Meghan Wadsworth

Mr. Haslam
Comm 1010
Myself as a Communicator | Part Two

For this part of the assignment I have interviewed my mom, my friend, and my boyfriend.

I asked them the same questions I had asked myself in the first part of this assignment. I have

known all of these people for a really long time and I have really tight relationships with all three

of them. In this essay I will outline the results of my interviews and reflect on what I have

learned.

How am I at articulating my needs, opinions, views, or concerns?

My mom was the first person I interviewed. She said that I do really well at expressing

myself verbally and that I usually have a lot of detail in my descriptions. She also said that I have

very strong views about many things and that I can generally express myself in ways that help

others understand my needs.

I interviewed my friend second. She said that I am very straight forward whenever I have

any concerns, questions, or opinions. She stated that I will ask again and again until I get the

answer or statement I am looking for.

The final person I interviewed was my boyfriend. He said that I am fantastic when it

comes to articulating anything I need. He also stated that whenever I talk about something I’m

passionate about I’m always making things clear with both my speech and movement.

How am I as a listener?

My mom stated that I was an okay listener. She said that sometimes I want to express my

opinion “so badly that [I] won’t listen to what other people say.”
 My friend said that I am a great listener. She said that I will listen carefully, wait for you

to finish what you are saying and then think about what I am going to say before I say it. “This is

a great thing because people will stop paying attention to the one speaking because they are

focused on what to say next.

My boyfriend said that I am great at listening. He said an example would be that

whenever he’s rambling on about different things, like work, he always remembers that I ask

questions to clarify what he’s talking about.

What aspects of my nonverbal behavior are effective? What can be improved?

My mom said that whenever I’m angry or upset it’s very easy to see that. She told me

that she can tell exactly how I’m feeling just based on my nonverbal behaviors, or maybe that’s

just her motherly instincts. She also said that I could improve my nonverbal behavior by

checking my emotions a little bit better.

My friend stated that I am very strong when it comes to nonverbal behavior. She said that

I will nod along and lean forward during a conversation. However, she said that I can definitely

improve on eye contact.

My boyfriend commented that “when it comes to nonverbal, you make a plethora of

gestures to help get your point across.” He said that it’s a fantastic way of keeping people

interested in the conversation. He also said that “when it comes to something business related,

you could improve on your tone. I’ve noticed when you’re doing a professional presentation, you

tend to be monotone.”
 What are my communication strengths?

My mom said that I am a great storyteller and that I always provide a lot of details which

makes the conversation more animated and exciting to be a part of.

In part one of this assignment, I stated that I thought getting the point across was one of

my strengths. My friend agreed with me when she said, “...stating what you mean clearly, in a

way that is easy to understand. You also look at a topic from multiple perspectives.”

My boyfriend said that my strengths include asking questions, gesturing, and being clear

with my speech. He says these are all great qualities because it makes the conversation more

meaningful when both people are involved.

What are my communication weaknesses?

My mom commented that I tend to use texting and electronic communication more than I

should. She told me I should make an effort to do face-to-face communication whenever

possible.

My weaknesses, according to my friend, are mainly a lack of eye contact and fidgeting.

She said that sometimes I fidget with something so that it seems like the conversation isn’t in

your full focus.

My boyfriend said that my weaknesses also include lack of eye contact, fidgeting, and

tone. He says that sometimes he can sense that I feel awkward when there’s too much eye

contact. He also told me that fidgeting can make it distracting for both people and it makes it

seem like I’m not fully paying attention. He then restated that I need to make sure I’m not

monotone when I’m presenting thing or else I can lose the audience.
 What is it like to have a conversation with me?

According to my mom, I understand that a conversation is a give-and-take situation and

that I am great at allowing others to share their opinions as well as my own. She also said that I

am very fun to talk to and that I am always excited to share my opinions and stories with others.

My friend said that, “Conversations with you are enlightening. Your thought out and

detailed opinions make me think deeper. Talking comes naturally because you can elaborate on

everything, even if it isn’t something you’re fully interested in. You even ask questions to gain

more knowledge.”

My boyfriend told me that he always enjoys having a conversation with me because I

make things exciting. He also says that whenever I’m presenting something I am very succinct

and that I effectively get the point across.

Summary

I was really shocked to learn that everybody thought I was great at articulating my needs,

opinions, etc, because I thought I wasn’t the greatest due to me overthinking the possible

outcomes. I was also surprised that they thought I was bad at eye contact. I always thought I

looked away because I was making the other person feel awkward, but now that I’ve heard from

my friends and family, it turns out that I’m the one feeling awkward from eye contact.

I really loved this assignment because it allowed me to get information I never would

have bothered to get before. I learned more about myself and things I can work on. I am going to

work on my listening skills and I’m also going to try to not fidget with things during the

conversation, because I want people to know that I care. I also want to work on my eye contact
because it’s a new issue that has just come to my attention. Overall, I will use this assignment to

help grow and improve my communication skills.