Who Am I as a Communicator???
The results of the evaluation were somewhat similar in both the verbal aggressive scale and communication anxiety but different in listening styles. Those similarities and differences tell me that peoples’ perceptions of others can be based on past experiences, culture and present feelings. Also our perceptions tend to remain constant. Once we see things in a particular way, we continue to see it that way.
What surprised me the most is the fact that both evaluations; communication anxiety and verbal aggressiveness were rated the same in all situations by my co-worker and me. O’Hair, & Wiemann (2009) stated, “Our view of ourselves is often so biased that we misinterpret or ignore information that we need in order to communicate effectively.” Yes, maybe I was biased. What about my coworker? LOL :)
The insights gained about communication
Self monitoring - the ability to watch the environment and others in it for cues as to how to present yourself in a particular situation (SNYDER, 1974). This is critical because in communicating we do not individuals to take us where we are at face value. We should be monitor self presentation just enough to present ourselves effectively without forgetting that communication involves others (O’Hair, & Wiemann, 2009). Also, self disclosure – revealing yourself to others by sharing information about yourself (O’Hair, & Wiemnann, 2009). Increased understanding about each other can positively impact our communication and improve the degree to which we can share and understand meaning across languages, cultures, and divergent perspectives
Finally, How we perceive things will make a difference in the way we communicate across cultures. Therefore as early childhood professionals it is imperative that we remember that to communuicate effectively and appropriately we must possess an understnding of and appreciaton for people who may perceive things differently (O'Hair, & Wiemann, 2009).This should be reflected in our personal lives as well.
I still do not know who am I as a Communicator. The assessments were not a true picture of who I am. :)
Resources
O'Hair, & Wiemann, (2009). Real communication: An Introduction.
Bedford/St. Martin's
You made an interesting comment about perception. Once we see things one way, we continue to see it that way. and perception does make a difference in how we communicate with others.
ReplyDeleteTheresa,
ReplyDeleteYou wrote a very detailed blog and I learned a lot from reading it. It is hard for us to see things differently because our way is the right and only way. As effective communicators we must use self disclosure because this will help reveal others to share information about themselves (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2009).
O'Hair,D.& Wiemann,M. (2009), Real Communication:An Introduction
Theresa,
ReplyDeleteYes it is interesting as well as confussing to read the evaluations. I agree that self monitoring and self disclosure are helpful tools for all of us to improve our communication abilities. I do not believe that there is a single individual who does not need to improve there communication abilities.
Thank you for sharing!!