University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Frank Abbott

Communication for Project Managers: ENCE 424

Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman

February 20, 2021

 2
 

Concept 1:
Throughout the lectures and readings there is an abundance of useful information that I have
found to be impacting me regularly. The first category that this has become apparent in is body
language and general presentation of yourself. Through course material its become clear that
what is important is how you look when you say something, not what you actually are saying.
(Pease). There are many examples of how body language can affect audiences feeling towards
you. Hand gestures and posture show whether you are confident and educated. Eye contact
means you are engaged, focused and conversive, while avoiding would just lead to a lack of
trust. Not only that, but controllable physical features are important. A well dressed and calm
individual ensures that the audience is calm and confident as well. One who strategically uses
their facial muscles can have their message “written” on their face. We are more likely to listen
to someone who stands tall, looks unfazed and delivers their speech with controlled movements.
Generally I have had a problem with posture, eye contact and more when talking in front of
people. Strategies discussed in class have helped me to realize that being a bad public speaker
does not have to be a permanent trait. Practicing is vital to success, leading to experience and
eventual confidence as time progresses. Not only that, but the readings show that observers pick
up on every small thing that one might do when talking. I did not realize the complexity of
appearance when speaking. Something like ‘resting face’ had never been an issue for me until
taking this class, and now I realize its importance. I have formed better habits due to these
lessons, and try harder to communicate confidently and nonverbally.
Concept 2:
Another concept that has impacted my life pertains to question asking and strategic
communication. One thing discussed on yellowdig and posted on ELMS was the progression of
questions from broad to more specific in an effort to not only extract information but also start a
dialogue which would grow and develop. Figuring out who what when and where is the basic
version of this topic, and prioritizing them accordingly is where we start to become better
communicators. Additionally, knowing more about stakeholder improves communication
because effective dialogue starts with context. Your knowledge about a person and their goals
can be figured out through this questioning strategy, and allows your communication to be more
efficient later down the road. It also builds relationships in the process. These questions are some
things that I have seen myself refer to when in other classes and even daily life. Tackling group
projects is much easier when I refer to this question sequence, and I am positive that I will use it
again in the future when I am working in the field. Information is an important tool that when
gain efficiently can eliminate the need for useless conversation.
Concept 3:
The third concept that has stuck with me the most is how effective channeling anxiety (O’Hair
et. al) can be. In my experience it has only been a burden, so reading about this in the Pocket
guide to public speaking was interesting. Identifying the root cause of your anxiety can
effectively lead to better thinking methods. Positive self talk is something that I now practice
regularly to prevent anxiety of all kinds, not just when speaking. Reassuring talk is what creates
calmness in my mind. Another thing about anxiety that I was not aware of is the multitude of
anxiety types. All stages of speech preparation have anxiety attached, and there are tactics to
prevent each one from impacting your delivery. Through breathing practice, preparation and
visualization these things can be avoided.
 3
Networking Abilities:
While the previously discussed readings and class discussion has helped me improve my
speaking abilities and therefore also my networking abilities, there have been a lot of other things
that I have done to even further improve this skill. First, I have gained a lot of contacts within the
class. I speak up and collaborate well with others, but online classes are usually tough and
isolating. That being said, this course has changed my opinion about zoom lectures. We are all
encouraged to speak and working in small groups has helped me form relationships that I will
carry with me after college. My LinkedIn network has grown, and my peers are very helpful
when I have questions or want to discuss readings. One of my good friends has been a
connection in this class and we have introduced each other to peers from our past classes.
Additionally, the Yellowdig interface has assisted in building my network. I feel like I am
gaining a lot of knowledge about my classmates and having them to bounce ideas off of. I am
happy to say that I have gained a number of people in my circle through healthy discussion and
collaboration within the ‘classroom.’ One of my favorite activities from our sessions was the
skit. This type of creative group work requires communication that improves skill over time.
Practicing working in this type of environment has helped me out a lot.
DISC Personality Assessment:
I would say that these results were pretty accurate. Although the questions given were not
simple, and I found a few of them took me more than a second to answer, they ultimately
assessed my personality pretty well. The testing program discovered was that I enjoy interacting
with and helping other, I am open to new ideas and am naturally supportive and empathetic. I
agree with these generally. I am able to socialize confidently in large groups and in my
individual relationships I am supportive generous and empathetic. However, I do disagree with a
couple points. The profile describes me as calm which is generally true, and states that I project
enthusiasm and optimism. That is where I slightly disagree. My optimism is not always
projected, and often times I enjoy keeping to myself for a while. People who project enthusiasm
and optimism are typically a different type of personality type than myself. This could have been
a mis use of the word, but I am not sure that I relate to that. These results have shown me that
while I may be an even keeled and easy going person, I am lacking in influence or ‘dominance’
which I associate with confidence. This is not news to me, but I have made efforts to become a
more influential and respected person. I want to deal with my problems in a more head on way,
so improving this category would require I do that. Being skilled at speaking can lead to others
wanting to follow, and listen to what you say in the future. Now that I have been quizzed on my
characteristics and traits, I can improve daily on what I knew was a problem. The speaking tips
from class will improve my dominance, influence and trust.
 4
Conflict Management Styles Assessment:
 5
My preferred methods of conflict management are the collaborating and competing categories. I
would rather get all the information out on the table and strategize as a team, but I am not afraid
to engage in debate. This is a good combination in my opinion because individually I can hold
my own while also being an asset on a team if I find myself in that situation.
I would like to work on my ability to compromise. Sometimes I am not as giving as I should be,
and this is not a good trait. If I am too stuck in my ways then I lose the ability to learn from
others. One example of this is my general stubbornness not against anyone but against change
itself. My routine has worked so far so I am not adapting as I should be. This was something that
I learned during my project management courses and my integrated project delivery course. My
professor emphasized the need to create a collaborative environment, and compromising is
necessary because some stakeholders have skills that others might not. Learning from their
experience allows a project manager to become more well rounded. Practicing this style is
possible through the handling of group work. Also, even in my living situation compromise can
be reached. Responsibilities like washing dishes or taking garbage out can create a rift when
gone undone. Systems like picking a day to do the dishes are good in theory but also lead to
dissent. Compromise comes in the form of holding each other accountable, but it also is made
when holding ourselves accountable.
Collaborating is the basis of communication. There cannot be one without the other, and I am
encouraged to see that this is my most preferred method. One situation that I have encountered
where I had to collaborate was when planning a fundraiser during college for my fraternal
organization. Deciding what entertainment to get, and what food to buy, as well as all the other
facets of our event was contentious. With the amount of people in positions to give their opinion,
there was a guarantee that there would be disagreements. Not only that, but we had to consider
not just our needs, but the needs of the people and the organization that we were raising money
for (the Red Devils). This communication was hindered because there were so many voices, but
each one created an opportunity for knowledge gain, and allowed our function to be finely tuned
over the course of time by each individual. It became a double edged sword, but the methods of
compromising, discussing our goals and collecting as much information from each person
involved ended up doing more good than harm.
Another conflict that I was involved with where my resolution style of competition came into
play was during the summer when COVID was in full swing. The conflict was that every
internship lead I had was being cancelled, and as I tried to find a suitable company to hire me, it
was all looking bleak. Being competitive in nature, I had to figure out what needed to be done as
my options dwindled. I reached out to friends who had graduated and companies through virtual
job fairs and online posts. This was all a part of the process, and as much as it created stress, it
was equally thrilling to engage with people and market myself, learning a lot of lessons on the
way. For me, it was critical to have a growth mindset (Mould) rather than a fixed mindset. I took
Mould’s advice and embraced the challenges and persisted in obstacles. Although the internships
I was looking for in the field were few and far between, I chose to work as a demolition laborer
as one of two jobs. I took initiative, applying to companies where I could work with my hands
and earn money. I wanted to be on a site and if I wasn’t going to be a traditional intern, I was
happy to get experience another way. Not only that, but embracing the challenge of working two
jobs for sometimes over 50 hours a week so that I could financially support myself was
exemplary of a growth mindset where I overcome a difficulty and make the most of my situation.
At that time I was not analyzing the conflict resolution strategy I used, and never looked at
Mould’s presentation about the growth mindset, but looking back at it I can apply what I am
learning now to that experience. I believe that I learned a lot from that experience and relate it to
what we have been doing the first few weeks.
 6

JUNG Assessment: Inventor, Strategist, Protector

I think this assessment was astonishingly accurate, well beyond my expectations. The initial
description was that I am an Introvert, intuitive, feeler and perceiver. I am somewhat reserved,
and often reflect and keep to myself. This initially felt wrong, but when I considered that it was
in combination with my outgoing self, I realized that it had accurately described me. I do enjoy
spending time alone with my thoughts, enjoy a flexible lifestyle and engage creatively in many
activities. I enjoy graphic design, using photoshop and other programs to express myself, and
also enjoy playing instruments alone in my room. Another thing the the Jung test told me was I
involve emotions and feelings in my regular decision making. This can be a good thing when I
am calm, but emotions can cloud judgement and I am aware that this puts me at risk of making
poor choices. The test asserted that I am a very good listener which is true. Many people find it
easy to talk to me and my relationships are strong for that reason. I am sincere and care about
people and their troubles. This is interesting because in my DISC personality type, I was
described as follows: “Your natural supportive, listening and empathetic behavior makes you…
someone people turn to when they need help or advice.” I take pride in my ability to calm others,
whether it’s through a joke, or conversation. I am glad that my test results reflected this
characteristic. There was one glaring thing that did not translate between the two tests. On the
first DISC assessment I was said o project enthusiasm and optimism, but the JUNG test said I am
quiet and enjoy spending time alone. While both can be and are in fact true, it was interesting to
see that only the JUNG test referred to both my quiet and reserved side as well as my ability to
socialize.
Recently, I have found out a lot about myself, and in the process, confirmed my suspicions about
much more. The readings and class sessions have taught me a lot about what I need to change,
what I need to learn more about, and a general understanding about some expectations once I get
out of school. This exercise was particularly interesting to me because it gave me a fresh analysis
of my personality in more detail than ever before. What made this so eye opening was not only
the results, which I thoroughly analyze in the pages above, but the thought process that went into
the answers. I caught myself at different points thinking about past experiences, sometimes even
switching answers to the truth because I wanted my results to be true. Even though some of my
results were unfavorable and things that I definitely want to change, they are a reflection on my
true self and can be used as a benchmark or even motivation for my future endeavors.
 7
Works Cited

O’Hair, C. S., Hannah Rubenstein, and Rob Stewart. ​A pocket guide to public speaking.​ New

York: USA, 2009

Faulkner, Michael, and Andrea Nierenberg. Networking for College Students and Gradates

.Pearson Learning Solutions, 2017. Print.

Pease, Barbara and Allan Pease. ​The definitive book of body language: The hidden meaning

behind people’s gestures and expressions. Bantam, 2008

Mould, Carol. ​A Growth Mindset: Making a Positive Contribution .​ 2015,

umd.instructure.com/courses/1298784/files/60427858?module_item_id=10389836.