Communication takes several different forms. It can verbal or nonverbal; it can be dyadic or a speaker talking to a large audience; it can be intimate or it can be formal. The main thing to remember about communication is that, although it takes several different forms and we often take it for granted, it is one of the most important skills we could ever learn. This paper will focus on my study of my own personal skills in interpersonal, group, and organizational communications.
Communications is a very diverse field of study. Some people enter into communications studies to become political advisors, some desire to be teachers, and others desire to become training specialists. There are literally dozens of careers that could be obtained with a communications degree. My main focus in studying communications is to become an editor or a news writer. An understanding of communication will be very important in my professional life, as to become an editor or a news writer, I will need to understand the basic principles of how to convey messages to the public in a media outlet. Understanding communication is also important in everyone’s personal life because communication is a daily occurrence that we all participate in.
Communication is defined in many ways. The text gives us several examples of definitions that could be used for the word “communication.” The one that stood out most to me was number seven, which defines communication as “the transmission of information, ideas, emotions, skills, etc., by the use of symbols-words, pictures, figures, graphs, etc.” (Trenholm, 2008, p. 20). This definition came closest to what I believe communication is. We use communication daily to send messages to other people. Whether we are trying to convey an idea or just a thought, we most commonly use words to get our point across.
For one assignment to help us understand more about how we view people, we were asked to compare and contrast people we knew, and how we communicated differently with each person. In writing my comparison and contrast of the people I know, I learned a few things about myself. I believe that I have a stable set of constructs. I always try to view people in a positive light. If they have negative attributes, I generally try to look past those attributes to find out why they are the way that they are. It helps me understand more about the person’s character to know about circumstances in a person’s life that have led them to become closed off or angry. Also, when I take the time to get to know the person before judging them, they are more likely to do the same for me. I try to come across as personable and friendly; however, depending on my mood, I may come across as rude or closed off.
I also try to avoid using stereotypes as much as possible. I know from experience that stereotypes are not always accurate and that sometimes they can be hurtful. The constructs I use may not be complete if I do not know the person outside of a certain environment. For example, I know my supervisor as my co-worker and I judge her by the attitude she exhibits at work and how she carries herself there. If I were to become familiar with her outside of work, my construct of her may change. I know that I am a different person at work than I am at home. At work I am more formal, whereas at home I am more relaxed and can express myself more freely.
In considering my communication with people of different constructs, I realize that I do communicate differently with different people. My sister and I have our own way of talking to each other that nobody else would understand if they were to just eavesdrop or read through our texts. My best friend and I also have a certain way that we talk to each other. My husband and I speak more freely and intimately with each other. I am more formal with my supervisor and those people that I work with.
People can be encouraged to develop diverse constructs by learning that everyone is an individual and should be judged as such. Just because a person comes from a low-income family or a bad neighborhood, some people may write that person off as a “bad seed.” However, that person could be one of the hardest workers you will ever meet. I think that everyone needs to learn that stereotyping or putting people into certain groups is not only harmful to the individual being labeled, it is also damaging to the development of a better environment for our children.
In my study of interpersonal communication, I have learned several things. I have learned that it is always best to be open to any type of communication. It is important to avoid stereotypes as much as possible. Also, I have learned that listening is often more important than talking. If you don’t listen as well as you speak, communication can be skewed and miscommunication occurs.
Group communication is an entirely different concept from interpersonal communication. In interpersonal communication, a conversation is taking place between a few people who are intimate with each other. Group communication brings in more people, more ideas, and more challenges. According to our text, a group is defined as “a collection of individuals who, as a result of interacting with one another over time, become interdependent, developing shared patterns of behavior and a collective identity“ (Trenholm, 2008, p. 177). I do not believe that I am very good at group communications. A lot of the time I tend to listen for mistakes that somebody makes so that I can correct them. This gives me a sense of power in a situation that I am uncomfortable in and shows off my knowledge about the subject at hand. One way that I could strengthen my group communications skills was found in an article and states that “A better way to communicate with colleagues is to be curious. If someone says something you do not agree with, or even that you ‘know’ is incorrect, begin with an open-ended question” (Anonymous, 2008). In other words, instead of just correcting somebody, I should offer them an opportunity to explain why they are thinking the way that they are, and then offer my opinion.
Organizational communication is defined as “the process through which organizations create and shape events” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, p. 15). An organization is very different from a group. An organization is “a system consisting of a large number of people working together in a structured way to accomplish multiple goals” (Trenholm, 2008, p. 214).” An organization is more of a culture than a group is. A group is generally focused on accomplishing one goal, while an organization focuses on multiple goals at once. Organizational communication comes into play most often in our work lives. For example, a corporation is an organization. Communication can flow upward or downward; that is, it can come from supervisors or managers to lower level employees, or it can flow from an entry level employee to a manager or supervisor.
In studying my organizational communication skills, we were asked to compile a list of our strengths in work-content skills, personal skills, and technology skills. I found that my strongest area of all of these were my personal attributes, such as dependability, accountability, motivation, determination, and flexibility. My work-content and technology skills were very similar to one another. These include my ability to research thoroughly, knowledge of several different operating systems, and my knowledge of all Microsoft Office programs. These skills can all be included on a resume in the future.
As we have learned through this course, communication takes several different forms. The purpose of this paper was to examine my personal strengths and weaknesses in interpersonal, group, and organizational communications. I have learned that I feel very comfortable in interpersonal communication situations, but I need to work on my group and organizational communication skills. Whether communication is intended or not, it is a very important part of our lives and something that I think everybody should learn more about.
References
Be Curious, Not Confrontational. (2008). Healthcare Executive, 23(5), 82.
Shockley-Zalabak, P. (2009). Fundamentals of Organizational Communication:
Knowledge, Sensitivity, Skills, Values (7th ed). Boston: Pearson.
Trenholm, S. (2008). Thinking Through Communication: An Introduction to the Study of
Human Communication (5th ed). Boston: Pearson.
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