49). Nonverbal communication plays an important role in my job as well. As I work with people, my body gestures and posture are very important when communicating. People interpret others by watching one’s facial expressions, posture, eye contact, physical appearance, and touch. Personally, when I am communicating with leaders, managers, media, and general public, I look at everyone directly in the eye and smile when communicating to others. I make sure my body posture is straight and not slumped. As a representative of the Veterans Administration and the hospital itself, it is very important to convey an appearance of professionalism and have a grasp of the situations we encounter. I like to make sure my appearance is professional and that my attire is professional and appear clean and well maintained. We are the Public Outreach Department and the image we convey when dealing with the public is very extremely vital. When going to an event we strive to be prepared so when asked questions, I am able to answer in a timely manner and if I am unable to answer questions, I make sure I direct them to the correct person or department to address their concerns. In today’s society, people judge others by their physical appearance and this could be seen as ill prepared and convey an image that others see as undependable, …show more content…
I lack in these three areas when I communicate. First, my voice is very loud. I am naturally a loud speaker and when someone speaks to me in private, I tend to speak loud when responding back. I need to learn how to alter my vocalic cues. I need to be more considerate of my friends and co-workers when speaking to them. I have to learn how to speak in a softer tone. Some people find me as intimidating due to the loudness of my voice. The second communication skill that I would like to improve in is facial expression and eye contact. I need to learn how to control my facial expressions and make eye contact when someone is talking to me. A prime example of this is when I am sitting at my desk and I am working on a project with a short deadline, people will come into my office and sit down wanting to talk. I speak to them; however, I do not make eye contact because I am looking at my computer trying to complete the project by the required timeframe. Furthermore, I feel I need to improve on controlling my facial expressions. If I am talking to someone and they upset me, my facial expressions express that I am getting annoyed. When in my work environment I need to keep my personal emotions and feelings aside to maintain an even relationship with coworkers. I should remind myself to afford the professionalism and courtesy I myself would like