Friday, March 10, 2017
Competent Communicator
When I think of a competent communicator one person I know come to my mind and that's an old supervisor I once had. He had a very strong firm voice, that made people want to hear more of whatever it was he was saying. This man could enter the room with his voice alone before his body entered the room. Certain behaviors I noticed whenever he spoke was his arms placed firmly in his pockets, or at rest on his side. He looked directly in the eyes of the person he was speaking to and he gave his undivided attention when someone spoke to him; these behaviors made him a effective communicator in my opinion. I don't need to model my behavior after this man because I have always looked directly in the persons eyes I'm speaking to. Most importantly I know that I could improve on some things because although I am a great communicator some things can improve like my voice tone. I consider myself to be a very great communicator but I don't have to firm voice. Communication is a very important part of life and in order to get a clear understanding we must communicate, ask questions as well as answer questions. Body language and facial expressions is a form of communication as well. Growing up I was always told by my dad to never look down when your speaking to someone to always hold your head up high and be confident. I can truly say I speak with confidence and I love to communicate with people.
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Hi Ms. Davis
ReplyDeleteI too consider eye-contact so important and have often tested it myself, when I move my eyes off the person I am speaking too, they follow where my eyes go and they lose concentration and some find it disrespectful. Living and working in China, many of the fathers in my class do not give me eye-contact and that could mean many things, but more often than not it is because I am a western woman and when giving advice about their child, it is not always taken seriously. When I suspect this, it often infuriates me, however I remind myself this is cultural and although it is not right in my eyes, it is what it is and need to just look past it and know I am a good teacher that gives valid advice.
I also agree about the eye contact. When speaking one on one with someone I have no problem with this, it is when I speak to a full audience that I never know where to look. When answering a question from someone in the audience, I look them in the eye, but when I am speaking/presenting I am not sure where I should be looking. I usually scan the crowd so I can be sure everyone is engaged and no one is falling asleep, but I'm not sure if there is proper protocol as to how long I should make eye contact with each section of the audience, or if I'm supposed to just keep scanning the crowd...When doing further research on communication, I came across this article in Forbes about 7 things good communicators always do. The article didn't specify making eye contact with the person you are talking to, but it did say "Listening with your eyes is just as helpful as listening with your ears" (Demers, 2014, pg.2). I feel that that is what I am doing when I am presenting to an audience.
ReplyDeleteReference: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/05/29/7-things-good-communicators-always-do/#5b34745f2178
Ms. Davis,
ReplyDeleteYou made some very valuable remarks. Many people do not realize that their tone and inflection carry considerable weight during a conversation. The first part of being/becoming an excellent communicator is realizing your short comings. Great job!