Communication Self-Evaluation

I was provided an opportunity to conduct a self-evaluation on my communication skills using three different tools; the “Listening Style Profile”, the “Verbal Aggressiveness Scale”, and the “Communication Anxiety Inventory”.  After I completed the evaluations I asked my supervisor and a friend to complete the same three evaluations so I could gain their perspective on my communication skills.  I was surprised to see that my supervisor and my friend evaluated the level of my communication anxiety as “low” and “mild”, respectively.  The score I gave myself for my level of communication anxiety was moderate because there are many times I am very uncomfortable speaking in front of a large group of people. 
The last time my supervisor heard me speak was in June 2010 when I was co-facilitating training in San Diego with about 75 people in the room.  I specifically remember stuttering on some words and having to put the microphone down to catch my breath.  Once I got started I felt I did great presenting the facts and answering questions from the audience but my heart was racing throughout the entire presentation.  My supervisor did not know my heart was racing throughout the presentation because I got it together within a few minutes of starting the presentation, therefore scoring me with “low” level of communication anxiety. 
My friend observed me facilitate training with about 15 people in the room in November 2011.  I opened up this training with a little background on my training skills and how I feel I may not be polished since my last training was in August 2011.  Although I felt flustered because I perceived my tone of voice to be nervous, the audience gave me outstanding evaluations and I feel this is why my friend evaluated me with “mild” anxiety.
Other insights I have gained about communication is I am “people-oriented” and all three evaluations scored my skills within this level of listening styles.  The other communication evaluation results all scored me with “moderate” verbal aggressiveness, at a score of 61, which I know is very true about my communication style because being respectful and considerate of others when they are speaking has been a value my mom instilled in me and I continued to embrace this value into adulthood.