Saturday, February 1, 2014

Who Am I as a Communicator?

I’m learning that being an effective communicator is no easy task.  It is not just about what you are communicating, but how, when, where.  I was a little intimidated by completing the assessments this week.  I was somewhat apprehensive about the views of others regarding my communication skills and style.

When looking at the similarities and differences in the communication anxiety inventory the scores my score was high and my scorer was moderate. I think this may be an indication that I don’t allow my anxiety to show. I was surprised by this score. 

In the listening styles profile and the verbal aggressiveness scale, there were no surprises. Actually both scores were the same.

A few insights about communication I learned this week are: Others view me as a better communicator than I view myself.  Self concept truly plays a major part in communication.  As noted by OHair & Wiemann (2012), the self concept has an incredible power to shape your communication with others.

Another learning is how others view me also plays a role in how I communicate.  The evaluation of others gave me a different view of my communication skills. Self evaluation and evaluation by others is good to participate in when working towards becoming a competent communicator.

References

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M.  (2012).  Real Communication.  New York:  Bedford/St. Martin’s.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Mary,
    I enjoyed reading your post. I can relate to you regarding others perceive you as better communicator than you view myself, I too have the same feeling which most often make me feel bad about myself. I also agree with you that other’s evaluation can have a vital role in our communication; it helps us to view our strengths and weakens so that we can do our best to improve the way we communicate with people ..

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