This past weekend Diana and I traveled to Perdido, Alabama on an environmental clean-up trip at the Nature Conservancy. We went with ABC, which is a volunteering program where you dedicate a weekend or your spring/winter break to a short project that covers issues such as literacy, poverty, homelessness, the environment, etc. We went into the trip thinking that we’d be roughin' it, you know, sleeping in cots in a cold cabin and pumping water. When we made it to the property, we realized we were staying in this really nice house, with clean bathrooms (and running water). We even had a pet lab for the weekend, it was incredible! We spent most of the time outdoors doing labor work, and walking on trails. Looking back on the trip, I realized what I’d learned about different communication styles really came in handy. It was a group of 12, 9 of which I had never met before. Trying to get a group of that many people to agree on one thing is very difficult. I found myself trying to determine whether someone was task or people oriented, and their assertive level. For example, deciding on what kind of music to listen to in the car was not easy. Being the diplomat (Relator) that I am, I took music requests from everyone in the car. Still, some people were more assertive than others and they tried to take over. Rather than snapping at them, I just had to talk to them in a manner they’d understand, and it worked! It’s nice to know that the communication styles we learned about doesn’t strictly apply to the business world.
The first trail we walked at the Nature Conservancy of Alabama
cows
walking...
turtle shell
pitcher plant, they're carnivorous!
Here you can see the insects trapped in the plant. Can you spot the butterfly?
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