Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

Some of the most interesting interpersonal activities I took part in during this semester were TalkAbroad meetings and in class discussions with classmates. In TalkAbroad meetings, I talked with very fluent Spanish speakers about an assigned topic. During in class discussions, I had in-person conversations with classmates at the same level of fluency as me.

One of the greatest difficulties that I encountered with interpersonal communication was struggling with anxiety during my TalkAbroad sessions. While I feel confident in my skill level, I had problems practicing with people who were at a much higher proficiency than me. However, after two sessions, I feel more confident in the process and my ability to communicate in the moment. Another interesting aspect of interpersonal communication was working with my fellow classmates to learn how to discuss new subjects. Since we were all at about the same experience level, we had to work together instead of relying on any one participant to carry the conversation. Overall, I gained a lot of confidence in speaking in Spanish over the last semester.

(I am currently unable to attach the files from my talkabroad sessions)

Throughout the course, I’ve had quite a lot of experience with presentational speaking. This primarily involved presenting educational or entertainment slideshows and videos in Spanish to the class. 

My first presentation was about a vacation I had taken in the past. I chose to do mine about Shenandoah National Park, and it was somewhat difficult to learn how to research niche terms for terms I hadn’t expected to need to know. This skill helped a lot in my future projects. Later, I created a presentation on a timeline of the history of the Museum of Gold. This required me to do a significant amount of research and communicate properly when the events occurred. Next, I presented my short story project. I accidentally misunderstood the assignment and had to read my story in person rather than via recording, which actually served to give me more confidence in speaking in a presentational manner. Finally, I presented a video of myself and a friend acting out a misunderstanding in Spanish. Inflection was very important in this project, as the script has another meaning when read another way. Overall, each project had its own distinct problems and lessons that helped me get to where I am today.

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