2_WatersM

Dear Professor Kim,

Even though the purpose of higher education, such as Cal Poly, is intended to provide someone with the knowledge and tools to properly train them for an exciting career in the business world, sometimes we have not accurately fine-tuned these learned behaviors or skills prior to graduation; that could have incredible influence in the real-world. The purposes of this letter is to identify and/or to contemplate what subjects or topics discussed during this quarter are personally stronger, and which ones are weaker for me. By accurately fine tuning behaviors such as; presenting a topic with confidence or speaking professionally, I believe that it would likely provide me or everybody else a solid advantage in the job market.

Some strengths that I posses pertaining to this class is the ability to understand the essential verbal and nonverbal communication skills that provide me with the tools to effectively communicate an idea or concept. I believe this is a great strength for any person hoping to jump into the business world, without being able to effectively communicate either verbally or non verbally, your coworkers and boss’ would not clearly get your intended point. For example, while presenting a topic or idea to a single person or group, I can read the nonverbal communication of the group to understand if the idea is more or less favorable to one or a few of the group members. If the idea is not favorable I may change the tactics or go in another direction verbally to suit the rest of the group. Another strength that I believe I have is the ability to speak professionally to most superiors without the use of slang and/or bad language. I believe being able to have an efficient conversation with a superior using professional language would provide you with a promising impression from him/her. During my conversations with my friends I occasionally use bad language and slang that is associated with that certain network, although when I am around individuals of more importance I can quickly: speak clearly (no slurring or um, uh… etc), use professional language, eye contact, and proper posture.

Although there are some skills or tools that I would like to improve on during this class would be: workplace etiquette, and presenting with more confidence. I would like to improve my understanding of the workplace etiquette because most of my experience comes from very autonomous jobs that were out of a business environment. Although I understand the basic components of the office environment, I would like to expand my knowledge further on the customary practices of businesses locally and internationally. Another tool I would like to improve on is being able to speak in front of anyone without feeling nervous or anxious during the conversation. By anyone I do not mean in front of my peers in a class room but more of a conversation between prospective employer/interviewer and I. I would like to be able to transfer the confidence I have speaking in front of class to speaking to an interviewer for a job I really wanted. With these tools I should be able to perform well in a business environment.

Throughout this class I hope to expand the tools and knowledge that I have learned through my years here at Cal Poly, and apply them correctly in real world applications. By sharpening my communication skills, it will provide me with tools to speak effectively with anyone I come across. Also by strengthening my workplace etiquette and speaking confidence I hope to improve my chances of success in the workplace. Lastly, I hope to have a great time learning any other information in this class that could be beneficial to me in the long-run.

Sincerely,

Mike Waters