How we communicate with others undoubtedly has a dramatic, profound, and sometimes permanent effect on how we are perceived as a person in general and certainly determines what kind of reaction we are likely to evoke from those around us at a given moment. In this regard, I would like to improve my communication strategies and easily navigate in cases where it is necessary to apply one or another style of communication that is appropriate for the situation. At the moment, an important goal of developing my personal communication is to convey my thoughts to the interlocutor. It is sometimes problematic for me, as I am used to thinking quickly, and sometimes I need more time to formulate my thoughts clearly. Since this is the main cause of most communication failures in personal, unprepared communication, my goal now is to learn how to convey my ideas to the addressees more clearly and legibly.
Now I am at the beginning of my journey to achieve my goal. Recently, I started to train my diction, and I also try to read more to immerse myself in competent speech and expand my vocabulary. However, personal communication is influenced by many factors, such as the environment, emotions, feelings, memory, confidence, and more (Floyd, 2021). This goal is not too extensive; however, it may take a long period of time. I suppose that in order to achieve this goal successfully, I need six months or a year to learn how to confidently and clearly formulate my thoughts in personal, spontaneous communication. I can track my progress on smaller goals that will take less time, like improving my memory or keeping a diary.
As for professional and academic communication, I do not have problems with conveying the main message since, most often, these situations involve prepared communication. However, the main communicative task of the organization is to achieve the least possible degree of uncertainty (Floyd, 2021). In the era of globalization and the spread of intercultural organizations, I consider it important to be aware of the cultural characteristics of professional communication. In this regard, I would like to learn how to conduct business communication with intercultural representatives.
This goal is very high and broad since it is impossible to study and remember the communication features of all existing cultures. Therefore, this goal can be rewritten and it will now be to study the communication styles of the countries of the most common partners in my professional field. At the moment, I am already familiar with Mexican culture, and I can establish successful business communication with them without any problems. This goal can constantly change depending on the environment in which I work, so it is impossible to track progress toward it or set a time frame. However, this has its advantages, as it allows to learn something new from the field of professional communication throughout life.
The modern dynamic format of communication and interaction of individuals in the process of cognitive and professional activity leads to the interpenetration of the genres of public speaking to the blurring of the boundaries between them. The format of modern public speaking dictates the need to take into account the strategies of speech impact and various tactics that ensure the effectiveness of communication (Floyd, 2021). I would like to master various tactics of academic discourse, so this will be my main goal in improving academic communication. It will allow me to feel more confident during my studies and help me in my professional activities. At the moment, I already have basic speaking skills in front of an audience, so a full familiarization with possible tactics can be done during the semester.
Effective communication skills are one of the most important and necessary skills to cope with any situation in life. The chances of success at work and in society, gaining respect from friends and family, children, spouse, boss, or colleagues, depend on how effectively one communicates. Although many people recognize their inefficiency in terms of communication, each of us can develop effective communication skills over time through practice.
Effective communication can build trust, help people understand a person better, gain someone’s respect, and develop relationships with others. It is necessary to establish reliable contact, as well as to strengthen relationships as needed. Good personal communication can help people share their concerns and feelings with others (Floyd, 2021). Effective presentation of one’s thoughts is necessary to prevent misunderstandings and conflicts; in addition, it will help in the development of friendships and contacts.
People need to be able to speak effectively and confidently, as well as listen and understand the thoughts and ideas of another person. In this regard, I strive to achieve my set goal in professional communication. Effective communication is necessary to change other people’s behavior, properly attuning them to the perception of something and obtaining information from the interlocutor (Nash et al., 2022). That will create a friendly atmosphere in the team and reduce stress when communicating with new people.
With the help of effective communication, unnecessary problems in the team can be avoided. It can be useful in decision-making, formulating conclusions, and solving problems through interaction in conflict situations. Working in a team or group of like-minded people also requires successful communication skills (Floyd, 2021). Achievement, both professionally and academically, largely depends on discourse skills. The speaker must have the confidence to influence people and consider their points of view. In this regard, mastering the tactics of public speaking and generally effective communication can help me in my academic, professional, and personal fields, as well as influence my internal development.
Interpersonal communication involves the exchange of thoughts, ideas, feelings, and emotions face-to-face between two or more people. It includes both verbal and non-verbal elements of personal interaction. At the moment, my strengths as an interpersonal communicator are active listening, teamwork, flexibility, and responsibility. I would also like to develop interpersonal leadership skills, as this includes effective decision-making.
In the conditions of modern society, communication has many means for implementation. Increasingly, this is happening through online channels. For me, non-verbal communication is important in communication, which is sometimes difficult to follow during online learning. Traditional graphic signs and symbols, as well as other non-verbal means of communication, are responsible for conveying the emotional component of communication; they influence the recipient of the message, but this still applies to informal communication and is not always acceptable in academic communication. Thus, I would like to improve my understanding of non-verbal communication in a remote environment.
As for my interpersonal communication in terms of career, I would like to master persuasive communication but not exceed the ethics of interpersonal interactions. In a situation of professional communication, it is necessary to observe a certain official style of communication. It also includes the need to explain the issue in detail to avoid misunderstandings or conflicts. Improving the identified areas will make me feel more confident and contribute to my impact on my career.
References
Floyd, K. (2021). Interpersonal Communication. McGraw-Hill Education.
Nash, M., Lewis, B., Szempruch, J., Jacobs, S., & Silver, S. (2022). Together, apart: Communication Dynamics among academic librarians during the COVID-19 pandemic. College & Research Libraries, 83(6). Web.