How competent are you as a communicator? You can begin to answer this question by interviewing people who know you well: a family member, friend, or fellow worker, for example. Interview different people to determine if you are more competent in some relationships than others, or in some situations than others.

a. Describe the characteristics of competent communicators outlined in this chapter. Be sure your interviewee understands each of them.

b. Ask your interviewee to rate you on each of the observable qualities. (It won’t be possible for others to evaluate internal characteristics, such as cognitive complexity and self-monitoring.) Be sure this evaluation reflects your communication in a variety of situations: It’s likely you aren’t uniformly competent—or incompetent—in all of them.

c. If your rating is not high in one or more areas, discuss with your partner how you could raise it.