This course has allowed me to better myself as a communicator and has given me the tools to continue enhancing these skills, making me more confident when dealing with social communication. By becoming more comfortable with communicating, it has made the engagement overall easier; as I practice the skills of interpersonal communication, I continue to learn what works well and what has the potential to create unsuccessful outcomes. Applying that knowledge to future experiences in communication can lead to a greater understanding of the skill, subsequently producing more successful and highly efficient interactions. What I have learned in this course has already positively impacted my relationships and will definitely influence my life down the
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Prior to this class, I was often guilty of engaging in poor listening habits such as selective listening, rejecting remarks that don’t interest me, and ambushing, listening carefully to collect information to later use as an attack (225). One specific example where I displayed both of these ineffective listening styles, took place during an English class here at College of Alameda. The professor started a discussion about the confederate flag and its controversy which led many students to chime in and give their opinions. The majority of students agreed that the flag symbolizes racism and hatred; however, one student spoke in favor of the confederate flag, stating that it represents southern pride and culture. I vehemently disagreed with his stance and avoided listening to his words and instead began looking for faults in what the speaker was saying to later use against the individual in a …show more content…
As defined in our textbook, to be empathetic is to have the power to “re-create another person’s perspective, to experience the world from another point of view” (100). While having empathy is beneficial to communication as it helps to limit perceptual problems, I believe this is my best skill because of its emotional dimension which boosts understanding and the fact that it broadens my horizons. I find that I am often in tune with other people's moods: if they are happy, I feel happy; if they are suffering, I feel their pain. I love that by sharing the emotions of others, it makes people feel acknowledged and understood. Additionally, I can easily put myself in others’ shoes. I am able to co-experience the world through the perspectives of those around me allowing me to perceive situations to a fuller
Prior to this class, I was often guilty of engaging in poor listening habits such as selective listening, rejecting remarks that don’t interest me, and ambushing, listening carefully to collect information to later use as an attack (225). One specific example where I displayed both of these ineffective listening styles, took place during an English class here at College of Alameda. The professor started a discussion about the confederate flag and its controversy which led many students to chime in and give their opinions. The majority of students agreed that the flag symbolizes racism and hatred; however, one student spoke in favor of the confederate flag, stating that it represents southern pride and culture. I vehemently disagreed with his stance and avoided listening to his words and instead began looking for faults in what the speaker was saying to later use against the individual in a …show more content…
As defined in our textbook, to be empathetic is to have the power to “re-create another person’s perspective, to experience the world from another point of view” (100). While having empathy is beneficial to communication as it helps to limit perceptual problems, I believe this is my best skill because of its emotional dimension which boosts understanding and the fact that it broadens my horizons. I find that I am often in tune with other people's moods: if they are happy, I feel happy; if they are suffering, I feel their pain. I love that by sharing the emotions of others, it makes people feel acknowledged and understood. Additionally, I can easily put myself in others’ shoes. I am able to co-experience the world through the perspectives of those around me allowing me to perceive situations to a fuller