Communication Evaluations

In week 4 of this course, we had to personally evaluate our communication styles based upon three surveys of three different areas of communication: communication anxiety, verbal aggressiveness, and listening skills. In addition, we had to ask at least two individuals to complete the three surveys about our communication skills, as well. The individuals could be family, friends, colleagues, etc. To complete this exercise, I completed all three surveys first, followed by having my boyfriend of eight years, Michael, complete it. Next, I asked my mother to complete it and a colleague and friend of mine, Jen, whom I work with in my school building and at summer camp this summer.


Upon completing the surveys myself, I learned that I have Mild Communication Anxiety based upon my score of 42. In other words, this score and label reports that I have unease and discomfort with some communicative situations, while feeling completely confident and at ease in others. On the second survey for Verbal Aggressiveness, I scored 61 which meant that I scored "Moderate" on the scale and have a good balance between respecting others and holding my ground for something I feel strongly about. Lastly, on the Listening Skills survey, I scored in Group 1, which means I was in the "People Oriented" grouping. Therefore, I exhibit empathy and understanding to help foster good relationships through communication, yet can have difficulty in judging others when necessary due to this. After discussing the survey scores with Mike, my mom, and Jen, I found that their scores were either the same or closely similar in range to my own scores overall. Mike scored 42 as I had on the Anxiety survey; 60 on the Verbal Aggressiveness survey compared to my score of 61; and Group 1 as I had on the Listening Styles survey. My mom scored 35 on Anxiety survey, close to my score of 42 and still within the range of the same description I received of Mild Anxiety; 64 on Verbal Aggressiveness, which was again close to my score of 61 and in the Moderate range; and Group 1 as both Mike and I had on the Listening Styles survey, meaning I am considered People Oriented. Lastly, my colleague and friend, Jen, who teaches first grade in my building, completed the three surveys about my communication skills based upon what she knows of me in the workplace and personally. She scored 36 on the Communication Anxiety survey, which is also in the Mild Anxiety category; 56 on the Verbal Aggressiveness survey, which is also in the Moderate range; and Group 1 on the Listening Styles survey, which is the People Oriented grouping.


It was not surprising to me that Mike, my mom, and I all scored either the same or closely similar scores on this survey as I believe they are the two people in the world who know me the best. They are the two individuals with whom I speak to daily and guide me through the ups and downs of life. I was pleased to know that we all scored similarly, proving what I had already thought about our relationships and understandings and respect for one another. On the other hand, something I was surprised by was the fact that ALL FOUR of us scored in the same categories and score ranges. While I would expect that from my mother or from Mike, I was pleasantly surprised to see the consistency of scoring from a colleague of my workplace. This was reassuring that I am making strides to communicate effectively in all aspects of my life as I had hoped I was doing, yet at the same time provides me with insights on what to improve as I continue on my journey towards competent communication and anti-bias education.


After completing the work revolving around the concept of communication this week, I have continued to have my eyes opened to the reality of the matter at hand. Completing the surveys about my own communication skills was a great opportunity for me to truly examine, analyze, and understand how I am communicating with others in all aspects of my life. One of the greatest insights I gained this week comes from having the opportunity to recognize my owns strengths and weaknesses in terms of communication, especially within the field of education. I realized that I have always been uncomfortable with public speaking but I am slowly overcoming the fear and anxiety I have had in some forms. Based upon the surveys, I realized that I am slowly taking steps into leadership roles, as in this past school year when I created my own PLC for the third and fourth grade teachers with approval from the principal in which we completed a book study and compiled resources and practices for Reading and Language in our classrooms. Additioanlly, another insight I had gained this week was concretely recognizing the impact communication has on an individual's relationships. Based upon the feedback and scores I received from the three individuals who completed the surveys about my communication patterns and skills, I have noticed that we have a true respect and understanding of one another on a deep level, to which it should be acknowledged that the effectiveness of my communication helped to form such strong bonds and relationships. This is a truly important piece to recognize within ourselves - the impact we have on the relationships in our lives (whether it be with a boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife, family member, friend, colleague, student, etc.) based upon the effectiveness of our communication skills - verbal, nonverbal, and listening.