Personal Skills Inventory

The most important skill in life is learning how to communicate effectively. Working in the business industry communication is important factor in the success of the business and daily tasks such as giving employees’ feedback, writing reports, giving presentations, conducting interviews and sending emails. How we communicate varies among each individual as well as how we perceive our own personal communication skills. While we may think that we are communicating effectively others around us my find that we communicate poorly. Based on my experiences on an off the job, my communicative skills have always been mediocre at best.

In order to validate this, I will participate in an online test courtesy of mindtools.com. My decision to choose this communication quiz was based on the depth of details it provided me upon completion of the quiz. The quiz had 15 questions which addresses each stage of the communication process.

A score interpretation was provided and also a detailed interpretation for improving my skills in each area.

Based on my score interpretation, I am a capable communicator, but I sometimes experience communication problems. I need to take more time to think about my approach to communication, and focus on receiving messages effectively as much as sending them. The encoding part of the communication process was my weakest area. This showed that I have difficulty creating a clear and well-crafted message which often leads to a communication gap. Communication gaps are frequently caused by misdirected, one-way, poorly time, or badly worded communications.

In addition, some gaps result from misunderstanding, misinterpretations, and miscommunications.

This part of the test really struck home because often during face-to-face communication with my teams I am unaware of how my communication is breaking up which can result in lack of interest in my teams attention and possibly communicating a message that’s unclear and misunderstood. However the test indicated that my online Communication was clearer and effectively delivered. I often use online communication as a secondary tool because way to often text messages and emails are taken out of context but it seems that this type of communication is more effective.

To ensure that I communicate in the clearest, most effective way possible for work and future courses such as business communication and psychology I intend to seek additional training with my least proficient communication skills using the many services that Walden has provided such as The writing center, grammarly and the Walden Student Library. To aid me in my journey of better communication I plan to use the directions and opinions of my professors, classmates and employees.

Writing Skills:

Writing is a process; as in all processes, there is a beginning, middle, and an end. The attitude in which we take toward writing creatively may cause problems in terms of how other writers’ perceive one’s writing skills. Not knowing what to write or how to write effectively is the start of the writer’s breakdown. In this section of my essay I will explain my need for strengthening the writing skills that I already possess and how I plan to use them to my advantage. Whenever I’m faced with a writing project I become tense and stressed, ever since high school I have always suffered from writers’ block which is the inability to remember or think of something you normally can do. In order to get pass this stumbling block I first have to clear my head of any thoughts that could clutter my writing.

It’s very hard to be expected to write clearly without having a clear mind. As my high school English would always say “Don’t blame the reader if he can’t follow your writing”. It is the writer’s job to convey his meaning to the reader, not the reader’s job to figure out what the writer is trying to express. While I have many strong points to my writing I possess weak areas as well, these areas of improve include introductions and conclusions, my introductions are not supportive enough and sometimes weak for my topics, my conclusions in my opinion are always weak, I think because after writing for so long I run out thing to say or support my topics. My goals for my future courses are to submit the perfect papers and earn all points possible, I plan to take advantage of all the resources that Walden has to offer in aiding my success as a student and professional.

Time Management Skills:

Time management is very important to academic and overall life success. Learning to manage your time effectively can be a headache for people that are trying to juggle work, school, and family life. For me it seems that there is just not enough time in the day to complete all of my tasks successfully. When it comes to effective time management it is important to possess skills and tools that will fit your personal lifestyle. I find it important to try every angle of time management until you determine which one will be most beneficial to you. In my experience with being a Wife, Mother, and working two fulltime jobs time management is a must have, it will aid in deleting some of the stress brought on by a crazy schedule. Some improvements that I would like to make immediately include goal setting, creating a to-do list and organizing.

I am the Queen of procrastination and it is my ultimate down fall even though I am fully aware that for an individual to achieve his or her goals it is important that I develop a plan to carry out that goal, which in turn requires effective time management skills. Effective time management is something that will make or break an individual, not only in the academic setting, but also in life as well. According to an online tool “Keys to Success” Identifying personal time-related needs and preferences is the first step in developing an individualized time management plan. The best way to achieve this is to make up a schedule that incorporates all necessary aspects of your life. This includes school, family, and work. Prioritizing and time saving methods are also recommended. I plan to utilize the practices provided by Keys to Success and my weekly assignment timelines for success in my future courses, home and work life.

References

http://www.carterkeys.com
http://www.mindtools.com
Communication in a Changing World 2006 Edition