Self Assessment
This self assessment paper should meet the following criteria:
Demonstrate thoughtful self reflection of strengths and areas of improvement by utilizing specific course vocabulary from Chapters 1-6.
Exemplify your writing abilities (well organized, no grammatical/spelling errors). Proofread!
Address strengths and weaknesses, using specific “communication” terms and examples of each (demonstrate you have learned something through this class/readings–please do not say “I’m a people person”–what does this really mean in terms of what you learned about the communication literature?).
Paper Organization and Requirements (NO less than 5 pages–Double Spaced).
Introduction (one paragraph)
Reflect on your communication style by commenting on your: communication competence, cultural influences, self esteem/concept, attributions, use of language, nonverbal messages, and listening style (create italicized sub-headings for each of these categories; approximate pages = 2-3)
Take the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) instrument from the Communication Measures website: http://www.jamescmccroskey.com/measures/prca24.htm . Then score it. ** See Scoring Below. Communication Apprehension is the level of fear of real or anticipated communication interactions.
Write-up your results by defining (and citing) the instrument and discussing your score (approximate pages = 1-2)
Conclusion (one paragraph)
**HINT-there is a strong and positive correlation between using course concepts/vocabulary in this paper and high grades. BE SURE to demonstrate you can use and appropriately apply the concepts in the course.
SCORING THE Personal Report of Communication Apprehension
Scores on the four contexts (groups, meetings, interpersonal conversations, and public speaking) can range from a low of 6 to a high of 30. Any score above 18 indicates some degree of apprehension.
To determine your overall Communication Apprehension score, add together all four subscores. Your score should range between 24 and 120. If your score is below 24 or above 120, you have made a mistake in computing the score.
Scores between 83 and 120 indicate a high level of communication apprehension.
Scores between 55 and 83 indicate a moderate level of communication apprehension.
Scores between 24 and 55 indicate a low level of communication apprehension.
Communication apprehension is a fear of speaking (see, for example, Richmond & McCroskey, Communication: Apprehension, avoidance, and effectiveness, 5th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1998). Communication apprehension comes in two different forms: (1) trait apprehension influences all communication situations (you’ll fear and try to avoid all forms of communication interaction) and (2) state apprehension influences only certain situations. So, if you have state apprehension you may fear public speaking but have no fear or very little when speaking in groups or interpersonally. Or, you may fear speaking with new people. According to one survey between 10 and 20 percent of college students suffer “severe, debilitating communication apprehension” and another 20 percent suffer from apprehension to the degree that it interferes with their normal functioning (McCroskey & Wheeless, 1976).