Lee and Grambo 1

Eunjae Lee and Wyatt Grambo

Comm 101

30 November 2023

Outline for Exploring Positionalities & Relationships Presentations

I. Introduction (Approximately 1min.)

A. Attention Getter:

According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, any

two people have 99.6 percent identical DNA. With this much
similarity between us as individuals, it is amazing the diversity that
can be found.

B. Background and Audience Relevance:

Diversity makes communities stronger and more vibrant. Learning

about intersectional identities, positionalities, and relationships allows
us to better understand others around us. By gaining a better
understanding, we can learn to appreciate and embrace our
differences while also focusing on similarities that bring us together.

C. Speaker Credibility:

Eunjae is a student from Korea who is majoring in computer game

design. Wyatt is a student from the United States studying economics.
Though both of us come from completely different parts of the world,
we agree that individuals have their own ideas and values that cannot
be automatically assumed through cultural stereotypes. Through this
project, we have striven to get to know each other better as
individuals while at the same time respecting and understanding our
cultural backgrounds.

D. Thesis: Through exploring our unique positionalities and identities,

my partner and I have gained an appreciation for our differences and
each other’s cultural backgrounds.
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E. Preview of main points:

Today we are going to talk about three differences that make us unique
individuals: our chosen majors, the ways we maintain relationships, and
our approaches to conflict.

Transition to first main point: The first difference we would like to discuss is our
difference in college majors.

II. Body (Approximately 3 ½-5 ½ mins.)

A. Main Point 1:

1. Subpoint 1: As Eunjae was born in Korea, some of his

perspective on life comes from Korean culture. For example, he is
influenced by the Confucian ideal. Eunjae believes that being
Korean affects him a lot, and yet he feels some parts of Korean
culture do not fit him. He believes that this is the reason why he
became an introverted person. He is also strongly influenced by the
internet community. For example, he told me that most of his
personality is influenced by the people that he met on the internet. It
is his interest in these online internet communities, especially those
centered around his favorite video games, that sparked his interest
in the field of computer game design. This passion for gaming led
Eunjae to choose the computer game design major at Mason Korea.
It is through studying this major that he can continue to pursue his
passion for games and participate in making games that others can
enjoy.

2. Subpoint 2: Growing up as a middle class American,

having a strong work ethic and the belief that you can make
something of yourself if you work hard were two things Wyatt
learned at a young age. As a child, Wyatt was encouraged to learn
about business through activities such as starting a lemonade stand
or selling unwanted items at a yard sale. When he got older and
realized I wanted to start earning my own money, he applied for
his first job at a grocery store. Working part-time jobs made him
realize how much good management can improve employee’s
working conditions. His appreciation of business and financial
transactions between different people led me to pursue a major in
economics with a concentration in management. He wants to have
 Lee and Grambo 3

the opportunity to be a leader in the business world and to have a

positive impact on employees and others that he interacts with

3. Subpoint 3:

The two of us have chosen very different majors. Eunjae has chosen
to pursue computer game design while Wyatt has chosen to pursue
economics. These majors will also impact our future careers and
lifestyles. Eunjae wants to make games that others can enjoy.
Meanwhile, Wyatt wants to pursue business management and ensure
a positive working environment for those around him. Both of us
have chosen our majors based on our unique perspectives and
experiences, and these majors will continue to shape us into the
people we will be in the future.

Transition: Now that we have finished discussing our college majors, we would like
to discuss our differences regarding our unique approaches to personal relationships.

B. Main Point 2:

A key concept discussed in class and the online readings is Social

Penetration Theory. This theory originated in 1973 from the work of
psychologists Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor. This theory states
that mutual self-disclosure is essential to forming and maintaining
any relationship. What this means is that regardless of it being a
romantic relationship or friendship, a relationship can only grow if
both parties are able to equally share information about themselves
with each other. According to the Uncertainty Reduction Theory, we
go through stages in a relationship based on how much we feel
comfortable sharing with the other. Therefore, the more comfortable
two people in a relationship feel about sharing personal information,
the closer they will be.

Although my partner and I maintain relationships in different ways,

we both agree on the importance of those relationships and being able
to communicate on a regular basis.

1. Subpoint 1: As an introverted person, Eunjae says he

usually spends time doing indoor activities alone. His favorite
indoor activity is playing video games. Eunjae says that his
personality is completely different when he is in public compared
to when he is in the house. When he is in public, he says he is quiet
 Lee and Grambo 4

and not very outgoing. In these situations, he usually waits for

others to approach him or reach out. However, when he is in
private he becomes much more active. He mentioned the
difference between how he acts around old friends and new
acquaintances. He feels much more comfortable with familiar
friends.

Eunjae primarily maintains relationships by sending messages or

playing video games with his friends. He especially likes to chat
and connect with others while playing his favorite games. He and
his friends enjoy playing games together because it helps them
grow closer together.

2. Subpoint 2: As an ambivert, Wyatt loves spending time

with others, especially his close friends. Nevertheless, sometimes it
can also be important for him to find time to be alone to recharge.
This is especially true if he is around others who he is not very close
with. For example, though he loves spending hours with others and
having their company, he also feels the need to have personal time to
refocus on priorities and responsibilities. He feels that he is most
productive and focused when he is working independently. And yet
Wyatt feels that he is most happy when he is spending time with
close friends.

His relationship management approach involves spending quality

time with his friends face-to-face on a daily basis if possible. He
loves staying busy and experiencing life’s ups and downs with
others. For Wyatt, an ideal friendship involves both members
being able to confide in each other and share about personal
experiences. He has found that, this semester especially, a key way
he maintains relationships is setting aside time to eat meals
regularly with his friends. This could be in our cafeteria on campus
or anywhere from Triple Street to Seoul.

3. Subpoint 3: In terms of relationships, we both showed

differences but also many similarities at the same time. For
example, each of us interacts with and spends time with his
friends in different ways. Eunjae enjoys playing video games with
his friends and messaging them online. On the other hand, Wyatt
enjoys going out for meals with friends and connecting with them
face-to-face. Though we spend time with our friends in different
 Lee and Grambo 5

ways, we both value our relationships and strive to enjoy our

friends’ company on a daily basis.

Transition: Now that we have discussed the way we connect with others in
interpersonal relationships, we will explore our differences in approaching conflict.

C. Main Point 3: Both of us have taken a test to help us better

understand our conflict styles. The several approaches to conflict
include the following: avoiding, competing, accommodating,
collaborating, and compromising. Eunjae received the results from his
test as being an avoider. However, Wyatt was determined to be
someone who accommodates. Each of these approaches to conflict
has different ramifications on how we interact with others and
respond to disagreement.

1. Subpoint 1: Out of the five potential styles, Eunjae’s

results showed a sixty-seven percent match with the avoider
approach to conflict. The results also showed a sixty-four percent
match with problem solver. Eunjae said the results really fit him
because he often avoids problems if he can. Although, he also
mentioned that if he can’t avoid the problem, he works to fix it. He
prefers this approach to conflict because he often gets too stressed
about problems in his life. To avoid the stress, he simply does his
best to ignore the problem.

2. Subpoint 2:

Out of the five potential styles, Wyatt’s results showed a ninety-

three percent match with the accommodator approach to conflict.
Among the many strengths of an accommodator is the natural
tendency to seek to understand and embrace the viewpoints of
others. This means that as an accommodator, Wyatt tends to put
other’s opinions and wishes before his own in group settings in
order to ensure harmony and to continue moving forward. He is
usually a very flexible person, yet this can occasionally mean he
does not voice his own opinion or get what he wants in a situation.

This approach to conflict helps him when he works at his job in

customer service at a fast food restaurant back at home. Whenever
customers have complaints or concerns, he always does his best to
listen and make them feel understood so that he can solve the
problem. This almost always takes away the tension and results in
 Lee and Grambo 6

a satisfied customer. On the other hand, when it comes to eating

out with his brother back at home, he usually lets him choose.
However, this can sometimes mean that they go to a hamburger
restaurant, for example, when Wyatt would have preferred to eat
Mexican food.

3. Subpoint 3: Both of us prefer not to argue when it comes

to our individual approaches to conflict. For Eunjae, conflict is often
overwhelming. For him, the best way to deal with a disagreement or
conflict is to simply avoid it. On the other hand, Wyatt tends to be an
accommodating force in any conflict situation. He tends to deal with
tense situations by embracing the viewpoints of others and seeing
arguments from diverse perspectives.

Transition and signal closing:

To conclude this presentation, we would like to restate the theme of this presentation
as well as restate the three main differences in identity that were previously
discussed.

III. Conclusion (Approximately 30 seconds-1 minute)

A. Restate Thesis: My partner and I have gained a greater

appreciation for our differences and cultural backgrounds through
learning more about each other’s identities and positionalities.

B. Review Main Points: We presented three different points: college

majors, differences in approach to relationships, and conflict
management.

C. Memorable Closer: Difference is the most precious property of

humanity. By accepting this difference and recognizing similarities with
others, we could make a stronger community. Thanks for listening.