Effective Communication Self-Evaluation

For the purpose of this self-evaluation, I chose to focus on five effective communication skills: nonverbal communication, engaged listening, managing stress in the moment, the ability to communicate assertively, and the capacity to recognize and understand my own emotions in addition to the other person I am communicating with (Lawrence, Segal, & Smith, 2016). My personal communication strengths include nonverbal communication, recognizing and understanding my own emotions in addition to the other person I am communicating with, as well as my ability to participate and work in groups. My nonverbal communication strengths occur during both face to face interaction and in writing (emails, texts, chat, etc.). In person, other communicators

IEP teams are groups of people working together to plan and carry out a specific educational plan for special education students. My ability to communicate with all team members is important because often times I am the “middle man” who communicates information from AEA core team members with the parents, vocational rehabilitation, and/or others. Another specific example pertains to this class and how I took the initiative to create a shared Google Document with the other two members in my group, so we could begin collaborating for our first group discussion board. I’m thankful for my years in 4-H and the leadership skills I have learned from back in my early school days, which have made me the communicator I am

As an engaged listener during in person conversations, I know I need to do a better job of listening, lettering the other person talk, and allowing wait time before I reply. Currently, I have created a bad habit of trying to finish other people’s sentences. Although this may show the other person I am talking to that I am listening, I do need to avoid interrupting them. Another communication skill I can improve upon involves keeping my stress in check. My career is busy and stressful, and I currently tend to allow incidences to weigh on me and I continue to carry the weight, which has interfered with my ability to effectively communicate with my administrator, teachers, associates, parents, and students. One way to I plan to improve on this skill is by reminding myself that silence during conversation is not always a bad thing, and sometimes my mind and emotions need that wait time to maintain meaningful and purposeful