Communication Style

This week we had to evaluate ourselves with the use of 3 different communication assessments. They were communication anxiety inventory, verbal aggressiveness scale, and listening styles profile. I had 2 different people complete the assessments as well to see their perspective on my communication style and skills.

The one thing that surprised me the most about these assessment tests was the way I perceived myself and how others perceived my communication skills from the verbal aggressiveness scale. My results for this test was 62 which is at the moderate level that states, “You maintain a good balance between respect and consideration for others’ viewpoints, and the ability to argue fairly by attacking the facts of a position rather than the person holding that position (Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E., 2009, Verbal aggressiveness scale).” I had asked my Mother and best friend to complete these tests and their results were 68. Their results are at the moderate level as well, but it is close enough to the next level which is the significant level that states, “With little provocation, you might cross the line from “argumentativeness,” which attacks a person’s position or statements, and verbal aggression, which involves personal attacks and can be hurtful to the listener (Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E., 2009, Verbal aggressiveness scale).” I would never have thought that I would be an aggressive communicator and attack another person’s viewpoint or position.  I found it to be eye opening and to be aware of how I communicate my viewpoint with others. To be evaluated with the thought of being an aggressive communicator made me freeze and think could I be this kind of communicator and I think depending on the situation, I think I can come across as a strong and aggressive communicator towards another person in an unintentional manner.

The results I got for my communication anxiety and listening styles match my personality to a tee. I am a people-oriented person and validate others emotions that help support me on building relationships with others, but it can interfere with my judgement with trusting others completely at that initial meet and greet. I need to continue to be respectful towards others and validate their emotions, but give myself time to build a strong relationship with another person compared to trusting them with my complete heart (Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R., 2009, Listening styles profile). As an early childhood professional, being aware of this listening style will help me strengthen my ability to offer myself and another person the time to gain trust, understanding, and acceptance of our differences that will help me grow personally and professionally in my listening style skills.

My communication anxiety is somewhat concerned about the number of communication contexts, but not all communication contexts. I have a mid-point level of communication anxiety that would be called situational (Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E., 2009, Communication anxiety inventory). I have to agree that depending on the situation I am in will determine my anxiety level when communicating with another person. It makes me want to find different techniques and skills to relax in different communication settings in a personal and professional manner. It is important to understand my anxiety level when communicating with young children, their families, and other early childhood professionals. We are all here to work together in a collaboration manner and learn from each other to develop our communication styles and skills. Our experiences will impact the way we communicate with others through personal schemas that can stand in the way of overcoming differences with others through our communication styles and skills (O’ Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 37-38).

References:

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Perceiving the self and others. In Real communication: An

introduction (2nd ed.). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication anxiety inventory.

Communication research measures: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Verbal aggressiveness scale.

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). Listening styles profile. Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.