For my assignment this week, I took three surveys on communication and listening styles. These were the Communication Anxiety Inventory, Verbal Aggressiveness Scale and the Listening Styles Profile.
After completing the surveys, I found that I scored a 23 on the Communication Anxiety Inventory. Accordingly, I am a level low and this shows that I am comfortable “communicating in most situations and feel confident in anticipating such encounters” (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher, 2009).
I scored a 73 on the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale which is considered high. This means that I “often resort to character attacks and ridicule when talking to others who do not share my viewpoints. My aggressiveness may cause anger, hurt feelings, and embarrassment, and will rarely, if ever, persuade the listener to my point of view” (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher, 2009). This surprised me since, according to the Listening Styles Profile, I was categorized as being in Group 1.
Group 1 embodies people who are people-oriented. This means that I am “empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others. This listening style helps me to build relationships, but it can interfere with proper judgment because I tend to be very trusting of others” (Rubin & Rubin, et al., 2009).
I was not surprised by the Communication Anxiety Inventory results nor the Listening Styles Profile. I am very comfortable speaking in any situation, enjoy meeting new people and speak in front of large crowds on a regular basis. The Listening Styles Profile was quite accurate in that I do care about the feelings of others and am very trusting of people. I believe like Anne Frank “that people are really good at heart” (2011). However, I was not surprised that I am verbally aggressive, but never imagined that I engage in character attacks.
I was not surprised to find that other sources that I chose to take the survey (a former colleague and my daughter) came to similar conclusions. I was always placed in Group 1 by every person who scored my listening style.My verbal aggressiveness scores ranged from 56-61, which puts me in the low to moderate category. My personal score had placed me in the high category. This shows that I was much harder on myself than my friends and family. The low to moderate category means that I am not engaging in character attacks, as stated by my own results, but that I am “respectful of the viewpoints and intelligence of others” and that I “maintain a good balance between respect and consideration for others’ viewpoints” (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher, 2009). This also indicates that I “attempt to change their minds with gentle, inoffensive suggestions that do not attack their self-concept” and that I have “the ability to argue fairly by attacking the facts of a position rather than the person holding that position” (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher).
The information I gleaned from these surveys, and the results of others, have helped me develop some communication goals. While I will probably always be comfortable in speaking in crowds and with total strangers, I can focus on not always dominating the conversation. I can work harder to keep my mouth shut and listen more. I can continue to respect others and not attack a person's character when disagreeing. I can also work to focus on people and relationships when listening to others, but focus on the facts and data when I'm communicating information with the parents of my students.
Finally, “self-esteem refers to how one feels about oneself, usually in a particular situation” (O’Hair & Weimann, 2009). According to the results of these surveys, I have a very strong self-esteem and it comes through loud and clear in my speaking, listening and communication styles. It would behoove me to focus less on myself and more on others as I continue to engage in effective communication throughout my lifetime.
In this video, Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street show us that good communication can do a world of good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0tyDqPPaSM&feature=related
After completing the surveys, I found that I scored a 23 on the Communication Anxiety Inventory. Accordingly, I am a level low and this shows that I am comfortable “communicating in most situations and feel confident in anticipating such encounters” (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher, 2009).
I scored a 73 on the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale which is considered high. This means that I “often resort to character attacks and ridicule when talking to others who do not share my viewpoints. My aggressiveness may cause anger, hurt feelings, and embarrassment, and will rarely, if ever, persuade the listener to my point of view” (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher, 2009). This surprised me since, according to the Listening Styles Profile, I was categorized as being in Group 1.
Group 1 embodies people who are people-oriented. This means that I am “empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others. This listening style helps me to build relationships, but it can interfere with proper judgment because I tend to be very trusting of others” (Rubin & Rubin, et al., 2009).
I was not surprised by the Communication Anxiety Inventory results nor the Listening Styles Profile. I am very comfortable speaking in any situation, enjoy meeting new people and speak in front of large crowds on a regular basis. The Listening Styles Profile was quite accurate in that I do care about the feelings of others and am very trusting of people. I believe like Anne Frank “that people are really good at heart” (2011). However, I was not surprised that I am verbally aggressive, but never imagined that I engage in character attacks.
I was not surprised to find that other sources that I chose to take the survey (a former colleague and my daughter) came to similar conclusions. I was always placed in Group 1 by every person who scored my listening style.My verbal aggressiveness scores ranged from 56-61, which puts me in the low to moderate category. My personal score had placed me in the high category. This shows that I was much harder on myself than my friends and family. The low to moderate category means that I am not engaging in character attacks, as stated by my own results, but that I am “respectful of the viewpoints and intelligence of others” and that I “maintain a good balance between respect and consideration for others’ viewpoints” (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher, 2009). This also indicates that I “attempt to change their minds with gentle, inoffensive suggestions that do not attack their self-concept” and that I have “the ability to argue fairly by attacking the facts of a position rather than the person holding that position” (Rubin, Palmgreen & Sypher).
The information I gleaned from these surveys, and the results of others, have helped me develop some communication goals. While I will probably always be comfortable in speaking in crowds and with total strangers, I can focus on not always dominating the conversation. I can work harder to keep my mouth shut and listen more. I can continue to respect others and not attack a person's character when disagreeing. I can also work to focus on people and relationships when listening to others, but focus on the facts and data when I'm communicating information with the parents of my students.
Finally, “self-esteem refers to how one feels about oneself, usually in a particular situation” (O’Hair & Weimann, 2009). According to the results of these surveys, I have a very strong self-esteem and it comes through loud and clear in my speaking, listening and communication styles. It would behoove me to focus less on myself and more on others as I continue to engage in effective communication throughout my lifetime.
In this video, Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street show us that good communication can do a world of good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0tyDqPPaSM&feature=related
Resources
Brainyquote. (2001-2011). Retrieved October 2, 2011 from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/anne_frank.html
O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge. “Communication Anxiety Inventory” and “Verbal Aggressiveness Scale” Copyright 2009 Taylor & Francis Group LLC Books. Used with permission from Routledge via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge. “Listening Styles Profile-16” Copyright 2009 Taylor & Francis Group LLC Books. Used with permission from Taylor & Francis via the Copyright Clearance Center.
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