Communication Self-Assessment, Essay Example

After taking the communication skills self-assessment, I recognized that two specific communication poor/weak habits I have is the ability to directly answer questions I’m asked without talking around the subject (interpersonal communication) and the second is that I have difficulty using concise language when I speak (intrapersonal communication). Improving upon these skills will help me achieve my life goals because I would like to graduate with a 3.5 GPA, or at least a 3.2. In addition, I suffer from anxiety. I believe that improving upon these two communications skills will help me sound like I mastered my learning material more effectively when I talk with professors which will contribute to a higher GPA.

I believe that both of the problems I mentioned above are related in some part to my anxiety when I speak with people who I feel have both the right and ability to judge what I say. This is particularly true when I speak with professors because they are masters of their respective subjects and will know when what I’m saying is incorrect. Because I am nervous, I talk around the question in order to seem like I know what I’m taking about even in situations in which I am able to answer the question directly. Furthermore, this only adds to my anxiety when I speak in front of others. To fix this issue, it is therefore necessary to eliminate my anxiety.

After reading the textbook, I developed a solution to this problem that will unfortunately not immediately correct my anxiety, but it will give me goals to work towards (VVand S). When I give speeches, I will do my best to paraphrase knowledge rather than memorize answers, use note cards for guidance not as a strict plan of action, try to forget that I am nervous and instead heavily focus on what I am saying, and striving for perfect responses but not becoming upset if I am unable to maintain perfection. I will also practice saying what I want to say using the best wording possible. Ultimately, it is essential that I practice speaking in front of others so that my anxiety is reduced over time and so that I am able to talk in a way that makes the most sense and is convincing to others.