Assessing My Communication Styles

This month has been enthralling for me. I am learning more and more about communication, which I consider a much-needed skill and the cornerstone of a successful early education program. So far, I have learned that understanding my own communication styles is the first step towards becoming an effective communicator.

This week, I had the lead teacher of our infant and toddler room and a friend evaluate my listening style, verbal aggressiveness, and communication anxiety. I also completed the same assessment to compare and reflect on the results. They scored my listening, as I did, in the people-oriented group. This did not come as a surprise for me as I know I am highly empathetic. I view being people-oriented as considering the feelings of children, families and co-workers and ensuring their inputs are reflected in daily programing as well as policies and procedures.

In the verbal aggressiveness, my friend rated me in the low aggressiveness group while my co-worker rated me in the moderate aggressiveness group. I believe this is somehow a reflection of our different type of relationships. My friend and I are supportive of each other. Often I do not think she needs advice or directions but a listening ear. However, at work, I am most of the time supportive, but I also have to manage conflict between staff, children, and families among others. I stick to the facts. I do not engage in personal attacks because I do not believe people can have a productive resolution of their differences if they are denigrating and belittling one another. I rated myself in the moderate aggressiveness category because I think I have a good balance of argumentativeness and support.

As for my communication anxiety report, my coworker and friend unanimously rated me in the low anxiety group, as they believe that I am comfortable with communication in almost any situation, including total strangers. I was not surprised by these assessments because I am just outgoing, and I do enjoy taking to people. However, I did rate myself in the mild anxiety level because I can be very apprehensive and nervous depending on the stakes of the meeting, especially when I have to communicate decisions that can affect other people negatively. Additionally, even though, I am learning ways to self-regulate during my trainings, the first 10 minutes are always nerve-racking.

At the end of the day, I believe I have the potential to become an effective communicator. However, I have to learn to integrate an action and content-oriented styles of listening to my profile. I also believe I have to learn to manage that initial anxiety when I am speaking in public. There is always room for growth, and I am just thrilled that I have this opportunity to learn to become the best communicator I can be.