Exploring and Understanding Communication

Laura McAvoy
2-1

1.) What do you acknowledge are your strengths when it comes to communication?
● Speaking my mind
→ I find it easy to confidently say what is on my mind and sharing my opinion(s) with
others
● Energy & Enthusiasm
→ I contribute positive and enthusiastic energy to conversations without overwhelming
others, and often influence others to do the same. I find I often feed the conversation with
new discussion points or questions.
→ I do not give dry responses, (ex: “yeah.” or “mhm”) I know how frustrating it is trying to
keep a conversation going when others give dry responses so I try to keep good responses
that make people want to continue talking.
● Good listener
→ I listen to what other people are saying without interrupting them to add my opinion. I
know I would feel frustrated as a speaker if people were not listening to me, so I try to focus
my attention on others so they feel comfortable to continue sharing.
2.) What challenges you when you communicate with others?
● Engaging non-enthusiastic people
→ I find it challenging to engage with other people in a conversation they are not
necessarily enthusiastic about. I know in classroom settings it is often hard to get people to
contribute to class discussions which can be challenging when working in a group because
sometimes I’ll feel like the only one contributing and it can be a bit awkward.
3.) What characteristics do you notice/appreciate in others when they communicate with you?
● Eye contact
→ when there is eye contact I feel like the other person actually cares and is engaged in
what I/we are talking about
● Enthusiasm
→ feeling and hearing it in the tone of their voice when they are speaking. This makes it
easier for me to engage as well
● Body Language
→ if their posture is open or closed off it tells me a lot on how they feel when
communicating. I appreciate when someone has open body language when communicating
with me because it helps me to engage with them when I feel they are more open and
inviting.
4.) What characteristics do you notice/not appreciate in others when they communicate to you?
● Wandering eyes
→ Whether it is awkwardness or just uninterest in talking, when I see wandering eyes it
tells me the person doesn’t really want to be talking right now
● Tone
 → I don’t appreciate harsher or monotone voices when people communicate with me. It
makes it harder for me to communicate back when the tone seems aggressive or
uninterested.
5.) What is your relationship like with technology and communication? Does it help or hinder you?
How so?
● Balance
→ I don’t spend all my time on my phone and have a balance between abilities to
communicate in person and through technology
→ I feel like it hinders others more so than myself. Some people find it harder to
communicate in person because they mainly just communicate through technology which
makes it awkward or quiet when they communicate in person.
6.) Is it possible for a person to change the way he/she communicates?
● Yes
→ I think that the more frequently people communicate the more comfortable they get
which can change how they normally communicate. I think even people who are strong
communicators can change because they can learn and develop new skills in
communication when observing othres