Studying communication can be like dissecting a frog to figure out how it works. In the pond, frogs jump and swim, croak and mate, eat and escape being eaten. Catch that same frog pickle it and pin it down, start poking, probing and pinching it and you may learn a lot about the frog, but in the process, the frog dies.
I hope not to kill communication in the process of studying it with you.
Communication happens when I get something out of my head into the space between our heads so that you can process it in your head and agree or disagree with me, act upon or ignore what I said.
Any one of us starts the process when we get a story, an experience, an idea, an emotion out of our head and into the space between us. None of us are mind readers. No one can really know what we are thinking unless we tell them. Telling them starts the communication process.
- How easy is it for you to get stuff out of your head so that others can interact with you?
- What are the hindrances you need to overcome in doing so?
- Do people regard you as a conversationalist?
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ReplyDeleteI usually find it fairly easy to get stuff out of my head so that others can interact with me. I am a relatively outgoing person and I don't hesitate to share my thoughts. I think some of the hindrances that I find are in communicating with others whose styles differ from my own. I am strongly in the driver quadrant of the personal communication styles and I think that I may come across as cold or impersonal to those in the amiable or performer quadrants. I need to work on being more sensitive to my audience and adapting my delivery as appropriate. I don’t think that people regard me as a conversationalist. I am not shy but I don’t tend to engage in long conversations without a specified purpose. I dislike “talking just to talk” for the most part.
ReplyDeletePeople might say that I am a conversationalist. My need to educate and nurture may stem from my instinct as a mother, or not. Either way it is very easy for me to get stuff out of my head so that others can interact with me. I thrive on the interaction and what we can learn from each other. Some times I get caught up in the moment in this effort to understand and that can be a hinderance.
ReplyDeleteAlan is similar to my husband in that he dislikes talking just to talk. He won't say anything unless he feels it is important. I find talking things out with others to be refreshing and therapeutic. My husband may view it as talking just to talk but I think that only occurs if no one is listening.
I don't think people would refer to me as a conversationalist. I usually talk when I feel that there is a benefit. I have a very technical background, which covers both what I do for work and pleasure. That being said, a lot of the people I interact with do not know or care about technology as I do. For me, the hardest part about communicating with people is perfecting the filter in my head that translates what I'm talking about to a more simple or interesting conversation.
ReplyDeleteAt times, I'd lose myself within my own conversation. I find myself constantly working hard to keep people's attention, and when I don't I realize it too late - the other person mentally checked out for the duration of our interaction.
I think I am more like Ryan in the fact that I come from a technical background. Unlike Alan and Paige I am not a conversationalist. Growing up in a big family, with many siblings, I guess there wasn’t enough time for me to get in my word and I learned to listen more than talk.
ReplyDeleteGetting stuff out of my head is not something that comes naturally to me. I am more comfortable when it comes to talking about technical things and my work and usually I like to keep it brief.
I guess it depends on the situation, but I notice that I always try to take some time to organize my thoughts before I say them. I think the hindrances I find is I am always trying to analyze the person I am talking to before I say anything and that can make me look like a closed or conservative person.
I have little or no trouble getting things out of my head the interaction part could use some help though:) I have been told that I have to be more tollerant of those I interact with as they may not have the same level of skill/knowledge that I do. To be more patient and understanding.
ReplyDeleteI have been known to talk alot but I am not sure that qualifies me as a conversationalist. One of my strongest attributes or so I have been told is my ability to present material well. I beleive there is no such thing as a bad presentation (if the research was done well) only bad presenters. It took years of practice to get comfortable presenting in any and all enviornments.
I'm not sure I would consider myself a conversationalist but I think that I'm a good communicator. I'm a good listener and encourager in conversations but when it comes to speaking my mind I tend to be a little reserved unless it's something I feel strongly about or know really well.
ReplyDeleteFor me it depends on if I’m in the work environment or at home. In the work environment I tend to pick my words more carefully and speak with the purpose of having an objective. I’m more professional in what I talk about, I certainly wait my turn to speak and think things out carefully before talking. I normally like to have some input or consensus if I’m speaking about something I’m not an expert on with full confidence.
ReplyDeleteI need to be a bit more confident or less concerned about being shot down. I interact with a lot of people who are more experienced than me and in those situations is when I’m not as confident. I ask a lot of questions though, I feel that if I present myself as someone who is more of an inquirer then I gain a lot more than if I come across spouting a bunch of information and being pushy.
I’d say that generally people would not consider me to be a conversationalist. I could be if I chose to and perhaps I come across as a conversationalist occasionally inside or outside of work. But for the most part I’d consider myself not a conversationalist.
For me the degree of difficulty of getting stuff out of my head in the work environment depends on my comfort level with the subject matter as well as the audience. Higher level peers as well as topics I am less comfortable with provide me with a higher degree of difficulty. Interestingly, I am comfortable asking questions in this environment.
ReplyDeleteSome hindrances I need to overcome is worrying what others think of me, my subject matter, and my delivery. Often times in the work environment I have noticed the the more successful peers are less worried about what others think and more worried about the task at hand and to me that speaks volumes about having to address the uncomfortable issues when timing is right even if it my upset someone.
I have definitely been described as a conversationalist as I love to chat and share experiences with others as well as speaking about things that peak my interest.
I have a rather technical background and often times as Ryan has mentioned I have to put a mental filter on to not get too technical and over explain a subject...Some appreciate the technical side while others get lost and quickly lose interest. It is crucial to be able to read and understand signals from your audience to tailor the message correctly
For whatever reason it is very easy for me to get stuff out of my head. I think it comes with the territory in a family of constant "noise." I'd say talking, but it's usually more of a non confrontational yelling most of the time. We're just loud people. At work I've learned about people who like calm and quiet settings and how to exist in such an environment. I'd definitely say people regard me as a conversationalist.
ReplyDeleteI tend to be a conversationalist, especially for my technical background. I am learning to listen to others speak and then try and iterate my thoughts. I have learned from schooling and watching people at work that the smartest people in the room are usually the last to talk, with action and forethought. My personality is more of a driver and wants to facilitate meetings, but I try to only do this when it is appropriate. Many times I have meetings where I am the lowest person on the ladder and it is not my place to run the meeting, even though I may realize we have gone off the agenda.
ReplyDeleteSometimes getting thoughts out can be difficult for me because I have only taken two college level English courses. Many times I will use power points and diagrams to help explain my point. This works very well for most instances but I know I need to work on my verbal communication to get right to the point.
I don't think people would necessarily consider me a conversationalist. I usually tend to be more reserved and quiet, and really like to take my time and analyze things before responding to them. That being said, the more comfortable I am with the audience and the subject matter, the more I become a conversationalist.
ReplyDeleteI would not say that I find it difficult to get thoughts out of my head all of the time, but there are certain circumstances that make it easier or harder for me. As I mentioned, I'm a pretty quiet and reserved person, so if I am with an unfamiliar audience, or an audience comprised solely of superiors, it may be more difficult for me to get the thoughts out of my head and into the open. It is not purely their heirarchical that makes it difficult for me, but rather their superior knowledge of the subject matter. When I know that the audience has superior knowledge, I tend to hesitate more because I don't want to say something that will negatively effect they way that they look at me or my knowledge and skills.
On a social level I find it rather easy for me to get my thoughts out of my head to interact with others. Whenever I am inclined to share my ideas I do not hesitate. Yet, my ability to get my thoughts out of my head in a formal setting (work, school, etc.) is dependent on my comfort level with the topic at hand.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest hindrance I need to overcome when getting thoughts out of my head is organizing them in a clear and concise manner. Often times when I am interacting with people I tend to get ahead of myself. While I may know exactly what I want to say I feel I have trouble explaining my thoughts to them in a manner that is clear and to the point. This leaves me having to restate my thoughts or correct myself. Thus, my ability to explain myself effectively is a skill I wish to improve upon.
People do regard me as a conversationalist. I enjoy talking with people, both on a social and professional level. In each circumstance I enjoy learning new information and broadening my outlook. I also enjoy building relationships through conversations, as I am a very social person. I believe conversation is a great way to gain new perspectives and learn from the people around you.
I think that people would consider me a conversationalist, sometimes. Being able to get stuff out of my head almost fully depends on the situation and the people involved in it. Talking to a boss is different than talking to a coworker. I believe that one of the main obstacles or concerns that come up in communication is uncertainty and not knowing the results of what you are getting out of your head. I cannot really give a clear method of overcoming such obstacles, but they certainly need to be overcome in order to have a better, healthier, and more productive communication!
ReplyDeleteTo be frank, I don’t have much trouble expressing my ideas, thoughts or past experiences in either a personal or professional setting. I do, however, often times struggle to approach difficult subjects with individuals I genuinely care about, or those with whom I have a vested personal interest in. While these struggles are primarily limited to my personal life, they are nonetheless significant. I generally gravitate towards the analytical and amiable side of the spectrum illustrated in week 1’s lecture, to which I attribute my reluctance to “rock the boat” in certain scenarios; I’m more apt to roll with the punches than to convey my frustration and risk straining a relationship.
ReplyDeleteHaving recognized my propensity to avoid difficult situations, I’ve begun making a concerted effort to improve upon this. In doing so, I’ve found being forthcoming and truthful in all circumstances is generally the best approach. While I’ve come to the realization that it is not possible to please everyone, all the time, I have recognized that communicating in such a fashion elicits respect from those with whom you’re communicating. Unfortunately, this approach does not eliminate potentially negative repercussions on personal relationships; however, I’ve noticed the respect generated in these personal interactions generally ensure any negative effects are temporary in nature.
Overall, I can say with certainty that people regard me as a conversationalist. I generally have no problem finding common ground upon which I can base a conversation with a complete stranger. I believe this holds true in a professional setting as well, as I have been able to connect on a more personal basis with the majority of my coworkers at each of the organizations I’ve worked. My ability to do so has been fruitful, as I have been able to gain many valuable professional connections.
Sometimes I am quite capable of getting things out of my head into other through articulating my thoughts. Other times I struggle and choose my words carefully hoping that I have engaged my listener and caught their interest. I would say like other who have blogged, that it depends on my audience and my comfort zone with them as well as the setting. I tend to communicate conservatively in my professional life vs. my personal life.
ReplyDeleteI believe in choosing words carefully because once something has been said you can't take it back.
My greatest hindrance in getting things out of my head is often my lack of focus. I am always thinking and have often gone way ahead in my thoughts while communicating. I need to focus more on staying in the moment.
I would say my friends would consider me a good conversationist. I am generally just a curious person and I am interested in what people do and why. So most of my conversations revolve around people's personal information.
My professional peers would probably have different opinions based off of how well I have let them get to know me because as mentioned before I can be guarded with people that I work with.
I feel that it is fairly easy for me to get things out of my head so that others can interact with me. While working, it is essential that you communicate with your co-workers or whoever you need to, making sure that both parties are on the same page. In order to get any job done, you need to understand what has to be done and know how to accomplish it. Without getting a message out, you can't communicate. Some hindrances to effective communication can occur when communication is not face to face. Other hindrances will often occur when you try to say too much. Someone's you need to be strait forward, get to the point, and not overwhelm another person with too much information.
ReplyDeleteI would say that I am a conservationist. I find people very interesting and enjoy talking with them and finding out new information. While working, I enjoy talking with co-workers to make the day go by a little faster. Nothing like a good coffee brake and good conversation to split up the day.
It is usually very easy for me to get stuff out of my head when trying to communicate with others. I tend to be someone who is very outgoing and do not hesitate to share my opinion with others if it is deemed necessary. However, one hindrance I encounter from time to time is distinguishing the right way to say something, especially if it could result in hurting someones feelings. I want to ensure that whomever I am talking with completely understands where I am coming from and does leave the conversation confused by any means.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I can say with confidence that people view me as a conversationalist. I enjoy talking with all individuals I meet, whether it be on a personal or professional level. Moreover, I often find it easy to relate to people and establish a connection with them. This trait has allowed me to establish many great relationships and connections with friends and co-workers.
It is moderately easy for me to get things out of my head. But it depends on the situation or how much I know the person in front of me. If I know the person very well then I am open to clear my head. If I know it is a little formal relation then I hold back till it really affects me in negative way. I think these are the hindrances that I see for me. Also, one other thing that is hindrance for me is the language barrier. Engilish not being my first language, I may not be able to express myself truly all the time. At least I have to think properly before I say anything. The other hindrance that probably I revealed about me is the ability of understanding what I want. If I am clear inside me then it automatically gives me the words to put in front of the person. Stage fear is one other place where I may not be always clear my head and try to restrain myself.
ReplyDeleteMy friends certainly look at me as vocal. But I see that because I know about them and their background. It is easy to make converesations. With new people/group, I take some time to warm up. Recently, I tried making amendments in my behavior by involving myself with people outside my country, especially here in US where there are people from different nationalities. I find it interesting to talk with them about their countries, cultures, and some typical things about their area. This way I am conversanalist. But if the topic is about sports such as baseball or football then I can not talk much. I guess this is due to the lack of knowledge about these sports. But overall I see myself open for conversation and that is how people in my contact see me.
I find that concise verbal communications is a versatile tool for success and informative written communication is essential. Many times, colleagues over flow meetings with extensive verbal communication but lack detail in writing an execution plan. I find myself that I like to keep topics in general as simple as I can so I can reach a larger audience. This I find is essential to communicate effectively in the engineering world especially when I have to discuss a plan with technicians, assemblers, management and fellow engineers.
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