For this week’s assignment I had my parents and then my boyfriend Andy evaluate me. My parents live in Iowa and we communicate over the phone and in email. My boyfriend lives with me and comes to my work often so he sees how I communicate at home verses how I communicate at work.
To my surprise my parents gave me almost the same scores as I gave myself. This was interesting to me because they do not see me communicate in person. However after thinking about it, they probably perceive my communication skills as I do because I tell them about work, about presentations, etc. They hear my side of the story but do not really see me communicate with anyone other than when I am talking to them and I have that comfort level with them because they are my parents.
Another surprise was how my boyfriend Andy scored me on the anxiety test. I thought that I was great at public speaking and sometimes I feel a little nervous but I did not think it showed. Well he informed me that I get red blotches on my neck/chest when I give presentations/ hold meetings but then as I continue they go away. I learned something new about myself. I think I tell myself that I can do it and I’m not scared but a part of me will always have a little stage fright.