We have all had that one professor or teacher who has influenced our lives for the better. They could have inspired us different ways or encouraged us in our academic pursuits, but whatever the case, most people have a favorite professor that has had a positive impact on their life. In my sophomore year at JMU, I had an ethics class with a professor who was far and away, the most influential educator I’ve ever come across. I’ll admit that he wasn’t an orthodox teacher, which means he didn’t read word for word from power-points or expect you to memorize a list of vocabulary words for a weekly test, but through his straight-forward nature and his exceptional communication competence he managed to make an impact on his students.
Interpersonal communication competence is when a speaker is able to communicate in ways that are appropriate, effective, and ethical (McCornack, 2009). Appropriateness is when communication follows the accepted norms and customs of society, effectiveness refers to how successful you are at accomplishing your objectives, and ethics refers to whether or not your communication style respects and values other people. When I judge my teacher on these three criteria I admit that he only fits well into two of them, but didn’t exactly fit the appropriateness factor. He used profanity often in the classroom and as much as it did not bother me, he said that in the past he has had people complain about his habit (which he tries his best to oblige). It was never over the top profanity, but it is something that normally doesn’t occur in most classrooms as often as it did in this one. I would classify him as a low-self monitor because he wasn’t that sensitive to presenting himself in a more professional manner (unless it really offended someone). He believed more in having informal conversations and discussions with the class where people could speak openly about their opinions, and didn’t believe that he should not discuss important material if it was considered inappropriate or controversial. In terms of effectiveness, he was always extremely successful in getting his point across to the class and getting them to understand concepts in terms of their real-world applications and not just as answers on a test. And seeing how he was a very good ethics teacher, we can just go ahead and say that he treated everyone in the class with respect and valued their opinions. Even though he may not have fit the norm in terms of his appropriateness, I still believe he is one of the most competent communicators I have ever witnessed. I actually believe by acting out of the norm at times, he got more of a response from his students who normally would just be texting behind their notebooks. By challenging and shocking the class he got everyone to participate and take advantage of their education, which is something you don’t see in many classrooms.
Does a person need to follow all three of the criteria of a competent communicator to be successful?
References
- McCornack, S. (2009). Reflect and relate: An introduction to interpersonal communication. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
