Part 2 – Describing Communication Patterns
Running Head: Course Project Part 8 1
Course Project Part 8 - Evaluation
Osondu Elekwachi
Chamberlain College of Nursing
SPCH 227: Interpersonal communication
Elizabeth Nelson
July 2020
Week 8 CCC: Part 8 Template
8A. Topic Selection Reflection
The communication behavior I decided to change and motify was selected for personal reasons. I already knew I had a problem with listening to other people when involved in an argument because a lot of people have complained about it. Therefore the course material that really helped me was the week two course outcome which was nonvderbal communication and listening skills. From this course outcome, we did a discussion on listening analysis which really showed me how important listening was. So I decided I needed to change my communication behavior which had to do with listening. And since I knew listening was my problem, that was how I came up with my communication goal which was not being able to have an argument with other people without interrupting them. I realised that if I could learn not to interrupt, it will help me improve my listening skills because Emphatic listeners are people who listen with a purpose and want to hear the message clearer and also listen with the intent to understand the other persons point of view, (McLean, S, 2018).
8B. Implementation Analysis: Satisfaction
The new behavior that I think was my strongest was the being patient and listening to other people talk. I learned a lot of new things by practicing this new skill because I could now actually listen to other people’s point of view in an argument and I actually did learn a lot listening to them. The course material that really helped me was the listening skills discussion. Researching for the discussion and reading other students discussion post showed me that being an active and good listener is a very positive thing and being able to achieve this will really be a positive change in my mode of communication with others because like what Kohpeima said, " Listening is something more than the physical process of hearing. It is a matter of attitude and also an intellectual and emotional process" (Kohpeima et. al. 2016)
8C. Implementation Analysis: Dissatisfaction
During the implementation of my new behavior, there were situations where I was not really satisfied with my approach. I tried different approaches and one of them was me speaking first in an argument and then listening to other people. However, this approach did not really work out for me because it was difficult to be calm and listen to them talk without interrupting them. The course material that suggested to me that this communication behavior was not ideal was the week one course outcome. In week one, we did an assignment on communication behavior analysis and the most important thing I learned doing that assignment was that being calm and being a good listener will make my communication with other people better. This is because active listening is “the process of receiving, constructing meaning from and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages” (Weger, 2014). And knowing that this was a major problem for me told me I needed to change my behavior and learn how to be an active listener. Therefore, the approach of talking first in an argument did not work for me because I failed in achieving my communication goal which is not to interrupt others when in an argument
8D. Implementation Analysis: Additional Changes
There are really no other changes that I would like to make. What I need to do is work harder in becoming a better listener especially when involved in an argument. This is because during my rehearsals and the actual implementation of my new behavior, I realized that there were still times that I really had to stop myself from interrupting. A few times I actually failed and did not stop myself. Yes, I know I have had this problem for a long time, but I believe that with the progress I have seen so far, a little more effort will make me a really good active listener.
The course material that showed me that this particular change is positive is the week three course material which was conflict management. From that material, I saw how important it was to manage your emotions in a conflict situation because managing your emotions involves taking time to listen to issues without making judgments (Posthuma,2012,) Arguments most time presents as a conflict situation and being able to control my emotions made me a better lister and stopped me from interrupting.
8E. Project Reflection
My relationships have changed drastically. I have found that my new behavior has had a great impact on improving my relationships with loved ones. My behavior has made me a more effective communicator and has left me with improving all my relationships especially with my wife and kids, my siblings, my mother and my friends. Now I can actually have nice and quiet arguments with them and being able to stay patient and listen to them not just during arguments but also during other conversations has really improved my communication with them. According to Brownie, therapeutic communication can actually aid in a relationship (Brownie, 2016). I have received a lot of positive comments from my wife and friends on my recent behavior especially during arguments.
I believe all the course outcomes in this course are geared towards making you a good listener because all the course materials from the this course, from communication behavior analysis, listening analysis, conflict management, culture and groups to relationship and technology all focused on being a good listener. Therefore, I will say that all of them suggests to me that this particular relationships change are positive for me.
References:
Brownie, S. et. al. (2016). Therapeutic communication and relationships in chronic and complex
Care. Nursing standard. Vol 31(6). DOI:10.7748/ns.2016.e9847
Kohpeima J. V., Tabatabaee, S. S., Esmaeili Abdar, Z., & Rajabi, M. (2016). Active listening:
The key of successful communication in hospital managers. Electronic Physician, 8(3),
2123-2128. https://doi.org/10.19082/2123
McLean, S. (2018). Exploring Interpersonal Communication. (2nd ed.) Boston. MA: Flatworld.
Posthuma, Richard. (2012). Conflict management and emotions. International Journal of Conflict Management, 23, 4-5. Retrieved from:
doi.org/10.1108/10444061211210797 (Links to an external site.)
Weger, H. Jr. (2014). The Real Effectiveness of active listening in initial interactions
. International Journal of listening. Pp 13 – 31
. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2013.813234