intentions and approaches to the society, this may activate danger sensors, and may result in extinction of relationships.

Chemical communication has proven to be one of the strongest technical modes of communication on the Earth. Communication is accomplished not only among humans, but also with animals and plants. Through the evolution of communication systems, this type of communication has and will always remain constant in the universe.

The selected conversation partner for this exercise was a Muslim. This religion traces its roots to the 7th century during the day of Prophet Muhammad. Religion historians acknowledge Islam remains one of the major faiths with many followers across the globe. Having started in Mecca, this faith has been expanding rapidly into different parts of the world. Most of the attributes associated with Islam are attributable to the Arab culture where is started. Members of this faith rely on the Quran as the primary religious text. They believe in God who created the universe. He presents an all-knowing and all-powerful higher power. I chose this specific person to learn more about the nature of this religion and demystify the misconceptions many Christians have about Islam.

My Partners Religious Beliefs

The respondent revealed that Islam was founded on the famous articles of the religious faith. The first one is the Quran, a text God offered to Muhammad directly. The second is the belief in Prophets who have a significant place in this faith. The third is a belief in the final Day of Judgment. The fourth is the belief in Angeles while the fifth is peoples belief in Qader. The final is the knowledge of Allah and His oneness (Mansouri, 2018). From these articles, Muslims need to believe that God is one and controls everything in the world. Prophet Muhammad offers the guidelines for all Muslims to follow.

Community

From the completed interview, it emerged that Muslims pursued their religious aims as one big community. Specifically, they congregated in Mosques to say their prayers and engage each other spiritually. Religious leaders have a role to lead other members in prayers. Various schools exist intended to educate individuals about the message of God depending on a number of factors, including age, marital status, and gender. Imams offer guidelines and ideas to ensure their followers are able to practice various rituals and activities effectively. In the wider society, Muslims are encouraged to portray attributes, behaviors, and actions that glorify Allah (Mansouri, 2018). Individuals will come together to observe various religious rituals, including saying payers, sharing with the poor, and helping the less fortunate. Believers would also have a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives.

Central Myths

Muslims identify themselves with various myths that have helped support the foundation of their religion. The identified partner disclosed that the story of Muhammad was important to many believers in this faith. Specifically, the individual indicated that he once had a vision that would form the basis for the message and revelations he received from Allah. Such ideas have been passed across from one generation to another. The second myth is a story that took place in 622. According to the respondent, Muhammad managed to escape from Mecca and headed to Medina in an effort to avoid persecution (Mansouri, 2018). This event is believed to have led to the emergence of Islam as a major religion.

Rituals

Muslims embrace various rituals that make it easier for them to pursue their religious goals. According to the respondent, fasting is a common practice that takes place during the famous month of Ramadan. Believers are usually expected to fast from morning until sunset. This religious practice is essential since it allows every believer to purify his or her inner self (Mansouri, 2018). The respondent went further to indicate that people were expected to participate in Hajj, the pilgrimage to the city of Mecca (Mansouri, 2018). This was expected at least once in a believers lifetime. Zakat, according to the individual, was necessary since it empowered believers to offer alms to the less fortunate in their respective societies. Shahada was also a necessary ritual that guided Muslims to declare their faith in Allah. Ritual purity also stood out as a major practice that defined a persons stand or place in Islam.

Ethics

The interviewee indicated that Islam offered written and unwritten guidelines that helped Muslims exhibit ethical behaviors. For instance, they were expected to follow the requirements of the religion throughout their lives. Some of them include observing the pillars of Islam, engaging in 5 prayer sessions every single day, and fasting when it was required. Such practices were religious in nature and helped believers strengthen their positions in Islam. Additionally, believers need to respect others, remain involved in their problems, and offer emotional support (Mansouri, 2018). Muslims were also against various malpractices, such as stealing, telling lies, or being promiscuous. The respondent was categorical that such ethical requirements were essential because they helped Muslims relate positively with one another and eventually lead peaceful lives.

Characteristic Emotional Experiences

The interviewee revealed that the Quran provides a number of guidelines that help believers achieve and portray emotional intelligence. The respondents indicated that Hadiths encourage Muslims to remain self-aware, practice self-control, promote empathy, and be able to relate with others in a positive manner. The Quran goes further to encourage humans to embrace the idea of God fearing. This attribute will make it possible for them to benefit from mercy, love, and compassion, emotional attributes that God bestows on believers. The promotion of Gods word will make it easier for more people to promote emotional sensitive and remain attached to God. The exercise revealed that individuals were required to have total control of their emotions and engage in actions that can take them closer to their spiritual goals. The Quran goes further to teach more people to promote these additional motions: determination, enthusiasm, and hope (Mansouri, 2018). Additionally, the respondent indicated that sorrow, fear, and anger were also capable of influencing believers.

Material Expressions

Islam embraces material expressions in a way that support the progression and exhibition of this faith. The respondent argued that material culture was embodied in Islamic culture. Specifically, most of the people focused on artistic development and aesthetic attributes to create and promote religious meanings (Molloy, 2020). The individual was also convinced that Islamic art was unique and proclaimed the messages of Allah (Sealy, 2021). The people believed that clothes and attires in this religion meant a lot in Islam. Similarly, Islamic architecture remained a widely promoted form of material expression that helped more believers pursue their religious aims.

Sacredness and Holiness

In Islam, various activities continue to be practiced and are passed across from one generation to the next. The respondent indicated that there were various places that portrayed various attributes of Islam. For example, Mecca was identified as a religious place since it was the origin of Islam. Believers were expected to visit Mecca for pilgrimage, an action that supported the Islam belief system. Mosques are also studied as holy places whereby believers can visit to say their payers (Mansouri, 2018). During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are required to fast and consider how they can help the less fortunate. These actions and ideas are distinguishable from what ought to be ordinary since they are sacred in nature.

Conflicts

After completing the communication session, it was evident that the respondent offers accurate ideas and information that matched the traditions associated with Islam. From the respondents, it is agreeable that the individual understood the attributes, beliefs, and rituals that many Muslims practice (Sealy, 2021). The interviewee was also aware of the foundations and messages that many believers took seriously whenever pursuing their religious goals.

Theory of the Origin of Religions

Based on the responses gained from the completed interview, the naturalistic origin of religion appears to be the most appropriate theory that describes this religion. This theory indicates that spiritual attributes occur naturally, thereby rejecting the ideas or customs associated with a given population. Islam could have emerged as a response to the idea that any form of matter has a spiritual attribute to it (Mansouri, 2018). This means that the pioneers of this religion did not focus on anthropological attributes or psychological notions. Consequently, it has become one of the natural religions with billions of followers in different parts of the world.

Challenges

The respondent revealed that many non-Muslims were unaware of the true nature and moral responsibilities of believers. The issue of Islamophobia remained whereby many individuals associated this religion with cases of terrorism (Sealy, 2021). Consequently, some Muslims have faced different forms of persecution or discrimination in different countries. However, the true foundations and teachings of Islam help non-Muslims understand the teachings of Allah and how they seek to promote peace. The efforts many Muslims undertake have helped more people appreciate and embrace Islam as a nonviolent religion.

Focus of Islam

The responses gained from the exercise support the notion that Islam is a religion that focuses on a belief system or orthodoxy. This is the case since it has attributes that amount to a complete worldview (Mansouri, 2018). Individuals have key beliefs, behaviors, and expectations after the end of the universe. Such aspects have made it one of the religions with many followers in the world today.

Comparing My Beliefs with those of My Partner

From the completed investigation, it is agreeable that most of the practices are similar to those of my faith. Specifically, members of the Episcopal Church engage in prayers, fasting, and repentance. They can visit churches and religious places just like the way Muslims visit mosques. The faith systems have unique beliefs and religious texts that guide people to pursue their goals (Mansouri, 2018). The ideas of punishment and judgment on the final day are evident in both religions. Christians believe in God while Muslims in Allah. These attributes show conclusively that Muslims and Christians share a wide range of similarities.

Conclusion

The successful completion of this exercise has helped me learn more about Islam. Specifically, I have realized that the religion shares numerous similarities with Christianity. Believers are allowed to follow a unique belief system, observe rituals, and engage in ethical behaviors that resonate with those of Christians. The respondent identified some of the social structures and myths that help more Muslims to live together harmoniously. With such strengths and aspects, the emerging question is how more people could be encouraged to study Islam in an effort to help deal with the increasing level of Islamophobia in the West.

References

Mansouri, M. (2018). Holy time and popular invented rituals in Islam: Structures and symbolism. Al-Jami ah Journal of Islamic Studies, 56(1), 121-154.

Molloy, M. (2020). Experiencing the worlds religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (8th ed.). McGraw Hill.

Sealy, T. (2021). Islamophobia: With or without Islam? Religions, 12(6), 369-381.

Advances in modern technology have brought new innovations into the communications industry which not only have made communication faster and smoother for consumers but have in effect enabled a more precise and accurate means of navigation for cars, airplanes and ships.

It must be noted though that like all technological instruments such systems are vulnerable to eventual malfunctions. While there are literally a plethora of different ways in which communication systems could potentially break down this paper will explore the possibility of the interaction of communication systems with various forms of space weather phenomena, in this case solar flares.

Solar Flares and Communication Systems

In their work examining the effects of space weather phenomena and communication systems Afraimovich, Demyanov, Gavrilyuk, Ishin and Smolkov (2009) explain that solar flares in particular have been known to disrupt High Frequency (HF) radio communications and various types of satellite signals creating periods of information blackouts (Afraimovich et al., 2009).

For example, on March 24, 1940 a great geomagnetic storm rendered inoperative 80% of all long-distance telephone connections out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Electric service was temporarily disrupted in portions of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota, as well as Quebec and Ontario, Canada (Fisher, 2003).

Various studies examining the effects of space weather, particularly geomagnetic storms, which are caused by solar flares, have shown that on average solar weather disrupts not only high frequency communication signals but also has the potential to damage electrical equipment as well (Burch, 2004). For example, from the 13th to the 14th of March 1989 a severe geomagnetic storm caused a system wide power failure in Quebec, Canada, resulting in the loss of over 20,000 megawatts (Fisher, 2003).

The blackout cut electric power to several million people; the estimated time from the onset of the problem to a system collapse was about 90 seconds and high frequencies were virtually unusable worldwide. It was even seen in the case of a Japanese communications satellite which lost half of its dual-redundant command circuitry as well as a NASA satellite dropping 3 miles (4.8 km) in its orbit due to the increase in atmospheric drag caused by a geomagnetic storm (Fisher, 2003).

Additionally, Fisher (2003) notes that the frequency navigation signals used by maritime and general aviation systems (Loran-C) may experience outages on the sunlit side of the Earth for many hours during periods of geomagnetic storms or solar wind causing loss in positioning (Fisher, 2003).

The reason behind this is the resulting free electrons generated by solar weather which can and often do damage systems that are inherently dependent on electricity. These free electrons build up in the electrical systems subsequently causing an electrical discharge which overloads the electronics and causes them to shut down or even subsequently destroy themselves (Burch, 2004).

Solar Flares and Transport Systems

While planes are sufficiently protected from the effects of solar flares through multiple redundancy systems and insulated instruments the fact remains that RNAV systems located on the ground as well as GPS satellites located in space can be affected and most often are by geomagnetic storms caused by solar flares (Anselmo, 1998).

This results in not only the potential for a complete blackout for external sources of navigational data but presents a potentially hazardous situation for pilots since it affects their ability to properly determine where the plane is in relation to their destination (Thomas and Rantanen, 2006).

Examining the Current System of Communication

What must be understood when examining todays system of communication is that it is inherently reliant on the use of particular radio frequencies in order to facilitate communication (Burch, 2004). These frequencies utilize alternating currents to carry radio signals both to their point of destination and back again.

It must be noted though that the basis of all radio technology is the use of electromagnetic waves in order to carry signals back and forth which utilizes the air itself as a conductor for the signal (Burch, 2004). Unfortunately, due to the inherently electrical nature of these signals and the fact that they utilize air as a medium of communication this leaves the process vulnerable to interruptions from large sources of free electrons which disrupts the entire process.

Nordwall (1997) explains that various forms of space weather phenomena ranging from geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms, and solar wind all interact with the atmosphere differently however they are a source of free electrons which causes a sufficient enough interaction with the atmosphere that they can in effect cause complete radio black outs on HF frequencies (Nordwall, 1997).

In fact it has already been noted that a sufficiently powerful geomagnetic storm can cause a complete HF frequency blackout on the entire sunlit side of the Earth for a number of hours which would not only affect sea and land based methods of communication but would also affect the ability of pilots to contact air traffic controllers at their intended destination which could result in devastating airplane collisions (Afraimovich, 2009)

What can be done to prevent issues?

On the other hand it must also be noted that substantial solar weather phenomena does not occur on a regular basis. Based on the observations of Fisher (2003), there have been only 15 or so occurrences of solar weather phenomena that have actually caused significant communication and electronic errors within the past 60 years.

It must be noted though that various scientists have stated that the sun is currently entering an active phase in its solar cycle and as such this increases the likelihood of the development of various cases of solar weather phenomena.

Since technological innovations take time for proper implementation new processes and procedures would need to be created in their place till such a time that technology has advanced to such a degree that solar weather phenomena does not present itself as a problem for communication systems or as a significant danger to aviation safety.

Taking this into consideration since it will take time for technology to catch up so to speak, the best tool that can be utilized is to encourage awareness among the general populace so that they can be aware of the various problems that may occur in the immediate future as a direct result of increased solar flare activity.

Reference List

Afraimovich, E. L., Demyanov, V. V., Gavrilyuk, N. S., Ishin, A. B., & Smolkov, G. A. (2009). Malfunction of satellite navigation systems GPS and GLONASS caused by powerful radio emission of the Sun during solar flares on December 6 and 13, 2006, and October 28, 2003. AMS, (5), 13. Retrieved from Google Scholar.

Anselmo, J. C. (1998). Space Storms Threaten Commercial Satellites. Aviation Week & Space Technology, 149(18), 28. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Burch, J. L. (2004). The Fury of Solar Storms. Scientific American Special Edition, 14(4), 42. Retrieved from Google Scholar.

Fisher, J. (2003). Integrating Space Weather and Meteorological Products for Aviation. AMS (12),1.Retrieved from American Meteorological Society.

Nordwall, B. D. (1997). Solar storms threaten GPS reception. Aviation Week & Space Technology, 147(22), 61. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Thomas, L. C., & Rantanen, E. M. (2006). Human factors issues in implementation of advanced aviation technologies: a case of false alerts and cockpit displays of traffic information. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, (13), 4. Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Background

When the process of bidding for the 2022 FIFA World Cup started in 2009, the nomination of Qatar for the place to hold the event seemed quite legitimate due to the changes that the state has been witnessing over the past few years (Tabash & Dhankar, 2014).

Seeing that the current leader of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has been working on the relationships with the Gulf neighbors, the economic growth and reinforcement of the political stability of the state was expected, which means that Qatar was quite capable of managing the World Cup 2020 (Qatar, 2015). Therefore, the process of preparing for the World Cup 2020 was launched in the state. However, recent information leaks have pointed to the cover-up of deaths of migrant workers employed to build the stadium.

Since both parties have taken rather ambiguous stances in the argument regarding the death of the Qatar workers, the local authorities denying the incident blindly and the opponents making allegations unsupported by facts, the process of managing the conflict should be viewed as rather dubious.

Instead of focusing on the actual source of the conflict and pointing to the problems that need to be addressed, both sides preferred to adopt a rather aggressive approach. Approached from the perspectives of image restoration and excellence theories, the problem in question may become solvable.

Response

The apologia provided by the Qatar state authorities can be deemed as an attempt to sweep the controversial information under the rug. While the willingness of the Qatar government to look innocent is quite understandable, the fact that the authorities statements conflict with the ones that cycle around the modern media exacerbates the situation for Qatar, creating premises for not only depriving it of the right to hold the event but also the involvement in a major conflict.

Indeed, most official statements issued by the Qatar government seem to dismiss the idea of it having any issues regarding the migrant labor. The specified strategy can be viewed as an effect of the short response time (Fearn-Banks, 2009, p. 6).

Resulting from the lack of thought put into the response to the conflict factor, the state authorities attitude may seem to be rather careless and have a lack of thought. A closer look at the subject matter, however, will show that the reasons for the Qatar government to react the given way to the accusations spreading online are much more complicated than having little time to think.

Communication Analysis

The key problem causing the ambiguity of the situation concerns the conflict of priorities in the specified scenario. Particularly, the FBI research of the problem points to the potential threat that the construction of the stadium poses to the workers employed by proving that numerous Nepalese employees died previously performing similar types of construction work.

The Qatar authorities, however, seem to be misled about the specified claim, trying to prove that no accidents have occurred during the construction of the stadium so far. Failing to understand the gravity of the situation, The Qatar authorities clearly have a communication problem and, therefore, are unable to understand the concern of the states involved (Herwees, 2015).

Therefore, the problem needs to be addressed primarily from the perspective of the theory of image restoration. The issue concerning the spur of the rumors growth should also be brought up. Although, according to the Qatari authorities, no accidents have occurred during the construction so far, numerous members of the press seem to have taken liberties with the issue by making statements concerning hundreds of people dying in the course of the stadium construction (Reevy, 2014).

Thus, the rumor regarding the actual accidents is gradually growing out of proportions, making the relationships between the parties involved very uncomfortable and fueling the conflict to the point where it goes out of control. Spreading these rumors any further presupposes that Qatar may lose the support and trust of the rest of the world; therefore, it is highly likely that the state officials along with the residents of Qatar may experience a downgrade in the economic development, political relationships, and financial stability rates.

Discussion

When it comes to defining the approach that the Qatari government uses to address the conflict, one should consider the adoption of the image restoration theory (Fearn-Banks, 2009). Suggesting that organizations should be aware of the opinion that the target audience has of them and their actions, the specified theory makes it quite obvious that developing a sustainable approach to managing a company is impossible without a thorough analysis of the existing rumors (Zeidan & Fauser, 2015).

Indeed, the contemporary IT communication tools allow for a fast and comparatively easy acquisition of the necessary data, its classification and the further adoption for the needs of a company Therefore, losing an opportunity to learn about the public opinion and using it to the advantage of an organization, creating a positive image thereof in the society would not be a sound attitude:

Organizations sometimes take the attitude of Dont bring me bad news! They might refuse to read or watch negative news coverage in specific publications or close their eyes to consumers or other publics. In refusing to know what some people think of them, they cannot possibly know how to respond. Organizations should seek bad news as much as they keep positive news clippings and read them carefully. (Fearn-Banks, 2009, p. 52).

The approach of the Qatari government toward the issue in question can be viewed through the goggles of the theory in question. It would be wrong to claim that the state authorities have not spotted the conflict; however, they clearly cannot see the gravity of the situation, as they do not realize that their denial of any deaths occurring in the process of construction whatsoever only makes the conflict worse. In other words, the state government bodies are clearly in denial of the threat that they are currently facing.

Thus, the Qatari authorities need to provide a decent visibility of the problem so that it should not be lit in the media in an incorrect manner or from a biased point of view. According to the existing theory of conflict, it is essential to make sure that the visibility of the problem should be attained.

To be more specific, the representatives of the Qatar authorities must make sure that the key facts about the issue, and the essential factors that contributed to the development of the problem should be clearly visible to all the parties concerned. The significance of visibility is rather obvious; once the phenomenon in question is observed, the creation of rumors and the development of any further misconceptions become no longer possible:

Leaders must be actively engaged during a crisis. They should be visible and accessible to media. They should be responsive to the needs of victims. They should be actively engaged in the response. This communication helps to increase the impression that the crisis is being actively managed and reduces the impression that the company has something to hide. (Fearn-Banks, 2009, p. 65)

Seeing that the Qatar authorities have done none of the above-mentioned and, in fact, used the exact opposite strategy to sweep the information about the victims of the unfair employee contracts under the rug, very few members of the global economy trust them.

Therefore, it is imperative that the state leaders should consider the idea of shedding some light on the problem. Specifically, it is highly desirable that the representatives of the Qatar government should make a public statement concerning the accidents occurring in the designated field and published the corresponding reports.

It could be argued that the route which the Qatari authorities have taken with the problem under analysis could be analyzed from the perspective of the excellence theory.

According to the existing definition, the specified theory presupposes that the relationships with the target customers should be based on the strategy of avoiding any possible conflicts (Fearn-Banks, 2009). The theory, therefore, allows embracing not only the instances in which an organization honestly strives to maintain perfect performance rates and satisfy all stakeholders involved but also the situations that display the lack of balance.

Unable to create the environment, in which conflicts cannot possibly exist, the company struggles to maintain the semblance of order (Fearn-Banks, 2009). Specifically, it is currently trying to create an illusion of perfect functioning so that the target audience could not get disappointed with the outcomes of the construction project and that the state authorities could not lose an opportunity to attract a large audience.

Conclusion

Although the conflict that the authorities of Qatar got involved in after accepting the responsibility of holding the World Cup 2020 and subsequently being accused of the breach of migrant workers rights seems to have spun out of control, it still can be resolved once the state authorities assume responsibilities for the wrong choices that they made.

The dilemma that the Qatari government is facing at present is rather challenging as it requires that the state government should be very wise in the redesign of their crisis communication pattern.

The wrong choices that they made in the course of their previous communications have made their situation even more complicated as the Qatari authorities will have to take back some of the statements made regarding the safety issue. More importantly, the people in charge should accept the blame for mistreating migrant workers and reconsider the strategy used for managing the relationships between the workers and the employers.

In other words, the Qatar government should be honest with those involved about the role that it plays in the conflict. As soon as the guilty party comes clean the breeding ground for rumors will cease to exist, and no further escalation of the conflict becomes possible. The avoidance strategy that the state officials have chosen as the extension of the image restoration concept has obviously backfired, and the state representatives need another approach that will help them redeem themselves.

Reference List

Fearn-Banks, K. (2009). Crisis communications: A casebook approach (Routledge Communication Series) (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Herwees, T. (2015, May 20). Behold the staggering human cost of Qatars 2022 World Cup Games. The Daily Good. Web.

Qatar. (2015). Web.

Reevy, M. (2014, May 14). 4 reasons why Qatar really was a mistake for FIFA and the World Cup. Sports Cheat Sheet. Web.

Tabash, M. I., & Dhankar, R. S. (2014). Islamic banking and economic growth: An empirical evidence from Qatar. Journal of Applied Economics and Business, 2(1), 5167.

Zeidan, O. S., & Fauser, S. G. (2015). Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility  the case of FIFA. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 13(2), pp. 183192.

Introduction

Communication is an integral part of the activities of the army structure. Poor communication leads to misunderstanding of orders and inability to follow them. Difficulties in communication in the US Army arise from the neglect of communication techniques. Misunderstandings had already led the US Army to negative consequences in Afghanistan when soldiers died due to numerous mistakes and lack of information. The current problem can deprive the army leaders. It is proposed to address the difficulty of poor communication by providing additional education to enhance effective communication skills. The resolution of the current problem will allow the US Army to develop and qualitatively fulfill all the missions assigned to it.

Assertion

Communication is a weakness of the US military, violating the principles of effective leadership. Low communicational skills among army leaders undermine the armys structure (US Army, 2022). Accustomed to a hierarchical structure, commanders underestimate the importance of establishing communication and understanding the ways of its organization in military situations. In combat conditions, the lack of established communication will not allow the soldiers to show leadership, the commander to effectively convey the order, and the entire army to competently execute it. The US Army (2015), in the Doctrine of Strategic Planning emphasizes the importance of encouraging constructive leadership but does not pay enough attention to the importance of communication. The success of the US Army and its sustainable development depends on finding a solution to this problem.

History

Miscommunication has already led the US Army to disastrous consequences. A misunderstanding between US air and ground forces in Afghanistan led to a friendly fire incident. As a result of a misunderstanding of the objectives of the mission, a failure to fulfill their duties and a lack of communication between the forces, five Americans and one Afghan were mistaken for opponents (Malkasian, 2021). The bomber crew took no precautions to make sure where the friendly forces were. The ground forces and special forces incorrectly transmitted information about the position of the troops, not knowing that the means of guidance were not capable of identifying friendly marking devices (Malkasian, 2021). This case was indicative, but as a result of it only disciplinary measures were taken. Poor communication between parts of the troops led to a tragedy that could have been avoided.

Problem

Communication difficulties are a common problem in military organizations, while communication is one of the key success factors for missions. Communication failures are caused by two principles of command that are directly related to interaction: joint understanding and the commanders intention (Ploumis, 2020). In order for the command to proceed according to a preconceived plan, commanders must be able to clearly state their intentions and make sure that they are unconditionally understood (Ploumis, 2020). Army leaders can overlook the complexities of using communication skills, thereby sabotaging common understanding among soldiers. If the soldiers do not act as the commander intended, this is a systemic cause. Communication systems do not allow subordinates to correctly understand the conveyed intentions. The army information system does not provide feedback that would allow commanders to know how developed the overall understanding in the unit is.

Solution

When looking for a solution to the communication problems of the American army, it is necessary to pay attention to the quality of sending and receiving information. Changes must be started from the BDE level, subsequently raised to the DIV and Corps levels. Even though successful communication is a two-way process, the leader is the only person who can address the issue, as the subordinates will not be able to effectively understand it if the general messages are not conveyed to them. Thus, it is necessary to educate army leaders in understanding the importance of effective communication.

In order to address the issue, time must be devoted to additional training for the army leaders on effective communication strategies. Additional lessons can take 2-3 hours a week while bringing a significant contribution to the development of the US Army. It is proposed to pay special attention to the development of active listening skills, the issuance of feedback and non-verbal ways of communication. To effectively address the message, posture and gestures must be strict and clear. Active listening means respecting the words of subordinates and addressing all questions that arise (Bjornestad et al., 2021). Feedback is needed to ensure an understanding of how well the order was received (Brunye et al., 2020). Effective communication strategies will help avoid misunderstanding and indiscipline in the military environment.

Conclusion

The current communication difficulties in the US Army prevent it from effectively developing and solving complex national problems. To address this challenge, significant time must be devoted to additional training of the army workers. Skills needed to develop include active listening, feedback, and non-verbal communication techniques. By increasing awareness of these strategies, it will be possible to achieve coherent command, understanding of orders and their strict execution. Inaction and delay in resolving communication difficulties threaten the effectiveness of the US Army.

References

Bjornestad, A., Olson, S., & Weidauer, L. (2021). Improving officer-soldier communication through active listening skills training with Army ROTC cadets. Military Psychology, 33(3), 205-215. Web.

Brunye, T. T., Brou, R., Doty, T. J., Gregory, F. D., Hussey, E. K., Lieberman, H. R., & Yu, A. B. (2020). A review of US Army research contributing to cognitive enhancement in military contexts. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 4(1), 453-468. Web.

Malkasian, C. (2021). The American war in Afghanistan: A history. Oxford University Press.

Ploumis, M. (2020). Mission command and philosophy for the 21st century. Comparative Strategy, 39(2), 209-218. Web.

US Army (2015). United States Army training and doctrine command. NCO 2020 Strategy. Web.

US Army (2022). U.S. Army Field Manual 7-93: Long-range Surveillance Unit Operations. DigiCat.

Show how the four paradigms discussed in this chapter might structure your inquiry into the topic of gender/sex and communication. What aspects of the subject would the paradigm lead you to focus on? How might you interpret observations within each paradigm?

Positivist Paradigm

According to the positivists paradigm, the objective reality is based on the empirical observations in order to minimize subjectivity. The observations are based on variables that represent the characteristics of the individuals or the phenomena. Therefore, gender/sex communication questions will be formed such as How does the gender influence the time spent using mobile phones? The question will focus on the relation between the gender as an independent variable and the time spent talking on the phone, which is the dependent variable. The cause and effect relationship seen through the question is focused on an attribute of the one variable, i.e. being a female, which is believed to cause a particular attribute in the dependent variable, i.e. talkativeness. The observations can be measured through quantitative data, which will represent the gender and the average time spent speaking on the phone. The cause of the effect relationship can be described by making nomothetic generalizations about how the gender of the speaker affects the time he/she spends talking on the phone.

System Paradigm

Considering the communication as a system, according to the system paradigm, the parts of the system are characterized by interdependence. Thus, the question will be formed such as How does the productivity of an all-female team will be affected if one of its members is replaced by a male. The system paradigm takes the perspective that the team forms an equilibrium, which will be affected by changing one of its parts. In that regard, the studied relation will focus on the way the equilibrium functions, i.e. the changes that were made after the male arrived to explain how the team worked prior to the insertion. The data can be gathered quantitatively with measuring the changes made through the such patterns as the number of conflicts, the time spend working, the time spent talking, then the observations can be described through qualitative summary which will focus on the phenomena of working in all-female team.

Interpretive Paradigm

As the primary goal of the interpretive researcher is to understand the web of meanings in which humans act, gender/sex communication questions will be formed such as How does the perception of the different genders about each other influence change before and after a conflict The interpretive paradigm will focus on the meaning that each individual will assign to the communication rules and how these rules the changes in these rules will change the perception of the other person in the conflict. The observation will be measured through qualitative data from interviews to each participant, where the interviewee will describe a conflict and the perception of the person from opposite gender before and after the conflict. The observations will take the form of a heuristic framework, which will guide the researcher to understanding the specific setting of the situation described. The results of the observations will be summarized as qualitative descriptions.

Critical Paradigm

According to the critical paradigm, the critical reflection of the data enables knowledge. Thus, each set of data resulting from an observation has an ideological bias. In that regard, gender/sex communication questions will be formed such as How does media that contains images of beautiful young women and rich men strengthen the bias against women in terms of financial dependence The observation will make a critical reflection on the way that picturing the dependence of women on older men will enforce the ideas of men superiority in financial terms. The critical paradigm will be focused on critiquing the way the relationship between women and men is portrayed in modern media, outlining the bias it contains. The observation is collected qualitatively, and the results and the summary will be described through qualitative summary.

References

Baxter, L. A., & Babbie, E. R. (2004). The basics of communication research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Introduction

J.L. Austin, a language philosopher redefines the traditions involved in linguistics as a formal way of communication that fulfils different actions. He extensively discusses the performative utterances compared with other forms of utterances like the constative utterances. The application of performative statements leads to many failures especially in marriage, constitution, baptism, or during betting activities where it is common. However, redefinition of existing rules can make the performative utterances fit as conscious statements and actions thus making it true. On the other hand, constative utterances as a way of communication can cause one to judge an action as true or false.

Definition and distinction of performative and constative utterances

Performative utterances are those sentences or expressions, which are neither true nor false but rather have effects of felicitousness. This happens because there is assumption that the expression of an action is in form of words that are in explicit manner. Unfortunately, one can decide to utter the words or say a statement without conscience hence not fulfilling the promise of purported act. When this happens, the result is unhappiness, which heralds failure.

The phenomenon of performative action comes into play during circumstances like when making marriage vows, when writing a will, naming of babies during baptism or in a betting game. Austin asserts that the purported action may be socially acceptable as true or false hence describing perfomative action as senseless. For instance, in American law evidence, an account made by another person automatically becomes a testimony and not hearsay (Austin 79).

On the contrary, constative statement has a clear difference between the false and the true; hence, one can make a judgment from them. On the other hand, the performative statement can be wrong in three different ways as opposed to the constative statement. For instance, the perfomative statement may be invalid if a person who is unauthorized by law performs it.

Secondly, the performative utterance may be unacceptable if the persons involved do not intend to fulfill the action. Thirdly, perfomative utterance may be performed without bearing in mind the commitments involved hence being null (Austin 80). These features distinguish perfomative and constative statements.

An example of Performative utterance using the 3-i model

In the context of marriage as a social institution, the performative statement said to fulfill the action is I do, which fulfills the action of marrying (Austin 79). Analysis of this statement makes it as the real action of marriage. This clearly describes an agreement between all the participants to keep the promise. There is some element of subjectivity among the participants including the priest administering the marriage vows.

All of them have to undergo personal experience or emotional feeling during the process or citation of the statement. Suppose the performative statement I do is said incorrectly, or one is already married; in such situations, the marriage action is null. Additionally, if an illegal or unqualified person conducts the marriage, it is also subject to nullification. In summary, the 3-i model; that is, institution, interpretation and inter-subjectivity describes marriage vows as a performative utterance as shown above.

Conclusion

The perfomative utterance is distinct from constative utterance in that it is neither true nor false. Due to this feature of perfomative statements, they are subject to abuse hence not fulfilling the purported act. Despite the lack of truth that underlines perfomative statements, they occur in important life issues like in marriage and during presentation of evidence in courts.

Works Cited

Austin, John. How to do things with words. Harvard: Harvard University press, 1975.

Being under the influence of globalization, political culture has acquired significance within the national context. In this regard, the study of political communication is necessary for explaining and understanding its essence. In book called Communicating Politics in the Twenty-First Century, Sanders (2009) outlines theoretical concepts and themes related to political communication. The author also provides an in-depth study of current media and politics.

Using contemporary and historical examples and cases, Sanders presents the essential theoretical frameworks and main researches in this academic field. To be more precise, the scholar presents historical, interdisciplinary, and ethical approaches to studying political communicating, stating that these aspects can better contribute to a deeper consideration of the political processes.

Discussing historic theoretical model, the author provides subsequence stages of political development to explain the role of various disciplines in political communication. This historical analysis ranges from the political positions expressed by Rousseau and Dickens to the current means of political and media culture.

While introducing the means of political communications  from mass media to the Internet  the author intends to explain the way public opinion and public news coverage influences the character of political communication. Hence, through means and techniques, but not through the participants, the author provides a snapshot of political process capturing a significant historical period.

While analyzing political communication from the disciplinary viewpoint, the author correlates this study with ethical and cultural issues. In particular, Sanders considers it necessary to assess the role of ethics in forming political processes, including decision-making and problem-solving. Apart from ethical considerations, the author also discusses the role of cognitive sciences and political research in developing arguments concerning how politics should regulated and administered in the twenty first century (Sanders, 2009, p. 175). Finally, using a multidimensional approach to examining the study, the author also provides the major components contributing to identification of the chief aspects of political communication (Kaid, 2004, p. 89).

Finally, the author resorts to ethical and cultural models of studying political communication. In particular, Sanders (2009) believes that there should a clear distinction between certain concept and theme allowing to understand the essence of successful communication. The ethical issues in politics come to the forth when it is necessary to consider moral and social aspects of democracy.

What is more important the author emphasize the ethical problems are especially urgent in the light the globalization process when the public should be interested in the welfare of the globalized community (Sanders, 2009, p. 178). With the emergence of the Internet, the aspects of ethics and democracy have become the opposed issues (Denton, 2000, p. 51). Therefore, the study of political communication should take into consideration such aspects as media, Internet, globalization, and regulatory governance.

In conclusion, Sanders book comprehensively presents the basis theoretical models that have greatly contributed to the study of political communication. While examining these theoretical frameworks, the author connects them to practical side of the political process, paying more attention on the means of the development of the political communication.

In particular, using historic and interdisciplinary view, the author provides a clearer image of todays situation in the world of politics. What is more important is that the research attains the importance to the consideration of ethical issues introducing new dimensions and fresh insights of political culture in the twenty first century.

Reference List

Denton, R. E. (2000) Political Communication Ethics. US: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Kaid, L. L. (2004) Handbook of Political Communication Research. NY: Routledge.

Sanders, K. (2009) Communicating politics in the twenty-first century. US: Palgrave Macmillan.