Journal #4 Communication

A hurtle in my everyday life and my internship is making sure that I am adequately communicating. In the past I have been reserved about communicating any question that I may have as well as requesting assistance when I need it. This is a skill that I have been trying to improve upon and I am sure that I have made progress, but I am aware that I have more work to do. Many times I really do not know what questions I should be asking.  In addition to that I require that explanations be placed into broken down steps. I look at my communication needs similar to a recipe which I understand much better if I go in an organized and step by step process. I also understand that life is not really designed for the way that I like communication to occur. I have been able to be successful so far in my educational process with the assistance of my IEP that gives me additional time to think the process through. This of course is not readily applicable in the workplace where many times situations occur quickly, not necessarily in order and shift gears frequently.

I find that my communication needs can be very frustrating to others. I may need additional explanation where someone else can fill in the blanks. Some people would be insulted if their supervisor gave them a step-by-step explanation, and sometimes more than once, for them to understand what needs to occur, however I find this to be very helpful. I have always desired a very structured classroom environment and feel that I thrive in those types of settings.  I understand about myself that once I have gone through a process with a task, I improve with repetitiveness. I find it very helpful to have daily or every other day meetings to discuss and ask questions on what specific tasks my supervisor needs completed. I understand how this can be time consuming and taxing for someone as busy as my supervisor.