To
effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way
we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our
communication with others.
Tony Robbins
This week I had the opportunity to think about the similarities
and differences between how I evaluated myself as a communicator and how others
evaluated me. I asked my best friend who is also my former co-teacher, and my
husband to rate me using communication measures.
What I found surprising was how uneasy I was about how they
would rate me as a communicator. I have
great relationships with both my husband and my best friend, but I have never
asked them to rate me on anything. I was
nervous about how I would feel if they thought that I was not a good
communicator. The innate need for
their approval was a bit surprising as I feel confidant in who I am. The
difficulty is not only recognizing your own weaknesses, but being willing to
hear that others are aware of those weaknesses as well.
Our results were very similar and both thought that overall I
was a effective communicator. There were
areas that my husband pointed out to me and I realize that I communicate differently
with him then I do other people. I am
happy that he brought it to my attention and I will work on this. It is interesting to learn about how others
perceive you as a communicator, and when their perception is similar to your
perception of yourself, I believe it indicates that you are on the right track
and aware of where you need to grow. Recognizing that communication “is
the process by which individuals use symbols, signs, and behaviors to exchange
information” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 4). Communication is such an important part of
our lives. In the interactions of my personal life and professional work, I am
committed to continue growing as a competent communicator, because
communication impacts lives being changed and communities being impacted.
Reference
O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real
communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Keli,
ReplyDeleteI understand the anxiety that you felt with having your husband and best friend evaluate you as a communicator. I believe it is human nature to want approval of our others and resent constructive criticism. I have learned as I matured that constructive criticism is important for growth. Your blog shows the importance of having special people in our life to increase our strengths and improve our weaknesses in communication.
This exercise was very telling, in regards to how we see ourselves and how others view us. And when you add in evaluations, its becomes nerve wrecking, you want the truth but then you really don't. It sounds like you gained positive input which will only help you in the future.
ReplyDeleteKeli, I was also scared of my results from my two outside opinions. It was nerve racking wondering if they thought I was a confident speaker and a good listener. I was especially surprised to see that I got rated as less anxious on the communication anxiety by my family than I rated myself. I hate public speaking!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post, honesty is good to have in a relationship. It is by these comments we become better as a professional.
ReplyDeleteMy evaluations were similar, that was surprising to me. I too will use these evaluations to improve my communication skills.