Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Sara Kim

ENCE424: Communication for Project Managers

Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman
February 22, 2019
Concepts from the Readings and Their Personal Applications
First, I would like to say that everything I have been learning in this class thus far has
been extremely valuable and relevant. All five textbooks address different facets of effective
communication, and they all contain information that I can easily bring into my everyday life. I
would first like to address the book “The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat,
and Tweet Your Way to Success” by Barbara Pachter. This book is especially important because
it is very concise and to the point. I have been applying so many concepts, but my favorite ones
appear in the chapter “Go Ahead- Meet New People”. The concept of meeting new people seems
easy, but it is in fact very difficult to achieve in real life. In this chapter, author provides various
techniques to meet new people. Author states that one should “pretend that [they] are the host of
an event”, “go up to a person who is alone”, “talk to the people next to you while in line for food
or drink”, and “join larger groups”, just to name a few1. For the past two weeks, I have been
rushing the co-educational engineering fraternity, Theta Tau. Each week there are multiple social
events where we must meet new people and make new connections. I am a complete introvert,
and it is often extremely difficult for me to simply go up and talk to people. However, I have
been applying the tips from Pachter. Using the tips has given me more confidence and makes it
more natural to introduce myself without feeling intimidated. For example, the first two events
are information sessions. During these events, we learn about the fraternity and talk to all the
current brothers. It was intimidating because I was unsure how I should approach the current
brothers effectively. The first information session, I did not do as well since I did not apply the
techniques from the book. During the second information session, instead of being scared to go
up to new people, I took the advice from the chapter and started scouting the room for any
brothers who were alone. It became easier to strike a conversation one on one. Also, I acted as
though I belonged and was already a brother. This gave me the confidence to go up to as many
new people as I could. I then would join larger groups and strike a conversation with everyone.
At the end of the second event, I came out much more happier and met many more people than
the first session.
Another concept that I have learned and applied comes from chapter 17 and 18 of “A
Pocket Guide to Public Speaking” by Dan O’Hair, Hannah Rubenstein, and Rob Stewart. In
these chapters, the authors explain what one can do to improve his or her delivery, both vocally
and physically, respectively. These include tips such as adjusting your speaking volume, varying
your intonation, adjusting your speaking rate, using strategic pauses, and carefully pronounce
and articulate your words2. During the very first lecture for ENCE424, I introduced myself to the
class and explained that I struggled the most with having a strong consistent voice and fidgeting.
I believe even during that introduction I was fidgeting with my hands and my vocal speed was
too fast. However, ever since learning ways to address these bad habits, I have been applying it
whenever I present in front of the class. I have been more conscious of my vocal speed and
quality. Instead of mumbling and speaking fast, I speak clearly and at a pace that is easy to
understand. I am more careful to have an even paced tone along with a strong stance. Even
though these techniques are applied to speech delivery in the textbook, I find that I am also able
to apply it to my interviews. This past Monday I had my final interview for Theta Tau. I used the
delivery techniques first by adjusting my voice according to my audience. There were about 40

1
Pachter, 26
2
O’Hair, Rubenstein, and Stewart, 130
fraternity brothers surrounding me, so I had to speak loudly so the people behind me could hear.
Also, I did not mumble or speak quickly. Also, I had positive body language by smiling and
keeping my arms open instead of crossed.
The last concept that I have learned from ENCE424 is about who we must network with.
In Chapter 3 of “Networking for College Students and Graduates: Nonstop Business Networking
that Will Change Your Life” by Michael L. Faulkner and Andrea Nierenberg, the authors have
an extensive list of “types of people for your network”. These include fellow students,
instructors, neighbors, people you meet by chance, and even your barber3. This concept was
foreign to me originally. I always believed that one should only network with those in his or her
profession such as recruiters, those who are in your respective field, and those in academia.
However, it is important to network with virtually everyone you meet because you never know
what doors will open for you. I have been applying this throughout my day. I greet everyone I
come in contact to, whether it be the leasing manager I see on my way out of my apartment or
the person sitting next to me in my classes. It has not been easy to leave my comfort zone and
greet people I do not know very well. However, as taught in that chapter, it can have so many
potential benefits in the future. This past Thursday in my discussion section for ENEE381,
Electromagnetic Wave Propagation, instead of simply arriving at discussion, taking notes, and
leaving, I greeted the student next to me and we exchanged contact information right away. In
the span of about five minutes, I had just added a new connection to my growing network.

Concept from a Classroom Activity and Its Application

The most important concept that I learned from class is the “power pose”, as taught to us
by Professor Trotman. This method, although so simple, has changed the way I deliver any type
of speech. I stand with so much more confidence and keep eye contact across the room. I truly
believe that standing with the power pose has improved everything about my speech delivery.
Previously, I would have no idea what to do with my body when delivering a speech. After
reading chapter 21 of “The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat, and Tweet Your
Way to Success” by Barbara Pachter, I have learned that to maintain a professional image, I must
work not only on my dress and voice, but on what I am representing nonverbally4. Body
language says so much about a person. I enjoyed the example Professor Trotman gave in class.
She demonstrated poor body language by arriving late to an event. Frantically shuffling papers,
walking around with no goal, displaying poor posture, and hiding herself behind the podium
gave a great visualization of how one presents his or herself can speak volumes. These examples
and techniques Professor Trotman has given us in class has exponentially increased my
awareness of my body when I am speaking and how it can either have positive effects or adverse
effects.

Practicing Business Civility

Civility is imperative within any profession. We must demonstrate respect for all those
around us. Of the many business civility concepts, I am focusing on practicing civil dialogue.
Civil dialogue is conducive to effectively having crucial conversations. One of the most relevant
ways this applies to me is in my home. I currently live with three other students. It is undeniable

3
Faulkner and Nierenberg, 59
4
Pachter, 50
that there will always be something that all four of us cannot agree on. When we approach a
topic that we do not agree on, we must have a crucial conversation. The most recent example is
the crucial conversation we had about new roommates for the upcoming academic year. I was
getting increasingly frustrated and let my emotions dominate our conversation rather than have
civil dialogue. As defined by “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High”
by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler, dialogue is the free flow of
meaning between two or more people5. To have an effective conversation, all of those involved
must make it safe for everyone to add their own input and meaning. I will practice this and
become more conscious of it in conversation as we get closer to settling the housing dilemma.
Practicing civil dialogue by actively listening, being open minded, and being respectful of my
roommate’s opinion will lead to a more fruitful and effective crucial conversation, rather than
one filled with emotion and irrelevant dialogue.

Increasing Network Abilities

Networking was always challenging for me. It came down to confidence. However, since
taking this course, I have learned so many valuable techniques that have increased my
confidence and ability to network. The first “tip” comes from Chapter 2 of “Networking for
College Students and Graduates: Nonstop Business Networking that Will Change Your Life” by
Michael L. Faulkner and Andrea Nierenberg. In this chapter it states that one should “give
yourself permission to network”6. This simple statement was so impactful for me. It made me
realize that I am allowed to network. I am allowed to put myself out there, greet new people, and
obtain new contacts. Once I have eliminated this hurdle, I utilize the technique stated previously,
and I am meeting and introducing myself to as many people as I can. This starts within the
course itself. During the first lecture, I sat alone and did not speak to anyone. This is my typical
expectation in every class I am in. Now, at the latest lecture, I introduced myself to those sitting
around me and had great conversation about ourselves and our electrical engineering course
work. I am actively building my network as well as getting networking practice. After getting
over that initial fear of networking, my ability to network has changed. I am no longer
intimidated by other people in my classes. I am also applying this to professional networking
events such as the career fair. There is a career fair specifically for the electrical and computer
engineering department in March. I know that I will approach this career fair more effectively
because I have honed my networking abilities through this class. I cannot reiterate it enough: this
course has increased my confidence exponentially. That increase in confidence directly translates
to success in my ability to network with those around me.

5
Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler, 23
6
Faulkner and Nierenberg, 43
References
Faulkner, Michael L., Dr Michael L. Faulkner, and Andrea Nierenberg. Networking for College
Students (and Recent Graduates): Nonstop Business Networking That Will Change Your Life.
Boston, Ma: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2017.
O’Hair, Dan, Hannah Rubenstein, and Robert A. Stewart. A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2015.
Pachter, Barbara. Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat, and Tweet Your Way to
Success. McGraw-Hill, 2013.
Patterson, Kerry, Joseph Grenny, Al Switzler, and Ron McMillan. Crucial Conversations: Tools
for Talking When the Stakes Are High. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011.