As with John, Ben learned never to take the spoken word for granted. Communication being key to the success of any project or team environment, it becomes even more challenging when faced with communicating electronically over different time zones. Unlike a classroom environment where questions and answers are handled immediately, when working on-line some team members can be in a different time zone delaying responses to your questions. The other challenge with electronic communication is that you lose the opportunity to read body language during discussions and making it more challenging when debating an issue or discussing your point of view.
Lucy has used her personal experience in the class, as well. We all have differences in how we perceive what has been said or written. “Because each person is different in terms of experiences, knowledge, and physiological states, everyone interprets reality differently” (Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios, 2010, p.31). Similar to what Ed had mentioned about time zones, each team will also encounter communication barriers such as gaps. “Gaps represent another barrier to effective communication because people are different. A variety of differences such as gender, sex, age, race, ethnicity, and status” (Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios, 2010, p.19). Lucy has walked away from week one with the knowledge that she has to put her foot down at certain times and not let people or situations run her dry. The team requirements will assist in setting boundaries