Communication Style Reflective Essay
Introduction
Reflection is an organized way to think positively and make better decisions. It also allows people to learn from their mistakes and past experiences. It is not a hard task to pass information since it only requires a medium of communication, the channel, and the message to give. Different people, however, exhibit different communication styles. Some examples of the different communication styles include a passive style, an assertive style, aggressive style, and the passive-aggressive style (John 2019). Other categorizations of these styles include emotive, directive, reflective, and supportive styles. This essay will reflect my communication style, starting from my perspective and how other people view my form of communication.
Body
I exhibit an assertive type of communication style. I always tend to express myself most clearly while having an in-depth consideration of other people because I view everyone as equal, and I would like to be treated the same way I treat other people in the society. When it comes to the excess zones, I express the emotive style more. It is probably because most of the time, when it comes to a tight spot, I always tend to show high emotional opinions, and I might get carried away. I stop listening to other people who am in an argument with at a particular time.
I carried out a study to determine what other people in society view my communication style. I offered self-assessment forms to different people in my circle and those that I relate with often. One of the people I assessed said, “You are always composed when you are calm, but whenever you get into arguments, you get dramatic and serious.” The other individual stated, “You are such an outgoing person and always talkative, firm to your words and a leader in the manner you command authority whenever you are working in a group.” The feedback from my friends can be compared to the dominance and sociability indicators that assist in identifying communication styles.
From the sociability indicator, the elements that describe my style as given by my friends are;
- Controlled when at ease
- Dramatic during arguments
The dominance indicator elements I relate to in my communication style are;
- Talkative
- Boldness
- Authoritative
- Assertiveness
The feedback from other people has a significant impact on me because it helps me understand how I relate with others and helps me in determining my communication style weaknesses and how I affect others with how I associate with them.
After the knowledge of how people view me in the society from the feedback I got from some of my friends and people I relate with, I need to devise ways to improve my communication style. I have to look at the weaknesses pointed out positively so that I can improve on them to bring out a more distinct communication style within the society. The significant set-back people noted in my communication style was how I relate with people whenever I am in an argument with them. I plan to start speaking in a more conversational style and not interrupt the other party whenever I am in dispute with anyone. Employing such kind of a tactic will help me in relating well with my problems during any argument.
I also have to have a style flex during arguments that will enable me to accommodate the needs and feelings of others. The first step that I am going to use whenever I get to a discussion with someone is to identify their communication style to be able to cooperate effectively with them without hurting their feelings or making them feel less accepted in the society. I will flex my aggressive part of my communication style and use more of the assertive side to have an effective result with a consideration of the other person. However, this flexing method is going to look at if the other party has a reflective, directive, or supportive style. If they are reflective, I will try to be less emotive to avoid emotions because they are going to be threatening (“HO Communication Style Self – Assessment,” 2019)
Conclusion
It is necessary to understand your communication style because they also affect other people in society. An explicit knowledge of how other people view your relationship with them is also helpful. With this information, people can easily understand their weaknesses and develop ways to deal with them in the most effective way to prevent any negative relationship with people in the community.
References
HO Communication Style Self – Assessment [PDF document]. (2019).
John, P. (2019, April 6). 4 types of communication styles. Alvernia Online. https://online.alvernia.edu/articles/4-types-communication-styles/