For this blog post, I will be observing the differences or similarities between how I view myself as a communicator, and how others evaluate my communication skills. In a previous assignment, I asked two friends to complete a survey impressions of my dialogue when we talk. This blog post will be a reflection upon those responses. Most of their responses I had anticipated, but there were one or two that surprised me.
The biggest feedback that surprised me was how much more confident others saw me compared to how I viewed my own level of confidence. I am diagnosed with general anxiety, so conversations tend to make me feel incredibly anxious. Because I feel anxious, I have the belief that my anxiety is visible to the person I am communicating with. However, it became apparent by asking friends to note how they view my communication during our conversation, that this is not the case. To the friends I asked, they saw me as a much more self-assured communicator. After they completed the surveys, I read their results and asked for a beef description of their overall impressions of the way in which I communicate.
The feedback I received was very kind, but honest. In short, the individuals I chose to partake in the communication surveys stated that they saw me as a competent and articulate communicator. This activity has been a great opportunity to note the differences between how I perceive my communication skills, and how others perceive them.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to your post, I too have been diagnosis with anxiety disorder. I always assume others can pick up on it as I do. it is always nice to know how others see you. it takes a weight of your shoulders because we never give ourselves the benefits of doubt. I like how you asked them for their feedbacks, that shows they respect and appreciate how you take their feelings into consideration.
Itze,
ReplyDeleteSometimes we tend to be our own worst critic because we want so much for ourselves. We place expectations on ourselves but may not even realize when we meet them unless someone else tells us otherwise. I like how those you communicate with were able to show you how they perceive your communication through this assignment and hopefully help to boost your confidence. It is definitely important for us to evaluate ourselves but I believe more important for those that receive our messages to give us their honest feedback so that we may improve our weaknesses and highlight our strengths.
Hi Itze!
ReplyDeleteI had the same result with others seeing me as more confident than I actually am. Although I was relieved, I also wonder why we should be expected to mask our anxieties in certain situations. I do want to be viewed as confident, but it's not something that I am often, so should we be received that way? This is me overthinking again. Thanks for sharing some deeply personal information about yourself.