Throughout our lives we have had to
communicate with members of a diverse society.
Diversity can stem from differences of age, beliefs, religion,
ethnicity, political affiliation, socio-economics, and gender (O’Hair, &
Wiemann, 2012); just to name a few. Our
communication can be based upon personal and/or professional
relationships. We may be very familiar
with or know very little information about who we are communicating with.
I feel that I do communicate differently
with people, depending upon their age, level of understanding, language
capabilities, and whether it is of a personal or professional nature. In order to communicate successfully and
effectively both parties must understand the message being relayed; each of
these things need to be considered and accommodated for properly (O’Hair, &
Wiemann, 2012). I must be observant of
how the other party is responding to my communication efforts. Verbal and non-verbal cues can give me an
indication whether I need to alter my style and/or method of
communication. I need to be responsive
to their efforts to communicate as well.
Listening is a vital part of the communication process.
Three strategies that would help me
to communicate more effectively with any person or group are: 1. State my message clearly in a manner that
is understandable for the person or group I am communicating with; 2. Watch for
signs that the message has been received and understood; 3. Practice the skills
necessary to be an effective communicator (listen carefully and effectively,
think before speaking or acting, be empathetic to other persons involved, and practice
ethical communication) (O’Hair, & Wiemann, 2012). I would like to add to be able to control my
emotions to this list. If a person let’s
their emotion control their thoughts, actions, and/or words miscommunication
will result or your efforts can be dismissed and not given the attention that
is necessary to be effective. I find
that I can become quite emotional when the well-being and rights of my children
and families are involved and this does not allow my message or intent to be
heard correctly and/or taken seriously.
To become an effective advocate and communicator this skill is
especially important to achieve my goals.
Reference
O’Hair,
D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real
communication: An introduction.New
York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
I forgot to mention my emotions in my post! I also let me emotions get the best of me in arguments. What I dislike the most is when I get into a heated, we'll call it a discussion, with my husband I tend to cry very easily. It's not that I am sad or anything, my emotions just literally bubble over. It started happening much more often when I was pregnant and now it happens almost everytime. I feel even worse because then my husband feels like he made me cry. But anywho, controlling my emotions when I am trying to communicate effectively is definitely a skill that I would like to improve upon as well.
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