Characteristics of Competent Communicators . 1. SELF-AWARENESS Good communicators are aware of their own behavior and its effects on others - self-monitoring People who are high self-monitors pay close attention to the way they look, sound, and act in social situations . Self-monitoring usually makes people more competent communicators because it enables them to see how their behavior fits or doesn't fit in a given social setting. What's your level of self-monitoring? Exercise -