Where I think communication was most impactful during these two class sessions I think was when we wrote the step-by-step procedure for the other group on the tangible object we made. When watching the other group executing our instructions, it was interesting to see what parts of the instructions we didn’t mention and how important it is to be specific. I also noticed that when we were trying to execute the instructions they wrote down for us. There is something to say about how different people visualize things, and how that adds to the abstract concept of an algorithm and its ability to produce a similar result with different ways of execution.
When we practiced through the worksheet for the cellular automata, I very much enjoyed finding patterns with other people and definitely felt like I understood the concept more once we put it into practice. Reiterating one of the takeaways that I wrote down, I think an important part of communication is taking initiative. With all these exercises, it is most likely that a lot of us have not come across these concepts, but it is important for someone to take that step and try and figure out how to execute the instructions. An important part of communication is being able to voice the problems that you come across when you try something new. With that being said, confidence in yourself is definitely something that helps with tackling these issues and improving communication skills.
