Communication Assessment

 

                                                  Even though the assignment only requested two additional assessments, I chose to do several in order to gain a better perspective of how my communications are viewed in a variety of  settings. I was relieved to see that most of my scores were supported by my coworkers, friends, and family meaning that my communications are consistent regardless of the setting.  Not surprisingly, each of us identified my listening style as Group 1 – people oriented: characterized as empathetic, relational, and often times overly trusting.  I have a feeling though, that had I had one of my co-teachers complete the survey they may have leaned more towards the Action orientation of Group 2: direct/to-the-point communication that is focused on getting the job done.

The greatest range of scores was in response to communication anxiety. Although others found it difficult to respond to many of the questions, most everyone slotted me in the moderate, or situational, range; only one colleague identified me as only mildly anxious about speaking in public. Interestingly enough, my score was the highest of the bunch reaching almost to the elevated level which leads me to believe that even though I am nervous on the inside, it is not reflected in my body language or tone. Then again – I speak in public so infrequently that none of these individuals have had the opportunity to witness it in years.

The final assessment focused on Verbal Aggression; how well I can respect the needs and attitudes of others while arguing for my own position. Again, it did not come as a great shock when most everyone’s scores were relatively the same and in the moderate range. The only exception was my daughter whose score just pushed into the significant category. It makes sense to me though, that given our relationship, it would be more likely that I may cross the line from time to time when passions flare. This does not excuse any hurtful statements and thank goodness her response only exceeded the previous section by one point instead of many! Overall, I feel like I stand up for what I believe in with a fairly level head… but when I am pushed… Look Out!

As a professional I feel like it is important that I strive to balance my listening and speaking to more efficiently transition from one situation to the next. I should question more in order to appropriately assess situations and meet the needs of the program as well as the individuals and families in it. Personally, I also feel like I have a long way to go on the road to dealing with conflict appropriately. My timidity often causes me to be passively aggressive and the more I learn about communication the more I am able to identify the roots of that behavior. Nonetheless, I anxiously await further lessons in anticipation of significantly improving my skills!