Business Communication And The Power Of Nonverbal Communication

Part 1 Self-Reflection and Diagnosis

Discuss about the  Business Communication for Power of Nonverbal Communication.
 

In the views of Knapp, Hall & Horgan (2013) excessive talking is a compulsive behavior, which is a form of behavioral addiction. It means that these people face the compulsive behavior of repeating the same behavior in spite of the negative consequences. In compulsive behavior, the person becomes happier with the reward, which is a direct result or reward of the compulsive behavior. If a person receives a reward, it will induce him to repeat the same behavior again and again. In the views of Reilly and Hynan (2014) the present times, the communication skills are considered as the most important skills for the recruitment of the managers. It will also increase the opportunity for the promotion. The managers also have to learn the skills to adjust the communication style according to the audience. The disagreement can also be reduced by using positive nonverbal cues. It means that there are positive signals and attitude, which can prevent disagreement at the workplace. There are several positive signals such as smiling, nodding and talking, which might express positive signs. There are several components of interpersonal communication, such as negotiation, which might control the disagreement. There are certain other factors such as the ability of another individual to listen to others in interpersonal communication, which might improve the conversation quality at the workplace.

Self-reflection is the best exercise to improve the communication skills and enhance the quality of communication. In this regard, we were given a class exercise to evaluate personal communication skills with the help of five communication tools and analyze the results to identify the area of weakness (Baraldi, 2017). The present essay is a self-reflection which discusses the exercise of applying the diagnostic tools and identifying the weak communication areas. In the last, an action plan is discussed, which will be focused on reducing the weaknesses in the personal communication.

In the present, two communication issues are identified, which are excessive talking and anxiety while communicating with a large group of friends. In this essay, a literature review has been conducted, in which the key theories and solutions to the communication issues has been identified and discussed. In this self-reflection process, I have identified different activities and action plan, which are used to address the communication issues.

In the class, we were given five diagnostic tools, which were used to analyze the communication in different situations. Several tools, such as self-perceived communication competence questionnaire, nonverbal immediacy scale self-report, personal report of intercultural communication apprehension (PRICA), talkoholic scale and tolerance for disagreement. These tools are used to analyze the communication competence in different communication situations with different array of receivers. The first tool is aimed to analyze the competency of an individual to handle different types of communication situation and different types of receivers (Burgoon, Guerrero & Floyd, 2016). The second tool used in the report is the nonverbal immediacy report, which analyzes the feelings of an individual towards diverse communication situations. It identifies the ability of a person to understand nonverbal cues in different communication setting. The nonverbal cues are an integral part of the communication process and an efficient communicator should be able to understand the nonverbal cues of other person. The intercultural communication apprehension analyzes the ability of a person to communicate in foreign communication setting. The talkoholic scale analyzes whether the person is compulsive communicator. The tolerance for disagreement analyzes whether the person can bear that the other person is not agreeing with his views. It analyzes how well a person can tolerate with disagreement and conflicts from other persons (Calero, 2005).  

Identified Communication Issues

After the application of these tools, I realized that the results of the questionnaire were quite accurate. I realized that the results denote my communication style and specific traits in the personality.  I am an efficient communicator and able to easily carry out conversation with strangers and friends. However, the talkoholic scale shed light that I am compulsive talker and needs to be quiet several times. The score in SPCC scale was adequately high, which shows that I have high interaction skills. My overall score in SPCC scale is 81.67 %, which shows my competency in communicating with others. The nonverbal immediacy identifies the nonverbal behavior, which can generate positive feelings for other person. The nonverbal immediacy behavior provides information about the interpretation and the feelings of a person towards another person. In this scale, my overall score was 94, which shows my high aptitude towards the use and the interpretation of nonverbal cues. The personal report of intercultural communication (PRICA) measures the ability of a person to communicate in intercultural context. This instrument analyzes the ability of a person to communicate in intercultural context. In this scale, my score was 32, which shows that I have high intercultural capability. I do not shy away from talking to people, coming from different cultures.

With the above analysis, it can be perceived that I am a good communicator and able to engage in different kinds of communication. I do not shy away from communicating with people from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds. I am confident and able to communicate properly in challenging scenario. However, I do not like if someone challenges me. Further, I do not like it when a person does not agree with my viewpoint and contradicts me. I also have a tendency to talk compulsively. Sometimes, I blurt secrets or speak somethings, which should not be spoken. Other people get bored of the conversation and tend to leave it. However, it is important to realize that it is important to engage other people in the conversation rather than speaking compulsively (Chaloupka-Risser & Füssl, 2017).   However, excessive talking can be offensive to some people as these people are considered as disrespectful and opinionated. It creates an awkward situation sometimes as the friends and the co-workers avoid talking or exclude themselves from the conversation. The compulsive talking is a combination of two factors, namely, being highly verbal and failing to understand the social cues. The talkoholic makes excellent lecturers; however, they cannot understand that there listeners are bored and uninterested in the conversation.

Diagnostic Tools and Analysis

The talkoholic scale measures the compulsiveness of a person to communicate with other people. The talkoholic scale measures incompetency of the communicator. It measures whether a person talks too much, which evaluates if the person saying things, he doesn’t want to say or they are ineffective communicator (Hgde & Freed, 2016). These people are driven to talk. My score in talkoholic scale is very high. Other than that, the tolerance for disagreement is designed to measure the degree to which an individual can tolerate other person disagreeing with their thoughts. The score in the scale is 41, which shows moderate tolerance for disagreement.

According to the results of various communication competency scales and personal perception, there are two identified weaknesses in my communication, sometimes, I indulge in excessive talking. I tend to talk too much and say things, which are bad to hear or reveal too much information. Therefore, it is a major weakness in my behavior. Other than that, my tolerance for disagreement is also lower. I cannot bear if someone disagrees with me quickly (MacKeracher, 2004). I get angry too easily, if someone fights with me and contradicts my thoughts again and again. However, I also have a tendency to avoid conflicts and disagreements and solve issues in a diplomatic manner. I also understand that in a public setting, disagreements are inevitable; however, it is important to address the situation in an amiable manner. I myself have analyzed that I have some stage fear and public speaking anxiety, which prohibits me from speaking confidently in a public setting (Choren, 2015).

Several times, I feel anxious in speaking in front of large audience. I also have public speaking anxiety, which means that I feel anxious in giving presentation in a business meeting. In the previous experience, I have faced challenges because of these weaknesses in my personal behavior. I was working as an intern in a multinational organization. I was asked to present findings to improve the procedures and processes of the organization. I need to give a presentation in the organization to improve the procedure (Shore, 2010). I realized that the experienced employees are demanding audience; therefore, I have pressure to communicate and deliver the presentation in an accurate manner. As I was afraid and nervous during the presentation, I spoke too much and some of the queries of the audience were answered in a relevant manner. It can be stated that being talkative is a positive characteristics as these people are perceived as efficient and natural leaders (Dolan, 2016).

Weaknesses in Communication

However, when these people are notified that they are having issues in their communication, they fail to recognize it and understand that other people enjoy their conversation (Trotzer, 2013). Such person engages in excessive talking, blurt facts unintentionally and cannot wait for one’ turn in a conversation.

The compulsive talking is the habit of talking too much, which is beyond the socially acceptable level. There are different factors, which characterize the compulsive talking such as continuous talking, excessive talking, and self-perceived competence (Elliott, Smith & Gentry, 2015).

As discussed, I have mediocre tolerance for disagreement, because of which I tend to avoid disagreement. I was given a task, which was not in my prescribed job responsibilities; however, I ended up doing it as I did not want to confront my managers. During my previous employment, I had a discussion with my senior HR about some confidential topics. My manager suggested me not to share or blurt the content of communication with other employees. However, once I blurted it out during a conversation with my coworker. It was a sensitive information and spread among all the employees quickly. As a result, my impression on my managers declined in a substantial manner. Therefore, two weaknesses have been identified in the communication analysis tool. A literature review has been conducted to analyze the underlying theories for the aforementioned weaknesses.

It can be stated that being talkative is a positive characteristic. Therefore, the people, who are able to keep up a conversation and engage others with their communication, are perceived as warm, friendly and outgoing. Such people are at comfort at foreign locations and able to put other people at ease too (Henderson & Mathew Byrne, 2016). Such people are described as confident and natural leaders.

However, excessive talking can repel people. Such people are often perceived as opinionated and disrespectful to the opinion of others. After a certain time, people tend to find their conversation boring. They like to repeat the same stories again and again. It is the tendency of excessive talkers to repeat their stories, interrupt their colleagues and trying to redirect the attention to themselves (Keech, Kelly, Dowling,  McBride, and Brown, 2016). It becomes a difficult situation, when a person remains highly verbal and unable to read social cues.

However, there are certain advantages off being excessive talkers, such as they can be good lecturers. However, it is social challenge in a more general setting.  These people talk way more than required in an incessant manner. In social setting, it is an unacceptable behavior, which can destroy the relationships.

Action Plan to Improve Communication

In the perspective of Koprowska, (2014) excessive talking can be a result of experiencing anxiety at an extreme level. These people talk excessively in order to reduce their anxiety. They engage in talking when they anticipate anxiety. However, it is a complex problem. However, it is important to understand that there is difference between people who talk too much and people who have compulsion towards talking. Further, most of the compulsive talkers are self-aware that they consistently talk more than a certain extent. They have compulsive tendencies and become addicted to talking more than anything else. In compulsive talking, the need to talk becomes extreme.

Kreuger (2008) has started that such people are aware that they talk in an overt manner; however, they perceive that their behavior is not particularly damaging to others. Most of the compulsive talkers are not aware of the extent of their problem and that other people involved in a conversation are perceived negatively. The desire to talk, remain inconsistent all the time and across all the situations. They display the same behavior at work, school or at home. They are aware of their behavior. These people are aware that they talk too much as they have heard comments about their talkativeness. Further, they openly admit that they talk past the point of necessity. When these people talk past the point of necessity, it is not in their best interest.

In the perspective of Leutenberg, Liptak & Brodsky (2008) these people are not aware of the social cues when to stop talking and even if they are aware, they completely ignore these signals and continue to talk. Further, there is difference between people who talk too much and people, who are compulsive in their behavior.

The people, who talk too much, have quality issues in their communication style. It means that their competency in the communication is lacking. They ignore cues, when to stop talking and discuss annoying subjects with their colleagues.

In the views of McKay, Davis & Fanning (2009) excessive talking is socially embarrassing; however, there are several approaches which can be used to prevent excessive talking. Self-regulatory behavior is best method to control excessive talking. It is important to note that these people have something important to contribute. It is important to note and encourage other person to actively participate in the conversation and make contributions throughout the conversation. It is important to practice self-control and allow other person to contribute actively in the conversation. It is important to be self-aware and careful while speaking. It means that the conversationalist should avoid being too pushy or aggressive during the behavior. The excessive talking can be controlled by restraining peaking. It is also important to being a good listener. People like to converse with the people, who are good listeners.

In the perspective of Mehrabian (2017) the tolerance for disagreement occurs, when a person in a group or organization setting. However, the manner or way of disagreement is generally different in an organization setting, which depends on who is the opponent in a disagreement, the situation of disagreement and where the disagreement is taking place. The position of the person and their influence in the company also impacts the disagreement.

According to Mero (2015) there are several components in a disagreement, such as different components in a disagreement and how the discussion in evolving in a disagreement or a conflict. There are four factors, which impacts the tolerance in disagreement, namely, namely, verbal communication, nonverbal cues, emotions and listening. According to Peacock & London (2000) there are different verbal communication style, which include expressiveness, preciseness, assuredness and supportiveness which impacts the efficacy of communication procedure. In the business environment, these factors impact the communication between employees and the employer-employee. The knowledge sharing and team commitment also impacts the communication style of the managers.

In the persperctive of Riggio & Feldman (2005) the tolerance for disagreement increases the probability of a person to resolve conflicts and does not indulge in conflicts in comparison to others. It can be referred as the ability of a person to engage in conversation with people, who have different views from others without being emotional. The people having high tolerance for disagreement, understands that other people have a right to express their ideas. Even if their ideas are not matching, they will understand that every person can hold a different view. Such people will not shy away from an animated debate and take it as a positive experience. According to Shehada (2016) generally, most of the people become emotional and aggressive, when they are confronted with ideas which impact their views. The tolerance for disagreement can be increased when the people understand that there are differences between every individual and these differences should be respected. In the present times, the workplaces are becoming multiethnic and multicultural; therefore, it is important that the employees have a high tolerance for disagreement (Jones, C2013). In the views of Simpson (2015) the negotiation and diplomacy skills are essential in developing a workplace, in which the employees are tolerant with each other. The workplace conflicts are unavoidable; however, the employees can use certain strategies to avoid the workplace conflicts. The first method to increase the tolerance towards disagreement is to control emotions. In the perspective of Stueart, Robert (2008) in order to maintain a professional behavior, it is important for the employees to control the emotions, when a coworker say something offensive or out of line. An emotionally charged reply will only create a negative image of the employee. Further, it is important to note that in workplace, the employees should not make the disagreement personal and try to complete the task at hand. Further, it is important that even while disagreeing, the person should be respectful of the other person. It is important to maintain the dignity of both the parties, even when you are disagreeing. At the workplace, it is important to keep the keep the objections, objective and data-driven. It is also important to keep a calm demeanor, while showing disagreement. In the perspective of Tafrate & Kassinove, (2009) the other person should be non-defensive, calm and respectful of other employees. The disagreements should be shown in a communicative manner, which can build trust and transparency among the employees. If there are some private differences between both the parties, they should not be includes in the professional argument or discussion. It is important to work out a proper solution without showing any personal differences.

In the perspective of Vangelisti (2016) there are various solutions to address the weaknesses in the communication, which needs development; however, it is important to create an action plan, which can be used to address the issue. The foremost thing essential in an action plan is keeping a personal journal, which can reflect on the individual progress and monitor the intervention plan. The personal journal will keep me in track of the progress and what still needs to be done. The action plan is developed for six months. After six months, the journal will work as a useful tool in the future planning. I will also select a mentor to guide me through the weaknesses in the communication plan. It means that the mentor will guide me through the weaknesses in my communication plan and I can learn tolerance strategy in disagreement. He can also guide me to control my talkoholic nature. I will also try to participate in the communication development program offered by the university. In the views of Virtues (2014) t will assist me in building confidence and increasing communication apprehension.

It can be stated that self-control and practice can be used to discipline one and improve the performance. Therefore, I would also like to integrate self-discipline principles in the action plan. In the perspective of Worth (2009) will also reduce the social anxiety, which is associated with compulsive talking. I will practice by visualizing different communication scenarios and reduce the stress level.

According to Yew Wong, (2005) here are several communication apprehension courses, which can improve my communication effectiveness at the workplace. The participation in such courses will increase my professionalism and effectiveness at the workplace. I will also be able to change my communication style according to the situation, which is essential in being an effective manager.  There are various short-term courses available to reduce the public anxiety and increase my knowledge of behaving in front of large audience. These courses, will also allow me to increase my knowledge to use nonverbal cues for effective presentation. The nonverbal cues are important for effective presentation at the workplace.

In can be critiqued that Baldwin, Wilkinson, & Barkley,(2000) in order to reduce the social anxiety, I will also try to participate in the cultural activities and the debate competition in the University. It will also improve the presentation skills at the workplace. These will be considered as practice activities, which can be used to boost my confidence at the workplace setting. I will also regularly watch confidence and performance boosting videos so that I can improve my performance at the workplace.

Activities	1st-3rd month	3rd-6th month	6th to 9 month	9th to 12th month
Short term courses for to increase tolerance for anger
Reading and watching videos
Personal Journal
Mentoring
Evaluation Plan

Conclusion

Conclusively, it can be stated that the business communication is an important aspect of the professional life. The employees have to learn to communicate effectively and with confidence in their professional life. There are several aspect of the professional business communication and the in the present report, several diagnostic tools have been applied so that the weaknesses in the personal communication can be identified. In the report, five different communication tools, SPCC, PRICA, tolerance for disagreement, nonverbal cues and talkoholic scale has been used. It can be stated thjat the interpersonal communication is a vast area and includes several factors such as verbal and nonverbal communication, emotions and listening. The communication apprehension scale analyzed the competency of the person at different situations. The intercultural communication capability is also analyzed through the scale. According to the results, it has been analyzed that I am able to carry myself confidently at different social settings. I do not shy away from communicating with different people and handling different social settings. The weakness identified in the communication plan is excessive talking at different instances and low or mediocre tolerance for disagreements.

References 

Baldwin, D.A., Wilkinson, F.C., & Barkley, D. (2000). Effective Management of Student Employment: Organizing for Student Employment in Academic Libraries. Libraries Unlimited.

Baraldi, C. (2017). Language Mediation as Communication System. Communication Theory, 123-143.

Burgoon, J.K., Guerrero, L.K., & Floyd, K. (2016). Nonverbal Communication. Routledge.

Calero, H.H. (2005). The Power of Nonverbal Communication: How You Act is More Important Than what You Say. Silver Lake Publishing.

Chaloupka-Risser, C., & Füssl, E. (2017). The importance of communication between cyclists and other traffic participants and its potential in reducing traffic safety-critical events. Transactions On Transport Sciences, 8(1), 24-30.

Choren, A. (2015). The Importance of Communication in the Workplace. IEEE Potentials, 34(3), 10-11.

Dolan, R. (2016). Branding Yourself Effective Communication Skills. FEMS Microbiology Letters, fnw289.(page 9)

Elliott, C.H., Smith, L.L., & Gentry, S.W.D. (2015). Anger Management For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons.

Henderson, K., & Mathew Byrne, J. (2016). Developing communication and interviewing skills. Skills for social work practice, 1-22. (page 7)

Hgde, M.N., & Freed, D. (2016). Assessment of Communication Disorders in Adults, Second Edition: Resources and Protocols. Plural Publishing.

Jones, C.C. (2013). Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker. Capstone.

Keech, W., Kelly, J., Dowling, A., McBride, K. and Brown, A., (2016). The Importance of Effective Communication in Hospital Between Aboriginal Cardiac Patients and Health Professionals. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 25, pp.S316-S317.

Knapp, M.L., Hall, J.A., & Horgan, T.G. (2013). Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction. Cengage Learning.

Koprowska, J. (2014). Communication and interpersonal skills in social work. Learning Matters.

Kreuger, J. (2008). Nonverbal Communication. GRIN Verlag.

Leutenberg, E., Liptak, J., & Brodsky, A. (2008). The Communication Skills Workbook (1st ed.). Whole Person Associates.

MacKeracher, D. (2004). Making Sense of Adult Learning. University of Toronto Press.

McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The Communication Skills Book (1st ed.). Oakland, Calif.: New Harbinger Publications.

Mehrabian, A. (2017). Nonverbal Communication. Routledge.

Mero, J. (2015). The Role of Non-Verbal Communication in Intercultural Business. GRIN Verlag.

Peacock, J., & London, M. (2000). Anger Management. Capstone.

Reilly, A.H. and Hynan, K.A., (2014). Corporate communication, sustainability, and social media: It’s not easy (really) being green. Business horizons, 57(6), pp.747-758.

Riggio, R.E., & Feldman, R.S. (2005). Applications of Nonverbal Communication. Psychology Press.

Shehada, B.A.R.(2016) Phase-Based Speech Enhancement (Doctoral dissertation, Islamic University, Gaza, Palestine).

Shore, K. (2010). Classroom Management: A Guide for Elementary Teachers: A Guide for Elementary Teachers. National Professional Resources Inc./Dude Publishing.

Simpson, C., (2015). Science of coercion: Communication research & psychological warfare, 1945–1960. Open Road Media.

Stueart, Robert D. (2008), “Human Relations in Library Education: Relationships Among Colleagues,” IFLA Journal 15 no. 1, 44-49.

Tafrate, R.C., & Kassinove, H. (2009). Anger Management for Everyone: Seven Proven Ways to Control Anger and Live a Happier Life. Impact Publishers.

Trotzer, J.P. (2013). Counselor and The Group: Integrating Theory, Training, and Practice. Taylor & Francis.

Vangelisti, A.L., (2016). On the importance of communication research. Communication Education, 65(4), pp.501-504.

Virtues, A. (2014). Anger Management for Women: How to Control Emotions and Let Go. Speedy Publishing LLC.

Worth, R. (2009). Communication skills (1st ed.). New York: Ferguson.

Yew Wong, K. (2005). Critical success factors for implementing knowledge management in small and medium enterprises. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 105(3), 261-279.