2_FernsM

Dear Professor Kim, Good communication is a skill that employers view as very important when looking at potential candidates for a job. A person may have many skills listed on his resume, but without effective communication, that person is lucky to be called back for another interview. I plan on developing my strengths as well as correcting my weaknesses while in this class. Good communication is a skill that I can always be improved upon. I have taken a few classes on communication, but I know this learning is continuous and will occur throughout my professional career. I feel that I am strong at writing emails and other written messages. I take my time and make sure that there are no grammatical or spelling errors. I also make sure that I am using formal words that are appropriate for the setting. One proofreading tip I use is to re-read the message after I have finished it. While reading, I will pretend I am the recipient and think of how he will interpret it. I will make sure that all sections make sense and do not offend anyone. I am strong at meeting superiors or people older than me. I feel confident and make sure to show them respect. I am not scared to talk to someone with authority, and I believe this helps my confidence. I make sure to stand up and look them in the eyes while giving a firm handshake. The only part of introductions that I need to greatly improve upon is remembering names. Sometimes when I am busy trying to make a proper introduction, I forget one of the most important parts, which includes remembering the name of the person I just met. This happens to me when I meet many different people in a single event. To try to counteract against this, I repeat the person’s name before I say my own name. One area that I feel I can improve upon is presentations. In the past few years I have become much more comfortable with talking to people I do not know. However, I feel that I still become nervous while giving presentations. This can cause me to talk faster, and not portray my message as clearly as I intended to. I believe that the best way to correct this problem is to practice. I always volunteer to talk in front of the class whenever my group is giving a presentation. Every time I give a presentation in a large class I become slightly more comfortable. I hope to continue this practice to become very comfortable by the time I need to give presentations in my future career. Another area that I need to improve upon is sentence structure. Sometimes I will write a sentence that seems to make sense in my head, but is confusing or awkward to others. I try to fix that by proofreading my papers, but sometimes a sentence or two manages to make it to the final copy of the message. I plan on fixing this by learning proper business language and proofreading my papers more meticulously. I feel that I am a much better communicator than I formerly was. In high school, I was shy and lacked confidence. However, I broke out of that shell in college in order to improve my chances of success in the business world. I can credit my fraternity to much of this change. In the fraternity I constantly meet new people and communicate with strangers. I also talk to alumni that are already successful in the business world. They give tips on topics ranging from how to dress for an interview, to how to communicate with your boss. I plan on using my personal experiences along with information I learned in classes such as this to become an effective communicator.