University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Ayden Harris
ENCE424: Communication for Project Managers
Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman
February 24, 2024
Introduction
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As a second-semester senior in the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, it is with

both enthusiasm and sadness that my undergraduate career is ending. I am proud to say that I
have applied myself fully to my academics in this time, including within the Construction Project
Management (CPM) minor. I enjoy the balance between learning about architecture, design, and
history, with understanding the realities of industry practice and process. Communication for
Project Managers (ENCE424) is not only the penultimate class in earning the CPM minor
certificate, but it is a final opportunity to develop my skills to be an expert communicator in the
professional world. Although I am not pursuing a career in project management at the moment, I
will be able to apply the insights I glean to my expected career as an environmental psychologist.

Initially, I viewed communication through a dismissive lens, picturing it as a mere conduit for
the transfer of information. However, as the semester has been unfolding, I am beginning to
recognize the nuance of communication as a force in the professional world. I would now argue
that a communication style may be more important than a piece of information. Humans are
social animals, seeking connection in most every encounter. The way I go about using language
determines (to an extent) how others feel and perceive me. This class is beginning to equip me
with the tools necessary to forge sustainable relationships in the professional world and beyond.
The following essay encapsulates my experiences with lectures, discussions, and readings so far.

Concepts from Reading and Discussion

Communication Under Stress

Through the semester, one book has stood out to me as an invaluable resource- Crucial
Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson and others (2011).
This book has provided profound revelations about effective communication tools for the
professional world. A significant portion of these insights have been about understanding my
own communication style under stress. I took time to reflect on how I react in high-stress
situations and realized that I tend to lay into my logical thinking style and detach from my
emotions completely. While this may be effective for me, other people react uniquely. It is
equally important for me to be vigilant of how I change my communication style under pressure;
I must always remember to consider others’ emotions. Some get angry and lash out, completely
submitting to their emotions, which may not be effective but must be addressed by the
individual. Additionally, Crucial Conversations has equipped me with tools to identify and deal
with certain phrases that spark aggression in crucial conversations. This heightened awareness
safeguards the integrity of a good conversation and promotes a more effective and conducive
environment for professional relations.

Within project management as a profession, precision and finesse are part of the job. Project
managers have to be expert communicators to juggle relationships between clients,
subcontractors, architects, and more. On top of that, we must ensure that the schedule is on par,
needs of all parties are met, and that communication is free flowing. These skills are not limited
to boardrooms and the workplace. Whether I am communicating with colleagues, peers, or
friends, the insights gleaned from Crucial Conversations remain as a guide through complexities
in any relationship.
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The Platinum Rule

Another topic that resonates with me is the concept of the platinum rule: to treat others the way
they want to be treated. This is a spinoff of the conventional golden rule: “treat others the way
you wish to be treated”. The platinum rule spins the focus to the other person, a subtle yet
profound adjustment to reflect intricate interpersonal dynamics. Each person has unique needs
concerning communication styles and preferences.

In the context of the project management workplace, the platinum rule is more significant than
the golden rule. When forging relationships with parties outside of the company, interactions
between people create an overall image of a company’s ethics and quality. It not only impacts a
project at present, but will affect the possibility of companies to work together in the future.
Using the platinum rule as a default ensures empathy and returns focus to forging positive
relationships with key parties. To remind myself of the weight of interpersonal relationships in
my career, I will keep note of the platinum rule.

Normalizing Public Speaking

The final concept I have taken away from lectures in Communication for Project Managers
(ENCE424) is the importance of small everyday public speaking exercises. From the beginning
day of class, the importance of participation was emphasized. Not only do students have to
contribute meaningfully to discussion, but we must formally address peers from the front of the
room. Initially, I viewed this requirement as odd, with a touch of amusement. But after reflecting
on my time in class through these first several weeks, this practice has forced me to personally
grow, and has grown on me. I used to have terrible performance anxiety for speeches, but this
practice normalizes low-stakes situations that can be defined as brief speeches. I no longer feel
nerves before speaking in front of this class and this is a direct result of doing it repeatedly.

Another aspect of the required participation in class is that it enforces no “off-days” for students.
If the student is present and physically able, they must stand up and speak. While it may sound
harsh to students, this is the reality of the professional world. Consistent performance is not a
choice, but a prerequisite. One will never know when they have to lead an emergency meeting or
speak in front of a boss on another’s behalf. Recognizing the importance of every presentation,
interaction, and contribution matters. This class emulates that reality, and I have come to
appreciate the opportunity.

Networking Takeaways

I made several connections with my classmates in ENCE424 through LinkedIn including Abbey
Toothe, Courtney Lenox, Madison Sunshine, Maya Filipovitz, Sebastian Batanero Arnao, Meg
Jordan, Matthew Mariano, Antoinette Uzamere, Summer Slocum and Jane Gorman. Not only did
I press the “Connect” button online, but I have met each one of these people as peers in class to
forge personal connections.
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This semester I ventured beyond virtual connection opportunities to a new geographic area.
Besides using LinkedIn, I attended a conference to grow my network. I went to the Southeast
Collegiate FitExpo at East Carolina University, an event where collegiate level group fitness
instructors come together. At the event, I had the opportunity to take new fitness classes and
attend education sessions from professionals in the field. I even met some celebrities in the
fitness world, who shared their inspirational stories to motivate us. In education sessions, I
learned about physiology and biomechanics that I can apply when teaching my group fitness
class, yoga. Safety is key when teaching group fitness, so having a better understanding of how
the body moves (and doesn’t) will make me a better instructor.

The biggest aspect on improving my skills that I have implemented is allowing myself to
network and to set a goal amount of people to speak to when having a networking opportunity,
both taken from the Networking for College Students and Recent Graduates (Faulkner, 2017). I
made a tangible goal to meet one new person in every session I attended and achieved it,
expanding my network in the fitness world. It was nice to make intentional new connections and
strengthen old ones. Initially, I felt nervous to put myself out there several times each day, but it
became easy and fun. Others were open to meeting me, because at the end of the day, we all
decided to attend the conference to make connections. I think this practice that calmed my nerves
will carry on to other networking opportunities. The opportunity as a whole was incredibly
important to me since I plan to work in the fitness community long-term.

DISC Personality Assessment

The DISC Personality Assessment concluded that I show 40% Dominance, 10% Influence, 26%
Steadiness, and 24% Compliance. I agree that out of these four traits, Dominance is the most
dominant quality of mine (see Figure 1). I find myself attracted to leadership positions tend to be
the person who pushes people to get stuff done.

I think this personality type assessment can be applied to team settings, like project management
or in organizations. Since the graphic shows results as a part of a pie, it is easy to identify which
parts are unbalanced. For me, my Dominance slice overpowers Influence. At first, this result was
confusing because I perceived Dominance and Influence as going hand in hand. I read more
about the traits in the specific assessment context and learned that Dominance is more results
driven while Influence is more enthusiasm driven. They share equal emphasis on taking action,
which is something I relate to.

I began to better understand my DISC Assessment results in the context of the professional
fraternity for which I am president. I serve on an executive board of four members that works
well, in my opinion. I believe that the executive board shares different dominant slices of the pie,
creating a balanced team. I would hypothesize that my vice president is dominant in Influence
since he is an effective communicator. He is great at contextualizing our initiatives and making
members excited to participate. We make a good team since I am better at initiating and
executing, and he is good at rallying the people. The other members on the executive board serve
in treasurer and secretary positions. My treasurer is an inherently precise person, leading me to
believe that she is dominant in Compliance (which values quality and accuracy). She is good at
handling expenses because of her attention to detail. Finally, my secretary may be dominant in
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Steadiness. Their main job is to take notes during chapters and other functions. This position
requires a thorough process and sustained attention.

Having unequal portions of DISC traits is not negative, but it can create awareness around
personal tendencies. From my results, I conclude that my Steadiness and Compliance traits are
balanced, but my Dominant and Influence traits are unbalanced. This may mean that I am an
efficient leader, but not an empathetic one. I notice that I am impatient in meetings when I think
dialogue goes on for too long. I get antsy and want to make decisions quickly, instead of talking
through every aspect of an issue. I can remind myself to take a breath in these situations. While I
may think an answer is clear, others work through issues in different ways. In professional and
project managing settings, I need to be careful to not make rash decisions before exploring all
perspectives, even if it takes more time.

Conflict Management Style Assessment

I tied for two most-used conflict management styles: collaborating and compromising (see Fig 2.
and Fig 3.). Burrell defines the Collaboration style as “highly assertive and highly cooperative”,
with the intent to satisfy both sides in a “win-win” situation (2001). The Compromising style
focuses on finding the middle ground and foregoing some goals on both sides (Burrell, 2001).
While I am typically assertive in determining how the decision is made, I value fairness and
attempting to find the best decision for both sides. I believe that this combination of these styles
makes me an effective conflict navigator.

In a past situation, I had found myself in a passive-aggressive conflict with peers in a group
project setting. The issues stemmed from unclear expectations about our project. While the rest
of our class was divided into pairs, the total was uneven, so we ended up as a group of three. The
professor had mentioned that his expectations about the quality of our work were higher than the
rest of the groups but did not elaborate on what specific deliverables were different. One member
expressed her concern that the other member was slacking compared to how much work we were
doing. The other member confided that she felt confused about her responsibilities (partially due
to the professor) and that she felt judged by the other member. This went on for a few days
before I decided to mediate a conversation. We scheduled a time to talk, and I shared that I
thought we were having issues that stemmed from a lack of communication from our professor.
The other members were truthful about what they felt, and we decided to sit down with the
professor. After he clarified expectations, we redivided work and no other issues came up.

I believe my Collaborating style helped me initiate the conversation, since this style is assertive
and cooperative. I wanted to create a kind environment and avoid blame, so I shared my
concerns first and focused on what we felt as a whole.

In another past situation, I got into a conflict with my one of my roommates about apartment
cleaning responsibilities. She began the conversation expressing that she felt I was inconsiderate
about her emotions when it came to asking her to clean. In my mind, I realized she was forgetful
and reminded her to clean so we could stick to a previously discussed schedule. She felt that I
was putting too much responsibility on her. I was surprised to hear this in the conversation and
found it difficult to empathize with her. I plainly shared how I thought about the situation.
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The Compromising style tends to mediate conflict by encouraging both parties foregoing some
goals and settling on a solution. I felt that I had already been compromising in that situation,
since I had to do more work by remembering and reminding my roommate to clean. We had
already established the schedule together, so I did not see reason to change it. She felt that I did
not trust her. In the end, I adopted a more accommodating style to keep her from being upset
decided I could let go of the schedule. In the future, I will be aware how people interpret
schedules differently. In the Pocket Guide for Public Speaking, Dan O’hair talks about building a
pool of shared knowledge that depends on the free flow of information (2016). It seems my
roommate and I had different meanings of schedule during our first conversation. In my mind,
when a schedule is set, I follow it to a “T”. It seems like a schedule just meant a suggestion to
her. In the future, I may ask “What does a schedule mean to you?” to any roommates I live with
in the future.

Jung Personality Assessment

My results from the Jung Personality Assessment are that I am extroverted, intuitive, thinking,
and judging (ENTJ). I am familiar with this result, as it is consistent with the result of Myers-
Briggs tests I have taken in the past. I agree with these results fitting my personality. This result
is also known at the Commander, an action-oriented decision-executor. I think this describes my
personality well; I like to initiate and act swiftly, without talking so much about issues. I find
myself drawn to leadership positions and going all-in on projects.

The conclusion can be drawn that the ENTJ personality type would have a large Dominance
percentage from The DISC personality assessment. They both want to be in control of situations
and take action. In my position as president of a professional fraternity, I like to know about
everything that is going on in the fraternity. If the final say is not something I agree with, I want
to have a conversation about it to understand others’ lines of thinking. I want to know what is
going on, even in situations where I am not present, so I know that everything is going smoothly.

ENTJS don’t show as much Influence and may come off as too logical in sensitive situations. My
DISC personality assessment showed a very low Influence percentage, which I believe is one of
my weaknesses. While I like to be a leader, I am not as good at connecting with others in
situations where I deem action is priority. In sensitive situations where emotions are high, I can
come off as too cold. Where I think logic is the best tool to make decisions, other think emotions
are.

The ENTJ personality also values logic and precision (shown in Judging), which can be linked to
Compliance in the DISC Personality Assessment. I am a very orderly and organized person when
it comes to scheduling and in my physical surroundings, but I am not the most detailed-oriented,
as a person with high Compliance would exhibit. It makes sense that my Compliance score is
24%, which is very balanced.

These are the main similarities I can pinpoint between my Jung Assessment and DISC
Assessment results. I find the Jung Assessment have more depth and meaning that addresses my
personality as a whole, largely because there are more options for personality combinations. I am
also familiar with this result, attaching more meaning to each letter. I find DISC to be more
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helpful in evaluating group dynamics, since it is presented in a visual format and all results share
the same four qualities.

Conclusion

Readings, class discussions, and personality assessments came together in this investigation to
further my evolving mindset on the topic of communication. The most important insights I have
gleaned so far in this class have included tools and techniques to address stressful conversations,
the ease of networking when doing it right, and reflecting on my personal tendencies and how
they show up in the world. My perspective on the importance of communication has shifted to
the positive, and I feel more confident to show up as myself in any setting. I have also enjoyed
the opportunity to collaborate with students in the classroom setting. I know more about my
classmates in this class than I have experienced in a class before, and all these interactions have
been positive. This collaborative environment is a direct reflection of teaching style and class
structure.

Through self-reflection and the Jung and DISC personality assessments, I learned to embrace the
dominant qualities of my personality. I can clearly decipher my strengths, weaknesses, and
inherent inclinations, serving as a part of my self-discovery journey. I now realize that each
personality type has its place. In navigating the intricacies of team settings, I am assured with the
knowledge that a good team has a variety of personality types. I am empowered to lean into the
more dominating side of mine, and I will not be afraid of the title of leader.

I am pursuing a career in environmental psychology as a researcher and policymaker, which

demands leadership and ambition as inherent skills. This field is defined as the study of human
behavior in environments, and it connects to my architecture background as a design-thinker.
This connection to project management is less direct, but still important. Knowledge I have
learned from this and other CPM courses has empowered my organization and leadership skills
overall. Heading into the field of environmental psychology is largely interdisciplinary, with
people from all backgrounds doing different jobs. In a sense, this makes finding my path more
difficult. I need to hone in on my specific interests to find an engaging career, beginning with
communicating with others about it. This field largely relies on personal connections as a way of
learning new information. I am in the process of setting myself up for success here; I am
planning to attend a conference this summer to present research and meet with individuals who I
have learned about online. Networking used to feel intimidating and like a chore but framing it
as a channel to a career I love changes my perspective. Networking is truly just another tool I can
use for self-discovery: to find my right place in the world.

I am grateful for the semester’s sessions of ENCE424 so far and I am prepared to embrace the
challenges and new knowledge to come. I am sure that by the end of this semester, my mindset
will have evolved again in a different way. I am excited to circle back to this Pearl Diving
Assignment and the next to analyze how I have changed.
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Figure 1. DISC Personality Type

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Fi
gure 2. First Page of Conflict Management Style Assessment
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Figure 3. Second Page of Conflict Management Style Assessment

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Figure 4. Jung Personality Assessment

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Works Cited

123test. “DISC Personality Test.” 123test.com, www.123test.com, 19 Nov. 2020,

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

“Jung Personality Test.” 123test.com, www.123test.com, 2019, www.123test.com/jung-

personality-test/.

Burrell, Bonnie. “Conflict Management, Conflict Styles.” The Collaboration Toolbox, 2001,

web.mit.edu/collaboration/mainsite/modules/module1/1.11.5.html#:~:text=The

%20Collaborating%20Style%20is%20when.

Faulkner, Michael L., and Andrea Nierenberg. Networking for College Students (and Recent

Graduates): Nonstop Business Networking That Will Change Your Life. Pearson

Learning Solutions, 2017.

Gallo, Carmine. Five Stars: The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great. St. Martin’s

Press, 2018.

O’hair, Dan, et al. A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking. Bedford/St. Martin’s, a Macmillan

Education Imprint, 2016.

Patterson, Kerry, et al. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. New

York Mcgraw-Hill Professional, 2011.

The Blake Group. “Conflict Management Style Assessment.” Www.blake-Group.com, 2021,

www.blake-group.com/free-assessments.