Who Am I as a Communicator?

I never thought about evaluating myself or how others evaluated me as a communicator before taking this course. The one thing that surprised me the most was realizing that I am a time-oriented listener. I really need to work on this because I do not want to continue to put a time limit on how long I can communicate with someone. I must stop watching the clock when others are communicating with me. 

Some insights that I have gained about communication this week are being a competent and effective communicator and listener is very important. Effective communication skills are crucial to our success in life. Also, listening is important and the key to all effective communication. Listening is a great way to connect to another person.  Being a good listener can have many benefits in our personal and professional lives. Being a good communicator can help us avoid misunderstanding and potential conflicts with others. These insights will inform my personal life and professional work by helping me to learn to listen and improve my communication skills when interacting with others.

Communication and Culture

Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.
 

I do find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures. I communicate different when I am with my colleagues at work. When I communicate with them, I try to be more professional. But when I am communicating with my friends and family, I am more comfortable so I may sometimes talk loud. 

I have a family in my classroom that speaks Spanish and little English. I know some Spanish words, but not much. I try to understand what the family is trying to say to me but sometimes it is very difficult. I also try to be patient with the family. After reading the articles, I have learned three strategies that could help me communicate more effectively with this family. One strategy is to develop appropriate knowledge. “Knowledge is power. To increase your knowledge of others who are different from you, we need to seek information about others, ask questions and listen for answers, and establish common ground” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011, p.105). Another strategy is to develop motivation. “Competent communicators want to learn and improve. They are motivated to enhance their ability to relate to others and to accept others as they are. A key to accepting others is to develop a positive attitude of tolerance and acceptance of those who are different from you. You have to tolerate ambiguity, become mindful, and avoid negative judgment of others” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011, 107). The third strategy is to develop skills. “To be skilled is to be capable of putting into action what you know and want to achieve. The skills underlying being interculturally competent are the ability to be flexible, to be other-oriented, and to adapt your communication to others” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011, p.109). 

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

 

Messages Communicated Through Body Language and Facial Expression

For this assignment, then record an episode of a television show you do not normally watch. Watch the show with the sound turned off.

 

A show that I have never had time to watch is called “Orange is the New Black”. I watched an episode of the show on Netflix and with the sound turned off, I observed a few women arguing with one another, so it seemed. One of the women was rolling her neck at another woman as she talked, one woman had her arms crossed talking with her head to the side to another woman, and it looked as if they were interrupting each other as they talked. From their body language it seems as if they were upset with one another and also enemies. 

After turning the sound on, it was nothing I thought it was. The women were just joking around with one another. They were all friends and having fun in prison. Some of the women did keep eye contact with one another as they were joking around. 

I think my assumptions would have been correct if I was watching a show that I knew well and normally watched.

An insight that I have learned from this experience is that nonverbal communication could be misunderstand. Just because a person is rolling their neck at someone doesn’t mean that they are upset with them. We should not just pay attention to one form of communication; we need to pay attention to both.

Competent Communication

The person who demonstrates competent communication within a particular context to me is the center manager at the Head Start I’m employed at. No matter what environment she is in, hostile or ruffled, she is always able to communicate and calm everyone down. She is a very caring and understanding person who has the ability to listen attentively to any and everyone. When you talk to her, she will sit quietly and listen until you have stopped talking. What I love about her is she never interrupts when you are talking to her. I do not like it when someone interrupts me when I am talking. 

I would love to model some of my communication behaviors after my center manager because sometime, without thinking, when my coworkers, friends, husband or other family members are talking to me, I often check text messages or make a phone call when they are talking to me. When this happens, I often ask them to repeat themselves which causes them to walk away or inform me that I am not being respectful or being a good listener. 

I really need to work on being an effective listener and communicator. I have a hard time communicating with some parents, especially if I have to be the deliverer of bad news. I’m always trying to be the good guy and don’t want to cause a problem or conflict with parents. I really need to work on this.