Download Jose Morales Diaz COMM 211—002 Tamra Phillips 02/13/15

Jose Morales Diaz
COMM 211—002
Tamra Phillips
02/13/15
Personal Change Proposal
Goal
Whenever I am conversing with others, I will show security and confidence by displaying good
nonverbal communication by working on good posture/developing better body orientation,
make eye contact, use facial expressions and speak articulately.
Rationale
As I converse or meet up with other people, I often lack the ability to keep good eye contact,
and tend to get shy and nervous—especially when meeting new people. I get social anxiety
under close proximity and often display little to no body language. If I were to develop better
nonverbal communication skills, my self-esteem and self-confidence would improve.
Strategies
1. I will improve my kinesics by developing better moments and gestures according to
Ekman and Friesen’s five categories: emblems, illustrators, affect displays, regulators,
and adaptors (Beebe, 2013, p. 195).
2. I will develop better eye contact and observe Adam Kendon’s “four functions of eye
contact in interpersonal interactions” (Beebe, 2013, p. 196).
3. I will demonstrate genuine facial expression and learn to select the appropriate one for
different types of circumstances (Beebe, 2013, p. 197).
4. I will pay close attention to my proxemics and obviously practice good methods of body
orientation (Beebe, 2014, p. 206)
Implementation
I shall begin implementing my strategies as soon as possible—most likely starting the week of
February 16th, which is when my co-worker and I meet again. I will monitor my progress by
keeping a mental note of the principles that I have learned and reviewing them on a frequent
basis. I will also implement these strategies when speaking with other students and people at
the community college, as well as close friends and family members. One way to motivate
myself is to perpetually remind myself that nonverbal communication is my primary way of
communicating my feelings, attitudes and emotions.
Works Cited
Beebe, Steven A., Susan J. Beebe, and Mark V. Redmond. Interpersonal Communication Books a
La Carte Edition. 7th ed. N.p.: Pearson College Div, 2013. Print.