Diane Ocaranza

Professor Franklin
Course HD 497
27 September 2015
Course 341-Communication for Empowerment
Communication for empowerment became a life learning experience. This class
induced us to re-learn our form or method for communicating with others. HD 341
humbly pointed out the negative ways we communicate with others, which have been
adopted from very early on, and now we have grown accustomed to them. When learning
about the communication blockers, I realized that I have been unaware about why and
how I communicate. I noticed that in many instances I could admit and say I was ignorant
to adequate and effective communication skills.
I was complete unaware that when we communicate we are bringing all of our
personal baggage to our conversation with others. This is in part due to inherited
psychological wounds that have not been nurtured, such as, developing a false self, which
takes control over the natural-talented self. Here the true self stands in mistrust of itself
and against all logic allows the false self to take lead, mainly because it is living in the
traumatic past.
In addition, excessive shame and guilt, fears, reality distortions, and having
difficulty feeling, empathizing and bonding (attaching to/caring about/loving) other living
things, convolute effective communication with others. These blockers stand as giant
barriers before us, as we attempt to become qualitative listeners and speakers.
Nevertheless, this is why I admit I was ignorant to reasons why I stood ignorant in

understanding what an effective communicator/listener really is. I did not consider the
factors that play a role in becoming an inadequate communicator/listener. I learned and
became amazed that sub-consciously some past traumas, which develop into present
insecurities affect the way I hear others, and or speak to others.
This knowledge enhanced my intuition of why and how I am formulating, and
directing my speeches towards others, and why and how I choose to listen to others. I am
more conscientious of my emotional state when having a conversation with others. Being
aware of my emotional state aids my ability to understand and clearly listen to others, and
in return exchanging effective dialogue. At least effective in the sense that my
communication skills have evolved more so now, as opposed to how I communicated
prior to taking this class.
Also, this course helped eliminate misconceptions individuals have in terms of
being an effective communicator/listener. The class at the beginning of the course was
asked how we graded ourselves from a scale of 1 to 10 in being good listeners, and most
of us assumed that we were all great listeners. That simple question was followed by a
small group project in which we sat across a partner quietly, and patiently until the
partner was finished talking. We then were asked to explain how we interpreted what was
being said to us from our partner, our answers (to our dismay) were all incorrect; not one
single group interpreted correctly what their partner meant to say.
The results of the project demonstrate our lack of knowledge and assumptions to
being an effective listener/communicator. Because as our partner spoke s/he too did not
express themselves correctly or specific enough, to the point that her/his partner had to
guess and think once, twice, or even three times about what s/he meant to say. This

project absolutely spoke volumes about the misconception we have of others and
ourselves. The class showed us how to start stripping our communication techniques from
communication blockers, by engaging in multiple group projects that included diffusing
difficult conversations, misguided conversations, and unresponsive conversations.
Overall the class offered more than just meeting course goals, it helped enhance our
relationships outside of class.