This week, I've learned a lot about my communication style. Based on the Communication Anxiety Inventory quiz that I took about myself, my score indicates that I have "situational" anxiety. I feel that this is extremely true about me. When I am comfortable and in my element, I am extremely comfortable with communicating with others. When I am unsure or doubting myself, I do tend to freeze up and have extreme anxiety. My throat gets tight, my mouth goes dry, I start to sweat.
My colleagues that took these quizzes about me also agreed with me. My score from one was mild, that I tend to be uneasy in some situations, and confident in others. This also rings true for me. The other colleague's quiz estimated the same result as myself. How interesting that the people around me know me as well as they do. That is my first insight. I am allowing myself to be readable by the people around me. I am learning that I might need to cover up my feelings a little better because the people around me can see that I am nervous and scared and anxious.
If I want to continue to grow in this field, I will need to become more confident in socially and work related communicative situations.
A second insight that I realized about myself is that I am truly people oriented with my listening style. Both my colleagues and myself all scored me in the People-oriented category. I do tend to care about the emotions of others. I love people and I guess I could be considered a people pleaser. I care about what people think of me. Even going through my divorce, I am worried about how my estranged husband will feel about me when everything is finalized. It shouldn't matter in this situation, but because I care so much, it does.
As we continue to move through this course, I hope that I can continue to learn more about myself and my communication style so I can better myself for the future.
Leanne,
ReplyDeleteThe people that I had take the assessments also scored in the same area as me. I instantly looked at the variation in the scores and began to wonder why they were different, instead of seeing in a positive way like you. You are right, what you see with me is what you get. I believe that someone else’s time is important and that my word is my bond, so like you I allow myself to be read by others. I hate guessing where I stand. Your blog is the first I visited and it appears that we both scored in the same area. I wonder if it is because of the field that we are in. We listen to children all day and care about their emotional wellbeing. An area of growth for me is going to be toning down my sarcasm...just because I find it funny doesn’t mean that it does not hurt.
SScott
Hi Leanne,
ReplyDeleteI read Susaye post and like both of you I scored in the same area as my evaluators. I guess they know us pretty well. I am now focusing on fine tuning my active listening skills so that I can be more intune with what is being said. Reading those body languages and non-verbal cues. Thank for sharing again. Cynthia
Hi Leanne, thank you so much for opening up about your situational anxiety. I have social anxiety and this causes for a challenging time communicating with others particularly in scenarios that are uncomfortable or you find yourself not being to sure about your own thoughts and opinions. It is great that you are aware of this and can now work on it in both your professional and social life!
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