Self-Reflection on Communication Skills: Identifying Weaknesses and Developing an Action Plan

This essay reflects on the application of self-diagnosis tools and their impact on personality and success in professional life. It identifies weaknesses in communication skills and develops an action plan to address them.

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In the present essay, a self-reflection has been conducted regarding the application of the self-
diagnosis tools and their impact on the personality and the success in the professional life. In the
module, we were given an assignment regarding to apply different diagnostic tools on the self-
communication and identify the potential weakness in the communication. It can be stated that
the business communication skills are essential at the workplace. They are important in creating
a positive workplace environment and developing a productive workplace. The business
professionals should be able to carry themselves and know how to handle complex workplace
situations. In this regard, in the present module, we implemented five different diagnostic tools
and analyzed their results. With the application of these diagnostic tools, two different
communication issues were identified, which are public anxiety and low tolerance for
disagreement (Choren, 2015). The present essay has focused on these two issues and synthesized
information from the literature regarding how to address these issues. Through the reflection
process, these weaknesses have been identified and at the end of the essay, an action plan has
been formed so that these communication issues can be addressed.
In the classroom activity, we were given five different diagnostic tools, which are, 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 analyze the competency of a person, in different
communication situations. In the first tool, different situations are given to the interviewee and
he has to select, how he will respond in different situation. This scale evaluated the comfort of
the person at different environment and foreign social situations. The second scale evaluates the
nonverbal immediacy of an individual, which means to evaluate whether the person uses and
other non-verbal communication from to support his conversation. The intercultural

communication apprehension analyzes that comfort level of person in communicating with
foreign persons or person with different ethnic background. The talkoholic scale analyzes if the
person is compulsive talker and the tolerance for disagreement analyzes whether the person can
has the patience to effectively communicate with a group, with different viewpoints. In a
workplace, it is important to have high tolerance for conflicting or supporting ideas without
getting emotional. These scales identify different aspects of the behavior and the person can
scrutinize, which aspects are lacking. Although the personality and the communication style of
each person is unique; however, there are several aspects of the personality which can be
improved in the current situation.
When I applied these communication tools, I realized that the results of all the scales were highly
accurate and my communication style was perceived in an accurate manner. According to the
scale, I am comfortable while talking to family and friends. I am an efficient communicator,
while talking to people on one-to-one basis. Reflecting on the personal experiences, I realize that
I am a good communicator and able to engage with friends and my social circle. When in the
group of known people, I realize that the people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds
have different values and communication style. It is important to understand the difference
between different people and adapt the communication style accordingly.
I am extremely comfortable with friends and family; however, I somewhat lose my confidence
while communicating with strangers or to a large audience. The results of the second scale have
also confirmed that I do not feel comfortable while communicating in a large public setting or at
the meeting of people or large groups. My overall score was about 70, which shows that I
possess moderate communication skills. I also realized that public speaking anxiety is a major
concern in the communication, which prevents myself from communicating properly in front of

large group of audience. I myself realize that I exhibit a moderate level of anxiety while giving
presentations and communicating in front of large group of people. I get a low score in the
talkoholic scale, which means that I am not a compulsive talker and communicate to the people,
only when needed. According to the result, my score in the public speaking anxiety and tolerance
for disagreement is average; I realize that they are crucial aspects of business communication and
needed to be improved (Henderson, & Mathew Byrne, 2016). I understand that I need to improve
these areas so that my anxiety towards public speaking can be reduced from, medium to low.
The talkoholic scale measures the compulsiveness in talking. Although good commination and
extrovert personality is considered a sign of positivity and leadership; however, excessive talking
can create a negative image of the person. It will also negatively impact the productivity of the
person. The score in the talkoholic scale is comparatively low, which shows that I am not a
compulsive talker. I also realize that several times, I do not speak even when it is necessary.
While I was taking the tolerance for disagreement test, I realize that I have a tendency to avoid
conflicts at the workplace and at the family situations. It should be noted that it is not a proper
way to communicate offensive or conflicting situations. An individual should be able to
demonstrate his displeasure or disagreement with a situation in an upfront manner without being
offensive to anyone. However, my mechanism to control the situation is not ideal as I always
believe that I have to compromise with the situation. Instead of handling situation in a diplomatic
and proper manner, I prefer to compromise, which increases my frustration level with the
situation as a whole(Hgde, & Freed, 2016). Further, it can be stayed that at the workplace
settings, conflicts and disagreements are unavoidable as the people come from different
backgrounds to work together. Therefore, it is necessary for the working professionals to learn to
handle different situations at the working environment.

I can analyze that in my professional life too, these communication issues have created several
significant problems. Last year, I was working as an intern at a multinational finance
corporation; wherein, I was given an opportunity to organize a small event for the employees of
the organization. I had to coordinate different activists during the meeting; however, as I was
nervous, I was not able to handle the responsibility properly. I got confused and nervous, which
was apparent to my managers. It did not left a good impression on my senior employees. Later,
another important event was organized in the organization; however, I was not asked to
coordinate the activities due to the previous mishap. I also learnt from this experience, as I
realized that I have a limited knowledge of organizing events. I understood that I have to prepare
beforehand for the events and practice it to make it completely successful (Jones, 2013). I also
realized that there are different types of audiences and it is important to be prepared for each type
of audience. In the event, I got nervous and although I was prepared, I realized that I was not
able to concentrate and forget things at the final event.
Similarly, another incident also occurred at the same corporate organization, which sheds light
on the lack of high tolerance for disagreement. I was a foreign worker, which means that I was
working at a foreign location with the company. The natives of that country were polite yet
distant to me. Once I entered into a disagreement and they blurred some racially offensive
dialogue. However, I was not able to complain against these employees as I was afraid that it
will lead to further disagreement. Although I did not complain about the instance at that day;
however, I still remember that instance. It shows that try to tolerate things to avoid conflicts. I
have adopted submissive interpersonal skills to avoid argument with my peers and managers.
Although I realize that it is important for a person to fight for his tights, I have adopted a
personality in which I avoid conflicts with my peers.

Therefore, based upon the reflection and the results of these personality tools, it has been
identified that I have two major issues in the communication style, which are social anxiety and
the low tolerance for disagreement. The social anxiety refers to the nervousness in the social
setting, or while speaking in front of large audience. In the other hand, low tolerance in the
communication style refers to habit of getting emotional while communicating with a group with
conflicting views.
In the perspective of Keech, Kelly, Dowling, McBride and Brown, (2016) the communication
apprehension refers to the personality trait, in which a person experienced anxiety or fear when
in strange or unknown social situations. It is a negative characteristic of the communication
ability and a person with communication apprehension is considered as unconfident and
confused. These people also abstain themselves from voluntarily engaging in an effective
communication with other person.
According to Knapp, Hall & Horgan, (2013) there are four main categories of communication
apprehension, namely, trait, audience, context and situation. The trait communication
apprehension refers to the people, who avoid speaking in public as they do not have experience
in public speaking. They realize that they do not have the knowledge or the skills to effectively
communicate at the public setting. The audience anxiety is another anxiety, which states that
there are certain people, who avoid speaking in public as they are concerned about the response
of the audience. The context anxiety refers to the anxiety, in which the person is stressed as he
had never experienced this situation before.
Further, it can be stated that the communication ability and the communication apprehension are
conceptually different terms. It means that a person might be afraid of communication but can

communicate effectively, and that a person might be a poor communicator and still has the
confidence to communicate with a large crowd. In the views of Koprowska (2014) the situational
anxiety arises due to the combination of different factors, which include the differences in
culture, social factors and psychological factors. An efficient communicator will be able to
overcome the momentary anxiety and continue to perform in an unpleasant situation.
According to Kreuger (2008) it is important to note that the public speaking ability is essential in
the professional lives of the people. A professional must be able to speak in an effective and
positive manner to the coworkers. It is also essential in creating a positive image of the
organization in front of other people. Most of the scholars agree that in order to attain success
and communicate with each other, the individuals have to possess high quality communication
skills. In an organization setting, a person has to maintain good interpersonal relationships,
which is only possible by effective interpersonal skills. The business managers with excellent
communication skills are also effective managers.
However, it can be stated that the public speaking is not an effective skill. Some people have
natural public speaking ability whereas some people have to develop it later. In the views of
Leutenberg, Liptak & Brodsky (2008) there are several specialized courses, which can improve
the public speaking ability of a person. The public speaking not only encompass standing in front
of large crowd and speaking; however, it also includes the ability to speak effectively and
convincingly in front of small group. The speaking skills are necessary to develop a convincing
communication style and leadership strategy.
In the perspective of MacKeracher (2004) good communication skills can also develop the
ability of a person to think quickly at complex situations. A person should learn to organize his
thoughts in a proper manner to respond to an impromptu question. The good communication

skills can be developed by increasing the listening skills. A person should be pat careful attention
to the audience and receptive to feedback. Further, communication skills are means reading and
intercepting the nonverbal cues of an individual.
Today, most of the business organization desire and recruit the professionals with good
communication skills. It is necessary as they represent the image of the organization as well as
these skills are important in closing business deals and negotiating with the foreign clients.
According to McKay, Davis & Fanning (2009) the tolerance for disagreement was
conceptualized to understand the conflicts and group interaction in an organization setting. The
disagreement and the response to the disagreement is circumstantially different and dependent
upon the person, with whom disagreement has occurred. The response will be different for a
family member, a coworker or a senior manager. The response is also different in different
settings, namely, face-to-face communication or communication in an online medium. The
behavior of respondent also changes according to the influence of the person or his position in
the organization.
In the views of Mehrabian (2017), the interpersonal communication impacts the disagreement or
the conflict in the organization. There are several components of the situation, which determine
whether a situation will result in disagreement or conflict. In the interpersonal communication,
there are four factors, namely, verbal communication, non-verbal communication, emotions and
the listening capabilities, which impact the discussion. These factors impact how the
communication is perceived by others and in the business context.
In a group setting, conflicts and disagreement are common. When people interact and form
human bonding, it is common that different types of relationships and interactions are developed.

During these interactions, the disagreements are common to emerge. Although disagreements are
common, it is necessary that its results are not destructive. There are several kinds of conflicts, in
which interpersonal relationships are destroyed or constructive arguments which result in better
decisions and positive outcomes for the people. In a business setting, the management takes
serious efforts to assure that the disagreements are constructive and yield positive relation for the
organization. The constructive or destructive results depend on the communication skills of a
person. The tolerance for the disagreement scale analyzes or measures the extent to which a
person can tolerate other person disagreeing to the situation.
In the perspective of Goleman, (2017) the tolerance refers to the endurance of a person towards the
differences in the viewpoints, lifestyle and different ideas. A person can be tolerant when he
realizes that different persons have different beliefs and accepts that his behavioral pattern is
different from others. The tolerance towards other people entails the tolerance towards the
behavioral pattern of other people.
Here, it can be stated that the tolerance for disagreement can be developed when a person has
developed appropriate empathy. The person should abide by certain moral values so that they
can differentiate between wrong or right. A person, who is able to understand other person in
spite of the differences in the race or background, is more tolerant towards the viewpoint of
others. It means that a person should not consider that the other person is less sensitive or
different from others.
In the views of Burgoon, Guerrero & Floyd (2016) along with empathy, the person should have
certain moral values so that he is able to differentiate between the right and wrong behavior. In
the present times, most of the companies are having multinational workforce, or employees

coming from different communities. Therefore, it is important to increase diversity awareness
policies in the organization. The tolerance for disagreement is also a part of this strategy.
According to Du, Bhattacharya, & Sen (2010) it can be stated that different individuals differ in the
manner that they handle disagreements. The individuals differs in the way that they can bear
disagreement and thus avoid getting into a disagreement. It can be stated that when a
disagreement is created, it creates personal conflicts. The people with high tolerance for
disagreement resist conflict and prefer getting into an argument. On the other hand, the people
with low tolerance level are more likely to enter into an argument. Therefore, tolerance for
disagreement shows that the amount of disagreement, which an argument can beat without
realizing that there, is a conflict in the relationship.
In the perspective of Ingenhoff, & Sommer(2011) there are several strategies and techniques, such
as nonverbal immediacy or nonverbal cues, which can be used to bring forward positive signals
and attitudes. The nonverbal immediacy refers to positive signals and body language such as
smile or body gestures, which can show positivity in spite of the disagreement. There are other
factors, such as negotiation, which can impact the disagreement level in an agreement.
According to Castelo Branco, & Lima Rodrigues (2006) the business professionals should be possess
a strong tolerance for the conflict, which helps in remaining positive in a business environment
in which people express strong or opposing views. Most of the people feel that uncomfortable
during a conflict, as most of the people fear that if they get embroiled in a dispute, they will lose
their temper, which will result in dire consequences.
However, in professional life or business setting, conflicts are an integral part. Further, a person
comfortable with opposing ideas can willingly contribute good ideas and remain productive in

the organization. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the conflict tolerance if an individual. A
person can strengthen his capability of handling conflicts by reading the book on the subject.
There are also several online courses available, which can assist an individual in managing
conflicts at everyday work situations. There are several workshops available for managing the
conflict management at the workplace. A person should also learn normalizing techniques to
maintain the work relationships after a conflict. It means that the person should have the ability
to re-establish the relationship after a certain level of conflict.
After the identification of these two communication issues, I have devised an action plan, which
can be used to address the weakness in the communication strategy. The action plan has been
constructed for six months in which a variety of activities will be conducted to address the
weakness in the communication style of a person. Several strategies such as mentoring, taking
part in the workshops, university programs, reading books and watching videos will be used. A
personal journal will be kept to monitor the progress in the communication plan. The personal
journal will be used to monitor the progress of the action pls. It will be used to reflect on the
professional development and identification of any personal issues, which needs intervention in
the future. The personal journal will comprise of all the activities and actions taken to achieve
the results of the action plan. It will also refer to goals and specific actions taken to address each
of the issue. Therefore, this personal journal can be used for future reference. It can be used to
reflect on the personal growth. After, the completion of the six months, this personal journal will
be used to identify the potential areas, which can be further improved. With the monitoring and
regulation, the individual will be able to better understand the impact of various intervention
techniques and their significant outcome (Elliott, Smith, & Gentry, 2015).

The mentorship program will be used to improve the communication skills and reduce the social
anxiety. The mentor will oversee the progress and suggest recommendations to reduce the social
anxiety, enhance the public speaking and increase tolerance for disagreement. An efficient
mentor will specify effective confidence strategies, which can make the increase the confidence
of the learner. The mentor can oversee the progress and provide recommendations to improve the
communication skills of the person. In the university, I will participate in various university
mentorship programs so that the communication apprehension can be reduced at the workplace.
I will also participate in various cultural activities of the University such as debate, plays and
extempore so that I will develop my communication skills (Dolan, 2016). These activities will
reduce my social anxiety and communication apprehension, which will increase my confidence.
With the help of personal journal, I will practice self-discipline and build effective strategies for
communication. I will also increase communication apprehension by visualizing different
communication scenarios and addressing the interpersonal conflicts.
I will take private courses to improve my communication skills and develop tolerance for
disagreement. These types of courses will enhance my ability for disagreement tolerance.
Further, I will read the books and watch videos to enhance my tolerance towards social
disagreement. The present course will reduce my public speaking anxiety and I will become self-
aware of how to control my emotions at public speaking. I will evaluate that the progress with
the help of future presentations at the workplace. The interpersonal skills will be evaluated with
the help of feedback from the University professors.

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

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