Who Am I as a Communicator?

For my application assignment this week, I asked my supervisor and my friend if they would fill out the surveys based on their perception of my communication skills.  As I went over the results of the surveys, I must say I was most surprised to find that all three Listening Styles Profiles identified the same results.  We all agreed that I was “People-oriented;” thus, falling into Group 1. The narrative description identifies this group as being empathetic and concerned with others’ emotions (Rubin, Rubin, Graham, Perse, & Seibold, 2009).  I learned that one of the positive attributes of this group is having the ability to build relationships with others.  Having this attribute promotes effective communication with children, parents, colleagues, and the community at large. It is important to build these relationships so that we can all advocate and support the welfare of others. 

 However, I also learned that there is a downside to being a part of this group; our lack of caution when trusting others.  This leaves us vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation; thus, interfering with proper judgment (Rubin, Rubin, Graham, Perse, & Seibold, 2009).  Unfortunately, not everyone is trustworthy and in our profession we have to be mindful of this at all time in order to protect our children and their families.  It is our job to help teach them the difference between building safe and unsafe relationships.  I think it is important to be people-oriented, but we need a balance to ensure effective communication is taking place at all times, in both our personal and professional life.  In order to accomplish this we need to obtain knowledge and skills in all four listening styles; people, action, content and time oriented.

I must say, I was somewhat hesitant in the beginning to find out how others viewed me, but in the end, I was glad this exercise was a part of the curriculum because it not only provided insight on how others feel when they are under my spotlight, but it open my eyes to communication skills I need to work on internally. 

Reference

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.