University of Maryland

Pearl Diving Assignment III

Deisy Noemi Velasquez

Communication for Project Managers: ENCE 424
Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman
August 8, 2020
Introduction
As a future Architect and business owner, Communication in Project Management is very
important to me. Communication is key to either running a successful business or working for a
well established firm. Communication for Project Management, a course as part of the minor in
Construction Project Management, it emphasizes the importance of communicating effectively in
the building construction industry. This essay highlights my personal experience and how I can
practice these techniques in my career. In this essay I will discuss different work scenarios and
how to handle the situations while appealing to ethos, pathos and logos. Quotes can be a great
influence for everyone. I will discuss how Micheal Jordan can influence the construction
industry. I will end by discussing my scores from the Five Personality Test and the relation and
differences to the DISC and JUNG test.

Scenario
I am beginning to notice that there is a lack of performance coming from the team. As a team
leader, it is important to address the situation in order to prevent it from continuing. After
reviewing weekly goals for the past five weeks, I’ve noticed that tasks are not being completed.
Good Morning Team,
I hope you enjoyed your weekend and are feeling ready to take on this week.

It has come to my attention that as a team we have not been performing well on
our weekly goals and tasks for the past five consecutive weeks. We have
completed tasks, but have had to revisit the plans for corrections. We missed the
deadline to submit the Erosions Sediment Control plans and are currently behind
schedule on the Fire Marshal plans. Our overall budget for this project has
increased by 15% due to the extra hours that have been used for correction. As a
team, we need to be able to focus and work together to complete these tasks in a
time efficient manner.

If anyone has any comments or concerns, prepare to discuss at our meeting this
morning. Input and ideas from everyone is always welcomed. Remember, there is
no “I” in “team”.

Regards,
Deisy Velasquez, Project Manager

Quote
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships”
- Michael Jordan.
This quote is significant to ENCE 424 and to the industry of construction, engineering and
architecture. It takes a whole crew to complete a final product. Each individual has their personal
talent. Whether it's someone who puts a smile on someone's face or their ability to excel in
certain parts of a job, if it wasn’t for everyone's effort, nothing would get completed. For
example in my job, I may have a stronger understanding of road design while someone has a
strong understanding of utilities. If we stick to what we can do it allows us to complete the job
effectively and efficiently. It takes a whole team of designers and engineers to complete a set of
construction documents to develop plans for a housing development. In the end, we have a final
product, a housing development, that was completed with everyone's effort which in return
makes clients happy which is our ultimate goal.

Crucial Conversations Scenario

My boss recently called me an idiot in front of the entire team after submitting the wrong
set of plans. The moment he said that to me I felt confused. I put my time and effort into this
project and I was sure that I sent the right plans. I asked questions as I completed the task to
avoid miscommunication. The comment took my colleagues and me by surprise.
After the meeting, as I worked at my desk, I questioned why he called me an idiot. Where
did I fail? I needed the time to reflect and calm down. It is important to settle down because I
wouldn’t want to say something that I would regret later. I asked my colleague his opinion based
on what my boss said. He told me that it was said unintentionally. Having an opinion from
someone can be very helpful. It helps you see a different perspective from someone rather than
oneself. During lunch, I took the time to review the work that I had submitted. I realized that I
did in fact send the wrong set. I then decided that I needed to talk to my boss regarding the
situation. It is beneficial to talk things out with one another and explain what happened. It also
helps to ensure that we are on the same page and helps to avoid misunderstandings in the future.
Taking the time for oneself in situations like this is important. It helps one reflect. Talking to
others is also important. Sometimes people give advice that one wouldn’t have thought of. They
can also give their opinions on what one can improve on. Finally, talking to the person in private
is important. It creates a conversation where both people can discuss the situation and come to
terms and agreement.

Personality Test
The Five Personality Test measures personality traits based on five dimensions of
personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism
(OCEAN). After taking the test my score came in at 75% in openness, 73% in conscientiousness,
67% in extraversion, 69% in agreeable and 37.5% in neuroticism. For the most part, I can agree
with my scores. I tend to be open inorder to explore different options for creativity and
productivity. When it comes to meeting new people. I am always willing to learn and listen to
everyone's opinions. I would most rather be with people than being alone. For conscientiousness,
it is important to have self discipline and control inorder to succeed. I am the type of person who
looks at the longer term rewards rather than short terms. In summer of 2019, I worked extremely
hard. I worked seven days a week, at an engineering firm and worked on renovating my
property. I remember days when I would be upset because I was always working while others
were out having fun. I knew that in the long run, working was beneficial rather than going out. I
typically agree on things depending on my thoughts. I am the type of person to give my thoughts
on why I agree or disagree. I tend to not compete with others. As long as I am doing my job
correctly, that is what I care about. I agree on my score of neuroticism. I am a happy and
outgoing person who enjoys these days and tries to see positivity. Like others, I do have my bad
days but I don’t take it out on anyone.
The personality test can relate to the precious DISC and JUNG that I took. The DISC
results showed that I have a 44% dominant personality factor. In the JUNG test, I found that my
psychological type is extravert-intuitive-feeler-judger. In relation to the three tests, I found that I
am able to work well with others. In the industry, it is important to have connections and
network with others. I've noticed that I am not a controlling person, but I am able to stand up for
myself when I need to. As an extrovert I am outgoing and enthusiastic. I pay attention to
imaginative and original information with a focus on the future as intuitive and find new ways to
be creative to perform well on projects.
Taking these tests can be beneficial to anyone. When I took the JUNG Test, DISC and
the OCEAN test, they made me think of different times in my personal, school and work life.
These tests help me better understand myself and teach me things I didn;t know of myself or how
I would react. The test helped me identify the things that I agree and disagree with and the things
that I like and dislike. They showed me my strengths and weaknesses while also showing me the
things that I could improve on and how it could be beneficial to me. They also taught me how to
better understand others. Everyone goes through different things in their life so it's important to
be understanding of others and always be patient and open to them. I believe that taking these
tests can help me improve myself and can help me grow in my career.

Conclusion
In conclusion, it is beneficial for everyone to have great communication skills in order to
work well with others in any kind of work environment. There will always be times where
people have a tough time communicating with one another. Sharing some of these
communication techniques that I have learned throughout Communication for Project Managers
can be beneficial for the team. There will always be different scenarios where each individual
will have to react based on the situation. Sometimes taking personality tests can help one another
find things that they could work on. Sharing each other's strengths and weaknesses can help one
another reach goals that we set for ourselves. As a team, we want to continue growing together
rather than apart. Everyone has different experiences and lessons are learned along the way and
those lessons can also be shared as others can learn from them.
Reference

Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2013). ​Crucial conversations.​ New
York: McGraw-Hill.