Individual Proposal: Improving Interpersonal Communication

Submitted by: Kaitlyn Marcroft

Salt Lake Community College
COMM 1010
March, 31st 2016

Overview
One specific unwanted communication habit that I currently possess is not listening
actively. This is something that I hadnt noticed I do until we talked about it in class. Since
then I have realized that this is something I really need to work on and Ive noticed it a lot
more. Writing this proposal will help me realize in depth what the problem is and how I can
fix it. I am going to use this proposal to take this matter into my hand and really try to fix it.
This can also help others because it may open up to others that read this why they may have
this problem if they share it. I have also realized by thinking about this project some things
that cause me to be a bad listener and others might share them too. With this I am going to
work really hard on trying to fix this communication flaw as others may also.
Description of the problem
For me not listening actively enough as I should has become a big frustration for me
and also for those that I communicate with. When people talk to me and I am constantly
having to ask them, What was that? or Sorry can you repeat what you just said I didnt
catch it all? it can get really annoying for both ends of the conversation and at times end in
straight up failed communication, which is usually at my fault for not listening enough. It can
also be a big problem when someone is trying give me directions in something or when I am
trying to motivate someone to do a specific task which is a big part of communication
(COMM 1010 page: 59). If I dont hear directions well enough or dont grasp completely
each little step that I am supposed to perform it can ruin things drastically and at times even
be dangerous. In any form of communication listening is the most important skill. Effective
communication is not the senders or the ones talking responsibility. That plays a big part,
but although the sender and receiver both have to communicate effectively, even more so it is
the listeners responsibility (COMM 1010 page: 60).
In the book it talks about how you can listen, or you can actively listen. In other
words, just listening is often time passively hearing. Which is what I tend to do the most. Im
there listening, I am not interrupting the person talking to me, and I am not doing anything
other than standing there and listening. But, I usually end up realizing that I didnt actually
understand what the person was just telling me and none of it was registering in my brain so
that I could use what they were telling me and recall it. It may look like I am listening but
inside my brain something else is going on.
Resources and Constraints
A big resource that I can use in helping me fix this problem is the COMM 1010 text
book. Before reading through this book and taking this COMM 1010 class I had no idea that
my listening was even a problem in my communication. The book has helped me realize this
and given me tips on how to fix it. Another good resource for my problem would have to be
my Father. He is an absolutely excellent communicator. He can send and receive very

effectively (talk and listen) and he has helped me with my flaw as I have realized it and
asked him about.
Some restraints that are specific to me is the reasons to why I struggle with actively
listening. In the COMM 1010 book on page 62 and 63 it talks about the barriers to
effectively listening. The book shows that there are three main types of barriers:
environmental barriers, physiological barriers, and psychological barriers. I never seem to
struggle with environmental barriers but there are reasons that physiological barriers and
psychological barriers tend to get in my way. Physiological barriers affect me because of my
hearing. I have a hearing deficiency (terrible hearing), which can usually be treated with a
hearing aid or something of that nature. But, my deficiency is not bad enough to go and get
and expensive aid for but it is bad enough that it really effects my communication. So this is
not something that can just be simply fixed for me. Because of this, throughout my whole
life I have been constantly asking people to repeat what they said louder or just repeat it in
general. I have learned to deal with this though. Psychological barriers affect my due to my
ability to focus. Unless something I am working on is something that is really important to
me or something that I am really interested in, it is really hard for me to 100% focus.
Something is always going on in the back of my brain making it hard for me to fully focus on
the task at hand. My parents have said that they think I might have a little tiny bit of ADD
because of this and because I tend not to be able to sit still and I space out a lot. I have also
learned to work past this though.
Recommendations
I want to improve this weakness and accomplish being able to listen to anyone at any
time and not have to ask them to go over what they said again. So be able to understand what
someone says the first time I hear, to also be able to take that information and use it perfectly
because I listened so well and understood it perfectly. The book gives you so many ways to
do this on pages 66-73. One of these tips I am going to use is withholding judgement. I am
going to make sure that I listen without criticizing anything anyone says, just let them talk
and I can talk after. Another step I am going to work on is talking and interrupting less. With
talking you need to make sure that you are engaging in the conversation and make sure that
you talk back to the sender when appropriate so that it is not just the sender talking 100%.
But you have to be careful with this and make sure that you arent interrupting them. Only
talk when it is appropriate and there is a break in their communication. Just simply
interrupting van frustrate the sender and stop them from saying something that could be very
important for you and them. My next step is to ask questions. If I dont understand something
completely I should ask and make sure I dont leave without knowing. Make sure they are
sincere questions though that genuinely request information, dont be annoying or sarcastic
about it. The next step is attend to nonverbal cues. Not all the messages senders get across is
through straight talking, a lot of it is nonverbal. It can show in their feelings, or their posture,
gestures, vocal tones, facial expressions, etc. (COMM 1010 page: 71). My last step I am
going to take is to try and examine emotional appeals. Look for things the sender may be

doing or saying that could be a clue trying to get you to do something. Some can be subtle
and some not, but if you recognize these and act on them it can help you listen.
Summary
My problem again is not being able to listen actively and not completely focusing and
engaging when someone is talking to me or trying to communicate with me. So I am really
going to try and use all the recommendations from the book by not interrupting, withholding
judgement, asking questions, looking for the nonverbal cues, examining emotional appeals,
and what not to work on my listening skills and hopefully get better. I want to be able to
completely and 100% focus on the conversation at hand when I am communicating with
someone. So that I can fully understand what they got across after it is all over and not have
to ask for any repeats, or for anyone to restate what they just did. I hope this helped anyone
reading with any listening problems they may have and that you are looking forward to
implementing this advice and facts.

Works Cited
Adler, Ronald B. and Elmhorst, Jeanne Marquardt. COMM 1010 Salt Lake Community
College. McGraw Hill Learning Solutions. 2013. Print.