Communication style and its effectiveness
My national origin and racial affiliation affect my communication to a great extent. Being a Black-American, I have to shift to the communication ways of the black community in the US. However, much, I try to change my mode of communication; I find myself shifting to the black ways of communication. As a male, I speak with the assertion, and this behavior has affected me negatively, especially in situations that require politeness. I believe in the existence of God, and the need to do good things, and for this reason, I view the world as a platform for me to exercise goodness, either through my actions or communication. For this reason, I always weigh my words to ascertain that they present a positive message to my audience. Having been raised in a family whereby I am the only child, I value my parents so dearly, and for this reason, they have helped shaped me to be the person I am today. Being default Christians, these parents have had a crucial role in shaping my beliefs, values, and perception of life. While reflecting on my life, I tell myself that one day I will emerge to be hugely successful. My goal in life is to become successful at a young age and travel the world, impacting other lives positively.
All my life, I have mastered the art of using the assertive communication style. I accompany this style with the manipulative style, which enables me to influence people I cannot use the assertive style on. For instance, when talking to my juniors, I tend to use an assertive voice, which commands obedience, even though I have tried to evade this style. While talking to my seniors, I find myself manipulating them through shrewd schemes and persuasive skills. In formal settings like in school, I love maintaining silence and coolness. The reason for my silence is because I have developed an assertive behavior that denies me the opportunity to communicate in a formal setting effectively. I always fear that talking in a formal setting would lead me into trouble. However, in a classroom, I am used to most people in this setting, and for this reason, I find ease in communicating as compared to other formal settings. In informal settings, I frequently bring up the topics of politics and sports. For instance, after observing that my peers have been silent for sometimes, I ensure that the group is lively again, by raising a current issue on politics or sports like basketball or football. I have a strong affinity for arguments in informal settings, and on the contrary, I lack argumentation skills in formal settings. To supplement my arguments in an informal setting, I use non-verbal skills. However, despite my affinity for argumentation, I dislike interruption, and for this reason, I do not interrupt communicating peers.
Currently, I am unsatisfied with my communication styles, and for effective communication, I have to change in the future. Since the beginning of this course, I have learned the various ways of ensuring I communicate effectively. Even though I have not witnessed significant changes in my communication, there are evident steps towards the achievement of an effective way of communication. First, I have noticed that silence has barred me from gaining experience in effective communication, and by this lesson, I intend to be more vocal in formal settings. Secondly, my affinity for arguments in informal settings could a building block in becoming an effective communicator in formal settings. For this reason, I can replicate my skills in an informal setting to a formal setting. Finally, I lack emotion control in my argumentation, and from this course, I can now manage my emotions during an argument and communication.