Communication analysis and its applications

Communication Competency

Communication Analysis

Communication competency: Self-analysis

Communication competency is defined as "the degree to which a communicator's goals are achieved through effective and appropriate interaction" (Lane 2000). Whether we are aware of it or not, we are always communicating. But our intentions are not necessarily transmitted in an effective fashion to those whom we would like to receive our messages. Because "the goal of communication is shared meaning" self-awareness of how a message is received by others is a critical component of good communication (Lane 2000). Competent communicators understand explicitly what their goals are and the mentality of the person on whom they are using their persuasive skills. Communication competency is always situational. Competency involves "using knowledge of self, other, context, and communication theory to generate adaptive communication performances" (Lane 2000).

For example, speaking to an audience of my peers requires a level of conversational informality vs. speaking to a professor. Speaking to a general audience on a technical subject requires careful explanation of unfamiliar terms audience members likely do not know, versus addressing an audience of experts. And speaking in public to a large group demands more distance and formality than speaking informally to a small group or to individuals. Using the techniques that would work in one setting would not work in another. No one enjoys being lectured to during what should be a friendly dialogue; on the other hand, if a lecturer is overly informal, the audience may not respect his or her words. Yoking style to substance is thus a very important part of good communication. Communication goals can take a number of forms. Some may be relational, affirming our connections with others; some may be instrumental and goal-directed, while still others might relate to creating a particular image of ourselves. More often than not, these motivations may be mixed together (Lane 2000).

The Communication Competence Scale (CCS) was designed to measure attributes of good communicators. The scale consists of 36 items to which the individual rates on a scale of 1-5, ranging from strong disagreement to strong agreement. The "possible range of scores for the CCS [is]: 36 to 180...The absolute mean is 108" (Reis n.d). Items include "3. I treat people as individuals" and "10. I won't argue with someone just to prove I am right." However, just to ensure that the test taker does not automatically check of strong agreement with all of the statements, items 4, 8, 11, 12, and 28 indicate bad communication behaviors, such as "28. I don't follow the conversation very well" (Reis n.d). These responses are scored separately and are subtracted from the points accumulated from the good conversational behaviors.

Overall, my score was 112, slightly above the mean. This indicates that I am a good communicator, although I still have room to improve. "Individuals high in CCS (above 108) are generally more sensitive, flexible and assertive communicators than those lower in CCS" (Reis n.d). I scored high, I believe, because of my strong agreement with such statements as "22. I am supportive of others" and "24. I can easily put myself in another person's shoes