How Does Communication Shape My Identity

As a cashier, I speak to hundreds of people every day. With all of this interaction, it’s impossible not to look at yourself through a new lens. Working in a retail setting has shaped my identity and how I communicate with others by forcing me to leave my comfort zone. The different settings have affected how I use language to communicate with people in and out of the workplace, my style of listening, and my perception of other cultures. Prior to working in retail, I had very few friends and had difficulty talking to people. Other people viewed me as being shy and awkward. In turn, I accepted this and never tried to change the way I communicated with others. I began working at HomeGoods halfway through my senior year and had no idea what working in retail would be like. When I first started, my coworkers and managers constantly told me I was too quiet and it was clear that I wouldn’t be

Prior to this, I viewed myself as a quiet high schooler who only spoke when necessary. As I entered the retail business, I learned that it is mandatory that I learn how to communicate with complete strangers. This is when interpersonal scripts became a constant part of my daily life. Not only was I asking people “How are you?” and receiving “Good, and you?” every two minutes, but there were also scripts that were pertinent to HomeGoods, such as asking if they’d like to “save 10% today by applying for a TJX Credit Card” and then explaining the benefits. These conversational rules were taken into a specific context in which a simple “How are you” would not suffice. Regardless of the fact that I only had to repeat these lines during work, it followed me outside. Most importantly, I learned over time that it isn’t too difficult to talk to strangers when there is an interpersonal script laid out. Once I figured this out, it was much easier to talk to coworkers and strangers in