Samuel Cox

Professor Haslam

COMM 1010

10/23/2021

Communications Journal

These journal entries I made showcase what I have learned about communication through

out the semester. These skills learned on communication will help with my personal and

professional life.

Incased in each of these entries are examples of how these skills have and will directly

impact my life.

Communication Competence

After taking all the assessments on communication competence, I was surprised by good

my scores were. I don’t think I’m a good communicator but looking at all the finished scores

none of them are low. The assessment outcomes on my competence were all average, with public

and stranger being slightly better.

Competence is the ability to do something not how you good are it. So, I believe I’m able

to do all these different forms of communication. I’m not a shy person, not scared of talking to

people. But I don’t believe that makes me a good communicator. I have had teachers tell me to

work on my communication. There’s a difference between being able to communicate and being

a good communicator.
Perception and Self

I believe what impacts my perceptions of others the most is some one’s personality.

Personality has five main factors, according to the textbook they are “extraversion,

agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness” (Communication). Personally, the

openness of someone affects my perception of them the most. When someone is not open to a

new idea even after other facts are shown, I think it shows how narrow minded and uneducated

they are.

The concept of environmental characteristics is something I can improve on. Trusting

someone just because they are in a higher position, is not good I am making to many

assumptions. There have been times where I listen to someone that is supposed to help, but I had

known better than them and still listened to them.

Self-presentation is important to me, this is probably from having to wear a uniform

growing up. So now I want to dress how I like to because I was unable to before.

Self-esteem is quite complicated, and it’s basically how we judge our self-concept. There

are four main self-discrepancies people have I need to work on my actual vs. own ought, which

is, “feeling that we are not meeting our duties and obligations, which can lead to a feeling that

we have fallen short of our own moral standards” (communication). So, I should meet my own

duties and obligations to have a better self-esteem.

Verbal and Nonverbal Messages

“We can adapt to different cultural contexts by purposely changing our communication”

(communication). What are some different reasons communication changes from person to

person? In the English language there tend to be exaggerated meaning of genders, also having
gender biased terms like saying mailman instead of postal worker. With all these tendencies in

our communication, it makes it seem as if men and women are quite different. For example,

“The term opposite sex presumes that men and women are opposites” (communication). But we

aren’t that different at all.

Listening Skills

I believe I show signs of an effective listener. One sign of someone listening affectively

is feedback, according to the textbook good feedback is being “specific, descriptive, positive,

constructive, realistic, and relevant.” (communication). When someone is explaining something

to me, I’ll be sure to ask them questions about anything I don’t understand.

I am not a people-oriented listener, their “concerned with others; needs and feelings”

(communication). Being a people-oriented listener is something I need to improve on. I’ve been

in conversations with people where they open about their feelings, and I don’t take them

seriously which affected our relationships negatively.

Interpersonal Communication

“Interpersonal communication occurs between two or more people whose lives are

interdependent and mutually influence one another” (communication). Interpersonal theories

about people’s relationships can be in different types such as family, friend, workplace,

romantic. I’m going to reflect on my relationship with mother in my family. Looking at the

cultural aspect of our relationship, good quote from the textbook is “We establish relationship

routines and rituals to help establish our relational culture and bring a sense of comfort and

predictability to our relationships” (communication). So having predictability in relationships

gives us a sense of stability of knowing what will happen, this is likely the biggest issue that I

have with my mom. I can never call her and expect her to pick up the phone. Whenever I come

home, I will have no idea whether she will be there. If we can start talking about having a safe

time to call or something like, I can have the sense of reliability and stability with my mom.

Final Summary

After all these entries I can realize what I need to work on the most with my

communication in relationships. The two main topics I need work on is listening skills and

intrapersonal communication. Within listening skills, the subject that needs improvement is

being a people-oriented listener. In interpersonal communication a cultural aspect of

interpersonal communication.

Improvement upon being a people-oriented listener (listening skills), needs to be works

on. I need to pay more attention to what somebody is feeling when I say something nice or mean.

If I’m not able to tell what somebody’s feelings I should just start asking them directly. In the

cultural aspect of interpersonal communication, what needs work is comfort and stability in my

relationships. The best ways to feel stable is to make routines who ever, I may have a set

schedule, but I should talk with whomever to make set schedule with each other.
 Works Cited

Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies, “by a publisher

who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution.”, University

of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2013.