Interpersonal Communication

 Communication Apprehension I experience high levels of communication apprehension on an everyday basis but could never put a name to it. According to Reflect and Relate , communication apprehension is the fear or anxiety associated with interaction, which keeps someone from being able to communicate cooperatively. In most interactions I feel discomfort while communicating with people, this can make it difficult for me to communicate effectively or how I would prefer. I tend to avoid social interactions because of this and makes it difficult for me to form relationships. I do not have many friendships; they only contain friends from work, and I never hang out with them outside of work.  According to Reflect and Relate , I can overcome this barrier by developing communication plans, defined as, "mental maps that describe exactly how communication encounters will unfold — prior to interacting in the situations or with the people or types of people that cause your apprehension."

 Nonverbal Communication We communicate nonverbally every day and might not even realize it. According to Reflect and Relate , nonverbal communication is the intentional or unintentional transmission of meaning through an individual’s nonspoken physical and behavioral cues. Clothing, physical appearance, body language, eye contact, and facial expressions are all different ways we can communicate nonverbally. The unintentional transmission of meaning can be what others perceive from your nonverbal gesture that you did not mean anything by. The intentional transmission of meaning is when we communicate information to another people using nonverbal behaviors, such as sign language or emojis. Learning how to effectively understand nonverbal communication can help us in becoming a better communicator and to better understand the needs of the people we are communicating with, as well as help to determine the ways in which we should respond.   At work, I communicate nonverbally all the time t

 Sharing Emotions   We often share the majority of our emotional experiences with others. It can help reduce stress and calm us down by having someone to share it with. It can even uplift or cause us to catch others' emotions. Emotion-sharing is defined in Reflect & Relate as a way of communicating our emotions by talking about our emotional experiences with others. We share our emotions in many ways when communicating, such as body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions.   I share my emotions almost every day with my significant other, coworkers, or even a friend. At work, I often express my emotions with my go to coworker when something is bothering me, or I just feel the need to share. I often tend to regret when I emotion-share because I am wary about individuals using my sharing negatively, whether that's leverage or just to gossip about. I often have a bad habit of oversharing my emotions and experiences. Emotion-sharing can be a common way we communicate. It

 Listening Functions Everyone listens in different ways for different reasons, whether you are listening to a lecture to comprehend the information or music to appreciate, and we often do not even realize when we are doing so. The five common listening functions are described in Reflect & Relate as our purpose for listening that we experience daily: to comprehend, to discern, to analyze, to appreciate, and to support.  When communicating, I often listen to appreciate. For example, I simply enjoy when listening to music, closing my eyes and slightly nodding my head in appreciation, enjoying the beat, the craft, the voice, and the lyrics. I also listen to appreciate when I am communicating with my grandaddy. He often tells me very long stories about his life, and I am not so much paying attention to what he is saying but rather how he says it, how he smiles and laughs when he's telling a funny story, his unique way of communicating, and how overall it makes him happy when he say

 Perception of Others We perceive the world every day as a way to make sense of everything, and what we perceive is not always accurate, it is just our explanation of the information we are given. Perception is defined in Reflect & Relate as, "the process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting information for our senses.  When perceiving others, I commonly believe that their actions or communication is caused by situational factor rather than personality. My father is a main factor to why I have this mentality. He constantly reminds me not to write off someone as one thing when factors could be involved to why that individual is communicating in such a way. He often tells me that I might not have all the information to assume. I think this is why, in my daily life, I give people the benefit of the doubt when communicating, but this can also have a negative effect. Giving people the benefit of the doubt too much can lead to you making escuses for them, there has to be a mi

 Gender Roles Gender is assigned to products, clothes, careers, colors, actions, and even language. These gender roles limit individuals on what they can wear, buy, act, and how they speak. Gender roles are defined in Reflect and Relate as "shared societal expectations for conduct and behaviors that are deemed appropriate for girls or women and boys or men" (Ch.6 pg.156). I remember when I stopped shaving my underarms. I was in the kitchen, and I had raised my arm to grab a cup from the shelf. My mother saw that I hadn't shaved my underarms and told me it was disgusting and that women are supposed to shave. I was taken back by this, and I didn't understand why it was a big deal that I didn't shave and not one when my brother didn't. We are both people, and we both grow hair.  There are so many gender stereotypes that society makes us fit into, and it can really impact individuals mind set when growing up and their mental health. We continue to break these exp

 Intercultural Competence  While working as a gate attendant, I have to communicate with a large number of diverse people. To help me become a better communicator, I have to become familiar with intercultural competence. Intercultural competence is defined in Reflect and Relate as,"the ability to communicate appropriately, effectively, and ethically with people from diverse backgrounds" (Ch.5 pg.138). When working with individuals that have different cultures as me, I communicate to them with respect and acceptance. I speak to them and everyone kindly and polite, as well as accept our differences. I also avoid judgment on their customs, such as religion, even if I do not agree with their beliefs, I can still show respect.  While working one day, I was having small talk with an older lady who had a different culture as me, she continued to speak to me about her religion. I am an atheist and do not believe in any religion, but I listened to her respectfully and even asked ques

 Self-Awareness  When communicating with people is easy to get lost in the conversation. I know personally that I have a hard time understanding my own emotions or expressing how I feel when having an argument or any other discussion. Thats why I think it is important to have self-awareness. According to Reflect & Relate , "self-awareness is the ability to view yourself as a unique person distinct from your surrounding environment and to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors" (Ch.2, pg. 32). After taking an emotional intelligence quiz from my interpersonal communication class, I started to keep a journal. My score was very low, and it recommended daily journaling as a critical self-reflection, this has helped me to step back and evaluate myself and others to gain better self-awareness. After having an argument or discussion, I analyze the interaction and behaviors, this helps me better understand my emotions and determine how I could have improved. It also hel

 Interpersonal Communication Competence I wouldn't consider myself an excellent communicator. I often fumble over words and have a hard time expressing myself or knowing what to say, which is why I need to improve on my interpersonal communication competence. Since I started working with individuals, I have increased my communication skills.  According to Reflect & Relate , "interpersonal communication competence means consistently communicating in ways that are appropriate, effective, and ethical"(Ch.1, pg.16).  The first characteristic of interpersonal communication competence is appropriateness. As a gate attendant at a campground, I have to act appropriately when speaking to property owners, such as speaking in a friendly tone, and calling people ma'am or sir.  Another important characteristic of interpersonal communication is ethics. When communicating, I'm never trying to hurt others with my words, and I make an effort to always be honest.  The last char