Communication Apprehension

 At the end of chapter 13, Managing Communication, in the book Understanding Management, there is an interesting self-study activity to help you understand your Personal Assessment of Communication Apprehension. The questions are about your feelings about communicating with other people, indicating how apprehensive you feel in a variety of communication situations.

According to Daft & Marcic "Communication is the process by which information is exchanged and understood by two or more people, usually with the intent to influence or motivate behavior." (2019, p. 559) The importance of good communication is enormous, and therefore we must be attentive to the way we are communicating, and if our communication is being affected by anxiety or fear, we can look for ways to improve.

The questionnaire includes the calculation of four sub-scores and a total score. Subscores relate to communication apprehension in four common situations—public speaking, meetings, group discussions, and interpersonal conversations.

A sum greater than 85 indicates a high level of communication apprehension and below 59 indicates a low level of apprehension. My total score was 69, which indicates an average score. On the subscales, my score was above 18 on Public Speaking and 18 on Meetings, which indicates some degree of apprehension on both.

Once I understand my limitations and what aspects of communication are most difficult for me, I can work on overcoming them. Some of the things I can do to improve: practice more, the more experience I have the easier it will be to speak in public; always ask for feedback from the audience; learn about body language; record my discussions, and even practice in front of the mirror until I feel more comfortable.

This being the last blog, I also think it is important to conclude by summarizing the main points I learned during this period and how I intend to use this knowledge. Crucial was the use of self-assessments and self-analyses and how they are genuinely helpful; the power of good communication, being clear when speaking, but also attentive and a good listener; the value of knowing what moves us and how we can help others and; there is always room for improvement. That said, I will consistently look for feedback; in learning more about myself; seek to understand the needs of the people around me and ways to motivate them and always be willing to guide and help people develop their potential.

Reference: 

Daft, R. L., & Marcic, D. (2019). MindTap for Daft's Understanding Management, 1 term Instant Access. CENGAGE