Who Am I as a Communicator?

I have never been one that liked to talk in front of large groups of people.  I do better in small groups or one on one. The results from the communication assessments were very accurate.  The Communication Anxiety Inventory revealed that I feel uneasy in some communication situations and more confident in others.  This is a very true representation of me.  The Verbal Aggressiveness Scale revealed that I maintain a good balance between respect and considering others' view.  I argue fairly and attach the issue at hand not the person. I am glad that my level of aggressiveness was moderate. I know I can be aggressive at times, but sometimes that's all people understand.  They don't understand when you be nice. The one thing that surprised me most is that I appear to have more patience with people than I give myself credit for.  The insight that I gained is that it's good to have balance when communicating.  This is very important in ECE because we have to be respectful of the children and families we serve.  This has truly been an eye opening experience.  I learned alot about communicating this week.

Communicating

I find myself communicating differently with groups/cultures. I know with my students and parents I have to remain professional at all times.  I try to make sure I am using correct English when I speak to my students.  I speak that way because I want them to use correct English when they speak as well.  We have a flyer posted in the classroom that says leave your casual language at the door. When I am speaking to elderly people I always try to be courteous and polite.  I still say "yes sir and no sir" when I am speaking to older men. I know some people think that's old fashioned but I was raised that way.  When I talk to teenagers or my friends I can use slang and let my hair down a little.  I don't have to be so politically correct. When I communicate with different cultures I am very cautious of what I say.  I don't want to offend anyone so I try to make sure I don't say anything that would be perceived the wrong way.  The three strategies that I would use to communicate more effectively with different groups/cultures are to limit nonverbal cues,  ask questions about the culture or group that I may not understand, and try to be open and respectful to their opinions  regardless of how I feel.

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

I chose to watch an old tv show Martin.  I haven't watched Martin in years.  That used to be one of my favorite sitcoms.  I felt like watching this episode with no sound was going to be alot harder than I thought.  While watching this show on mute I was able to pick up on some of the characters nonverbal cues.  In this particular episode, Martin appears to be upset because someone broke into his apartment and stole some items.   When Gina comes home he is trying to explain to her what happened. The assumptions I made with the volume off were correct.  Martin was very upset because he found out that one of his neighbors had broken into his house.  I have come to realize that it is possible to communicate with nonverbal cues.  However, I feel like it's much easier to communicate verbally.  A lot of times people misinterpret nonverbal cues the wrong way. 

Competent Communication

My husband demonstrates competent communication on a consistent basis.  He is a talker by nature.  He gets that honestly from his dad.  He is a Social Worker so he does a lot of talking every day.  He gives advice to families on a daily basis. I had the opportunity to sit in on a session he had with a family.  He is professional at all times. He uses eye contact, and he asks questions to clarify information he doesn’t understand.  He is able to put his thoughts into words in a very clear and concise manner. He also keeps a straight face no matter how sensitive the information is.  I would like to model some of my own communication behaviors after him because I need to learn how to control my face when talking to someone.  My facial expression tells how I am feeling at all times.  It’s hard for me to hide how I am feeling about a certain situation.  If I don’t like something or don’t agree with it, my facial expression will let you know immediately. While taking this class about communication, I am going to work harder on my nonverbal communication.