Naveeda Akhtar's ePortfolio

PREAMBLE
I have always been taught throughout my life that you must treat people the way in which you would like to be treated. I try to be very optimistic, caring, nice, and loyal to anybody that I encounter. Often times at my job in the retail business I end up losing my patience due to the many disrespectful people out in the world but I still try to pull through and have the greatest positive impact on my customers.

ACTIONS
I have encountered several situations at my retail job where I have had customers complain about my associates and how disrespectful they were or how my associates don`t know about the products in the store. The customer almost always wants to speak to the supervisor in charge where that would be me and I would have to apologize on my associate`s behalf. Then I would have to assist them with finding the product they were looking for or were inquiring about and ensure their happiness by the time they leave the store. Having to take charge of the situation and act in a polite, respectful way even if the person is wrong shows not just how I was brought up but also what values were taught to me by my mother to create a balance of good and evil in this often confusing world.

CLOSING
I will make sure that all of the ethics that I have learned and carried out throughout my life will help progress my future goal of becoming a Registered Nurse. I truly believe that having patience, working hard, and doing whatever you can to make yourself stand out, among all the other candidates fighting for the same position in the profession you want to pursue, is essential to your success.

Communication is encouraged freely among everybody in my family, we talk more than any other family I know mostly because we all live together and are always in each other`s faces. Religious wise, the women and men from different families are not supposed to talk or be in the same room since it is considered wrong. In Islam, men and women are usually separated to keep anything from happening such as giving in to temptation and lust. Communication between the same genders, however, can be very respectful and fair. Mostly because members of the same gender or social rank must give respect to each other but are not required to give it to anybody else who is not worthy of it.

Being able to listen fully and comprehend what someone else is saying. Also, talking in full, meaningful sentences that leads to an ultimate purpose is considered good communication. Eye contact and good posture is also required without any fumbling. Good communication also entails being considerate of what to say in front of specific people in order to insure that you don`t say something that can be taken as being offensive.

Seeming disinterested or slumped in a chair is considered disrespectful and inconsiderate of the other person`s feelings. Being distracted by the television, games or other people is very rude and can cause the person talking to get upset. Also, having a woman give her input or give advice in a conversation with a man is not allowed in Islam. This makes the forms of communication really difficult to achieve since it is very limited and disorganized.

In my home in America, compared to school, there is no difference in communication expectations. On the other hand, in my country in Pakistan compared to school here, there is a difference in communication. In school, more often than not, I can freely speak as long as I am not disrespectful or rude to anybody especially the professors. In my home in Pakistan, I am required to stay quiet, mostly cause I am a female, and only speak when I am spoken to. Otherwise, if I speak, even if it is to ask for something or to contribute to the conversation, everybody will look at me like I am a rude child.

1. What role does technical communications play in your existing communicative life? Note, it would be helpful for you to re-articulate what technical communications means in this context as you discuss this idea.

Technical Communications is a very time-consuming but necessary part of my daily life since it helps me interact with other people in a very efficient and direct way. “Technical Communication is the exchange of information that helps people interact with technology and solve complex problems.” (Gurak,Lannon 3) This quote is very precise in stating two main ideas behind Technical Communication which both revolve around making things more convenient for the person either dealing with communication or the consumer buying a product and learning how to assemble it. Technical Communication works to provide assistance in putting things together, providing cautions, and so on which is very helpful in terms of keeping things running smoothly. Technical Communication is very demanding but it provides a sense of comfort and safety to those who require it the most.

2. How can a technical communications perspective help you understand how you are connected to others through both technology and culture.

The Technical Communications perspective is that no matter where you are or what you do, you will be expected to communicate. Through technology, you are able to express what you want someone else to know through different forms of communication such as social media or the use of a texting device. It can also be represented through technical documents which are expected to be straightforward and clear to prevent lawsuits. Technical Communication also implies that no matter what your profession is, you will be required to communicate and your level of communication will either help or diminish your chances of moving up in this world. Culture also plays an important role in shaping how we communicate since our backgrounds make us who we are therefore affecting how we converse with one another. Culture is the stepping stone to how far in communication we can go as long as we`re willing to advance in ways we never dreamed of before.