I asked my husband and my sister to evaluate my
communication skills. Based on their
results in comparison to my own, the one thing that surprised me the most was
their perception of my confidence in different speaking situations. Both gave me low and mild anxiety ratings,
yet I rated myself with a moderate anxiety level. I was surprised to learn that I seemed more
confident than I actually was in speaking situations, and that this appearance
fooled my sister and my husband, who know me very well. With this new knowledge, I can't help but become more confident in personal and professional speaking situations as I take this feedback and incorporate it into my self-concept.
I was also interested to learn that I thought of myself as
more verbally aggressive than my family members did. I tend to agonize over things said, and
replay events over in my head, to the detriment of my self-esteem. Now,
with the information learned from the assessments, I can be less critical of
myself after disagreements with colleagues, friends, or parents. I can learn to trust myself in
these situations to be a respectful and considerate person. This will enhance my self-esteem.
Allison,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your findings this week! As a preschool director you will be called upon to speak to a wide variety of groups. With this new found confidence and growth in self-esteem you are well on your way to receiving grants to help fund projects for your program.
It is great that you analyze events that happen. It helps you to improve when the next opportunity comes to speak to an individual or a group.
I also found that I do tend to be uncomfortable in speaking situations. I enjoyed doing this exercise as it will help me to work toward being better in speaking in public and among groups. I agree that this activity helps us to realize areas we need to work on and it can give us a great boast of confidence and self-esteem. Best of Luck to you.
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