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Communication and Self
Communication and Self
Define self-esteem
The term self-esteem is used to describe a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal
value.
We develop self-esteem during our childhoods through the way people, and especially
our parents, treat us. Children who get lots of love and attention when they are young,
and have people telling them they are clever and attractive usually have more self-esteem
than children who are often told they are stupid or ugly, or ignored.
But self-esteem doesn't just stay the same. We can have our self-esteem improved or
worsened by the messages we are given, and by what we decide those messages mean.
influence our own behaviour and self-concept, and also the behaviour and self concept of
others.
We can also build other people's self-esteem by giving them compliments and
Effective communication with other peers results in sharing of different ideas that
leads to the development of one’s own confidence level and higher self-esteem.
Also self esteem depends on the messages you receive from others that assess
your self-concept. For example, we are not able to believe that we are smart if the
ones who are important in our lives tell us that we are slow or dumb. Furthermore;
Better communication skills can get us to the point where we can participate in
public speaking events and various debates. Such opportunities help you to
develop self-esteem.
you and your views and tend to understand you, this automatically results in
Through better communication you are more successful in interpreting your own
ideas and beliefs to others, trying to explain what you are and how you see the
world. When people engage in to listen to you, your confidence level and self
esteem grows.
With better communication skills, you are capable of sharing your feelings with
others. When people feel they understand you, they try to get along with you and
Define Self-Concept
Self is easily defined; it is one's beliefs, attitudes, feelings and values. It is who one is and
what one stands for. Self-concept, is a relevantly stable set of perceptions and emotional
states. It is the way one sees and understands oneself, and contributes to how one
A self-concept does not develop overnight; it develops slowly over the course of a
person's lifetime, and is a function of a person's biological makeup, how and where a
think.
eachother’s abilities and skills which enables individuals to develop and achieve
more.
Effective communication also enables us to know that how people view us. We
normally start thinking about ourselves in the same manner in which people think
of us.
Communication with others also increase our knowledge about new trends and
Communication with others also enables us to develop new ideas and learn more
Define conflict
Types of Conflict
Interpersonal conflict
It refers to a conflict between two individuals. This occurs typically due to how people
are different from one another. We have varied personalities which usually results to
Intrapersonal conflict
It occurs within an individual. The experience takes place in the person’s mind. Hence, it
Intragroup conflict
conflict. It arises from interpersonal disagreements (e.g. team members have different
personalities which may lead to tension) or differences in views and ideas (e.g. in a
presentation, members of the team might find the notions presented by the one presiding
organization. For instance, the sales department of an organization can come in conflict
with the customer support department. This is due to the varied sets of goals and interests
Phases of conflict
Prelude to conflict - It involves all the factors which possibly arise a conflict among
Triggering Event - No conflict can arise on its own. There has to be an event which
Initiation Phase - Initiation phase is actually the phase when the conflict has already
begun. Heated arguments, abuses, verbal disagreements are all warning alarms which
Differentiation Phase - It is the phase when the individuals voice out their differences
against each other. The reasons for the conflict are raised in the differentiation phase.
some extent and resolve the conflict soon. The resolution phase explores the various
Most people know that in order to resolve conflicts, we need to communicate about the
issue; but negative patterns of communication can often lead to greater frustration and
escalation of conflict.
Communication is more than the words we choose to use. In fact, our body language and
tone of voice often speak louder than our words. When we give an incongruent message
where our tone of voice and body language does not match our message, confusion and
Differences in Style
Each of us has a unique way of communicating, often based on our family experiences,
culture, gender and many other factors. While there is no right or wrong style, our past
experiences often lead to expectations that are not usually verbally communicated with
One of the skills for the family members to overcome communication roadblocks
includes a soft startup to the conversation by starting with something positive, expressing
appreciation, focusing on problems one at a time and taking responsibility for thoughts
and feelings.
Make and Receive Repair Attempts
Markman, Stanley and Blumberg (2010) share what they call the “speaker-listener”
technique to help individuals more effectively communicate. Each partner or each family
1. The speaker should share his/her own thoughts, feelings and concerns—not what
2. Use “I” statements when speaking to accurately express thoughts and feelings.
3. Keep statements short, to ensure the listener does not get overwhelmed with
information.
4. Stop after each short statement so that the listener can paraphrase, or repeat back in
his/her own words, what was said to ensure he/she understands. If the paraphrase is not
quite right, gently rephrase the statement again to help the listener understand.
The rules for the listener include:
1. Paraphrase what the speaker is saying. If unclear, ask for clarification. Continue until
2. Don’t argue or give opinion about what the speaker says—wait to do this until you are
3. While the speaker is talking, the listener should not talk or interrupt except to