University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Adriana Amaya Perdomo

ENCE 424-0102: Communication for Project Managers
Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman
September 26th, 2020
Introduction
As an architecture student, communication emphasizes lucid writing and the development
of presenting a clear speech. Communication plays a vital role in how aspiring architects can
express ideas, generate critiques, develop questions, and conduct oral presentations. As an
architecture student, Communications for Project Managers plays an essential role in improving
more than technical speaking skills, but acknowledging the responsibilities of liaising with
various clients, contractors, and consultants, who then have to communicate explicit information
to the involving third parties. This essay will focus on my overall understanding of various
concepts and growth mindset that has been evoked by the weekly readings and class discussions.
I will then discuss my application on business etiquette and networking strategies that I have
performed at my current internship and finalize with a brief explanation of the DISC personality
assessment results and how it will impact my future career going forward.

Major Concepts from Readings

The first central concept that I found noteworthy from the course readings is the
development of establishing a clear vision through team contributions. In the reading, Five Stars,
The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great, highlights the importance of teamwork
and trusting those around you to establish a unified goal through simple feedback and identifying
one's role and responsibilities. The underlying idea established through the reading offers a
message of transparency by building trust among those individuals through constructive
feedback and taking the initiative on tasks. For instance, in chapter four, of Five Stars, the author
Gallo gives several examples from outside readings on how one can quickly become a bad leader
by referencing a quote from Extreme Ownership stating, "There are no bad teams, only bad
leaders…leadership is the single greatest factor in any teams performance," (Gallo, 2016, pg.
49). The various examples demonstrated in Five Stars allowed me to establish three significant
takeaways: building trust within your own cooperation, as a leader, it is not what you preach. It's
about what you can tolerate and be self-aware of how you communicate with others. Various
examples from the reading have encouraged me to become more vocal when acknowledging my
current internship duties. For example, the current project that I am on is soon to reach
substantial completion meaning that closeout is slowly approaching. I decided to take the
initiative and identifying the essential tasks that the project team should discuss to have a
successful closeout to deliver to the client. In the Communications to Project Managers course,
the class participated in doing a “Comms Plan” activity, which helped identify the “who, what,
when, where, and how,” of a particular situation, establishing final success measures. In doing
something similar to the “Comms Plan,” I will be able to acquire feedback from the team on how
I can improve my understanding of an effective closeout and demonstrate the importance of
knowing what my exact role will be in the process. I want to demonstrate that I can take a
leadership role and improve the communication channels within the team through several
strategies from the course.
Secondly, another imperative concept that is covered by the readings is moving beyond
the Fool's Choice. Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High is one of the
readings that focuses on the importance of moving beyond the Fool's Choice, which is a mistake
many individuals make when they neglect the importance of dialogue. One should be able to
speak up and not lie to oneself to make someone else feel more valid. It is about the implication
of speaking out and not remaining silent. For example, the reading stated various strategies that
one should acknowledge before falling into a Fool's choice, such as "choosing between peace
and honesty, between winning and losing, and so on" (Patterson, Grenny, et al. 2012, pg. 48).
The intention is to stop yourself from creating negative dialogue and pushing to a positive and
healthy conversation, even if it is a crucial one. The reading's significance is to comprehend that
being silent will not justify one's actions, and those that decide to resort in verbal attack will not
get anywhere but a conversation filled with ridiculing, caustic, and passive-aggressive behavior.
In the reading, Crucial Conversations, the authors point out the importance of "presenting your
brain with a more complex problem," it's about willingly being able to understand one's view and
the other person opinion, meaning leaving an open pool of shared meaning (Patterson, Grenny, et
al. 2012, pg. 46). I have observed that I can stop and analyze conversations that I have with my
friends, family members, and coworkers with understanding the meaning behind the Fool's
choice. I found various strategies that could ignite a positive outcome while being completely
honest about a particular situation. I recently found myself trying to apply this concept by
establishing a candid discussion with a friend and made sure I acknowledged the issue in a way
where both of us knew what was going to be discussed. When listening to my friend's opinion, I
made sure that my body language was also an essential factor in the conversation because the
way one presents his or her self indicates that you are actively listening to the speaker, which is
something that was discussed during several discussions in the Communication for Project
Managers course.
Furthermore, the third concept that I found particularly important from the readings is
demonstrating competence and character, which is discussed in A Pocket Guide to Public
Speaking. A person’s credibility is a compelling way of determining if an individual is a
believable communicator. Someone who demonstrates character can influence and motivate
others and build consensus, especially project managers who deal with clients, third party
consultants, and subcontractors. Having the competence to demonstrate an ethical character
enlists trustworthiness, especially when the project managers purpose is to convey that they are
attentive and good listeners in their projects. For example, in the reading, A Pocket Guide to
Public Speaking, to establish long term success and build positive reputations among team
members, project managers should be dependent on ethical choices such as “displaying sound
reasoning skills, are honest and straightforward, and are genuinely interested in the welfare of
their listeners” (O’Hair et al. 2019, pg. 21). I personally feel the importance of character is to
trust the core values and being someone who is ethical. I have a tendency of looking away when
someone is speaking sometimes making those speaking feel unsure. I have recently been paying
more attention to those having conversations with me and when delivering a presentation. In the
Communication for Project Managers course, we recently did an activity based on “Things that
can ruin a good impression,” which made me realize the various elements that can articulate
someone’s character and how one can be perceived through their actions, whether that be one’s
eye contact, arm movement, and appearance. Consequently, even if it is a small conversation, all
elements of one's character play an important role in how you will be perceived and whether
those around you will respect and trust your role.
Business Etiquette
Etiquette in the business world is not just a means of communication; it is the
engagement one has through various interactions, from emailing to having good time
management and even how one presents themselves on media platforms. It is a soft skill that can
allow oneself to maintain a balanced and robust relationship with those close to you, coworkers,
and building professional relationships. We go through various daily interactions with multiple
individuals, but we never really stop and think about our business etiquette, and how it can be
demonstrated even through the smallest actions such as knowing someone's name, answering the
phone professionally, or even the way you dress. For example, when attending workdays during
the week, I need to maintain a professional reputation due to my internship status at the company
and making sure everyone sees how composed I can be compared to days I am not at work. To
build upon my business etiquette, I will begin to monitor myself when I speak and provide more
information when speaking to the project team because sometimes there are misunderstandings
within conversations. Room for improvement is essential in my book, and every day I try better
myself and make others around me feel comfortable.

Business Networking
Networking has played a vital component in my professional career in finding tangible
ways on how the practical effects of networking can help me grow as an individual and build
relationships with others. I used to believe that networking was promoting oneself through career
fairs and identifying yourself through a resume. I then found that networking can be conducted
by promoting yourself in various ways. For instance, in the reading, Networking for College
Students and Graduates, emphasizes that one should establish relationships with those who you
already work with and build interactions with those you encounter in your everyday life
(Faulkner & Nierenberg, 2017, pg. 59). I have recently developed strategies on building my
network through various virtual networking events found through one of the most popular
networking sites, LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great networking site where those in multiple
industries can connect in a formal setting and through informal conversations through various
organizations. Employing communication within my current internship, I have acquired several
prospects to attend various virtual networking opportunities such as “The ABC’s Of Lean:
Transformation Through Actions, Best Practices, and Coaching,” held from October 19-23. To
acquire this virtual opportunity, I recently had a conference call with my mentor in the company
and had them register me for events to understand the work Project Managers conduct and the
best practices to use on various projects. 

DISC Personality Assessment

Communication is an essential tool that aids us in connecting and building relationships
with people. After completing the DISC Personality Assessment, I found myself agreeing with
most of the personality model results; however, I found some aspects of my results surprising.
For instance, I concur that my personality is very dominant, especially within the last four years
of managing school and work. I have encountered many obstacles over the years but have found
ways to control various challenging situations with being persistent, positive, and patient. When
reviewing my results, I was stunned that compliance was only 11% because I am very organized,
and I try to always be on top of my responsibilities. Truthfully, I would have expected the
compliance percentage result to be higher. Another factor that I agree with is the percentage I
received for steadiness because I try to give everyone, I encounter the benefit of the doubt, and
am very understanding in various situations. Self-awareness of my personality type can benefit
my future leadership skills as a communicator and project manager. For instance, I believe the
dominance and steadiness personality type can improve my communication skills with different
individuals, especially on a project site, when having meaningful discussions with clients,
subcontractors, and project team members. It will also help me prevent misunderstandings within
my project team members and create an area where acknowledging everyone’s ideas can
encourage more efficient solutions.

Conclusion
Communication for Project Mangers is more than a course about communication; it
allows students to evaluate and identify a series of strategies to become effective communicators
no matter the circumstances. By assessing and understanding various concepts from the weekly
readings, one can learn to be more open-minded about multiple strategies to better one's public
speaking abilities. Various activities and discussions allow one to lose a sense of nervousness
and become more confident. One begins to understand that everyone's opinions matter and grow
every day throughout the course. I am learning more about the foundation of communication and
improving my working traits as I continue to evaluate my work and identify what is imperative
to me and how I can grow from every challenge that I encounter.
 Work Cited

Faulkner, Michael, and Andrea Nierenberg. Networking for College Students and Graduates.
Pearson Learning Solutions, 2017. Print.
Gallo, Carmine. Five Stars the Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great. St. Martin’s
Press, 2018. Print.
O’Hair, Dan, and Hannah Rubenstein and Rob Stewart. A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking.
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019. Print.
Patterson, Kerry and Grenny, et al. Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are
High. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.