Communication Competency Self-Assessment

PART 1: Communication Competence Analysis

Pick two to three competencies from the listing for which you feel you are currently strong, and describe why you feel that way.

Pick two to three competencies from the listing for which you feel you currently need improvement, and describe why you feel that way.

Each section should be written with at least three paragraphs (with a minimum of three to four sentences each) of commentary, which is in addition to any quoting from the listing you may choose to do.It may be helpful to explain your thought process and provide examples to give explanation to your descriptions of why you feel that way.This is not a formal paper, but college-level spelling, grammar, and syntax are expected.

S = strength

NI = needs improvement

_S_ 1. I’m sensitive to contexts of communication. I recognize that changes in physical, cultural, social– psychological, and temporal contexts will alter meaning.

_S_ 2. I assess my channel options and evaluate whether my message will be more effective if delivered face-to-face, through e-mail, or by some third party, for example.

_S_ 3. I look for meaning not only in words but also in nonverbal behaviors.

_NI_ 4. I am sensitive to the feedback and feed forward that I give to others and that others give to me.

_NI_ 5. I combat the effects of the various types of physical, psychological, and semantic noise that distort messages.

_S_ 6. I listen not only to the more obvious content messages but also to the relational messages that I (and others) send, and I respond to the relational messages of others to increase meaningful interaction.

_S_ 7. Instead of looking only at the punctuation patterns, I also look at the patterns that others might be using in order to understand better the meanings communicated.

_S_ 8. Because communication is transactional, I recognize that all elements influence every other element in the communication process and that each person communicating is simultaneously a speaker/listener.

_NI_ 9. Because communication is purposeful, I look carefully at both the speaker’s and the listener’s purposes.

_NI_ 10. Because communication is inevitable, irreversible, and unrepeatable, I look carefully for hidden meanings, am cautious in communicating messages that I may later wish to withdraw, and am aware that any communication act occurs but once.

_S_ 11. I am sensitive to cultural variation and differences, and I see my own culture’s teachings and those of other cultures without undue bias.

My Competency Strengths

_S_ 2. I assess my channel options and evaluate whether my message will be more effective if delivered face-to-face, through e-mail, or by some third party, for example.

Number two is definitely one of my better strengths out of the competencies listed. Recognizing the different methods of communication is definitely important in how a message can be relayed. Before I want to send a message across, I always think about how it may be portrayed depending on which method is used and which will be most effective.

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There was a time when I thought about sending a text message to a friend about a certain topic. However, I decided that if I sent the text message, there may be some confusion and may have been taken completely out of context. In the end, my friend and I discussed it in person and he was very grateful we did and that I decided against the text message. I think text messaging can be so emotionless.

Although I am not perfect, as no one is, I think I have a pretty good understanding about the differences in which a method of communication can make. I think all it takes is a matter of stopping for a second and thinking about how the words someone is reading over an e-mail or text message may differ as opposed to just going to talk to them about it. Granted, sometimes an e-mail is a completely efficient way to send out a simply message to a large amount of people.

_S_ 11. I am sensitive to cultural variation and differences, and I see my own culture’s teachings and those of other cultures without undue bias.

Number eleven is another one of my strengths from these competencies. Over the years of working in a hospital, I have learned to understand that there are so many different cultures out there and it’s only fair that we do not think of as our own to be the “best” or the “right” one. This is something that I have never had a problem understanding; I was raised to be respectful of other cultures whether or not I may agree with their beliefs.

As I have mentioned, working in a hospital has exposed me to many types of different cultures. There have been a few instances where our patient was a Jehovah’s Witness; in which did not accept blood in the event they needed it. This was their belief, and as hard as it is to want to just give them blood in an emergency, their wishes must be respected even though others may not have agreed with the decision. It’s important not to be biased in our own culture.

There are so many different types of people in this world, and I think that it’s a great thing. I believe that are a lot of people out there who are very biased of their own culture and don’t understand why people have different beliefs. If we do more to educate others on different cultures, then it’s possible more and more will understand cultures other than their own.

My Competencies Needing Improvement

_NI_ 5. I combat the effects of the various types of physical, psychological, and semantic noise that distort messages.

Number five is one of the communication competencies that I understand but I need to improve on. Sometimes I get easily distracted in fully grasping the messages that are being portrayed. I need to work on trying to ignore other noises that happen between the sending and receiving of messages so I can decode exactly what is being sent to me.

There are a lot of distractions with working in the operating room; a lot of things go on at once. On one instance, the patient we had wasn’t doing so well and a lot of activity was going all at the same time; several people were asking me for things all at once. I managed to give everyone what they needed but I remember thinking how overwhelmed I felt and how all of the communication that was being thrown at me was jumbling together because of all the “noise” that occurred between all of the messages; I have to work more on learning how to separate out the distractions.

I look at it as a small challenge to myself to work on ways that will help me learn to cut out so many distractions. I will try to take each message that is being sent to me and focus on it instead of hearing the “noise” that comes along with it. I think if I become successful at this, I will have a much easier time understanding what is being communicated to me.

_NI_ 10. Because communication is inevitable, irreversible, and unrepeatable, I look carefully for hidden meanings, am cautious in communicating messages that I may later wish to withdraw, and am aware that any communication act occurs but once.

Number ten is the other communication competency that I feel I need to make improvements on. I understand that communication is unrepeatable, irreversible, and inevitable, but sometimes I don’t think long enough about what I’m going to say and just say it and regret it later. Also, I don’t always see all of the hidden meanings behind some of the things that I say or things others say to me. I think at times I try to convince myself that what I say can be justified and taken away when it usually cannot.

I can remember one time I sent an e-mail to someone after a disagreement and because I was so angry while writing the e-mail, I wasn’t thinking about exactly what I was saying and the consequences it was going to have later on. I had sent the e-mail and in the mean time had calmed down and reread the message and couldn’t believe the things I had said and it was too late to take it back; I couldn’t jump into the computer and reverse hitting the send button. The issue was eventually resolved but made me realize that I need to work on thinking more before putting words out there that are irreversible.

I think one of the best things I can do in the future to avoid the type of situation I discussed above from happening again is just to step back and look at what I am saying before sending the message. Thinking about the consequences that may occur from saying something the wrong way is a motivator to be more careful. Also, trying to see the hidden meanings behind words before saying them to people I think will avoid any issues as well.

PART 2: General Improvement Strategy

The one communication competency that I am going to focus on for part two of this assignment is number ten. I understand that all of the competencies that I need to improve on are important but I want to elaborate a bit more on this one and see if I can plan out different ways to improve on it.

The Problem: When I am angry or upset about something and want to confront the issue, I do not always fully think about what I’m saying before I say it, therefore living with the consequences of being unable to take back words.

The Goal: To think more about what I say before I say it and to really realize how bad the consequences may become.

The Plan: There are several things I plan on doing to improve on my problem. I will first think harder about what I am going to say before saying it. I will also step back and take a deep breath before writing out or saying harsh words. I will think about how my words may have hidden meanings to someone else. I will then use what I have learned in the past from the consequences of speaking/writing things I do not truly mean to avoid the same in the future.

Test of Measurability: I will know that I have improved on my plan once I am in a situation where I may be upset about something and go to approach the person or an e-mail to someone and I use a better selection of words. I know my plan is going well when I wait to press the send button and reread what I have written to look for things that may mean more to the person that I realize. I will have achieved my goal when I see more positive outcomes and communication with the person I am having issues with.

The list of competencies in part one of this assignment, with the exception of my insertions of “S” and “NI” are taken from:

DeVito, J. (2013). Essentials of Human Communication [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://devry.vitalsource.com/books/9781269649261/id/pg23