Part 1:

Nonverbal communication, self-awareness, expressing emotions, building relationships, and resolving conflict are all affected by your interpersonal communication (how you talk to yourself) and interpersonal communication (how you talk to others). Think about your most recent conversation at work. How did these elements affect the success or failure your communication exchange?

Peer Reply Guidance:

Be sure to respond to at least two peers with substantive paragraphs by the due date.

This discussion aligns with the following:

Rubrics

• BSB Discussion Board Rubric

reply to:

• Giovanna Mansilla posted Mar 10, 2026 1:39 PM
• Good afternoon all,
• Communication and setting a tone are very important especially when tasks need to get done efficiently. When I express what needs to get done to others and it does not get done, I am not the type to assert overwhelming conversations or jump straight into the fire of asserting dominance verbally. Another form of communication is body language which is what I recently used, I let others see how the task not being done, delays and negatively affects the mission so they not only understand but in fact see what could have been avoided had they just done their part.
• I went to go pick up chow for my soldiers which was both a 30-minute drive there and back plus putting all the food in the trunk. I, being the only suppliest for my unit, obviously have the support and help of soldiers around me as my job is to assist them. I asked two new soldier to ask battles to help them set up tables so the time I am back, we can have chow then continue on with the missions of the day to be able to go home. When I came back, tables were not up, those two were nowhere to be found but there was a group of soldiers waiting in a group for food. I silently started setting up, taking my sweet time. They came up to me stating they were being talked over and not taken seriously. I shook my head and when a higher up asked what the delay was and why I was doing everything alone, I had addressed nobody decided to help those two PVTs I sent, so lunch is delayed, the rest of the days task is delayed and as well as going home on time. Immediately soldiers that overhead started to set up, clean the area, get trash bags ready and unpacking the food from the trunk. In this situation I was not overwhelmed or had appointed “anger” towards anyone. I am a strong believer in that I can’t help you if you cannot help yourself so hey if everyone wasn’t in a rush to go home… why would I be? They quickly saw that in my body language and that asserted them to get everything done in a timely manner.
• I think I had approached the situation properly. I did not say much but my next steps did in fact say more than I needed to. The situation wasn’t anything to make a fuss over, but it relates to this class topic as one of my recent conversations in a workplace.
• How would have you all took over the situation? Would you guys have done anything different if in my shoes?
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Andres – Week 2 Discussion: Recent Conversation

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• Andres Rodriguez posted Mar 9, 2026 10:46 PM
• Hello everyone,
• In this situation there was a junior soldier who had frequent medical appointments because his son had special needs. He worked in the orderly room, which meant he worked directly with the Company Commander and the First Sergeant. The Commander was a young Captain.
• One day, I needed to submit some paperwork to the orderly room staff for the Commander to sign. The soldier was alone because the other staff members had been sent to the motorpool to do vehicle maintenance. I usually check on soldiers when I visit the orderly room, and I noticed he seemed worried. After speaking with him, I learned that he needed to take his son to a medical appointment that afternoon. However, the Company Commander told him that work was a priority and that he was needed since no one else was at the orderly room.
• The soldier explained that his wife was on a mission out of state, and he had no one else to take his son. The Commander told him he could go, but warned him that in future situations he might be required to activate his Family Care Plan.
• A Family Care Plan is a mandatory paperwork packet for single parents and dual-military families that requires soldiers to designate short-term and long-term caregivers for their children in case of deployments, emergencies, or other events scheduled in advance. If a commander directs a soldier to activate the family care plan and the soldier cannot do so, it could result in involuntary separation from the Army. However, a Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) guidance memo states that the family care plan should not be activated for routine medical appointments. The Commanders statement placed unnecessary stress on the soldier who is already trying his best to manage a dual-military parenting life.
• As a parent of a child with medical needs and someone who had previously been a single parent in the military, I strongly sympathized with the soldier. I also had previous disagreements with the Commander, which made me feel frustrated and angry. I personally did not like the commander. Internally, I wanted to confront him aggressively.
• This situation required intrapersonal communication skills, self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, self-motivation, self-regulation, and the ability to maintain professional relationships. I recognized that my emotions could negatively affect the outcome if I reacted impulsively. Instead of expressing anger, I used self-reflection and imagery, then thought about communicate it as a concern for the commander in a calm, constructive manner, which could help the Commander remain receptive rather than defensive since I was not challenging him. I took time to calm myself and think carefully about how to approach the situation professionally.
• When I spoke to the Commander, I remained calm and respectful, which helped my nonverbal communication support my message. Instead of arguing, I approached him with concern and explained that one of my roles as a senior Non-Commissioned Officer was to keep him out of trouble. This approach helped maintain a professional relationship and prevented the conversation from becoming confrontational.
• By managing my emotions and choosing my words carefully, I was able to resolve the conflict effectively. The Commander reviewed the policy, corrected the situation, and stopped pressuring the soldier. This experience showed me how emotional control, professional communication, and relationship-building are essential for resolving workplace conflicts successfully.

Part 2:Assignment Directions:

Create a Johari Window for each of the following individuals: your supervisor, a co-worker, an adult family member, and a young family member (17 years old or younger). Useas a resource.

Submission Instructions:

Steps:

1. Read Chapter 3: Begin by thoroughly reading Chapter 3 of Fujishins book, focusing on the concepts of verbal communication and the Johari Window model.
2. Understand the Johari Window: Familiarize yourself with the four quadrants of the Johari Window:

• Open Area: Known to self and others.
• Blind Area: Known to others but not to self.
• Hidden Area: Known to self but not to others.
• Unknown Area: Unknown to both self and others.

1. Select Individuals: Choose one person from each category: supervisor, co-worker, adult family member, and young family member.
2. Gather Information: Reflect on your interactions with each individual. Consider their communication style, behaviors, and any feedback youve received or observed.
3. Construct the Johari Windows:

• Open Area: List traits and behaviors known to both you and the individual.
• Blind Area: Identify traits and behaviors that others might see in the individual but they might not recognize in themselves.
• Hidden Area: Note traits and behaviors that the individual knows about themselves but keeps hidden from others.
• Unknown Area: Speculate on traits and behaviors that neither you nor the individual might be aware of.

1. Write Your Analysis:
2. Prepare a 200-word response for each of the following questions:

• What are your initial perceptions of the windows? What do they tell you about yourself and how you communicate?
• What would you change in each of these windows? If you would not change anything, please explain why.
• Are they equally or more open with you? How would you like these relationships to evolve over time?
• What have you gained from this exercise and what will you do differently moving forward?

1. Cite Your Source: Ensure you properly cite Fujishins book in your assignment.

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• Assignment Rubric
• If you do not see the rubric, in the blue horizontal navigation bar select Course Tools, then Assignments. Select the appropriate assignment, and the rubric will be located near the bottom of the page.

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