Who I Am as a Communicator

One of the most significant differences that others seem to perceive about me, that I do not for myself, is confidence.  The co-workers that completed the survey for me all seemed to view me as someone who truly enjoys speaking in public and is confident in dealing with difficult conversations.  I, however, lack that confidence in myself.
I would have thought that others would be able to see me in the nervous light that I often see myself in.  Perhaps, it is good that see confidence where I do not feel it however, I sure wish that I could feel as confident as they see me.
Another think that was interesting for me was asking co-workers to complete a survey on me.  It was difficult to get them to understand that it was going to be anonymous and I would not know who actually made which comments about me in the survey.  Therefore, I of course wonder about the validity of this small scale assignment and if they truly view me in such a positive light?

Communication and Culture

I do find myself communicating differently with other groups of people - I communicate differently with everyone from work vs. the way that I communicate with friends and family.  I personally have a culture very different from those with which I work, to include; religion, music and family views.  As a result of my experiences, I find that I must keep my personal opinions (that I would share with my family and friends) to myself with my co-workers simply to reduce tension and conflict as a result of my different view points.

It is unfortunate that I must do this however; I feel that it is better for myself to reduce the conflict that could potentially arise at work.

Communicative Role Model

The first person I think of when I reflect on a good communicator is a previous, and best boss, that I had had.  She was the director of a large child development center and her excellent communication style created a respectful and welcoming environment that had an amazingly small employee turnover rate.

One of the biggest things that made her effective was her ability to listen and provide supportive advice that required all of us to find our own answers.  In other words, she trusted us enough to uncover our own truths - she could have just given answers but she choose to empower us with supportive questions and 'I statements' that allowed us to know we could discover the best way to handle situations.  I am always reflecting on her mediating skills as well.  She could alleviate any difficult situation by handling it promptly and democratically.

I think of her and her techniques often in particular when handling difficult situations or times of conflict.  I attempt to emulate her ease and truthfulness in her demeanor, verbal and non verbal communication skills.