University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Matt Walters

Communication for Project Managers: ENCE424

Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman

September 21, 2020

Introduction
Before selecting ENCE424 as one of my technical electives for the fall 2020 semester, I
had very little experience with communication. I had taken the communication requirement for
all majors, but still felt as though I had not learned how important communication is when
entering the field of engineering, or more specifically, project management. Communication for
Project Managers has proven so far that communicating effectively in the engineering field is
one of, if not the most important skill that can be learned upon acquiring a job in a team based
environment. This essay will show how I am starting to convert away from my mostly technical
approach to engineering through readings, class discussions, how I am practicing business
civility, how I have increased my networking abilities, and how the DISC personality assessment
is helping me gain insights as to who I am as a communicator and how I can continue to improve
from here on out.

Concepts from Readings

Some of the most important concepts that I have been applying in my day to day from the
readings are those out of A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking. This reading has had a plethora of
ideas on how one can better manage their speech anxiety, which is definitely something that I
need to spend time to improve on. The most helpful advice I found on managing speech anxiety
is when the author states that “Research shows that you can counteract [flight-or-flight reactions]
by activating a relaxation response using techniques such as meditation and controlled breathing”
(O’Hair, p. 18). This has been a tool that I have used when communicating in class, specifically
right before I am about to chime in to participate in our weekly book discussions. Controlling my
breathing by taking timed, deep breaths has been increasingly helpful in my ability to stop
panicking right before I am about to speak in front of a crowd that I am still not entirely
acquainted to yet. This method has helped me start to break down the barrier I am trying to
overcome regarding speech anxiety and has helped me overcome the fear of asking questions in
other classes within my major.

Another valuable topic that was discussed throughout our readings is that of employing
empathy within my daily conversational mindset. This subject was discussed throughout chapter
4 of Five Stars the Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great. The author does a great
job exploring the reasons as to why empathy should be such an important portion of our day to
day conversations at home and at our workplace, stating that “Brands that care have a healthy
culture. They outperform their peers on customer satisfaction scores and enjoy higher rates of
growth, revenue, and profits” (Gallo, p. 56). In this quote Gallo shows the importance of making
both customers and peers feel like you care about what they have to say and are actively listening
to their concerns and ideas. This has been a concept that I have molded into my own mindset as I
am talking with my peers recently, as I have made sure to ask more questions about how
someone is doing or how their day was, which has greatly improved the culture that we have
been upholding in our current living arrangement. Implementing empathy has helped me become
a better friend to my peers and implementing this healthier culture has led to better
communication with those that I speak to on a regular basis.
 A topic that I have come to realize is way more important than I had initially thought that
was discussed in our readings was that of body language and tone of voice in communication.
This was emphasized heavily in this week’s readings in A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking.
These skills are vital to showing a person how you really feel when you are communicating with
them, as both can “create a perception of physical and psychological closeness… between
themselves and audience members” (O’Hair, p. 136). I found this to be a particularly difficult
task to implement recently, as my main source of interacting with classmates and professors has
been over zoom, but I was able to hone this skill this week in particular at the online career fair.
Upon entering a conversation with a recruiter, I made sure to be smiling, and to speak in a tone
of voice that made them feel welcoming, conveying the emotion that I was very excited to be
having the conversation with them. This made the experience much more colloquial and
calming, as I had helped the recruiter have a more enjoyable time speaking with someone who
seemed very active and engaging, as they had been sitting at their computer for multiple hours
taking video chat after video chat of students looking for different employment opportunities. It
really felt as though my tone and body language were key to showing that I was excited to get
the opportunity to showcase myself in those respective video calls.

Business Civility

Every action you make in the professional world can have a profound impact on how
others around you may perceive you. I found that Networking for College Students and
Graduates was a very informative reading that emphasized some of the most important ways that
you can ensure the impression you give off to both your peers and mentors is a positive one. A
concept that I was able to practice this week was that of following up with a thank you note after
a meeting. Our reading emphasized that “[Sending a thank you note] will differentiate you more
than almost anything you can do” (Faulkner, p. 57). With such a great importance stressed upon
this idea I knew it would be in my best interest to act upon it during some online sessions for the
career fair. In a zoom session with the United States Patent and Trademarking Office, I listened
to a great explanation on what tasks a patent examiner takes in their day to day career, and sent a
thank you note to the presenter, thanking them for taking their time to explain what the potential
career would be like for all of us that attended the session. I believe that this not only helped
show my interest in potentially pursuing the career in the future, but also showing that I held a
great deal of respect for the presenter, which is a great way to begin practicing my business
etiquette since I may be entering the professional world soon.

Networking

I have learned a lot about the powers of networking since beginning our coursework in
Communication for Project Managers. So far in the course we have learned much about the
importance of networking, and I feel as though our readings in Networking for College Students
and Graduates has had a lot of key information that has helped emphasize in my mind just how
important it is to try your best to create a strong social network of people around you. In the
readings, research about careers was shared, stating that “A study of UCLA graduates found that
nearly 75 percent believed it was who you knew that counted” (Faulkner, p. 22). This thought is
further explored when it is presented that “…hiring managers first looked at people they knew
and trusted, and if that did not turn up the candidate they wanted, they asked their network- their
own contacts, the people they knew and trusted (if they knew of any candidates that they knew
and trusted)” (Faulkner, p. 22). These two quotes really resonated with me, since in the past I had
been applying solely to listings of internships and jobs, rather than trying to network with those
that I knew to help acquire new career opportunities. To help increase my networking abilities I
had been reaching out to my past internship supervisors and human resources directors about
potential job openings upon my graduation in the spring. It never occurred to me beforehand that
there may be a career waiting for me at my past summer internship, I just never saw a job posting
for it, but now I have realized that it may be entirely possible that I create that job posting with
the past connections I have made with those people. Hopefully I will hear back from them soon
with good news about my future with the company.

DISC Personality Assessment

Communication can have a large influence on the way humans act and perceive
information, which is mainly reflected in their personalities. The DISC Personality Assessment
has brought a unique insight on the ways that I tend to communicate with others. I completed my
assessment (shown at the end of this document) and received an evaluation of 39% influence,
35% steadiness, 18% dominance and 9% compliance. I feel as though I agree with a majority of
my results, as I would pick my top two attributes of the four to be steadiness and influence, but I
was surprised to see that dominance was ranked higher than compliance, as I always feel as
though I am not very dominating in nature when I converse with my peers. This was a surprising
insight for me, as I feel as though I am generally very compliant, much more so when compared
to how dominating my personality is. I do agree with the way that the results described my
personality, as it stated that I “…[am] likely to be a good listener, and offer constructive advice
rather than imposing [my] own ideas and values on others” (123test.com, 2018). This describes
my personality very well, as I tend to be a very active listener and think very critically before I
share my own opinion on the subject at hand. Being aware of my personality type will help me
become a more effective communicator and project manager, as I will be able to listen to what
my peers or workers are trying to say to me, and come up with a well fleshed out idea on how to
create a solution for what we are discussing or for the problem at hand. This is a powerful tool in
the world of both communication and project management and will be the key to succeeding in
not only finishing projects by certain deadlines but also in creating a culture that I am proud to be
a part of as both a worker and communicator.

Conclusion
I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of topical and important information I
have been learning so far with my time in Communication for Project Managers. I wanted to take
this course initially to solely work on my public speaking capabilities, but I have learned far
more about the importance of creating a good network of professionals around you and the
importance of how you convey yourself when you’re communicating. I hope that throughout the
rest of the course I continue to hone these skills I have been learning, especially through various
career fairs as I prepare to enter the professional world in what seems to be just one short year
away.
 Works Cited

“DISC Personality Test: Take This Free DISC Profile Assessment at 123test.Com.” 123test,

www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/.

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.