Describe the assessment you used to analyze your skills:
The assessment was mainly based on empirical experiment from talking and interacting with people in professional and social settings. The live assessment was carried out through interviewing individuals with whom I interact on a daily basis, asking them questions as to how much they understood what I said. This was especially important in professional situations where I need to maintain complex level of negotiations, or is social situations where the need is for multilayered and multichannel communications between several nodes. This includes use of technology such as Skype and social media. I evaluated my skills in social media and internet communication using fixed responses and response times that I received from the other side . The objective of good communication skill that was used to assess my skill was that the outcome of a conversation should lead to what the communicator had originally intended .
Discuss your communication gaps:
The main communication gap for me is a lack of emotional intelligence and empathy. This means that I speak what is on my mind and I find it difficult to always see a situation form the other person’s point of view. This problem is usually not the case in regular social interactions, but becomes a problem in business transactions or business negotiations. In a negotiation where both sides try to get the best bargain for themselves, it is important to know and understand what the other side is thinking and what his or her concerns are. Not only this, but how the other side thinks, what their priorities are, and how they process and analyze information is also useful. Lack of this skill is a serious communication gap that can hinder a positive outcome. It is also a useful tool for resolving conflicts, something which I am yet to master, and thus is a communication gap .
Describe any additional training you need in specific areas of communication:
I need more training in empathetic communication skills, words and phrases that instill confidence in myself in the other side and bring out the best in them. This is especially important in any leadership task which I may undertake, as it is important to gain the trust and confidence of subordinates. Another important area where I may need additional training is in communicating with busy and powerful people, such as CEOs, important managers and superiors. Such people are usually so busy with work that they may not always have the time or inclination to respond to small and innocuous queries by student researchers and employees. Getting them to respond is an intricate communicative art that involves techniques in catching their attention first and then making oneself likeable and agreeable to them. This process needs to be learnt extensively and trained on, and I feel I could utilize more training in this .
Analyze how you can improve your current communications skills to prepare you for advancement in your profession:
The core gaps and weaknesses in my communication skills have already been discussed and analyzed. I have assessed my technological skills related to using Skype, email and social media for communication as being adequate. My key gap is in verbal communication, especially related to business transactions and negotiations where I need to convince or persuade the other side to agree to a standpoint. I need to improve my empathy skills so that I can understand what the other person is thinking, what his or her concerns are, and how he or she is judging my words and perceiving my thoughts as. If I improve my ability to understand the mental or emotional aspect of communication, I will be better able to have a calm and fruitful communication with stakeholders with positive outcomes for both sides. This will enable me as a business manager to better represent my company’s interests and protect my employer’s interests in negotiations. Improved ability to empathize will also help my business managerial career as I would be able to undertake leadership oriented tasks and decisions in a more efficient manner by gaining the trust of my subordinates and achieving the goals and aims assigned to my unit or department by the corporate management .
References
Guffey, M., & Loewy, D. (2015). Essentials of Business Communication. Mason: South-Wwestern Cengage Learning.
Hilvert, J., & Bruce, L. (2012). Communications Technology. New York: Black Rabbit Books.
Means, T. (2012). Business Communication. Mason: South-Western Cengage.
