EXAMANXIETY AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
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Identify THREE (3) specific roles you are often in (e.g. student, friend, employee, son, and daughter) and the types of communication style you tend to use in those roles. Explain how these styles are helpful or unhelpful.
Employee
Asan employee, I will use assertive as my preferred style ofcommunication so that I achieve to communicate effectively with myemployer as well as my fellow employees. This style is helpful inthis role because it enables me and any other employee to be firm onthe proposed ideas while at the same time remaining polite whilecommunicating. Apparently, this style enables one to communicate in aclear manner, ensure that respect within the workplace is up to therequired standards and it also allows me and any other employee tomake eye contact while communicating as a sign dictating authorityover what I am saying.
Son
Asa son, I can use passive communication style when communicating withmy parents especially when communicating with my father who is strictand always giving instructions and directions on what to do. Thisstyle is normally characterized with the individual being shy andsubmissive leading to an avoidance of making eye contact duringcommunication. When trying to make a suggestion that doesn’tsatisfy my parents, their opinion will still come with a lot ofimpact leading to a situation where I give in and go with theiropinion. This style is only helpful when it comes to listening andfollowing what the parents say however, it is unhelpful in many waysespecially when it comes self-expression which is never perfect.
Friend
Inthis role, I tend to combine a number of styles when communicatinghowever, the common style involves expressing myself in an aggressivemanner. In most cases, I tend to believe in what I say and alwaysconsidering being right. When making a conversation with otherfriends, I tend to be argumentative, defend my opinions with passion,and always use strong gestures to effectively deliver my points. Thisstyle is helpful when making a serious point and wants it to get theattention it deserves. It is also helpful in giving strict andserious instructions that are meant to be followed strictly. However,this style can be unhelpful when I am wrong and don’t want to becorrected by my other friends since it might have a negative impacton my level of knowledge and understanding especially when my friendsgive in.
Identify a situation during the academic year when it will be beneficial, and difficult, for you to say “no”, what makes this difficult for you? Why is it necessary to say “no”? Explain exactly what you plan to say and do in this situation.
Inan academic year, it will be difficult although beneficial to say“no” to your friends during an exam season who may want to hangout yet you prefer going to study. It is always difficult to choosebetween hanging out with friends and locking up yourself indoors sothat you can have ample time to study. In such a case, it’sdifficult to say “no” to your friends because you might beaffected by a feeling of guilt for failing to show up. At times, youmight want to please your friends by saying “yes” but saying sowhen you were supposed to say “no” will make you disappointed atyourself. You might be angry at yourself while at the same timefeeling resentful.
Inthis situation, it is necessary to say “no” because you’ll haveto choose the most appropriate answer at this time. Of coursechoosing to study is the best option but at times making thatdecision can leave your friends disappointed. You can chose studyingover hanging out because studying is seasonal but hanging out isalways there. However, in this case you will have to say “no” inan effective way. You will need to learn how to say “no” bycarefully choosing the right words that will not leave you feelingguilty. For example you can tell your friends that you will love tohang out with them but at the moment you need to study, then proposeto them an efficient day to hangout when you are free from exams suchas on Fridays or Saturdays.
A. What three symptoms of exam anxiety have you suffered from the most?
Emotional
Experiencingemotional symptoms is almost inevitable when it comes to the examperiod. In most cases during exams, there is always some form ofpanic, fear and a feeling of being worried about failing the exams.This will occur especially when is not effectively prepared and readyfor the exams. Panic occurs when one is not fully prepared for theexam or feels there are some topics that he or she has not gonethrough. Tough exams normally invite fear. In most cases, I haveexperienced emotional symptoms more than all the other symptoms.
Cognitive
Cognitivesymptoms are normally associated with going blank on questions. Inthis case, you might find yourself out of ideas during the exam. Attimes, you might also experience some difficulties when it comes toreading and understanding the exam questions. In such cases, I haveoccasionally find myself being forced to reread the question a coupleof times before finally finding the clue on what the question is allabout. Cognitive symptoms of anxiety can also lead to failing theexam or performing poorly when you had the materials necessary toperform well in that exam.
Physical
Physicalsymptoms of anxiety involve sweating of hands while at the same timeshaking during exams. At times one might experience muscle tension invarious parts of the body such as the shoulders. The mouth might alsodry accompanied by some sort of heart pounding. In most cases, I havehappened to experience sweating of hands, shaking and trembling.
B.How have these symptoms affected your performance in exams?
Withouteffectively dealing with these symptoms, they might have an impact onyour performance in exams. Symptoms such as cognitive have led todifficulties when it comes to answering of questions where, I readthe questions severally before understanding them. At times, I havealso gone blank on some questions due to anxieties leading to poorperformance during exams. Perhaps the worst effects of these symptomsare remembering the answers after the exam where you cannot go backto change what you have written or edit them.
C.What factors in your academic behaviors have increased your examanxiety?
Fearof failure the pressure to perform can act as a motivation while atthe same time, it can still bring fear to an individual. Some peopleare normally too obsessed with the outcome of an exam to the point ofbeing afraid to fail. This has happened to me on a number ofoccasions where the fear to fail has given rise to some exam anxiety.On the other hand, Lack of preparation also leads to exam anxiety.This normally comes with waiting till the last minute to study forthe exam. It also brings the pressure of having to read on so manytopics at a go hence reducing the chances of clearly understandingthe concept thus leading to the exam anxiety.
D.Explain three strategies you will adopt to reduce your exam anxietyin the future.
Beprepared early Lack of enough preparation for the exam is normallythe main cause that leads to anxiety therefore, early preparation cansave a lot when it comes to reducing anxiety. Setting up a studyschedule as soon as the exam timetable is out is always key toeffective preparation.
Sleepwell: Many researchers have suggested that one of the most effectiveways of controlling stress is by having enough sleep. Giving thebrain enough rest through sleeping early and waking up at theappropriate time enables to brain to refresh well, ready for optimalfunctioning. In future, observing this simple rule is very importantreducing exam anxieties.
Havinga plan before the exam is also an effective way of reducing examanxieties. Apart from studying, it is important to have a plan on howto tackle the questions effectively. This enables one to have moreconfidence during exam time thus managing to reduce the anxieties. Italso enables one to worry less about exam failure by sticking to themain plan.