2_HalversonK

Dear Professor Kim, I feel that I have many strengths and weaknesses when it comes to this class. I don’t have a problem with talking to people and feeling confident when in the work place. I also enjoy writing and feel that it is one of my strong points. Although I may have confidence in speaking and writing, there are areas within them that I could surely improve. I am not comfortable speaking in front of large and unfamiliar groups, I want to become more articulate, and I would love to improve my networking skills. When I am speaking to one or two people, I am very confident. Whether it is my bosses, friends, or people I have just met, I find it easy to carry on a conversation. I also do not have a problem speaking in a large group of people I am acquainted with. For example, if I were to present in front of our class, I would probably not get nervous because I have known my class mates for a few weeks now. Despite my comfort in these settings, when I am speaking formally to a larger group that I am not familiar with, I tend to get nervous. Mostly I fell that my nerves come from the thought of messing up. When I am talking to only a few people or in front of people I am familiar with, I know that if I mess up it won’t be a big deal. If I mess up in front of strangers however, I feel like they will look poorly upon me. I would like to learn how to become more comfortable speaking in front of a group that I don’t know. I know that in a business career, I will have to face speaking in front of people I don’t know, and I want to give off a confident and positive image.

Writing has always been a hobby of mine. I can write an essay or a story in a matter of hours with no problem. I don’t have any trouble developing ideas and writing them down, but my vocabulary, and spelling have always been a week aspect of my writing. I am always looking in a thesaurus for alternative words. I have never been very articulate in writing or speaking. Luckily when I write, I can look through a thesaurus and find another word for what I want to say. I realize however that I cannot always do this when I am speaking. I know I will be faced with people in the business world that will talk to me with a large vocabulary and expect not only for me to understand them, but for me to speak back with articulation too. I want to learn how to become more business articulate so that I can not only look and act professional, but sound professional too.

Throughout my college experience people have always told me that networking is very important. I know with networking comes opportunities for jobs. My problem, however, is that I have not made many connections at our school. One reason might be that I’m not sure where to start. Another reason is that I am not really a part of anything here on campus. I have many friends on campus and go to all of my classes, but I don’t have any business related connections. I would love to learn where people start when it comes to networking and what kind of tools could help me develop relationships that could benefit me in the future. I know that like everyone, I have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to communication through speaking writing and presenting one’s self. In order for me to become a better professional, I need to identify and conquer my weaknesses. I feel that with improvement in speaking in front of an unknown audience and becoming more articulate, and learning how to network, I can fulfill my potential in being an excellent professional. Sincerely your student,

Karlie Halverson