FINAL PORTFOLIO

Talking about my expectation about this course was met and perhaps over exceeded my expectation
in general. Learning Communication Essential has been nothing but a lot of wisdom and knowledge
acquired. It has been a remarkable journey and I am so grateful for being able to come this far and
to complete this course on a high note.
Drawing from start to finish, I can confidently say I am leaving this class with a deeper understanding
of Communications, Speeches, Conflict Resolution, Non-Verbal Language, Love Language, and many
more.
To begin with this summary, I would start by elaborating on what I gained from learning Public
Speaking. Public speaking is all about speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate
manner that is intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners. Public speaking has been a
great tool for me, as it gives me the confidence to speak to a group of people without any fear or a
bit of hesitation. This will help me going forward and most especially in my career path. Without
much practice and preparation, one can’t achieve the success of becoming a better speaker, and a
good public speaker as well. Drawing from the scriptures, (D&C 38:30) says, “If ye are prepared ye
shall not fear”. Drawing from this scripture gave me enough strength, desire, and energy to push
hard to achieve something bigger. And lo and behold, I have acquired more skills in the area of
speaking either in public or to an individual. Looking at the research on the number of people that
public speech beat out death by cancer indicates how difficult and worrisome it is for people to have
the confidence to speak in public. Even some professional speakers at some point still get nervous,
So, managing anxiety has been one of the wonderful aspects I have acquired throughout this course.
Safe to say, this will help me in my future professional career. I have come to know that Anxiety is
energy that can be channeled to make more dynamic speech.
 SELF CONCEPT
Getting the opportunity to study and understand self-concept, and also the importance of
communication has been so helpful to me. One of the few things that could be key for me is getting
to know how communication shapes those around me. Self-concept is one of many things that were
so important for me. Generally, it has thought me individual perceptions of our behavior, abilities,
and unique characteristics. It has helped me maximize my potential and get the most from my
strength, talents, and abilities. On the other hand, I have come to the knowledge that a ‘week self-
concept’ can hinder one’s progress. In fact, a ‘fragile self-concept’ will most likely lead to self-
sabotaging behavior.
The value of a healthy self-concept becomes more evident when we recognize how much it
influences our ability to manage our emotional experiences. I can now confidently say, I can step out
of my comfort zone to solve a problem or achieve a goal. Putting all this together, I can say going
forward is good news for me because starting today, I can begin taking affirmative and proactive
action to improve my self-concept and optimize how I live my life.
Getting to know how to improve on my self-concept has been a key for me. I had no idea that
improving your self-concept takes time, in fact a great deal of patience, time and effort. It is a great
deal for me to know that, I must be committed to making the necessary changes to improve my life.
In fact, without commitment, there is no motivation, there are just aren’t enough reasons for one to
instigate change – which is mostly where things fall apart. So, one need to acknowledge that things
must change, we need to take responsibility for this change, and for that matter we need to commit
ourselves to fellow through with the change.

HOW CAN YOUR SELF CONCEPT AFFECT YOUR CAREER

The positive and negative self-concept can influence career decisions. For example, If I believe in
myself, I will pursue more opportunities for growth. I will also take more chances and handle
inevitable rejections better, which increase my chances of career success.
Overall, I understand vividly well that self-concept is particularly important for me because self-
knowledge helps managers understand why they do things, and how their beliefs and behaviour
affect themselves, others and the organization – for better for worse.

PERCEPTION
Do any of us have a clue what reality real is? Will we ever? Let’s just say I really understand how life
works now after studying the concept of perception. This study has thought me more about the
dynamics in life, safe to say, I won’t be in a haste in passing judgement or concluding without doing
my perception checking. Getting to know the three steps our brain goes through (Selection,
Organization and Interpretation) was so essential for me in dealing with doubt.
I came to know that when they perceive you as a competent, wise and skilled professional, for
example, they will interact with you as such. They may afford you more opportunities. They may
assign more value to your contributions. Likewise, when others have negative perceptions about
you, their behaviours will reflect it. The overall lessons learnt going forward is, first learn to question
how we perceive ourselves and the world around us, and recognize that our interpretation of reality
is not necessarily the truth. Taking anything away from the fact that, with our incredible
sophisticated brains, we have the power to explore other perspectives. We can actually choose to
see things in ways that serve us well, rather than in ways that hinder us.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Non-verbal communication was one of my favourite lessons learnt during this semester. I fancy non-
verbal communication so much in the sense that, I believe it is one key aspect that defines our
passion, love, desire and honesty. Being able to learn all the 8 types of non-verbal communication
has been so helpful and has been a blessing to me. In going forward, this will help me understand
any language spoken which is not verbally. Non-verbal communication will play a significant role in
my life, and it can improve a person’s ability to relate, engage, and establish meaningful interactions
in everyday life. A better understanding of this type of communication may lead me to develop
stronger relationship with others going forward and especially in my future profession.
Drawing from the scripture perspective, Christlike communications either verbally or non-verbally
should be expressed in tones of love rather than loudness. They are intended to be helpful rather
than hurtful. They tend to bring us together rather than to drive us apart. They tend to build rather
than to belittle.
 LISTENING
Studying listening has impacted my life to some extent, and without a doubt, I have benefited a lot
from that. The benefit of listening is wide-ranging and immensely powerful. Only with effective
listening did I come to understand others, enhance relationships, persuade or sell effectively, lead
and inspire a team or learn from others. I have realized how listening is able to access my desire
outcomes and how key it is for my wellbeing.
Knowing very well that, when it comes to success in education and the workplace, it will require
active listening. This is because it takes attention to both the big picture and small details to learn
when you actively listen, your employer can see the difference in your response and the work that
follows. Perhaps the first place in your career where active listening plays a very large role is in the
interview process. By paying close attention and making eye contact with the interviewer, I can
demonstrate that I am interested in the position. It helps solve problems, and I can also work well in
a team. It was much wisdom acquired through this lesson, and this will be very vital in the success of
my career path in the future.
 RELATIONSHIPS
Learning about relationships has been a huge reference in my life, and I can confidently say I now
feel like a councillor. Getting to know how one can determine if they are with the right person or not
is a huge asset for me. The laws of relationships, climate communication and confirming
communication has better enlightened my knowledge in this regard. And this will be of great tool for
me going forward and as potential husband.

CONFLICT RESOLUTON
Conflict resolution has really played a vital role and will continue to play a role in my life. Learning
conflict resolution in communication dynamics was so unique and wonderful to me, as it has given
me the overall knowledge on how to handle any misunderstanding that may lead to any future
conflict. And making it crucial and good for my wellbeing. Moreover, especially drawing a key lesson
from Elder Bednar talk on “And Nothing Shall Offend Them”, where He made mention of being
offensive is a choice, and for that matter, we can choose not to feel or get offensive regardless. This
statement without a doubt, has had a great influence in the way I perceive things in regards to
getting angry. Most peculiar aspect that would be key for me going forward is the fact that, I have
come to the knowledge of what compactible conflict style is all about. It’s in the best interest for me
to know that we have people who are “Confronted-related type” and the “Avoided-related type” of
people in regards to conflict style dynamics.
I have to say for a fact that, I wouldn’t have lost some relationship in the past, have I had learned
this course earlier. Today, I can boldly say without any fear or contradiction that I can simply deal
with whatever argument or misunderstanding that might come forth and walk away without
creating any conflict. This is so important to me.

GROUP MEETINGS
One of the most vital tools I could be proud of is the group meeting, which ensured us being well
prepared, having a proper schedule plan, and being responsible in that regard. I will say, having the
opportunity to learn from one another was quite remarkable achievement for me. The knowledge I
impacted from some students at large was never going to be unrecognized. I am proud to learn from
each student during the group meetings and am as well sure they have also learned a lot from me.
One significant thing that I acquired during these meetings was the confidence that I gained and the
professionalism as well. Taking into account, the sort of inspirations and testimonies shared by each
student was helpful and key for the success of this course. The leadership qualities gained from
these meetings will definitely be key for me when called upon to lead in whatever institution or
team in that regard.

DISCUSSION BOARD
Without taking anything away from the discussion board, it has been one area that has given me a
lot of wisdom and knowledge, and I am in so much awe. Taking part in the discussion board every
week gave me more insight particularly on the lesson at hand. I learnt a lot from discussion board
which made it a bit easier for me to better understand this course to the greatest core. This made it
possible for me to learn from one another and acquired a different variety of skills from every single
student in that regard. Especially, the gospel learnt during discussion board was enormous for my
personal growth and wellbeing. The testimonies of other student were very helpful and was
something I could lean on, and truth be told, this helped me grow in faith.
 SPEECHES
Learning all three types of speeches (Object speech, Informative speech and Persuasive speech) was
quite remarkable and a big plus. It was quite difficult for me to be in a mix of people and express
myself, not alone speaking to a group of people or talking to a crowd with confidence. Now learning
these speeches by visiting the PPC on normal basis has giving me all the ingredients one need to
better his level of speaking in public or anywhere. These speeches have giving me the quality of
leadership, where one can lead a team or a group.
Persuasive speech was one of the speeches that caught my attention in this course why because, it is
one particular skill one would need to have when dreaming of becoming a leader one day and even
as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Normally, it is quite difficult to convince one to have a change of mind
towards something they believe in. So, having the skill to persuade someone to concur to your idea
is a powerful piece of verbal skills, and this has never been something easy to do. So, I believe having
this skill and inviting the Holy Ghost to lead you will be quite easy for one to persuade people to
come unto Christ, and this is something am much grateful to have acquired throughout this course.
Overall, studying communication essential has been nothing but a blessing for me. I am a much
better speaker, good listener, good communicator and a good disciple of Jesus Christ. I have been
inspired by all the talks I was able to listen throughout the course, and the scripture studies as well.
This has made me to become a better person than before. I believe, I am much capable now after
acquiring many skills which will be very essential for me in all my future endeavours.