Who Am I As A Communicator?

During my initial evaluation of myself in the Communication Anxiety Inventory I scored a 60.  In this evaluation I did not agree when I scored High which according to the test “reveals considerable anxiety in most areas of communication.  This is not unnatural, but this type of general anxiety about communication presents problems for you as you attempt to influence others” (Rubin, 2009).  The second evaluation Verbal Aggressiveness Scale I scored a 76.  I disagreed with the score High which according to the test indicates that I “often resort to character attacks and ridicule to others who do not share your viewpoints.  Your aggressiveness may cause anger, hurt feelings, and embarrassment, and will rarely, if ever, persuade the listener to your point of view” (Rubin, 2009).  Lastly, my evaluation of Listening Styles Profile I scored in Group 1.  I agree with the majority of this evaluation but not that I “struggle in fast-paced environments” (Rubin, 2009).

What was very surprising is that those individuals that evaluated me in reviewing the results from the test they both indicted that Communication Anxiety Inventory was Low, Mild, Moderate, Elevated and High in this order.  My Verbal Aggressiveness Scale was None, Low, Moderate, Significant and High and lastly my Listening Styles Profile was Group 1.  Their perceptions of me did not differ from what I perceived myself to be but as indicated I disagreed with some of the results of the evaluations. In discussions while sitting with the other two evaluators it was very interesting to know that they both thought that I enjoyed public speaking, but I do not.

Insight gained - 1) "Self - monitoring is your ability to watch your environment and others in it for cues as to how to present yourself in a particular situation" (Snyder, 1974).  Sometimes I tend to over self-monitor and count myself out of situations that I may have been very successful in doing.  2) "Self - disclosure when you reveal yourself to others by sharing information about yourself" (O'Hair, 2009).  Because of past experieces I am very reserved when it comes to sharing information about myself.

Should I work on these two areas I will be able to better communication with colleages and parents in the early childhood profession.  As communication is all about building relationships.

References

Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.