Breanna McArdle

COM-1100-06

Professor Krenzer

December 14, 2023

Final Self-Reflection

Effective communication skills are one of the most important skills needed in the

workforce, relationships, friendships, and life in general. As I look back on this course and the

speeches I presented, I want to reflect on some different areas of strengths and weaknesses in my

communication skills. Specifically, I want to discuss my growth over the entire semester, my

strengths to utilize in my future, and how I want to continue improving my skills.

Throughout this course, my public speaking skills have greatly improved. I have more

confidence in my ability to speak to a room of people. This confidence has allowed me to give

more eye contact, use less vocal fillers, have more expression in my voice, and be more engaging

and entertaining for an audience. Furthermore, this course taught me how to be a better

communicator. Listening to other speeches allowed me to understand the importance of

repetition and emphasis in public speaking. Some of the most engaging speeches in my class

were done by very confident, concise speakers. They communicated with their hands, expression

in their voice, and with repetition of key concepts. By the end of the semester, I started applying

some of their tactics into my speeches. These tactics transformed others’ perception of my

confidence even further. The tactics allowed me to appear more confident than I already was,

which is always beneficial in public speaking. With all of these improvements in mind, I would

consider myself a different communicator than I was at the start of the course.
 Specifically, I feel like I am a different communicator because of my successful

presentation in another class. Recently, I presented a project in my architectural studio class, and

the jurors understood my ideas more clearly than in the past. Typically, my professors’ feedback

says that I have a lot of strong ideas, but I did not communicate these ideas with words

effectively. Luckily, I typically have great drawings to show my ideas, but now I can show and

tell my ideas. I am excited that this class has helped me improve skills that I can showcase

elsewhere.

With these improvements in mind, I want to start using my communication strengths to

reinvent myself as a communicator further. Currently, my strengths are organization within my

speech outline and speech itself and my ability to discuss a complex subject with an array of

knowledge. These skills will definitely help me in my further career as an architect. As an

architect, you must present and communicate with clients effectively in order to successfully

explain your ideas and get hired for the projects. My organizational skills within a speech outline

will greatly help clients understand my ideas, design principles, and goals of the project. My

ability to discuss a complex subject with a lot of knowledge will help me present my best self to

clients. Recognizing my communication strengths will help me feel confident in my future

career.

As I continue my educational journey and future career, I want to continue improving my

communication skills in order to become the best version of myself. Some areas that still need

improvement are in the speed of my voice, the use of the word “um”, and eye contact in

everyday communication. I have noticed that while practicing speeches I am typically over time,

but in class I typically do not exceed the time requirements. I must speed up significantly while

speaking in front of an audience. I need to continue improving my speed, and try to remain calm
and collected while speaking. I also use the word “um” consistently in my everyday language,

and I want to continue working on it. Additionally, I do not use eye contact in everyday

communication. Both of these make me sound less confident in myself while talking. I want to

improve these in order to present myself as the intelligent, confident person I am.

Overall, as I reflect on this course, I have challenged myself and changed positively as a

communicator. I hope that my newly gained communication skills continue as I speak in

everyday life, other class settings, and in my future career. I also want to continue working and

enhancing my communication skills, in order to be the most effective communicator I can be.