Critical Reflection

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Critical Reflection: Chapter One
The aspects of chapter one that stuck out the most to me were those of communication being a choice, not only for the speaker, but also for the listener. We all have choices as to how we communicated, as described with the grocery store example, however listeners have the choice of interpretation. With communication being a choice, it opens the door to listeners interpreting as they so choose, and as touched on, some may interpret communication differently based on variables such as gender.
The variables described above caught my attention because I've experienced these communication issues in my own life. First, the example of the grocery store where you go on and have to make a choice on how you will treat …show more content…

our intentions and our effects may not match. nor will others necessarily understand our intention, or our effects in the same ways we do” (7). I believe the aspect of interpretation is crucial to communication because I've often been misinterpreted by those I've conversed with. I've learned that communication isn't just verbal, and that a mere facial expression can cause a person to pass judgement. Personally, I've had people tell me they didn't think I was a nice person when they met because of my angry-looking resting face. Even when I haven't verbally communicated with someone, I may come off as standoffish, which isn't the case. Also, I've realized that if a person falsely interprets what you're trying to convey, it can be detrimental to a relationship if it's not corrected. For example, last week I asked my mom if there was anything other than pizza for me to take in my lunch because I wanted to eat healthier. She took it as me complaining about her and only needing her for food. This wasn't my intention at all because my mom is one of the most important people to me, and my life. We both went our separate ways, her to work angry, and me to school upset. It wasn't until later that I hugged her and said I was sorry for my unimportant complaint. In all, it's these negative examples of communication that bother me. Sometimes these experiences plague my mind at night, even instances from years ago when I wish I

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