Who Am I as a Communicator?

While enrolled in this course, I am continuing to learn about the ways in which people perceive me and the way that I communicate with others and relate to others. There are many ways to communicate and send messages varying from verbal to nonverbal methods.  “Our thoughts and cognitions influence how and what we communicate to others and at the same time influence the way that we interpret the behaviors and messages that others send to us." (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009, p. 38)

Upon completing the three assessments from the application this week, I was very pleased to discover that there were quite a few similarities between how I evaluated myself as a communicator and how others evaluated me.  What surprised me the most is that a colleague and family member viewed me as I viewed myself.  Our scores were not the same, but they all fell in the same category.  It seems that in most circumstances, individuals view you totally different than you view yourself.  In this situation, this was not the case.   

I learned that I am very comfortable communicating in most situations and I feel confident in anticipating such encounters.  I knew this about myself, but it was reassuring to see the confirmation from my assessment results as well as the results from other individuals that evaluated me.  I do believe that I have a good balance between respect and consideration for others’ viewpoints, and the ability to argue fairly by attacking the position rather than the person holding that position.  In my professional life, this method of communication is quite effective and has helped me be diplomatic in many situations that could have escalated to a different place.