Baylor Rich

Dr. Haslam
COMM 1010
Myself as a Communicator

When I take a step back and evaluate myself and how I express my thoughts to others,

Sometimes I compare this to my skills as an amateur artist. I have detailed, descriptive, and

beautiful images in my head and a desire to express them through the art of drawing, but as soon

as the pencil hits the pad the image never quite comes out to what I had in my head. Of course,

the main idea and theme are there, but it sometimes it lacks many details and specifics that would

have made the drawing more influential. Now, not always do I fail to express myself, but I know

there are many areas on which I can improve to help others understand. The goal of this

reflection is to see my standing on this topic.

I have heard more than once that “more important than talking is listening” and I have

found that to be true on many different occasions. I have come to know that people love to talk

about themselves. If I am conversing with someone and they ask about me and demonstrate that

they are sincerely willing to listen, then they automatically become my friend. They show

through their efforts that they care about me and what I have to say. As a listener I try to show

this sincere interest in what they have to say, so they know that what they say to me has value

and they will be willing to share more. I will always put myself in their shoes to get the best

understanding possible, and to learn from their point of view.

As I listen to others I always try to show my interest through my body language and tone

of voice. Some of the details I try to add to my “drawing” can be nonverbal communication like

nodding my head as they speak, or repeating what they told me so they understand that I am

doing all I can to sincerely understand them and their point of view. These aspects of
communication I have found to be very effective, especially when the speaker is having trouble

expressing their ideas, or if they are giving directions. I know I can improve in many aspects as

well. I have noticed that lots of times I do not look the speaker in the eye. This demonstrates that

I am not listening, focused on something else, and my thoughts are not directed towards them.

There are some details that I am always good at including in my communication portrait.

One of these is the ability to put myself in the other person's shoes to really get a gauge of their

situation and understand what they are feeling at that moment. This sense of empathy has given

me more strengths as well. For example, I can adapt quickly to the listeners situation, even when

they come from a different background and a much different situation than that of my own. This

has been an extremely helpful detail that has helped me to make many friends, those of whom

may be very different than me.

Like I said, there are many details that are left out of the drawing which can make distort

the real meaning behind it. One of these details that are often left out for me is the ability to put

my own thoughts into words. It usually does not help me get straight to the point. Lots of times

this causes my claim to be misunderstood and misinterpreted.

Having a conversation with me can be interesting and enjoyable, especially when I am

interested in you or what you have to say. I may not be the one to initiate the communication, but

I am always willing to speak and listen intently to understand and help. Sometimes my responses

will depend on how I feel or what I am thinking at that particular moment, but I am always

willing to listen to understand, not just listen to respond. You may find it very enjoyable to have

someone to listen to you without judgement. I’ll laugh a lot, sometimes at myself just because I

may be the only person that thinks some of the things I say are funny. You will find me open
with all ears always willing to listen. You may find impatience, and there will be occasional

misunderstanding, but all due to my own misinterpretation, which I believe are normal traits to

have in our world of endless amounts and varieties of communication.