Who Am I as a Communicator?

There were similarities between how I evaluated myself as a communicator and how others evaluated me.  The only difference was the evaluation of my communication anxiety; actually, others stated that I seem more anxious than I think while speaking in public. 

This week, I have learned that our self-concept is related to our perception of others (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  Actually, we notice in others the attributes that we consider important and that affects our perception of them, and therefore the way we communicate with them.  Moreover, social interaction also influences our self-concept.  In fact, we get impressions from others about how they evaluate us as communicators.  These impressions can be direct (compliments) or indirect (gossip). 

I have also learned about schemas this week.  They are “mental structures that put together related bits of information” (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  They make us have an idea about a person based on our own experiences and feelings.  Schemas can lead to prejudices and stereotypes. 

References

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Cultural Diversity

I meet people from different groups and cultures everyday; and I find myself communicating differently with each of them.  Actually, I use a different language while communicating with my neighbors than my family.  I also use different communication codes; in fact, my husband would understand what I meant to say from a simple look whereas a stranger would misunderstand me.  I also think that I avoid disagreeing with people who come from a culture where disagreeing with an older person is considered rude.

            In order to communicate more effectively with people from different groups and cultures, it is important to have knowledge about these groups’ culture and values.  We should also put any biases, stereotypes and prejudices aside while communicating with others; this will promote healthy relationships.  Another strategy we could use to communicate more effectively is using the Platinum Rule (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011).  It allows us to treat others the way they would like to be treated; therefore we should listen to them more carefully and to consider their feelings.  

Nonverbal Communication

           For this assignment, I chose to watch the show “Suits”.  I had never watched the show before and I was not sure what it was about.  Watching the episode with the sound off, there seems to be six main characters, three men and three women.  They all work in a law firm.  One of the men seems to be the boss, I can tell because of his posture and physical appearance.  He seems to be interested in one of the women.  The two other women also seem to be lawyers working with the men.  The man, who seems to be the boss, is showing dominance over the other lawyer and seems to want to show him that he is superior.  One of the women seemed to be giving advice about dealing with his boss.  The two men were in court dealing with a case, the boss came in with his phone in his hand and that seemed to upset the judge. The third man was difficult for me to read, I was not sure what his relationship is with the other characters but he seemed to be an important character in the show. 

After watching the show with the sound on, I found out that I was right, one of the men was the boss and he was being very rude to his employee; he seemed to lack communication skills.  The woman he seemed to be interested in was actually someone he was dating; and the third man was her husband.  The woman who was giving advice to the second man was telling him how he should deal with his boss and solve the case. 

If I knew the show well before watching it with the sound off, I think I would have understood it more because I would have known about the characters’ relationship with each other; I also would have had an idea about the main plot.  However, even though I watched the show for the first time with the sound off, I had an idea about who had effective communication skills and who did not. 

Effective Communication

            In order to have effective communication skills, a person must be able to communicate with others while respecting their culture and beliefs.  That person should also be able to listen to others to understand their personal point of view.  This will allow them to be able to respond accordingly. One person who demonstrates competent communication is my mother.  Actually, she was always able to communicate with people from different backgrounds and cultures and create healthy relationships with them.  In fact, some of my friends feel comfortable enough to ask her for advice.  She was always patient with others and took the time to listen to their ideas; this allowed her to gain the ability to suggest advice without seeming disrespectful or offensive.  I try to model some of my own communication behaviors after her because I see how it has helped her create healthy relationships.