Personal Reflection Paper On Effective Communication

My Experiences with Effective Communication Webster’s Dictionary defines communication as, “the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else.” Communication is pivotal in my life. Even though I am young, I take my relationship incredibly serious. As a result, I almost always want to improve my communication abilities to benefit my relationships. However, this desire for improvement is not specific to my romantic relationships, but also work, and collegiate. Consequently, effective communication will be examined throughout this reflection paper by first defining the three parts that make up effective communication, why I chose

According to Kory Floyd, “No single communication strategy will be effective in all situations. [However,] Being an effective communicator means choosing the messages that will best meet your goals.” The book then went on to discuss how the three markers of an effective communicator were self-awareness, adaptability, and empathy. Although these are considered markers, they are not what I would consider the three main components of effective communication. Therefore, the next part of the definition of effective communication is body language. I took a class last semester that discussed body language and as a result, I was able to refer to one of my textbooks. Joe Navarro discusses the importance of reading body language, saying, “I saw the human body as a kind of billboard that transmitted (advertised) what a person was thinking via gestures, facial expressions, and physical movements that I could read.” Although this book has a tent towards law enforcement, these transmitters that people emit are very useful for increasing effective communication. Finally, the third component of effective communication is active listening. According to Stephen Beebe, active listening is defined as a five step process. Stop, look, listen, ask appropriate questions, and paraphrase content. The final step is the most important to my goal of effective communication because it is what will lead to the best possible

I would say I’ve always sort of waiting till the last second to do projects, so it was hard at times to remember to consistently journal especially if it was about something personal or something I had experienced a few days before. Furthermore, I would sometimes get offended and my communication would break down and I would fail to employ my positive habits. This always made me feel defeating because sometimes when I felt like I was doing well, I would fail and it would be disappointing. All-in-all I have vastly improved my communication abilities, so I am thankful for this