Analysis: Self-Presentation Style

As you read in your weekly introduction, how you present yourself not only explains how your self-concept affects your demeanor and style, but it is also your message about who you are to others. Self-presentation styles come in many forms. Delicately balancing effective self-presentation without coming across as pompous or phony is a necessary skill in business.

Communication professionals and researchers have spent significant effort examining affinity-seeking presentation styles, which are used to get others to like you or feel good. Why is this so important? If you use any of these styles, do they help in your presentation of self? Being able to understand how your self-presentation style affects the quality of your communication with others is invaluable.

In this Reflection, you analyze your self-presentation styles.

To prepare:

• Review this week's Learning Resources.

• Reflect on your most prevalent self-presentation styles.

• Consider how your self-presentation styles affect your communication and interaction with others.

With these thoughts in mind:

Compose an essay of at least 300 words to answer the following questions, and be sure to cite support from the course readings.

• Think about your most prevalent self-presentation styles.

• How do you use them?

• Explain how you use different styles in different situations or with different people.

• Reflect on an example when your self-presentation style resulted in a response you expected and another example when it did not. Give an explanation of each example supported by your text.