Читать книгу The Communication Playbook - Teri Kwal Gamble - Страница 109

How we perceive ourselves, others, and experience influences all we say and do. Perception, self-concept, and communication are intertwined, interacting with and influencing one another. Two or more people will not necessarily perceive you similarly. In fact, many of them may not see you as you see yourself. For example, when one consultant asked a group of college students to select a word representing how employers perceived them, she told the students that the word she was looking for began with the letter e. What word would you have selected? Students, believing that employers viewed them positively, suggested answers such as enthusiastic and energetic. The correct answer was entitled. ²

The meanings we form, and the messages we send to others about what we see and how we think, shape their understanding of us. Similarly, how you perceive yourself affects your relationship with yourself. What words would you select to describe that relationship? Do your chosen words suggest you feel good about yourself? If not, what is it about your perception of you that keeps you from doing so?

People living in different countries, the members of different generations, and the members of different genders, races, religions, or classes (just to name a few demographic categories) also tend to perceive things differently. They have different opinions about many things, including the alt-right, same-sex marriage, transgender people, immigration, human rights, and the news media. By exploring the “I” behind the eye, we will come to better understand why each of us is much more than a camera and why the “I” of the perceiver makes such a big difference.