Talk to the hand (2012)
Talk to the hand (2012)

Reflection Exercise: Reflect upon your communication skills and write down what your strengths and weaknesses are – communication-wise…

Communication is a fundamental tool to our daily interaction with one another, and it can also be a complex subject, as communication comes in various forms and more than one may be communicated at the same time. The most basic level of communication for example; body language or non-verbal communication, can be comprised of graphic illustrations such as art, graffiti, simple sketches, images, down to body gestures, physical appearances and more. Communication in its simplest forms demonstrates to us the wider scope of how effective and important it really is, the key is to know how to communicate well. As according to Lasswell (2007, p. 217) communication is an important feature of life at every level, such as expressing your own needs and concerns, and these discussions may also be difficult. Your cultural identity, morals, values and even your environment, determines how effective your communication may be perceived or analysed (Nordby 2008) thus communication in any form involves an important thought process.

Reflecting upon my communication skills, I must first ask myself the following (Engleberg & Wynn 2013, p. 4, cited in Costigan 2014, p. 3);

  1. ‘Personal. Do I have meaningful personal relationships?
  2. Intercultural. Do I understand, respect and adapt to people from culturally diverse backgrounds?
  3. Professional. Do I communicate effectively within and on behalf of an organisation or work team?
  4. Intellectual. Do I analyse and evaluate the meaning of multiple and complex messages in an ever-changing world?’

Through the process of self-evaluation, I believe I have a few strengths and weaknesses within personal, professional, intercultural and intellectual situations (as listed above). For example, I participate in discussions by practicing active listening skills whilst considering the persons body language, cultural background (if applicable) and ensuring I don’t break confidentiality or organisational policies.  However, I do need to work on (from experience) certain aspects within my own professional development. My current role within our organisation involves me dealing with intellectual information especially with key corporate stake-holders within our region. This requires a deep thinking process and to practice self-discipline, to pause and to listen intently. I am developing my career, and am aware that I need to read, discover and self-develop my intellectual literacy and negotiation skills, as well as (thanks to the feedback from my mentor) to pause, listen and ask questions where warranted when it comes to communication with our key stake holders.

The following video by Brian Tracy (2012) demonstrates ‘3 effective ways in improving your communication skills’; by simply adding these effective methods we may improve our conversationalist skills:

Overall during this term of studying ‘Communication in Professional Contexts’, I will further gain and develop my self-awareness in how I communicate, and how to do it effectively. Communication has many layers whether it be professional or personal; it is a fundamental stepping stone in the right direction.

References:

Brian Tracy 2012, Brian Tracy: 3 ways to improve you communication skills, video, 5 October, viewed 12 July 2015, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5hMN_XkPQA

Engleberg, IN & Wynn, DR 2013, Think communication, Pearson Education, Boston.

Laswell, H 2007, ‘The structure and function of communication in society’, Communication theory and research magazine, vol. 24, pp. 216-228.

Nordby, H 2008, ‘Values, Cultural identity and communication: a perspective from philosophy of language’, Journal of Intercultural Communication, vol. 7, viewed 27 July 2015, http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr17/nordby.htm

Talk to the Hand 2012, digital image, viewed 19 July 2015, https://coachingur3ps.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/effective-communication-guidelines-tips/