Module 2 –Analyze yourself and your tools project paper
This course covers a range of topics involved in Interpersonal communication grouped into three modules. The first module deals with the things you carry with you (aware or not) that influence how you deal with communication.The second module deals with the tools you have available and the skills needed to use them in an interpersonal communication process.
You have now reviewed the chapters from the book associated with this module, completed the Invitations to Insight exercises and the Personal Inventories exam.
You now need to examine your baggage as it influences the way you communicate especially in a conflict. In more academic terms, your baggage involves your history, culture, ethnicity, emotions, roles, experiences, and communication habits.You will also need to examine your understanding of communication as a process along with the tools and skills available for effectively navigating it, especially during a conflict.
A successful paper will show that you completed all the required activities in each chapter by discussing your score or outcome on each activity as well as applying what you have learned to your discussion of your habits and skills.
Your project paper should be four (4) pages (+one page is fine,but try not to go over 5), 12 font, double spaced. Use a word processor that can save a file to a Word compatible format (.doc, .docx, .rtf). Make sure to proof-read your paper for grammar and spelling errors before you upload it for grading. Excessive errors will result in point deductions. You need to address the following 6 sections in a cohesive paper. This paper is an essay, not answers to sections. You will lose points for formatting if you answer or discuss in sections rather than a cohesive paper.
1. You have taken several self-assessments during your exploration of the book, invitations to insight, and inventories exam. Pick five (5) assessments from the groups below. Explain what the assessment indicated about you and how those characteristics would influence your communication during a conflict.
o Inventories exam (pick two (2) from this group) (2 elements)
• Myers-Briggs (http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp and http://typelogic.com.html)
• Mind Style Estimator
• “What’s YOUR Learning Style?”

o Invitations to insight (pick two (2) from this group) (2 elements)
• Assessing Your Communication Skills
• Your Self Esteem
• Exploring Your Biases
• Measuring Your EQ
o Book (pick one (1) from this group) (1 element)
• Self-Monitoring Inventory (a .pdf file is linked in Moodle)
Self-Monitoring Inventory These statements concern personal reactions to a number of situations. No two statements are exactly alike, so consider each statement carefully before answering. If a statement is true, or mostly true, as applied to you, circle the T. If a statement is false, or not usually true, as applied to you, circle the F. 1. I find it hard to imitate the behavior of other people. T F 2. I guess I put on a show to impress or entertain people. T F 3. I would probably make a good actor. T F 4. I sometimes appear to others to be experiencing deeper emotions than I actually am. T F 5. In a group of people I am rarely the center of attention. T F 6. In different situations and with different people, I often act like very different persons. T F 7. I can argue only for ideas I already believe. T F 8. In order to get along and be liked, I tend to be what people expect me to be rather than anything else. T F 9. I may deceive people by being friendly when I really dislike them. T F 10. I’m not always the person I appear to be. T F Scoring: Give yourself one point for each of questions 1, 5, and 7 that you answered F.

Give yourself one point for each of the remaining questions that you answered T. Add up your points. If you are a good judge of yourself and scored 7 or above, you are probably a high self-monitoring individual; 3 or below, you are probably a low self-monitoring individual. http://coursemate.cengage.com/CPReader/View/9781285070780/default.aspx?eISBN=9781285070780#25 4b8dfa-01fe-4651-b0c8-f8c8e7e42bcc Looking Out / Looking In 14e; Adler/Proctor 2014, Cengage Learni

2. Explain how your personal background influences the way you communicate. Include four (4) of the aspects of background from the list below in your explanation. Illustrate your explanation with a personal example.
(5 elements-including personal example)
o History
o Culture
o Ethnicity
o Gender
o Social status
o Role
3. Based on your discussion above, explain how your communication habits influence your communication during a conflict. Use all three (3) aspects below in your discussion. Illustrate your explanation with a personal example. (4 elements-including personal example)
o Ethical approach (categorical imperative, ethic of care, golden mean, significant choice, utilitarianism)
Glossary
Chapter 1
categorical imperative An ethical system, based on the work of philosopher Immanuel Kant, in which individuals follow moral absolutes. The underlying tenet in this ethical system suggests that we should act as an example to others.
channel A pathway through which a message is sent.
communication apprehension A fear or an anxiety pertaining to the communication process. This fear or anxiety is the result of a legitimate life experience that usually negatively affects our communication with others.
communication competency The ability to communicate with knowledge, skills, and thoughtfulness.
content information The verbal and nonverbal information contained in a message that indicates the topic of the message.
context The environment in which a message is sent. See also physical context, cultural context, social-emotional context, and historical context.
cultural context The cultural environment in which communication occurs. In this type of context, messages are understood in relationship to the rules, roles, norms, and patterns of communication that are unique to particular cultures and co-cultures.
dark side of communication Negative communication that may influence the communication process between and among people.
ethic of care An ethical system, based on the concepts of Carol Gilligan, that is concerned with the connections among people and the moral consequences of decisions.
ethics The perceived rightness or wrongness of an action or behavior, determined in large part by society.
external feedback The feedback we receive from other people.
feedback A verbal or nonverbal response to a message. See also internal feedback and external feedback.
field of experience The influence of a person’s culture, past experiences, personal history, and heredity on the communication process.
golden mean An ethical system, articulated by Aristotle, that proposes a person’s moral virtue stands between two vices, with the middle, or the mean, being the foundation for a rational society.
historical context A type of context in which messages are understood in relationship to previously sent messages.
interactional model of communication A characterization of communication as a two-way process in which a message is sent from sender to receiver and from receiver to sender. In the interactional view, one can be both a sender and a receiver, but not both simultaneously.
internal feedback The feedback we give ourselves when we assess our own communication.
interpersonal communication The process of message transaction between two people to create and sustain shared meaning.
irreversibility The fact that what we say to others cannot be “unsaid” or reversed.
linear model of communication A characterization of communication as a one-way process that transmits a message from a sender to a receiver.
meaning What the sender intends to convey with a message, and what the receiver extracts from a message.
message Spoken, written, or unspoken information sent from a sender to a receiver.
message exchange The transaction of verbal and nonverbal messages being sent simultaneously between two people.
models of communication Visual, simplified representations of complex relationships in the communication process.
noise Anything that interferes with accurate transmission or reception of a message. See also physical noise, physiological noise, psychological noise, and semantic noise.
physical context The tangible environment in which communication occurs.
physical noise Any stimuli outside of a sender or a receiver that interfere with the transmission or reception of a message. Also called external noise.
physiological noise Biological influences on a sender or a receiver that interfere with the transmission or reception of a message.
process When used to describe interpersonal communication, an ongoing, unending, vibrant activity that always changes.
psychological noise Biases, prejudices, and feelings that interfere with the accurate transmission or reception of a message. Also called internal noise.
receiver The intended target of a message.
relational history The prior relationship experiences two people share
relational rules Negotiable rules that indicate what two relational partners expect and allow when they talk to each other.
relational uniqueness The ways in which the particular relationship of two relational partners stands apart from other relationships they experience.
relationship information The information contained in a message that indicates how the sender and the receiver feel about each other.
self-actualization The process of gaining information about ourselves in an effort to tap our full potential, our spontaneity, and our talents, and to cultivate our strengths and eliminate our shortcomings.
semantic noise Occurs when senders and receivers apply different meanings to the same message. Semantic noise may take the form of jargon, technical language, and other words and phrases that are familiar to the sender but that are not understood by the receiver.
sender The source of a message.
significant choice An ethical system, conceptualized by Thomas Nilsen, in which communication is ethical to the extent that it maximizes our ability to exercise free choice. In this system, information should be given to others in a noncoercive way so that people can make free and informed decisions.
social-emotional context The relational and emotional environment in which communication occurs. In this type of context, messages are associated with the nature of a relationship.
symbols Arbitrary labels or representations (such as words) for feelings, concepts, objects, or events.
transactional model of communication A characterization of communication as the reciprocal sending and receiving of messages. In a transactional encounter, the sender and receiver do not simply send meaning from one to the other and then back again; rather, they build shared meaning through simultaneous sending and receiving.
utilitarianism An ethical system, developed by John Stuart Mill, in which what is ethical is what will bring the greatest good for the greatest number of people. In this system, consequences of moral actions, especially maximizing satisfaction and happiness, are important.

o Self-monitoring (pg. 69, a hard copy is in the book)
o Empathy (Assessing Your Communication Skills (pg. 26))
Spitzberg & Cupach’s
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE
Self-Assessment

Instructions: Answer each item honestly as it currently applies to you in typical conversations with others. Use the following scale:
1 2 3 4 5
strongly slightly unsure slightly strongly
disagree disagree agree agree

1. I want to adapt my communication behavior to meet others’ expectations.
2. I have enough knowledge and experiences to adapt to others’ expectations.
3. I use a wide range of behaviors, including self-disclosure and wit, to adapt to others.
4. I want to be involved in the conversations I have with other people.
5. I know how to respond because I am perceptive and attentive to others’ behaviors.
6. I show my involvement in conversation both nonverbally and verbally.
7. I want to make my conversations with others go smoothly.
8. I know how to change topics and control the tone of my conversations.
9. It is easy for me to manage conversations the way I want them to proceed.
10. I want to understand other people’s viewpoints and emotions.
11. I know that empathy means to try to see it through their eyes and feel what they feel.
12. I show my understanding of others by reflecting their thoughts and feelings to them.
13. I am motivated to obtain the conversational goals I set for myself.
14. Once I set an interpersonal goal for myself, I know the steps to take to achieve it.
15. I successfully achieve my interpersonal goals.
16. I want to communicate with others in an appropriate manner.
17. I am aware of the rules that guide social behavior.
18. I act in ways that meet situational demands for appropriateness.

Overall Total

Scoring
Possible “Overall Total” should range between 18-90.
Higher values indicate more communication competence.
Lower values indicate less communication competence.

Spitzberg & Cupach’s
Model of Communication Competence

Motivation: add items 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, and 16 =
This is your desire to approach or avoid conversation and/or social situations. Your goals (what you want and with whom) motivate you to act. Your confidence or lack of confidence that you will be successful affects your motivation, as well.

Knowledge: add items 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, and 17 =
This involves knowing how to act. Once you decide to pursue a conversational goal, you construct plans to obtain it. Previous experience and/or observing others informs your knowledge of what constitutes a workable plan.

Skill: add items 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 = .
This involves the behaviors actually performed. You might be motivated and knowledgeable about how to act in the particular situation, but lack some basic skills.

Criteria to Evaluate Interpersonal Communication Competence

Adaptability: Examine your scores on items 1, 2, 3.
These scores reflect your ability to change behaviors and goals to meet the needs of the interaction, also known as “flexibility”.

Conversational Involvement: Examine your scores on items 4, 5, 6.
These scores reflect your ability to become cognitively involved in the conversation and demonstrate involvement through interaction behaviors like head nods, vocal cues, etc.

Conversation Management: Examine your scores on items 7, 8, 9.
These scores reflect your ability to regulate conversation through controlling the topic, adjusting to a change in topic, interrupting, and asking questions.

Empathy: Examine your scores on items 10, 11, 12.
These scores reflect your ability to show your conversational partner that you understand his/her situation or that you share his/her emotional reactions to the situation.

Effectiveness: Examine your scores on items 13, 14, 15.
These scores reflect your ability to achieve the objectives you have for conversations.

Appropriateness: Examine your scores on items 16, 17, 18.
These scores reflect your ability to uphold the expectations for a given situation by behaving in ways other people expect of you. Note: If you achieve your goals, but violate the expectations the other has for you and your relationship, then you are less than competent.

4. We learned about models of communication in our first Module. In thinking back to Module One, why would you find one of the models listed below more useful than others? How does your chosen model help you to understand more clearly the skills you bring to negotiation of interpersonal communication? (2 elements)
o You should use one of the models from module one (chapter 1) in your discussion.
• Linear Model
• Transactional Model
• Pragmatic Model
5. Analyze and discuss the tools you use to negotiate during interpersonal communication.
o What do you know about your listening skills?
• What is your listening style? (1 element)
• What did you learn about your listening skills based on the listening problems checklist and Dr. Orman’s keys to better listening? (1 element)
o We send messages that are both intentional and unintentional through verbal and non-verbal channels. What have you learned about your communication habits as they relate to intentional and unintentional meanings? Discuss both in terms of verbal and non-verbal messages. (4 elements)
6. We looked at psychological barriers to communication in Module One. Module Two introduces physical and physiological barriers. In your personal and professional life, analyze and discuss the physical and physiological barriers you encounter during communication. What tools will you use to negotiate these barriers? (3 elements)
(25 total elements required for Module 2 project paper)