Sunday, January 11, 2009
Chapter 7 Authenticity
Authenticity is defined as being real and honest in how we live and work with others (pg. 200). The book goes on to say that we must reveal our true selves not only during personal time but also through our professional affiliation. I like to think of myself as an authentic person. My personality and actions are the same whether I am at work or out with my friends. It could be because I work in a construction atmosphere which allows a lot more freedom to be authentic than a person who works at a bank. Although when I am around my parents and grandparents I tend to tone down my authenticity because sometimes my language tends to contain vulgar language and I do not want to disrespect any of them.
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In thinking about the self, conceptualize it as multidimensional. So changing you language based on the context and relationship with other participants is demonstrating rhetorical sensitivity. It's not inauthentic. In their discussion of openness, the authors of the text note that complete openness often isn't the best strategy in organizations. For example, some information is proprietary, other deals with personnel issues. In addition, you just not want to know personal information about coworkers and other organization members, and you may not want them to know similar information about you. That's perfectly reasonable, yet still authentic. Being authentic means adapting to the situation and striving to reach mutually beneficial communicative goals, not just blurting out whatever is in your mind at the time.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting to me because I’m a nanny. A lot of what I say and do with my friends and family is Authentic however, when I’m at work I am required to be a tad bit different. I, like you, tone it down a bit. At times, I swear like a trucker or have funny but inappropriate jokes to tell, etc but when at work I refrain from speaking in a manner that my employers would be disappointed with. I think this is true for a lot of working individuals. You are expected to act or be a certain way at work and when you’re at home with your family and friends it’s easy to let loose. I’m fortunate enough to have a family that is very casual and we all are very loving, accepting people. A few curse words here and there, and often inappropriate but funny jokes are considered normal at a family function, for me. I’m not so sure if that good or bad. But it makes for an easy conversation with everyone in the family.
ReplyDeleteIt's refreshing to hear that adjusting to different social situations isn't necessarily inauthentic. I have been taught in the past that adjusting speech and behavior to different social rules is part of being a good communicator, but it never sunk in til now. I was still thinking in terms of "I can't be myself at work, with customers or around my boss, I can only be myself around certain co-workers." But adjusting to the social norms of a situation or person is just being sensitive to that situation or person. It doesn't mean one is being inauthentic. That this is part of being authentic is good to know.
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