Diagnosis and Reflection
The role of communication in the domain of business cannot be undermined. It goes a long way in helping an individual to interact in the correct manner. The essay will be highlighting the essential aspects of my communication and will be highlighting various theoretical as well as practical instances (Cocks et al., 2014). The report shall diagnose and analyzing the five essential communication tools used by me and help me to identify my areas of weakness. An individual should always be up for taking up corrective measures I order to improve their skills. I will be conducting an analysis and a literature review on the same. The last part of the report will be focusing on an action plan which shall help me to improve my skills.
Analysis of diagnostic tools and Findings
In order to complete the assessment as a part of the coursework and to understand my weaknesses I decided to take up the help of a diagnostic tool in order to analyze my personal communication skills. The tools which I made use of are as follows. The Self Perceived Communication Competence Questionnaire, the Personal Report of Intercultural Communication Apprehension, the Talkaholic Scale, the Non-verbal Immediacy Scale and lastly the Tolerance for Disagreement tool. The tools very highly complex in nature and involved a wide variety of questions relating to my personal capabilities and other related aspects. These tools went a long way in helping me to understand my shortcomings and guiding me towards the right path (McNeill et al., 2016).
The first tool I used was the Self Perceived Communication tool. The tool involved a competence Questionnaire in which I scored quite well. The tool helps in utilization and analysis of the competency of different people. In order to analyze the competency of an individual this tool goes a long way in understanding the critical aspects of ones character. It states that when there exist various receivers for a particular set of information, the person who is disseminating the information reacts in a different manner. The score which I obtained in the given tool was 84 which is fairly high.
The second tool used was the Personal Report of Intercultural Communication Apprehension. This tool is generally used in order to analyze the manner in which an individual behaves when interacting with people belonging to other cultures. The score which an individual receives in the given domain tends to determine his or her easiness around other cultured people and helps in measuring their interactions based on other individuals. In this given scale I scored 51 which is fairly moderate. Although the score is fine there does exist some scope of improvement for me in this aspect. Personally I feel that this is indeed a true reflection because I often feel scared and uncomfortable while interacting with these people who are from a different culture other than mine.
Analysis of diagnostic tools and Findings
The third tool which I used for analyzing an interpreting various aspects of my character was the Non Verbal Immediacy Scale Self Report. The tool helps in the analysis of different individuals and their indicators with respect to the observation of how they tend to behave in front of others especially in social gatherings and other such meetings (Utzinger et al., 2015). The tool takes into consideration different aspects and the scores differ between genders. In this given tool I got a low score of 80 which reflects that I fear social gatherings and my body language and facial expressions fail to express my comfort and I may appear to be rude in certain scenarios (Dwyer, Hogan & Stewart, 2014). I fail at portraying cues about someone and this is a major weakness in my communication aspect.
The fourth tool which I made use of was the Tolerance for Disagreement. The given tool helps analyzing the control level of an individual when he is face by a situation which does not work in his favor (Mehrabian, 2017). This tool helps in the measurement of the fact that when a person is faced by a scenario which is not favorable then what reaction does the person reflect. This deals with the argumentativeness aspect of an individual and defines the extent to which an individual would go in order to determine the right and the wrong thing (Marinho et al., 2017). The ones who are more argumentative in nature have a lower tolerance level then the ones who have a low argumentative nature. If an individual scores above 46 in this aspect it means that the person has a high tolerance level. I scored a high 60 in this scale which shows that I am a highly tolerant individual who has low argumentative skills. I easily agree with others and believe in peaceful relationships.
The last tool used by me was the Talkaholic scale. The scale tends to measure the habit of compulsive communication and tends to determine those individuals and their habits who talk more than others. Although these people make sense when they talk, the general population falls under the category of below 39. In general the score below 30 is considered to be fairly normal. In this tool I achieved a score of 16 which is accurate (Knapp, Hall & Horgan, 2013). I believe in listening more than speaking.
Literature review
Hence, the results which I obtained from the diagnostic tools were fairly accurate and true. They went a long way in helping me to identify the different strengths and flaws in my character. Based on my observation it can be stated that I prefer learning and observing more than speaking. Furthermore, I feel while uncomfortable around different cultured people but I am highly tolerant. Lastly, I am extremely conscious about my body language and this tends to have a negative impact on my image in social gatherings (Laske et al., 2015).
I would like to take further measures and would aim to improve myself in these aspects. Hence, summarizing the above discussion it can be stated that I scored the lowest in these tools and now my action plan shall be based on these tools and the diagnostics. They are the Non-Verbal Immediacy Scale and the Personal Report of Intercultural Communication Apprehension Assessment
Two communication issues
The above section assisted me in figuring out the faults in my image and communication capabilities. The two primary communication issues which I identified were the inability to interact effectively and gel with individuals who do not belong to my own culture. In situations where differently cultured people are concerned, I tend to take a step backward instead of taking a step forward as I believe that I am not fit enough or my linguistic skills are not adequate. I think that this will hinder my image and thus refrain from this kind of communication. I believe that this is the situation because the environment in which I have been since childhood greatly restricts my thinking and makes me fear for the consequences.
The second big problem which was faced by me was the problem of immediacy level during my interactions with other people. This weakness is a huge reflection of my image in front of new and previously known people alike. The given aspect measures the manner in which an individual interacts with people belonging to a different culture than mine or having slightly different characteristics. I do not feel comfortable while interacting with others and fear conversations and social gatherings. This flaw has tarnished a large number of my personal and professional relationships and sabotaged my image regularly.
Hence, I would like to improve in these two given aspects.
Reflection on personal incidents
In relation with communication, and my lack of skills in the above mentioned areas, I would like to narrate certain instances which have taken place in the past and further strengthen the argument that I am quite weak with respect to the given aspects. These incidents have taken place in the past and the names and places might be altered for confidentiality. I intendent not two face such situations in the future and hence, I want to share these incidents for proper guidance.
Action Plan
A few months back I had gone to Café Nero and was having my daily cup of coffee. On the table beside me, five men were seated who belonged to a culture which was quite different from mine. They seemed friendly in nature but I was unable to maintain and conduct further interaction with them because of my fear in interacting with differently cultured people. For my coursework I had been reading a book at that time and I observed that these people were talking about the same book and one of them was stating a point which I completely disagreed with. I wanted to interrupt but was unable to as my lack of skill hindered me from joining the conversation and increasing my contacts and skills alike.
The second incident relates to the incident of a party. When I was a fresher I had been invited to a party. These parties tend to form a major source of formation of different social groups and this helps us in the future. However dye to my lack of nonverbal immediacy I was social awkward at the given party and was unable to interact with these different people in a free manner. I could not maintain an eye contact and my body language was also very poor. The people in the party assumed that I was quite arrogant and thus they maintained their distance from me. It is due to this fact that I was unable to gel easily with many in the party and my college.
This section will be discussing relevancy literature available on books, journals, newspapers and articles, related to my communication issues. As stated earlier these communication issues have been identified after considerable analysis of the diagnostic tools which had been used earlier. The literature sources information from valued sources and would help in further analysis of the communication issues being faced by me and to identify the measures for improvement.
Intercultural Communication Apprehension
The Intercultural Communication apprehension can be defined as the fear of communicating and interacting with people who belong to a different culture. When an individual comes face to face with another cultured person, then the individual is unable to speak properly and fears confrontations. They tend to perceive this interaction as a negative aspect or interaction and thus refrain from these kinds of associations in total (Bennett-Levy & Lee, 2014). This apprehension is of four major types relating to context, situation, audience and trait. From this, I suffer from situational apprehension and anxiety which makes me extremely nervous during the interactions.
Intercultural communication and stereotyping
According to me the reason why I am uncomfortable during my communications and confrontations with differently cultured people is mainly because of two reasons. The first reason is the general perception which I possess about them. I believe that, from my childhood I have been raised in a manner such that anyone who belongs to a different culture from mine seems to be of a particular type especially in the negative light (De Vries, Bakker-Pieper & Oostenveld, 2010). I have stereotyped them accordingly and believe that they may not be someone I would like to interact with.
According to Shockley-Zalabak (2014), the formation of stereotypes is not correct and that I need to realize that the times have changed and the social groups these days tend to comprise of various members from different cultures and I have to overcome this stereotyping concept of mine in order to be able to improve in the given domain (Samovar et al., 2015).
Hence, for this reason I would like to suggest that I need to keep an open mind and let go of this stereotype perception about people. The thinking of different individuals remain the same and it does not depend on the cultures. In order to reduce the negative outcome of my behavior and to improve I would be required to overcome my fear, be a little less judgmental and interact with people belonging to different cultures. With this my perception would go through a change gradually (Knapp, Vangelisti & Caughlin, 2014).
Speaking skills and choice of language
According to Bays et al. (2014), the second reason why people generally are not comfortable in interacting with people from a different culture is the reason related to speaking and linguistic barriers. The people who interact among themselves and belong to different cultures should make use of proper tone and language. If the language is not clear or if the undertone is unsuitable, the relations might be tampered. It turns out to be quite negative. It is also important for an individual to understand the language and the culture he is speaking to. Hence, it is suggested that a prior knowledge of a different culture goes a long way in deciding the success of a person in the given domain (Coombs, 2014). For instance, when I am interacting with a French man and I have a hang of the language my communication with him will be good.
Hence, linguistic knowledge is a crucial determiner of success in intercultural relationships. To improve in the domain I can take up a new language course.
Diversity tends to play a key role in any kind of a relationship. As the business environment has become increasingly competitive, it becomes extremely crucial for an individual to be able to successfully engage in relationships which are beneficial for the business and his relationships with differently cultures people are important.
Non Verbal Immediacy
Although spoken language plays a key role in deciding the success of a communication, it is also relevant to possess skills which are portrayed non verbally. The communication skills are the most crucial skills an individual requires and the positive reflection of the nonverbal communication which takes place between two individuals tends to determine positivity between them and avoid a hostile environment of disagreement.
The immediacy can be described as a situation whereby an individual who gets into an interactive situation with another individual tends to react in a positive or a negative manner. The immediacy is believed to give away cues which a person portrays and hence, it is a reflection of his interest in the interaction which takes place. Immediacy helps to understand the social presence of an individual. The nonverbal immediacy may be reflected by facial expressions, body language and mannerism. In scenario, where a person is weak or does not want to engage in a conversation or interaction he may portray immediacy components which might have the tendency to appear rude or disinterested in general. It tends to have a negative image on the individual perception.
As per House (2014), to overcome this kind of a communication barrier, it is important that the given individual, overcomes the sense of consciousness and the conflict which he is surrounded by and take it easy. Once the consciousness is gone, the person will be able to interact with others freely and also be able to engage in meaningful social interactions. This can only be implemented with practice.
Once the immediacy level is improved, an individual will be able to deal in better relationships with peer groups and elders alike.
Emotional intelligence
The power of emotional intelligence cannot be undermined. Effective communication is hugely dependent upon the emotional intelligence of an individual and it is a proven fact that an individual who is able to interact effectively generally has a strong emotional intelligence and balance. An emotionally intelligent person tends to gel with varied situations and is easily able to take advantage and be confident.
As analyzed previously I lack in two communicational dimensions which range from nonverbal immediacy and intercultural communication problem. In the long run, when I would be entering into the domain of corporate world, I would be requiring to make efficient use of these skills. In order to improve in these domains, I ace decided to take up some additional classes which will assist me in improving my skills and perform well. The given section will be looking into the six month action plan which I have made for my personal development.
As observed from the analysis made in the two previous sections, I have serious communication issues in relation to the different aspects of my personality. These issues are related to the low ratings in nonverbal immediacy which represents my social presence and feelings in front of an individual or a social group (Ruesch, Bateson , Pinsker & Combs, 2017). The nonverbal immediacy has a tendency to tamper relationships. The second shortcoming which I need to overcome is my sense of fear and lack of confidence when I interact with people from different background and cultural mindset. Hence, in order to ace it in the corporate world I would be required to improve these two aspects and be successful. I have formed an action plan of six months which will then help me to
I have thought over this and I came to the conclusion that I would be required to maintain a tracker of my activities. A Tracker can be defined as a document preferably made using a software which goes a long way in helping an individual to improve one’s skill and manage the time accordingly (House, 2014). I realize that my action plan will not be successful if I do not make a note of things and for this purpose, it becomes increasingly important for me to form a plan, take notes and stick to it. Hence, using an excel sheet named Personal progress I will be forming a document which will be updated regularly, this will also enable me later to analyze my expected performance and the real one. Furthermore it will also assist in faithful representation of my activities.
Secondly, I will be requiring to set up a mentor for my tracking procedure. Although I would be taking down notes on my success and will be maintaining a tracker, I believe that the presence of a mentor will help me in guidance and goal achievement. For this purpose, I will be hiring Mr. Jig Holls. Mr. Holls has had prior experience in this domain and will be able to help me in improving my skills plus guiding me in future endeavors as well.
Along with hiring a mentor to assist me I plan to join a language class which will teach me the basics of all the major languages around the globe. The program will be a 5 month program which will help me in overcoming the linguistic barriers I possess (Habermas, 2015). Secondly, I will also be meeting various people in this class with varied backgrounds which shall go a long way in guiding me for the future. After undertaking the course I will be able to easily interact with different cultured people.
Alongside, this I will be taking up subscription for a personality development class for a period of 16 weeks. This shall help me to improve my immediacy skills and make me more confident for my future endeavors.
The people from the varied background can assist me as well. I will also be attending different social gatherings and prayer meets with reading classes as well to meet new people and test the new improved version of myself (Hartman & McCambridge, 2011).The progress which I will make in the given field will be noted in my tracker and under the guidance of my mentor. Furthermore, the feedback received from my classmates and teachers will help me in the measurement of my performance. The Gantt chart given discusses my Action Plan time distribution.
Conclusion
Hence, the analysis in the essay provided an effective guideline with respect to my communication traits. I was lagging in certain aspects and this analysis using the five diagnostic tools assisted me in understanding those weak aspects of my personality which I was not previously aware of. The essay helped in identification that I need to improve my cultural communications and nonverbal immediacy skills, discussed relevant literature and provided an Action plan for the same.
References
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Cocks, M., Moulton, C. A. Luu, S., & Cil, T. (2014). What surgeons can learn from athletes: mental practice in sports and surgery. Journal of Surgical Education, 71(2), 262–269. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2013.07.002
Coombs, W. T. (2014). Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding. Sage Publications.
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Knapp, M. L., Hall, J. A., & Horgan, T. G. (2013). Nonverbal communication in human interaction. Cengage Learning.
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Samovar, L. A., McDaniel, E. R., Porter, R. E., & Roy, C. S. (2015). Communication between cultures. Nelson Education.
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