I had to write a paper for interpersonal communication. I had some interesting thoughts when I sat down to write it, and thought you guys might be interested in reading it. :-)

Paul Nurkkala

Recursive Conversation

In the paper Understanding Composing by Sondra Perl, a professor of Lehman College, she explains how composition occurs as a “recursive process.” (Perl, 1980, 336) This recursive process, she claims, is the basis for all composition. When writing, she says that one will write a little bit, take a step back, look at what they have written, and then keep going based on what they learned. She also points out that writing does not follow the “strict plan-write-revise sequence” that teachers and professors have claimed as holy. (Perl, 1980, 336) In this way, she spends the remainder of the paper describing how recursive process takes place and how it is continually used in composition.

While the ideas behind using recursion to write do not seem to immediately relate to interpersonal communication, if you look at them from the right perspective, it will become clear that interpersonal communication and the practice of recursion are intricately connected.

As we write, we re-read short sections of our papers, study what we have written, and use the information remembered to create a better paper. This process deviates from the traditional linear view of composition: planning, writing, and revising, towards this newer concept: recursive writing. In order to understand how recursive writing relates to interpersonal communication, it is best to have a good idea of what recursive writing actually is.

When I take time to review my writing, it reveals a story. A story not of sitting down, intentionally thinking out a plan, writing an entire essay, and then going back to revise, but instead, I seem to follow a quite different pattern: a pattern of recursion. This process of recursion is defined by Sondra Perl. “In [the linear view of writing's] stead, we have advocated the idea that writing is a recursive process, that throughout the process of writing, writers return to substrands of the overall process, or subroutines (short successions of steps that yield results on which the writer draws in taking the next set of steps); writers use these to keep the process moving forward.” (Perl, 1980, 364) When I write, I simply begin. I sit down and start to write. Through this process, I re-read what I have already written as a basis for what I am about to write by using it as blinders to keep me on the right track.

Obviously recursion is involved in writing, but how is it involved in the spoken word? There are two main ways that recursive writing relates to interpersonal communication: context and collaboration. Context refers to the necessity for conversation to be based on previous or present content involved in the current interaction, and collaboration is the use of each others’ verbal and non-verbal cues to push the conversation forward.

When conversing, one must continually be examining all possible context of the different ideas surrounding the interaction in order to keep the conversation moving. In talks that I have taken part in and trying to decide what to say next, I am continually “recursing” back to the context of what has been said, what has been done, and the actual physical location of the conversation. (ie home, store, class, etc..) I take what I learn from my quick reflection, and prepare my next “tid-bit” of conversation based on the reviewed context.

Much in the same way, two individuals will use context in the feedback they provide for one another. According to Joseph A. DeVito, author of The Interpersonal Communication Book, there are five stages to a conversation: “It’s convenient to divide up conversation into chunks or stages and view each stage as requiring a choice as to what you’ll say and how you’ll say it. Here we divide the sequence into five steps: opening, feedforward, business, feedback, and closing.” (DeVito, 2007, 194) The three steps that lead to feedback certainly require context to be appropriate, but none are as devastatingly involved as the feedback stage. This is because collaboration takes place mostly in the feedback stage of a conversation. “[In the Feedback Stage] you reflect back on the conversation to signal that, as far as you’re concerned, the business is completed.” (DeVito, 2007, 196) In the fourth stage of conversation, we have to be actively listening to what the other person is saying so that we can appropriately nudge, respond, and affirm the person with which we are in conversation. Using recursion back and forth to build on what has already been said greatly benefits the quality of the conversation. While the “business” of the conversation may not always be complete at this point in each conversation, feedback is still necessary to advance further information sharing.

In these two, small examples of recursion in conversational context and collaboration, it is clear that re-examination of what has been said is necessary when talking. Taking context into consideration allows us to communicate in more sensible and accurate ways. Collaborating with the other person during the feedback stage will improve and further conversation.

In review, I believe that, yes, recursive writing is a fantastic angle to view the way that writing works, but in addition, I also believe that recursion has an amazing benefit and use in the world of interpersonal communication through not just the written word, but also the spoken, immediately communicated word. Sondra Perl’s research on the topic of recursion is clearly shown to be true, and can also be intersected with spoken conversation.

Through both the examples and the implications of this idea behind interpersonal communication, it is clear, not only in concept, but in practice that these aspects of conversation are used in my life. Daily I find myself in conversation, and every second of every conversation I review, revise, and “recurse” that which I say. It is with the process of recursion that not only I, but all of us use to accurately and appropriately interpersonally communicate. Bringing light to the ideas behind recursive communication has allowed me to take a step back, look at what I have written, and apply it to the context and collaboration of my life as a communicator.

Bibliography

DeVito, Joseph A. (2007) The interpersonal commuication book. Pearson Education, Inc: Boston, MA

Perl, Songra. (1980). Understanding composition.College

Composition and Communication, 31(4), Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/356586

Skiing on Thin Ice

Yes. Skiing.

For those of you who aren't at Taylor University right now, the weather is quite atrocious. Rain is falling form the sky, hitting the ground, and immediately freezing, creating a super thin layer of ice on the ground. Needless to say, this creates a very hap-hazzard environment for those of us that are walking from building to building. Very intense.

I was hanging out in English hall's lobby, playing board games with a few of my friends, when Dan and Cortney, another couple of good friends, walk in from studying in the library. At this point, I didn't have any idea what the weather was like outside, but they were quick to inform me that my walk home was going to be crazy! When they left, I turned, without hesitation to the rest of the group, excitedly announced we must go outside and sled on the ice.

After a few minutes' preparation, we mozied our way to the door and walked outside. At first, it just looked like an average, rainy night. Then I actually tried to walk. My feet hit the pavement, and I nearly collapsed it was so slippery.

Again, for those of you who don't know, I have a very long, very steep, blacktop driveway. It was 100% ice. Oh. My. Gosh. We slipped, skied, and slid down the driveway for a solid 20 minutes waking neighbors in all directions. We didn't necessarily use the sled all that much, because it was much more intense to throw yourself at the driveway and "ski" down the entire thing on your shoes. The blacktop was as slippery as, well, ice. One would pick up speed going all the way down.

It was definitely an awesome bonding experience for me and some friends I haven't gotten to hang out with much! Thanks for entertaining my ridiculous ideas!

*raises eyebrow*

Avatar - Not a critique

Okay, so one of the fabs of the land right now is Avatar. Yes, I realize that I’m a little bit behind on this blog post, but I wanted to explain why I absolutely love this movie. Let me also tell you that it’s officially my favorite movie of all times; I usually don’t fall victim to trendy

movies. I simply love this film. And no, this will not be a review or pushy, overbearing and frustrating critique on the movie, just why I love it.

I’m pretty sure the biggest reason that I love this movie is because of how deeply it reaches into what I’ve grown up on: Sci Fi. Yes, that’s a pretty big genre, but let me divulge a little more information to you. Since I was pretty much born, my parents have shown me EVERY Star Wars movie, EVERY Star Trek movie (and season for that matter), and EVERY other show with some

semblance to either. Because of this up-bringing , I’m fascinated by the ideas behind aliens, planets, space travel, and war and whatnot – all of which is included in Avatar.

In addition to feeding on my desire for Futurist

ic passions, Avatar feeds on my love of Ted Dekker. This author is a Christian drama/mystery writer, for those of you who don’t know, and he wrote one collection called the Circle trilogy. (Recently made to be four) Through this series of stories, Dekker depicts a man, Thomas of Hunter, that slips between two different worlds, one real and one seemingly fake and surreal, and in the end, chooses to live in the unbelievable planet. This story captivated my imagination every time I read it. When Thomas of Hunter was in the fantasy world, he was studying the customs of the people he was with, learning to fight as they did, married one of their own, and became their chivalrous leader. I’d always adored this story, and wanted to see it on film. Avatar was my chance.

A story that I read when I was much younger focused on another aspect of the story behind Avatar (which, yes, does seem shockingly like “Pocahontas in Space”). The series of books was called the “Mars Diaries.” Intended for younger kids, the story was about a disabled boy who was able to use a machine to connect his consciousness to a robot, and control it like he was “super.” This robot was stronger than humans, more capable, and, most importantly freed him from his frail body. With his new, steel bones, the main character was able to help the Colony on Mars overcome some of the difficulties it was facing. This story captured my heart when I was young, so seeing something similar to that portrayed in a film was very captivating to me.

Through the combination of story tweaks and ideas that have been influencing me since I was young, I was deeply pulled by this movie, such to the degree, that, when I left, I felt like a little piece of me was missing – I wasn’t quite complete. This is something I’ve never experienced before, and it was quite dramatic.

Productive Procrastination

It’s Sunday night.

I’ve put off my homework all day long.

I’ve got to get it done.

I sit down, ponder beginning, and turn to my left and my right.

“Huh..” I ponder aloud, “my room is dirty..”

Without hesitation, I stand up and begin cleaning. This goes on for a while. Before I know it, it’s an hour and a half later, and I am still no closer to getting any of my homework done.

Why is this?

Productive Procrastination.

You see, lazy is a good feeling, but when it is accompanied by the feeling of not getting something important (such as homework) done, then negative emotions start sneaking in. Whenever I want to feel lazy, but have something important to be doing, I start cleaning my room. This way I can procrastinate, without the cost of the bad feelings of not doing that one, necessary thing. The feeling of being productive (cleaning my room) fully counters the feeling of procrastination (homework). This is productive procrastination.

I don’t really have more to add than that, but does anyone else suffer from the same problem?

The Flat that bit Back

Usually when Ryan and I drive back to Taylor from Minnesota, we have a fun, uneventful drive in which we listen to music, eat junk food, and drive comfortably from the inside of Ryan’s car..

Tonight was an exception.

About four hours into the trip, we took a stop in Tomah, Wisconsin, a small, wayside city in the middle of nowhere. After filling up the car, we grabbed a bite to eat at Subway. We pulled out of the restaurant and resumed the trip by getting on I94. Nearly the moment we pulled onto the freeway, the car started making a sound that was not unlike a muffled banshee screaming at the top of the lungs, thumping it’s head against the wall repeatedly. Quite frightened by this ridiculous racket, Ryan pulled the wobbling car off to the side of the interstate so we could inspect the source of this noise.

One thing that’s not quite as frightening as it looks is this: semi trucks on the free way. When watching from a distance, they lumber down the freeway in a calm, relaxed sort of manner. When standing four feet from the freeway, the massive trucks are quite intimidating. More on this later.

When a lull in the traffic came, Ryan and I stepped out onto the freeway and inspected the car . At first, we couldn’t find the source, but then it became obvious. Between the original “popping” of the tire and the time it took us to pull off the road, this poor, rubber doughnut was shredded.

Pondering our predicament, we realized there were a few “of courses” to be addressed. Of course, Wisconsin, being very close to Minnesota, was quite chilly (negative 4 degrees, to be exact(negative 8 with windchill)). Of course neither Ryan nor I had ANY experience changing a tire. Of course we were right of the freeway, playing chicken with semis. Of course we had no winter clothes. Of course.

Re-convening inside the car, we grabbed our phones and called our respective fathers for advice in changing tires. After chatting with Mr. Gates for a few minutes about the overall process, we decided to incrementally change the tire by calling.. fixing.. calling.. fixing.. until the tire was changed. Once again hauling our under-dressed butts out of the car, we realized the ferocity of the aforementioned trucks. Crouching four feet from the rood with nothing but a travel-size socket-wrench to defend yourself with, you start to feel pretty pathetic when staring down the grill of a 65 mile an hour 18 wheeler with flames painted up the hood. Nevertheless we loosened the bolts on the tire (climbed inside the car and called for the next step), jacked the car up (climbed inside the car and called for the next step), and attempted to remove the ruined tire.

Yes. I said attempted for a reason.

We couldn’t get that tire to save our lives. We shoved, banged, kicked, pounded, and punched to no avail. Just as we realized that it wasn’t coming off, a man that worked at a local shop named Steve pulled in behind us to see if we needed help. Informing him that we couldn’t get the tire off the car, he came up, pulled a couple times, sighed, turned to us, and said in a wonderfully Wisconsonian accent, “Well she’s not coming off..” Being a car guy, he informed us that we would end up needing a tow truck; he gave us a few numbers to try, including his, should we needed more help.

Reaching once more for our phones, we started calling every tow truck company within a reasonable distance. The first four companies we called were either closed or unable to come to our assistance. Until, finally, the last company we called was able to send someone to us.

After about twenty minutes of waiting, a large, flatbed tow truck pulled up, and situated itself in front of the car. As soon as the truck was in position, a short, white-haired man stepped out, and immediately went to work. No “Hello.” No “How’s it going?” No nothing. He just started picking up the car. The first thing he asked us was “Key’s in the car?” when he went to move the car a little bit closer to the truck. With little to do, he sent us into the cab of his tow truck to wait for him to finish. Awkwardly, we sat there, pondering aloud how “weird” this whole experience was.

The man raised the car up into the air, and balanced it properly on the back of the truck. He hopped into his tow-truck, popped it in gear, and we rumbled off down the highway. Ten minutes of a roaring engine and frightfully awkward conversation and reprimand later, we arrived at our destination: his shop.

We disembarked the vehicle, and the man asked us how we’d be paying. We asked if we could pay by credit card, but he responded, informing us that would not be possible. Cash was our only option. He then proceeded to tell us about our extremely large bill, and gave us his car keys and directions to the nearest ATM. Dazed into a stupor about how ridiculous this whole situation was, we clambered into this man’s freaky, smokey, DVD filled van and drove down the street to the nearest gas station. About this time, we realized how scary this situation really was. This man picked us up on the side of the road, never asked us who we were, plopped us in a van, told us to pick up a large amount of cash money, and kept all of our worldly possessions behind with him. On top of all that, he was extremely creep.

When we got back, he was finished, we dolled out a massive amount of money, hopped into our car, backed out of the garage, waited for the door to close, and desperately searched through our belongings and made sure that nothing was missing. Thankfully, nothing was.

Apart from the creepiness of the whole situation, it was a good experience.

Ryan and I learned how to:

- change a tire

- survive in the icy cold

- call a tow truck

- pick up massive amounts of cash in the middle of nowhere

- and search all our stuff in a few minutes flat

If you only take one thing from this: please don’t get a flat in Tomah, Wisconson.

Life Together

Spending time on campus at Taylor University, whether as a student or prospective, as faculty or staff, you cannot make it a week without hearing some kind of reference to the Life Together Covenant. For the most part, these allusions to the dreaded "LTC" are in good taste, but with a negative connotation, directed at the clause that states "The University expects its members to use discretion and discernment in their choices of entertainment and recreation (some examples include media, Internet usage, and games). Social dancing is not permitted on or away from campus." While prohibition of dance is a frustrating thing, I have found that I spend way to much time focusing on the minor restrictions of the LTC rather than enjoying what the Life Together Covenatnt is all about: building community.

The opening line of the Life Together Convenant is as follows: "Taylor University is a community of Christians intentionally joined together for academic progress, personal development and spiritual growth." The LTC is put in place to instill in students a desire to have life together in the fullest. And believe me when I say that I see students living this out on campus. One of my favorite examples is chapel. "Corporate worship, prayer, fellowship and instruction are essential for our community. Therefore, students, faculty and administrators are expected to attend chapel." Chapel at Taylor University is not required, but simply expected. There is no kind of check-in or attendance taken at chapel, yet the majority of campus attends on a regular basis. I firmly believe that this is because of the community at Taylor. Nearly every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday someone asks me, "Are you going to chapel?" "Did you enjoy the message this morning?" "What did you think about this or that about chapel?" (or something there within) If I had skipped chapel for some reason, I would immediately be encouraged to come next time or playfully chastised that I had skipped. It's the community that's brought students to chapel on a regular basis; community brings together this body of believers to worship God together.

Another example of how well-built the community at Taylor because of the LTC is through its restrictions on profanity. "Any kind of demeaning gesture, symbol, communication, threat or act of violence directed toward another person will not be tolerated." Although I don't live on the floor at Taylor, I've been told by a trusted friend, Ryan, that there is no profanity on Penthouse. No one swears. On one, rare occasion, someone swore while we were playing a game of soccer, and immediately two or three other guys were immediately on his case for having done so, and that was the end of it. I firmly believe that this is a result of the LCT.

In conclusion, while the LTC does prohibit a few, miniscule things, it does an amazing job of building up the peer to peer interaction of Taylor University such that we, as students, can enjoy such a fantastic, Biblically-based community. If you'd like to read further about the LTC, you can read the whole copy here. I encourage students to take another look at it in this new light, and see how different the Life Together Covenant looks.

Instead of focusing on the negative aspects about the Life Together Covenant, students should focus on what it has done for the community at Taylor.

A Christmas Letter

Since the beginning of the semester, I really haven't been feeling in a writing mood. I suppose I should try to convince myself that I should be writing every so often and adding new material, but I've found it so difficult to find things worth writing about. However, at the beginning of a new year, I can maybe try to start putting something different and new up here.

Much time has passed since my last update, and here's what you missed, or, were a part of for this Fall Semester of '09. I started my freshman year at Taylor University at Upland, Indiana. Up until now, Upland hasn't felt like a home to me; it was where I was put and I should make the best of it. When I started at Taylor, I was so wonderfully welcomed by the students and faculty that I'm now in love with the city. The community at Taylor is amazing. Though I don't live on campus, I've been loved by the Men of Penthouse, and literally made to be part of the floor. This invitation was the best thing for me while I was wandering between two homes.

At first, I wasn't sure what I was going to study; deciding my future isn't nearly as simple as I would of thought. Now I think I know what I want to do: Computer Science and Systems. For most of my life, I've found difficulty finding true passions and interests for which to pursue. I don't find myself becoming attached on any level deeper than passing interest, making it very difficult to choose from the vast array of options given to me. Since I can't make that decision on my own, I have been praying and meditating on it, and still haven't the slightest idea of what to do. With little time to make a decision, I decided to go with, for now, something that I have interest in: computer science. I pray that this is something I can come to find a passion in, and will come to love. I've chosen it for now because it is a marketable, profitable career that I will thrive in and enjoy, but I want it to become a passion and an outreach opportunity that will change my life forever. Taylor University, I hope, will instill in me that mentality with it's huge focus on Missions and Computing. As students, me and a team to be determined, will, in later years, develop software for missions organizations as a part of our curriculum. You can read more about Taylor's Missions and Computing out reach at their website.

In addition to pursuing academics, I've also been spending quite a bit of time working. Ever since working this summer, I really enjoy work. Work is an immediate gratification for being productive -- A feeling I adore. As a result of this feeling, I took two jobs at Taylor: IT Client Services and the Writing Center. In IT, I'm essentially working for Taylor's Geek Squad. I work with two or three other Techs during my shifts, where we, for the most part, answer phones and help Faculty and Students through their technical issues. If we are unable to solve the problem first contact, we record the infortmation into our computer system, and probabaly schedule them for a time to look at the problem 1 on 1. I will ocassionally be let out of the office to go and work with clients, but because I'm such a new tech, this usually doesn't happen. As I mentioned earlier, I also work in the writing center. Towards the end of last year, I was approached by my expository writing professor to work for her in the Writing Center. I told her that I would probably be to busy this semester, but would be open to trying to work it into my schedule. She told me that, as a writing consultant in the writing center, I would be helping teach students a little more about themselves as writers, and do my best to improve their grades. I'm so glad that it worked out. It's an absolute pleasure to work with students on their writing. I've met so many students and learned so many things, both about myself and other students. It's just been awesome

This is just a quick update on my life since my last update. If you have any questions, or want more explanation on anything, please feel free to send me a message, and I'd love to talk to you more about it. It's been awesome seeing all of you here in Minneosta again, I love you all so much! :-)

Till next time,

Paul