Communication Apprehension Reflection

To say that effective communication is a vital part in succeeding in life is a huge understatement. Communication is so important because it is used in our homes, at work and in public. Good communication can not only better ourselves, but can better the community as well. However, not all communication is good. Sometimes there are barriers that can make good communication difficult to achieve. Communication apprehension is defined as an “individual level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons” (McCroskey, 1977). Before this class, when I thought about communication apprehension, I thought about my middle school theatre class and the stage fright that would come over me before …show more content…
Communication apprehension is basically anxiety that affects our ability to communicate. The PRCA-24 measures communication apprehension (McCroskey, 1982).
I scored a 34 on the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension or PRCA-24. My score falls below 51, which means I have very low communication apprehension. I am not surprised that I fall in the low apprehensive category because I am not a very anxious person. I am definitely an extrovert and have little to no fear when it comes to communicating with others. I scored and 8 in the group discussion area. I generally enjoy group discussions because I feel more comfortable sharing my ideas when others are expressing theirs as well. I enjoy getting involved in group discussions because they are very interesting and I always learn something new. I scored an 8 in the interpersonal area. Like I said, I am a very outgoing person and I tend to be assertive. Therefore, I am very calm and relaxed, while also having the courage to speak up in conversations. Although speaking up in conversations is usually considered a good thing, I feel that it can sometimes be one of my weaknesses. I think I need to work on listening more and knowing when to speak up and when not to. I think my …show more content…
I feel that another one of my strengths related to communication is that I am not afraid to speak up in conversations and group discussions. I love putting my opinion and ideas into a conversation so that I can receive feedback. I think it was very evident in the PRCA-24 results that I am confident when it comes to communicating and I believe that is my best strength. My biggest weakness when it comes to communication is listening. Being such an outgoing and engaging person, I find it difficult to sit back and let others speak. I find myself interrupting others during a conversation at times instead of letting them finish what they are saying. I realize that being a good listener is one of the best ways to be a good communicator so I am really going to work on that. It is important to be respectful of others while they are speaking and to not interrupt them, no matter how bad you want to chime in and give you