My Personal Communication Goals - Assignment Example

Communication List some practical examples of verbal communication Spoken: speeches, lectures, discussion, debates, conversation, dialogues Written: letters, memorandum, notes, messages List some practical examples of non-verbal communication Gestures: Slight shudder, pouting of lips Posture and Body language: sitting in cross legs; standing with hands clenched; stooping; head held up high; Eye Contact: diversion of eyesight, staring, looking away, Dress: Manner of dressing; choice of color during occasions: Genuineness: means that in communication there must be honesty. The speaker should be trustworthy and should be able to project to the listener where he is emotionally and intellectually. He should not be pretending that he knows things well when in truth he doesn't know anything or that he is feeling alright when he is not. Acceptance: It means that the listener and the speaker must show understanding and respect of one another's differences of point of views and ideas. Empathy: means that the speaker and the listener should be able to put themselves on the shoes of each other. The speaker and the listeners should understand the feelings of each other. Other qualities essential for effective communication: Other qualities that are essential in effective communication are as follows: (1) the ability of the speaker to get the attention of the listeners, (2) the ability of the speaker to be sensitive to the conditions of the listeners; (2) the ability of the speaker to use appropriate words for particular audience; (4) the ability of the speaker deliver the message clearly as he approximate the sounds correctly; (5) the ability to maintain eye contact. There are many other qualities these are among the qualities essential for effective communication. Diary Exercise: My personal communication goal is to become more confident and more open with my feelings to my parents and to my friends. There are many times that I feel quite frustrated but I cannot find the words to express my thoughts and my feelings because I am afraid that I may not be understood well. I am trying to learn to be more confident in my choice of words. I should want to express my feelings and emotions without using offensive words. I should learn to use more euphemistic terms so that I can tell them what I do no like without necessarily courting disaster. I should learn to be more open and to communicate with them constantly rather than shun away because this will not do any good. Keeping quiet and keeping a distance are nonverbal expressions of my indifference and I should work that out if I want to have a better relationship with anyone that come across my life. Barriers to communication: A client you work with is constantly rude and obtrusive: This is a psychological barrier to communication. I will not be able to understand my co-worker well because of I have a negative perception as a result of his attitude double meaning may result. He might mean well but because I find him rude I will have no way of telling if he is genuine and truthful in what he is saying. The clinic I practice in becomes humid during the day. When the window is opened the sound of traffic disturbs the consultation: This is an example of a mechanical barrier. The noise and humidity are obstruction to effective communication. It is difficult to be understood well because of the noise and the patient may not be comfortable because of the humid temperature. This makes the patients not very ready to listen to what I say. A client stands very close to you when they are speaking: This is an example of organic barrier. I may be disturbed with the loudness of the voice of the client or uncomfortable with his smell or nearness and that blocks my attention to what he is saying. You are a practitioner that has a speech impediment and wears contact lenses: There is an organic barrier here. I may not be able to produce the correct sound of the words and I might not see my listeners well so they may misunderstand what I am saying. A client becomes very angry during a session. They leave the session early. At the next session, they apologize and offer you a cup of coffee: Another example of psychological barrier. I might think that they are not sincere. They have let their emotions prevail. There will be a double meaning to their offer of coffee. I may think that they were embarrassed for their actions and now they are trying to cover up. I will question their motives. Roadblocks observed from others: Roadblock one: Judging - I have observed that others are very judgmental and that makes communication ineffective. Roadblock two: - I have also observe that others avoid the concern of others Identify when they occurred: Roadblock one: I have observed how judging affects communication through negative criticism, name-calling, diagnosing, and praising evaluatively. Roadblock two: I have observed how avoiding other's concern became a roadblock to effective communication. While I was talking for instance, my attention was diverted and I was told and assured that there was nothing wrong with what was done to me. Identify the effect that they may have caused: Roadblock one: In the office where a worker was criticized for her low performance and was called nitwit. I have observed that this resulted to a real problem in communication. The office worker was embarrassed and was disappointed. She felt that she was not recognized for the good things that she has done and she became quite uncooperative and unwilling to work anymore. Roadblock two: When one is talking and the other person divert his attention to another topic or things, the speaker may feel insulted or he may feel that he is not important and that nobody cares for him. He may shun away and would not want to express his feelings anymore. Consider more effective communication strategies that could have been used: Roadblock one: Instead of criticizing and calling the worker names like nitwit, she should have been called and was told of her low performance in a constructive manner. She should have been encouraged to improve herself rather than be called a nitwit. Roadblock two: Instead of diverting my attention and assuring me that what was done to me was just alright, he should have let me talked and he should have listened carefully. He should have at least be more emphatic and understand that I was feeling bitter and I want somebody to understand me even for a while until I am ready to see what must be wrong with me. Discuss the purpose for using each SOLVER micro-skill when working with clients: Squarely facing a client would mean giving full attention to his needs. Open Posture denotes a welcoming gesture that would allow the client to be more relaxed. Leaning Straight Forward denotes interest and being absorb to what the client is saying or complaining. Verbal Encouragement indicates to the client that you are with him and that you are listening and very much engaged in what he is saying. Eye Contact indicates genuineness and letting the client feel that you are with him and that you are comfortable with his presence. Relaxing signals to the client to relax and be comfortable. It will encourage the client to be more engage and to open himself How can a practitioner be "human" A practitioner can be human by being sensitive to the needs of his clients. He should show full interest to his client and be consistent with his verbal and non-verbal signals. He must be considerate and show empathy to what his client must be feeling. Diary Exercise In attending to others I give my full attention. I sit straight but so relaxed to signal that I am with them and that they should feel comfortable. My arms are open and not clenched. I do not cross my legs. Sometime I nod or ask some questions that would signal that I am really interested with their stories. Yes there are ways that I could distract speakers. But as much as possible I need to be conscious not to do them. For example, I can distract the speaker if I keep on moving to find a better position, or doing things while the other is speaking like answering the phone or standing to call someone. I do not want the speaker to be feeling uncomfortable that is why it is important for me to empathize with him. If I were in his shoes I would not want that my listener be insensitive with what I am feeling. I should let my speaker feel then that I am physically and psychologically present to the conversation by giving my whole attention and interest and by using verbal and non-verbal signals that would encourage and allow the speaker to relax and to open himself. Door opener response: 1. When a client breaks down and sobs, I will allow her to do so and ask her if she wants to unload what is bothering her because I am willing to listen. 2. He doesn't want to talk about his past history as he looks away I can ask him if he wants to talk about it. 3. I need to get the attention of the child. Examples of situations to use attentive silence: 1. When the speaker has shown the real need to keep on talking. 2. When there is a question pose, attentive silence can be done by giving the client to time to think of his answer without pressure. 3. When a client cries you allow her to do so and you empathize with her by being silent. Diary Reflection: The "Anger Management" is a very educational film. It awakens me to the importance of being more sensitive to the needs of others. It shows how the ability to listen well can help a person who is at the top of his anger. Read More