COMMUNICATION

This week we focused on how we perceive others and took quizzes on our communication skills, verbal, listening and aggresiveness. I found myself in the group that is very empathetic towards others and that I take the time to listen and not dominate the conversation. But in the assessments given by friends and colleagues, my listening skills are not as high as I supposed. According to the results of the tests, I can use a little more focus in listening and I seem to sometimes dominate the conversation as opposed to listen. Also, it seems sometimes that I am more aggressive in speaking and less so in listening. All feel that I am very empathetic towards others and their feelings but that I could take more time to listen to them before speaking. I learned about perceptions and how people often perceive people much as they see themselves be it positive or negative. I also learned that our past experiences or personal schemas also have a lot to do with how we perceive or evaluate people. I do believe I have to learn more communication skills in order to be a great educator. I must be able to take the time to listen without interrupting or rushing to get to the next thought or activity.  As educators or even as adults, we cannot continue to make assumptions about people, their heritage or personalities. Before we come to any conclusion about a person, we must take the time to get to know that person and find out more about him or her before making any assumptions, stereotypes or perceptions.