University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Cole Broomfield
Communication for Project Managers: ENCE424
Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman
September 23rd, 2021
Introduction:
So far in my Communication for Project Managers course, we’ve learned many concepts
and techniques that it takes to be a successful communicator in both the work environment as
well as our home life. It is important to become skilled in this fashion of our lives to open up
opportunities we may never get if we didn’t know how to talk to peers or strangers properly. 

Concepts from Class/Readings:

The first concept that we talked about in class is having a growth mindset rather than a
fixed mindset and how I have been applying it to my life. A person with a growth mindset looks
forward rather than backward. This person takes failure as an opportunity to grow and learn from
their mistakes. They are eager to learn new things and challenge themselves. When they are
surrounded by others in a productive environment, they are determined to take inspiration from
the success of their peers and look positively at their problems. Putting in maximum effort and
keeping a positive attitude, even when success looks bleak, is instrumental in a growth mindset
that can set you up for future opportunities to achieve your goal. The opposite of a growth
mindset is a fixed mindset, where a person is stubborn about their abilities and believes there is a
predetermined future for themselves shaped by their past. When this person runs into failure,
they believe that is the limit of their abilities and give up. They do not seek out others for help
but stick to what they know and go off previous knowledge. A person with a fixed mindset does
not care for challenges but would rather continually succeed at their level of difficulty. They take
critiques personally and spend their energy on what was said about them or their work. A fixed
mindset hinders your improvement as an intellect, socializer, and worker.

Although knowing good habits versus bad habits, I was not previously aware of the
growth and fixed mindsets. It’s more difficult to acquire a growth mindset because it takes time
and energy to have persistence when a difficult problem or situation comes to us. I think I have
always had a hybrid of both mindsets. I always like to try new things, get other people’s
opinions, and look at the positives of my situation, but I struggle when it comes to my stamina of
this mindset. When I have a problem, I tend to look back at my previous way of doing
something, rather than looking for new opportunities to excel at it. When I am at the limit of my
known ability, I will stop and move on from it, even if I am not 100% satisfied with the result.
This is hard to overcome because much of the work we do in our lives can always be improved.
Say you learned to make the best scrambled eggs you’ve ever had. As much as it might taste
great, you can still improve the process by shortening the amount of time it takes to make,
reducing the cost of the ingredients, making it healthier, and more. There are countless ways you
can improve on the simplest tasks that make us more successful, and as much as that is
frustrating, it has taught me that there is no reason to not try and learn those new ways to
improve, as long as I want to and can benefit me. One way I have used the growth mindset to
improve my life is through my mental health. For example, I got ACL surgery almost 2 years
ago and had been on a steady recovery to my once fully healthy self. I had started doing
activities that I hadn’t been able to do in over a year. Then a couple of weeks ago, I played
pickup soccer with some friends, and the following few days my knee was as weak as it had been
following my initial surgery. I couldn’t put any weight on it, and I thought to myself, “I will
never be able to regain full health in my knee and won’t be that extra-active person I once was
before the injury.” But then I decided to focus on how I can look at the bright side and how I can
still be healthy and active moving forward. I talked with my friends and my parents about how I
will move forward rather than what went wrong. I kept a positive attitude that it was not the end
of the world for me and little did I know, it was a false alarm. Today is a week and a half later,
two days after I played my first intramural soccer game since injuring it initially, and it’s having
no problems. Even though it is a physical complication, my knee injury was more of a mental
issue for me. Keeping a growth mindset when I was at my lowest helped me in those days where
I was stuck resting on the couch, unable to do the things I wanted to do. 

The second concept I want to talk about is our use of nonverbal communication when
interacting with other people. A classmate stated during this lesson, “We are always
communicating, whether we are talking or not.” He was right. When we are listening to another
person speak to us, our eye contact, body language, and expressions let the speaker know how
tuned in and interested we are in what they are saying. I’ve always respected the power that eye
contact brings to a conversation, especially when listening to someone else speak, whether it be
in a one-on-one conversation or a group setting. Recently, I had a conversation with a roommate
where I had been on my phone during some of it. I noticed how our conversation was very
choppy and would abruptly end when I was focusing on my phone. I suddenly remembered that
giving eye contact is important to have a cohesive conversation, so I put down my phone and our
conversation changed to be smooth and free-flowing. I now have a trigger in my mind where I
will create that eye contact when talking with someone else. Another form of nonverbal
communication is body language. The way you stand or sit when talking to a person tells them
how you feel about the conversation. If you are slouched, it may mean you aren’t taking it very
seriously or don’t care. If you are talking to a superior or elder and you are unbalanced and
awkward, you may be intimidated by the situation. Having proper body language shows
compassion and effort in a conversation, and there are many ways to do it correctly and not
correctly. The last form of nonverbal communication I want to talk about is expressions. When I
am talking to someone, if their eyes are wide open, eyebrows are up and are nodding, it helps me
know they are listening. If they have tight lips, low cheeks, and a lax head, they may not be
interested in the conversation. This has helped me realize how I should interact with a person
when meeting them for the first time. A positive expression on their face gives me more reason
to keep that conversation rolling. One thing I do struggle with is resting face (RBF). I never
thought I had a resting face, or a naturally unimpressed expression when I am not thinking about
how I look. In class, Dr. Webster-Trotman told us about how she noticed her resting face on
zoom. Recently I have noticed my resting face on zoom sessions, and I immediately change it
when I notice I look like that. It’s hard to change, but it is worth trying because someone may get
the wrong impression when talking to you. Our nonverbal communication is essential to keeping
conversations moving freely, and that is something I am noticing in myself and working on as I
interact with others.

The third concept that I have learned and started to use from this class comes from
chapter 3 of Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. The focus of the
chapter is to help show what you need to do when you are in an important conversation with a
tough decision to make. The chapter gave an example of a woman named Greta, who was top
honcho at a company meeting of 400 plus employees about cutting costs to save money. An
associate asked why they needed to put maximum effort to cut costs, such as using both sides of
the paper, yet she had signed off on an unnecessary project for a new office that cost $150,000.
Greta was forced to answer his claim that implied that she was being selfish and hypocritical.
She wanted to strike back with anger and deflect the blame to him, but instead, she asked herself,
“What do I really want here?” And that was compromise. Greta and the team concluded to cut
the costs of the office dramatically, with hopes to lead by example from the difficult decision.
This concept is called “start with heart.” When we are in high emotional conversations, it is
important to ask ourselves three questions. “What do I want for myself? What does the other
person want? And what relationship should I have with this person?” When we are faced with
pressure from important decisions, often we forget about the goal of adding to the conversation
and instead look for ways to win the conversation. We shouldn’t have to choose between keeping
a relationship or getting results, we should choose both. When successful people have high-risk
conversations, they start with the right motives that can benefit rather than detriment or offend. I
haven’t had a scenario where I have had to ask myself these questions, but I understand people
care about how you go about resolving an issue. Having the composure to bring others together
with you to be productive is the best way to communicate and gain other people’s trust, leading
to success as a communicator.

Networking:

The University of Maryland is a perfect place to begin my networking process because it

is so diverse with countless opportunities. I have been networking since the first day I arrived at
College Park, from joining a fraternity to playing intramural sports with people I do and don’t
know, and socializing whenever I can. I have picked up some wise words from the textbook
Networking for College Students and Graduates: Nonstop Business Networking that Will
Change Your Life. It explains to get ahead of the sheep, you need to act different, move different,
think different, and be different than everyone else who is looking for the same opportunities as
you. Recently, I signed up for the career fair for my architectural program. This event is online,
so it is hard to be different than the others, but it is a baseline where I can grow the foundation of
my knowledge of possible jobs after I graduate. Getting my name out there and practicing my
interviewing skills can only benefit me. When I have had previous online interviews, I have
learned that answering the questions how they expect you to will not make you stand out and get
the job. When I answer a question, I want them to be able to look back and visualize my face
with an answer that they remember and have not heard of before. This is especially important
with architects, who are innovative and creative thinkers. Putting in the work and being different
than the sheep will get you farther than running with the herd.

DISC Personality:

After completing the DISC personality test, I have learned a little about myself in the way
I deal with my problems. I scored highest in the steadiness category, with a 44%. Then followed
that with dominance and compliance at 22% and influence at 20%. I am not surprised by these
results. The steadiness category is described as patient, persistent, and thoughtful in dealing with
problems. This is exactly the type of problem solver I am. I like to think through how I am going
to resolve a problem. So, I will look for the best way to proceed with a problem by running
through all my options and choosing the best one. I understand the solution will not come
without the work put in, so my patience plays a key role in persevering. I also want to make sure
my problems are resolved fully, so I am keen to make sure I have considered every detail or
mistake that I could have made to get the correct result, which plays into the thoughtfulness of
the category. Being aware of my personality type can benefit me as a communicator and
manager. I know how I can be helpful and successful for my team, and if I can properly
communicate that to them, they will understand and respond to it properly, leading us to a
cohesive project. I think being this personality type is helpful because it allows me to be
diplomatic when deciding between two conflicting sides. It allows my team to improve as I
encourage them to come to a solution with me, even if it takes a bit of time and effort. 

Conflict Management Styles Assessment:

The result of my Conflict Management Styles Assessment tells me that I fall in the
accommodating category, where I tend to value my relationships over my goals. I believe this
category is helpful for my future as a project manager in maintaining a positive image when
working with people in a group setting. Having that positive image can open opportunities for
me not only on the project but on future projects as well. It is also beneficial because I try to
avoid conflict, which can damage the productivity of a project as well as future opportunities.
Being in the accommodating category has its benefits, but in terms of being the best project
manager, it has its downfalls. It doesn’t allow difficult conversations to been seen through and
instead of finding the best solution, I may look for the easiest solution. I think a project manager
with a strong accommodating personality will struggle to make hard decisions and finish on time
with a quality product. 

For example, when we were faced with a project to help a town that had been struggling
economically, I was on a team with 5 people to come up with a way to connect the people of the
town to their local restaurants that had been struggling to make a profit. As we worked on the
project, I was not the quarterback, I was more of the kicker. I had my individual role that was not
the most rigorous part of the project, but I listened to others’ ideas and made sure to do my part
as best as I could. Rarely I would speak up and make suggestions about the main concept of the
design, but I would ask what they would need from me and provide it to them. Making that effort
to share my ideas could create conversations that may have influenced the project for the better. I
struggle with opening up and raising my voice in group settings, and that is something I have
learned about in chapter one of Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High,
where “silence fails you”. On teams that fail to have crucial conversations throughout the project,
their success rate plummets. A study on the costs of conflict avoidance (Page 15 of Crucial
Conversations) showed that companies save $1,500 and an eight-hour workday on every crucial
conversation they have rather than avoid. In our project, there were times where I would speak
up when I needed to address a situation, and there were times where I didn’t. For every time I
didn’t speak up, who knows how much time I could have saved and allowed us to improve our
solution even more. The management style I would like to work on is the competing category,
which I scored the lowest in. If I have conversations with people and stand up for what I think is
best for our team as well as myself, I can become a successful project manager and
communicator. I often go for the safe decision rather than the home run, so I need to understand
when I can take advantage of my situation and take my shot for the benefit of myself as well as
the team.
JUNG Personality Test:

After receiving my JUNG personality results, I don’t think it could’ve been more spot on
with the type of person I am. The personality type I received was Introvert-Intuitive-Feeler-
Perceiver. Some of the traits that go along with this personality type are imaginative, original,
flexible, open, introverted, and more. The description for being an introvert described me well,
being a person who is reflective and private about my emotions, but not shy, which is a
misconception people typically associate with introverts. I think my actions through, but when an
opportunity presents itself, I often take my chance. Whether successful or not, I am glad to be
involved and part of a conversation. I also agree with the perceiver description, where I prefer a
spontaneous environment that is always available for change, allowing me to keep options open.
As much as I don’t like drastic change, having the ability to change my focus from one topic to
the next is a strength of mine, and is very important for a project manager who dictates many
tasks in a day’s work. I think my JUNG results are similar to my DISC results, where I scored
highest in the steadiness category. Both tests explain how I tend to be patient and see through my
results for a project by being persistent and thoughtful. Attention to detail of my teammates and
the work they provide allows me to become successful in my work because I have a good idea of
the scope of the project. Overall, I think the JUNG personality test was a very accurate result of
my personality type.

Conclusion:
I am starting to learn new ways I can become a productive communicator and networker.
Learning about myself through personality tests and using that knowledge to communicate and
move forward on team projects will help myself and my team become more productive. I am still
working on the skills that can make me a better project manager, such as competing for what I
need in a conversation. Becoming aware of my strengths and weaknesses helps me know what I
need to work on, and with that comes hard work and the right mindset to achieve my goals.
Personality Test Results:
JUNG:

Conflict Management Styles Assessment:

DISC:
 Works Cited

Faulkner, Michael, and Andrea Nierenberg. Networking for College Students and Graduates.
Pearson Learning Solutions, 2017. Print.

Patterson, Kerry; Grenny, Joseph; McMillan, Ron and Switzler. Al. Crucial Conversations:
Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition, 2011. Print.