Throughout this year, the importance of communication has become very apparent to me. Communicating well with my co-workers and the groups of people I work with is the foundation to be successful in everything else. I have had to learn how to communicate different groups of people with different ages and personality. Explaining an activity can be confusing and it takes skill to explain and communicate instructions clearly and simply. I have had to learn how to be clear in my communication. Learning this skill has been very helpful when teaching ESL students.
I also have a more multifaceted view on communication. I no longer think of communication as just focused on what I am communicating outwardly, but how others receive the communication I was aiming for. There are a lot of activities that we do through the LEAD Office that show just because everyone hears the same thing, does not mean it will be interpreted in the same way. I think it is really important to see how my communication is being received, and if the meaning I was communicating, is the meaning that people are hearing.