Questions to Consider

How does your background influence the way you communicate?

What is self-esteem? How does self-esteem affect communication?

What is self-concept? How does self-concept affect communication?

What kind of information is appropriate to share with others about yourself? What is not? Why is some okay to share and not others?

What has shaped you?

We’re going to make a Johari Window/Culture Diagram to get some insight into who you are.

The Open Quadrant

This includes information that you and others know about yourself.

This includes your obvious physical appearance, the language you speak, and things you’ve said and done in public. Male/Female English – Midwest accent Tall/short Kind of clothes you wear

What has shaped you?

We’re going to make a Johari Window/Culture Diagram to get some insight into who you are.

The Blind Quadrant

Includes things about you that are known to others, but not to you.

These include the way your voice actually sounds, how you look from behind, the intensity of your gaze, your nervous tics, and other behaviors you are not aware of. Twirl hair when nervous. Have a little bounce in your step. Snort when you laugh. Say “like” every 5 words.

What has shaped you?

The Hidden Quadrant

Contains your tastes, preferences, thoughts, beliefs, fears, and anything that others won’t know unless you tell them. Favorite foods Favorite movies Religious beliefs Political beliefs Fear of spiders

What has shaped you?

The Unknown Quadrant

Comprises things about you that neither you nor others are aware of.

These could include your motivations, undiscovered talents, and psychological complexities. What kind of spouse you would be Motivated by money Could play the piano if given the opportunity What kind of parent you would be

What has shaped you?

Cultural Box

List the things that are part of your cultural background. These include where you grew up, your family dynamics, traditions in your family, what people in your family did for a living, etc. Grew up in Nevada, Iowa Have two parents and two brothers Am the youngest child Go to Grandma’s every year for big

Thanksgiving feast Parents work at Burke

What has shaped you?

Average heightMiddle-aged

femaleEuropean descent

Midwestern accent

Like all kinds of music

Have a large familyPrincess Bride fanLikes disutopian

storiesCrochets

Kind of bounce up and down when I walk.Clasp hands.Chew gum

loudly.

Hide in a hostage situation?

Volunteer a lot in retirement?Play piano?

Parents married (dad divorced before). Parents both college-educated. Church on Sundays. Middle class upbringing.

Many military members in family. Large families.

Self-ConceptYour self-concept is how you see yourself. Highlight/underline the parts of your Johari Window that are a part of your self-concept.

Would you say you have a positive, neutral or negative self-concept?

Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself.

Highlight in a different color/circle the things on the Johari window that influence your self-esteem.

Would you say you have a high, medium or low self-esteem?

Self-concept & Self-esteem

What is the relationship between your self-esteem and self-concept for you individually?

How has anything on your Johari window, your self-concept and/or self-esteem influenced you as a communicator?

Self-Awareness So what do we do with all that information

in this class? Be honest in evaluating yourself on speeches. Recognize your limits and take credit for your

strengths in speeches. Be realistic in setting goals: should you really

get an A if you never look at your audience during a speech? Should you really get an F just because you mispronounced one word?

Be supportive of your own efforts. Be supportive of the efforts of others. Be forgiving of your own faults and those of

others.

Activity

Write yourself an affirmation of one of your communication strengths.

Make a goal for yourself to improve one of your weaknesses in communication. Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely

Self-Disclosure

Self-disclosure has benefits, but you need to weigh the benefits against the risks before you share.

Need to be in an established relationship with trust.

Make sure the receiver wants to hear your self-disclosure.

Don’t share more than the other person will or already shared.

NEVER make fun of someone who’s sharing feelings with you.

Activity

With a partner, you will select a scenario.

You will decide in this situation whether the sender should make a disclosure or not. If so, let us know any euphemisms that might be appropriate.

Be prepared to tell us why the sender should or should not self-disclose.