Communication Assessments

This week's assignment turned out to be quite interesting. I started out asking my husband and my director to each take the assessment. Surprisingly they both answered very similar to one another and very close to what I had answered. Does that mean they both see me as I see myself? So, I took it a step further and asked a couple of co-workers who don't know me quite as well and they each answered fairly different than the three of us had answered.

When I took the assessments I rated myself as Elevated in the Communication Anxiety Inventory. I know that I do not like to speak in public, however, in order to teach at the community college and to give presentations at conferences I MUST improve in this area and I am really working on it. I presented with my director for the first time last weekend at the Texas Licensed Child Care Association Conference and made it through somehow. I know I was a nervous wreck the entire time and don't even remember much about it. But, we did receive very positive reviews so that is a plus. My director is trying to get me to give the presentation again in March at the state conference in Houston, but I am very hesitant. My husband rated me as Moderate in this category and my director rated me as elevated....he knows how nervous I was three days before at the conference. The other co-workers each rated me at low in this category which is very interesting to me, because even at work with my colleagues I do not jump up and speak in front of the group much.

On the verbal aggressiveness scale everybody rated me at moderate, which states that I 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 the position. I believe this is a fair assessment of how I try to communicate when I am in disagreement. I know I am far from perfect here, but I definitely would not want to be attacked myself and therefore, I follow the Golden Rule (or Platinum Rule) and treat others the way I think they would want to be treated (as well as how I would want to be treated).

Again, on the Listening Styles Profile everybody rated me in Group 1, which states that my listening style is People-oriented. I definitely agree that I am empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others (sometimes to a fault-as my director pointed out). When I first began my journey in the early childhood field I was incredibly trusting and got taken advantage of on a daily basis....I now have five years behind me and have become much less trusting and tend to questions others' motives. I really don't like the feeling that I cannot trust people, but when you get burned over and over again by others you tend to toughen up a bit.

One of the insight I had was self-actualization-the feelings and thoughts you get when you know that you have negotiated a communication situation as well as you possibly could. After my presentation at the TLCCA and then my interactions at the Chamber of Commerce Banquet I felt a sense of accomplishment. Though I was incredibly nervous throughout the presentation I managed to get through it and that is extremely huge for me. I feel much better about it now, a week later, and my self-esteem has risen a notch. Am I ready to run out and give another presentation tomorrow? Probably not, but by pushing myself outside my comfort zone and receiving positive feedback I am inching my way toward feeling more competent in my ability to communicate effectively.