Tools And Techniques For Effective Communication: A Diagnosis And Reflection Section

Five diagnostic tools for evaluating effective communication

Information can be exchanged between entities or groups through the process of communication. Lack of active listening, different cultural backgrounds and language barriers are some of the barriers to communication (Baker & Warren, 2015). A communication is not effective if the speaker is unable to convey his or her intended message to the speaker. The communication can be called effective if all the information is conveyed and there is no miscommunication by eliminating the barriers of communication. A proportionate use of verbal as well as nonverbal communication skills is needed for proper message delivery. The emotional state of the speaker and the listener can be expressed by using non-verbal communication skills. This report comprises of a diagnosis and reflection section on the different styles of communication and the tools that can be used to analyze them. A literature review is also provided that would elaborate on the identified flaws in communication. The purpose of this report is to identify and examine the shortcomings in communication and the steps that must be implemented to enhance those skills through the utilization of an action plan.   

Five diagnostic tools can be used to evaluate effective communication. I have established an understanding of these tools and was able to use these tools to evaluate my communication skills

• Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale: This tool is utilized while identifying my ability to communicate with my friends, acquaintances at my work place and strangers whom I meet everywhere (Bahadori & Hashemizadeh, 2018). I feel very comforted while I am talking to my friends. I feel very motivated while talking to a single friend and even a small group of friends. I can exchange information with ease. However, I feel a little difficulty in having a conversation with a large group of friends. I can be very assertive while talking to one or a small group of my friends but I am defensive while talking to a large group. I am an active listener while having a conversation with them and listen intently if it is small group but in a large group, I am unable to give full attention to the conversation (Farrell, 2016). I can talk with to a large group of acquaintances at my workplace with ease. This is usually the case when I am in a meeting and I must address them. There is an abundance of issues and problems to talk about and thus I can freely communicate with them. I feel awkward while I am talking to one or a small group of acquaintances. This is primarily because I create topics to talk about and the conversations do not last for long. I like to avoid being the context of gossip at my workplace (Burke, 2017). Thus, I am very careful as not to offend them by talking about something they might be embarrassed about. I enjoy having a conversation with a group of strangers for the same reasons. There is a lot to talk about and every one contributes to the conversation. Such conversations are very interesting to listen to, as there are various experiences that can be gained from these discussions (Holliday, 2016). However, I lack confidence while talking to a stranger. My body language explicitly conveys that I am very defensive while talking to them.
• Personal Report of Intercultural Communication Apprehension: I have analysed various aspects of intercultural communication with the help of this diagnostic tool (Neuliep, 2017). From this tool it is apparent that I am comfortable while talking to people belonging to different cultural backgrounds. I am never nervous while talking to them and it has never happened that they got offended from something I said. Generally, people from one cultural background might be insensitive towards people from other cultural background. Such instances take place when there are groups of strangers having a conversation and not knowing about the cultural backgrounds of their listeners (Yook, 2015). Spending time on social media I overrated as people do not get to meet each other and know about them. Instead, spending time in real life with people from different cultural backgrounds is necessary. Different cultures have different perspectives to life (Tien, 2015). Knowing about them and understanding its meaning is beneficial for everyday life. Colleges and workplaces consist of people from different cultures. Such a workplace is necessary for diversified approach to problems. Therefore, I am very intrigued while talking to people from different cultural backgrounds. I am certain that I would benefit by having conversations with them. I am confident and upfront while talking to them as I understand the prospect of talking to them. I have never felt uncomfortable while talking to them. The overall rating from the tool thus indicates that I have very high intercultural skills and that I can easily communicate with them without facing any difficulties.
• Nonverbal Immediacy Scale-Self Report: This diagnostic tool was used to measure my non-verbal skills for communication. In many scenarios, I have experienced that I lack non-verbal skill. This tool provides a concrete proof that I certainly lack those skills. Facial expression and body language are two parts of non-verbal communication skills (Burgoon, Guerrero & Floyd, 2016). The analysis from the tool shows that I am capable at using facial expressions like smiling and eye contact. Smiling while talking to people creates a friendly persona. I tend to use some intonations while talking to people only when I am happy. In other scenarios, I have a monotonous voice while talking to people (LeFebvre & Allen, 2014). I keep calm and composed and thus my voice does not change. I maintain eye contact while talking to them as this shows that I am very attentive and focussed while talking to them. I want them to know that I give them my undivided attention. Continuous eye contact also shows that I am very confident in myself and that I am not lying while talking (Myllyneva & Hietanen, 2015). However, I am deficient at using body languages and postures for effectively communicating my information as well as my emotions and state of mind. I do not use hand gestures of any sort. This signifies that I am very uptight while communicating with others. This prevents me from creating a personal connection with the people I talk to. Generally touching someone’s arms or shoulders while talking to them is a great way to show that the listener has empathy for the speaker. I do not touch the people I am talking to and thus they might think that I am not giving full attention to their situation or that I have no feelings to share (Leathers & Eaves, 2015). Such assumptions convey miscommunication in these situations. I am not fluent at using postures for communication. Standing postures can reveal a vast amount of information about the speaker and the listener. Among many others, it shows whether I am interested in the conversation or not.
• Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety: My public speaking skills can be analysed using the diagnostic tool. From this tool I have identified that I have strong public speaking skills. Public speaking can be very difficult as addressing a large crowd is not easy. A crowd consists of a wide variety of people. Each of them has come to attend the speech with different expectations from the speaker. The speaker must be aware of the mentality of the crowd. I personally find public speaking very satisfying. I am comfortable and competent at addressing the public. I enjoy preparing for the speech. I include stories from my personal experience that helps me to keep the audience feel a connection to my speech. I am confident that building a connection with the audience is essential for an effective speech delivery. Although, I need anxiety management as I am tensed before giving a speech (Hunter, Westwick & Haleta, 2014).
• Talkaholic Scale Communication: Using this tool I can analyse whether I am a talkaholic or not. Being talkaholic means that the person would keep on talking without stopping or let others speak. Talkaholic often annoy other people with their compulsive behaviour (Sidelinger & Bolen, 2015). It is evident from the tool that I am not a talkaholic. I speak only when it is necessary. I am not a compulsive talker however I am borderline talkaholic. There are times when I should have been upfront and communicated my thought process to make situations less complex. In some situations, I have also faced that excess communication from my end was disadvantageous (Sidelinger & Bolen, 2016). However, if my overall talking record is observed, it will be seen that I talk less than I should.

The five diagnostic tools aided in providing me with two major flaws in my communication skills. These flaws are as follows:

• I lack the ability to use body language to effectively convey my message. I need to use these skills to show that I have understood the message that was meant to be conveyed. Change of voice pattern is also necessary as a monotonous voice will make the listener lose interest.
• Public speaking anxiety is another flaw that I need to improve on. Anxiety before every speech is not ideal. I have no problem while giving a speech in front of the public and I usually enjoy the speech preparation phase. I get nervous while practicing the speech for better delivery. However, instead of reducing my anxiousness, I get more worked up before the speech.    

The following are two of my very recent professional experiences in the last twelve months:

• During a meeting at my workplace, I was unable to completely convey my positive attitude to my manager. He stated some new ideas for a project and although I fully supported those ideas, my body language said otherwise. This created a difference of opinion among the junior colleagues which was completely unintentional.
• There was a conference conducted by my company. I had to address a huge crowd and give a speech containing motivational content. I was really excited for the speech as it is my forte. I have no problems in addressing huge crowds. However, I was baffled by anxiety attacks before the speech started. I was vigorously sweating and my hands and legs were shaking as the moment of getting up at the podium approached. I needed serious anxiety management in this situation. 

Two issues in my communication skills were identified in the preceding part of the assignment. This literature review will aid in explaining those issues.

A combination of verbal and non-verbal communication skills is needed to effectively communicate and to convey the intended message (Phutela, 2015). Non-verbal skills are needed to communicate the emotional state of the speaker. It is also needed to understand the mental state of the listener. A person can fluently lie verbally, however his or her body language will reveal it all. Positive use of non-verbal communication skills is seen as a sign of confidence and assertiveness. It is well known that visual aid is recommended for better communication purposes (Rodríguez Estrada & Davis, 2015). Body postures and hand gestures act as the visual aid to communication. Hand gestures like waving the hands while talking shows sincerity towards the conversation. Open arms symbolize friendliness and honesty (Gonzalez, 2017). It also shows that the speaker has nothing to hide. Hand gestures while speaking to a large audience is a necessity as it keeps the audience enticed in the speech. It serves to keep the audience interested in the speech. Closed arms shows that the person is defensive and being careful. Clasped hands also signify the same along with showing that the person is probably hiding something. Standing postures are also important as it can reveal a huge amount of information about the conversationalists. The feet of the listener pointed towards the speaker shows that the listener is attentive and is actively listening to the speaker (Baker & Warren, 2015). On the other hand, if the person points his or her feet away from the speaker, it means that the listener has lost interest in the conversation. Body postures also reveal the interest level of a person. A leaned in pose means that the person is listening intently or is confident in his or her speech (Bodie et al., 2015). However, a leaned back pose is a defensive pose and signifies that the person either disagrees with the speaker or has doubts in his or her own speech. Shoulder shrug is a common sign of disagreement and not understanding the speaker. Touching the arms and shoulders symbolizes empathy and sympathy (Kaushal, 2014). It can be used to form a close connection with people. It shows intimacy with people and such a conversation often holds more value than formal ones. Voice intonation is needed to effectively communicate with the listener (Elbert & Dijkstra, 2014). A change of voice is necessary to show emotional changes. Anger, sorrow and happiness, all of these emotions can be expressed by using only the right tone of voice. Among all the non-verbal skills, intonation has the strongest effect on the audience. The speaker stresses the key points so that the listener can easily comprehend the message. Eye contact is another prime example of showing interest and confidence in a conversation. A speaker can assert his dominance by maintaining eye contact throughout the conversation. It also signifies that the speaker is honest and is confident in his or her approach. Looking away during a conversation often denotes that the participants have lost interest in the conversation. It can also mean that speaker is either lying or is not confident enough. The personality of a person can be evaluated by analyzing his or her use or non-verbal communication skills. A person with a strong personality will always maintain eye contact while speaking and have an overall positive attitude. Such a person will always be assertive and use the right tone to convey the appropriate message. He or she will not wait for things to occur instead the person will use effective communication that can be used to make things happen. A weak person is submissive in nature. The person would lack the necessary confidence to speak assertively. He or she cannot make judgements on the important decisions of their life. Such people can never use non-verbal communication skills, as it is impossible for them to act confidently. Handshakes also signifies the strength of a person’s character. Firm handshakes would definitely mean that the person is dominating, has a lot of confidence and is very assertive during conversation. A weak handshake however shows that the person has very low confidence levels, is never dominating and is not assertive during conversations. Breathing is one of the minor aspects of non-verbal communication. The signs are very subtle and most people generally ignores to consider this. Heavy breathing is usually sign of anxiousness and tension. The person might be worked up due to being anxious and tensed prior to any event. Slow and steady breadths on the other hand shows confidence. The person does not get anxious as he or she is confident of the actions. Thus, the person remains calm. A long and deep exhale also signifies that the person has agreed to a certain agreement. Understanding a breadth can hugely favor a person negotiating for a contract. Non-verbal skills must be used to make the communication effective. Such skills are hard to develop and even harder to master. However, once mastered can help a person overcome any obstacle in his or her life.

Identified flaws in my communication skills

Anxiety management is vital for public speaking (Soh, Roy & Lakshmi, 2017). A tensed speaker would lack confidence to address the crowd properly. There are certain actions that needs to be performed to reduce anxiety levels in a person. A person must accept the fact that he or she cannot control everything. Somethings will always happen without any cause or warning. These events must be dealt with individually. Having such a mindset will definitely reduce the stress of the person. A person must always put maximum effort in the task and hope for the best to happen. Perfection cannot always be achieved and it is futile to stress over it. A person must maintain a positive attitude. Positive thoughts can replace negative thoughts, which would reduce the anxiety level of a person. Fretting over simple stuff must be avoided as it increases the tension of a person. A person must identify and understand the processes that can trigger his or her anxiety. It is generally advised to avoid such anxiety triggers however in real life not everything trigger can be avoided like schools or jobs. Such triggers must be dealt with by applying other suitable measures. Deep breaths is one method where a person inhales and exhales at a slow yet continuous pace (Khalsa et al., 2015). Any person can use this for stress management. Taking long breaths has proven to be effective among children as well as adults. This calms the mind largely and can be any place any time. Counting numbers slowly is another method that can be used to manage stress. Counting from one to ten is enough to reduce stress in even the most tensed person. However, during certain exceptional cases counting to 20 or 30 may also be needed. Community service is another method to manage stress. Volunteering to support causes such as free education can be very satisfying (Rochester et al., 2016). This in turn can reduce the stress levels of a person. Such activities provide an accepted gap in our busy schedules and thus reduces stress. Listening to music, reading books and meditating are other forms of anxiety management (Dor-Ziderman et al., 2016). People who are need of a clear head at work can use this method regularly. The preferred choice differs from person to person. Some prefer listening to music as it helps to calm down. Some people calm down while meditating in the park. There others for who reading books is a great way to reduce stress (Biegel, 2017). Books that inspire creativity by instigating the thought process is preferable as being diverted from the stress triggers always helps. Talking to someone of course helps in anxiety management. Interactions with people is always beneficial as it creates bonding, which helps sooth our brains. Talking to someone about anything other than the stress triggers also helps to divert attention from the source of all the anxiety. This in turn helps to reduce the stress in human being. Bonding over the simplest of things can be beneficial for a person. People always are worked up before talking to people. However, intimacy and bonding is necessary for growth of a person and the development of a human being in general. Getting help from professionals can be ultimate measure that can be used to treat anxiety clinically. The psychiatrists keep all the sessions private and anonymous and thus it is safe to attend such sessions. A professional can easily help to identify the sources of anxiety and then recommend steps that can be used to minimize stress and eliminate them altogether. Taking professional help is highly recommended as most of the time a person is actually unaware of the anxiety and stress that they face is daily life (Linetzky et al., 2015). They get depressed to the point that they sometimes they lose their will to do anything in life. A clinical treatment is highly necessary for such people and it must be provided without any delay. Proper anxiety management thus can be used to offer better public speeches. 

Literature review on communication flaws and how to improve them

An action plan can be implemented over a duration of six months that would help me to improve on the issues of my communication skills.

Task	Duration	From	To
Developing the study requirements	3 days	30/1/2018	2/2/2018
Study preparation	1 day	3/2/2018	4/2/2018
Creating a suitable timeline for study scheduling	1 day	5/2/2018	6/2/2018
Collecting the required literature: Books, journals and articles	2 days	7/2/2018	9/2/2018
Studying the literature collected	120 days	10/2/2018	9/4/2018
Nurturing skills for non-verbal communication	30 days	10/4/2018	9/5/2018
Using a journal to document the learning outcomes	180 days	30/1/2018	29/7/2018
Undertaking anxiety management activities	120 days	10/5/2018	9/7/2018
Reflecting on the experience gathered and measuring the success of every milestone achieved	180 days	30/1/2018	29/7/2018

The action plan given above is essential for improving the issues identified in the previous section of the report where different diagnostic tools of communication were used. Developing an idea of the study process and understanding its importance is essential otherwise, I might fail to gather the proper literature. Gathering the required literature is a tough process and must be completed to start the next phase of the plan. Books addressing motivational and leadership content can also be included in the literature. Having sufficient motivation through all parts of the plan is a necessity and without it, the entire plan might fall apart. Careful study process of the collected literature must be conducted that would assist in imparting a thorough knowledge about non-verbal skills and their appropriate use. A journal can be maintained throughout this plan process as it can be used to document every learning outcome at each stage of the plan. Success at each stage of the plan can be measured if its results can be implemented in the nest step with ease. Each step of this plan is interlinked with one another and every step must be given the same amount of importance. The success of the following step depends on the successful completion of the preceding step. Non-verbal can be cultivated at home by experimenting on some lose people. I would apply my skills on them and get their feedback on how well I performed. That feedback can then be used to improve the skill even further. Nonverbal skills can be very tricky to apply and thus selecting the right set of people for experiment is of paramount importance. After several exhausting sessions, I am very certain that my nonverbal skills definitely improve. I have considered taking medical help for my anxiety treatment. I have resorted to taking professional help, as I want to be certain of my anxiety management. I want to eliminate the anxiety issues that I face in my daily life. Finally, reflecting on the improvements and the learning outcomes is included as the final step of the plan. Reflection is essential to understand and evaluate the entire process that has been learnt in the span of six months. During reflection, some issues with the learning process might be identified that has not been covered in the plan. Using the feedback from the reflection those unattended outcome can be addressed in the remaining time of the plan. 

Anxiety management for public speaking and general stress

Conclusion

Thus, it can be concluded that every person has his or her own set communication skill set. Some skills can be present from birth others must be nurtured with time. However, it requires a proper combination of all of the skills to make the communication effective in all respects. 

Reference List

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