Communication is the Exchange of Thoughts and Feelings Between People

Communication is the exchange of ideas, thoughts and feelings between two or more people. We communicate verbally or non-verbally on a daily basis with our peers, coworkers and our family members. There are four different communication styles we use in our personal and professional lives: the private, dominant, sociable and open style. Although a person can have characteristics for all four styles, some people have two main styles they fall back on when dealing with certain situations at work or in their personal lives. A fundamental tool in communication is listening, its the key to understanding those around you. When we listen we not only listen to the verbal message but also the non-verbal message. According to the text, the ability to listen effectively is not a natural born trait, its something that must be learned. Effective listening in the workplace is a skill that we as managers, customers,supervisors or employees are always working to improve. In this paper we will examine concepts related to communication such as listening, conflict resolution and communication apprehension and how they influence our everyday communication with those around us.

After taking the short form Styles Survey my two central styles were open styles when things are going smoothly and dominant styles when under stress. According to the text, dominant style communicators are believed to flourish in situations were they can properly demonstrate their knowledge and expertise. Dominant style communicators are also believed to be individuals who can command authority, can be depended upon to get the job done and train a group of individuals. However, in most of these characteristics there appears to be a "but". Even though dominant st...

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Since communication is the exchange of ideas, thought and feeling sometimes misunderstandings generally arise. In order to improve our communication skills the key is to identify what causes these misunderstandings. My awareness of these concepts will have more of a major influence in my professional life. For example listening is a skill i use every minute of the day while at work. Listening to my employees or listening to the complaints of our customers. Therefore now i can become a better effective listener so i can rip some of the benefits that come with it. Not only can I be a better manager for it, I can also develop better relationships with my employees. Also while listening to my employees I'm more aware of the nonacceptance responses. Therefore i can avoid those while speaking to the employees so they don't feel as if no one supports or listens.