University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Eric Martin
Communication for Project Managers: ENCE424
Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman
September 26, 2020
Introduction
First and foremost, I am a structural engineering student. On the other hand I am also
pursuing a minor in construction project management. I have had the amazing opportunity to
work for one of the largest contracting firms in the country as a field engineer intern the past two
summers. With this experience I have gained some knowledge on how the industry works and
how to communicate with project managers and superintendents. Communication for Project
Managers will help me to hone these skills and enhance the things I am doing right and fix the
things I am still doing wrong. The weekly readings and in-class discussions will help facilitate in
my learning. Below I highlight key concepts from the readings, business etiquette, and
networking techniques that I utilize in my daily life and I reflect on the effect that
communication has on my personality.

Reading Concepts
One interesting concept from the readings so far is the art of persuasion. Five Stars, The
Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great, argues that in order to succeed in
communicating, you must be capable of having an original idea and advocating for that idea.
Without an original idea you are the same as everyone else in your field, as you all have the same
education and same basic knowledge of the work you are to perform. Carmine Gallo continues to
argue in Five Stars, The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great that, “Ideas cannot
build upon one another without advocates to argue for them and evangelists to spread them.” It is
crucial in today’s environment that you are an advocate for your own original idea and that you
may persuade others to spread that idea to others. Over the past few weeks I have thought about
this concept a lot as I do not see myself as someone who has original ideas, but I have been able
to convince others to pursue alternative methods. As a field engineer intern I was able to see
first-hand the issues that one can run into on a jobsite. Many times these issues lead to a request-
for-information that takes weeks to be returned by the design team. In my position, I had the
opportunity to use prior knowledge that I had from other jobsites and my education that fixed the
issue on-hand resulting in a much quicker turn-around from the design team. While I did not
have the original thought to fix the problem in this manner, I was able to convince the design
team that it was a viable solution to the problem, and we were able to continue on with the
project with little to no delay.
Another pertinent concept from the readings is how to manage speech anxiety. The
reading, A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking, walks the audience through the steps to improve
their public speaking skills. The book suggests that in order to mitigate our anxiety we must,
identify the cause of our anxiety, determine when anxiety occurs, build our confidence, break out
of the fight-or-flight response, use movement to release anxiety, and listen to feedback (O’Hair,
et al., 2016). Many of my public speaking experiences are not speeches but I am anxious to talk
to the people that work for or with me, nonetheless. On the jobsite I tend to take as long as
possible before I speak up to someone because I want to make sure I say the right thing in the
right way. I do not like being the center of attention and worry that if I say the wrong thing I will
get in trouble or cause an even bigger issue. I am most anxious “pre-performance,” right before I
go to speak to the subcontractor or superintendent and will sometimes back away from
confronting them when I first intended. In the future I plan on quick breathing technique outlined
in A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking to help calm my nerves and address the situation sooner. I
will also attempt to talk more with my hands and feet in order to stay moving and release stress
that has built up in my body.
Business Etiquette
Sometimes, the most important communication you will have is with a stranger. The
Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat, and Tweet Your Way to Success, teaches the
reader how to act in a job-focused world. The way you act off the clock is just as important as
how you act on the clock in a social media centric society. It is virtually impossible now to do
something without anyone else knowing. As an employee in the University of Maryland Golf
Course Pro Shop I meet a lot of strangers each and every shift. My greeting for each new person
is typically the same, “Hello, how are you doing today?” On such a big campus with so many
faculty, staff, and students I do not know when or where I might see them again, but I should get
my foot in the door regardless of who they are and what they do. Reading Essentials of Business
Etiquette made me realize that when answering the phone at the golf shop, I only use my first
name. I also tend to answer rather quickly, and my words get slurred and people misunderstand
my name. I think in the future I should try to slow down, annunciate my words, and utilize both
my first and last name for clarity. Another experience I have recognized through this reading is
being direct. My boss has pointed out to me on a few occasions that when people ask me
questions, I am much more adept at helping them out as I am clear, concise, and most
importantly, direct, with my response. I hope to continue to receive this type of praise in the
workplace to help give me the confidence and reassurance that I am learning how to better
handle myself in a business setting.

Networking
I dread networking. I self-identify as an introvert who only likes to talk to people that I
have known for some time. My one outlet for effective networking, Maryland Club Golf, has
been extremely limited this semester. When talking about golf, networking and connecting with
other students who were interested was much easier. As the former president and acting vice
president of the club team I am heavily involved in the recruitment process. I believe it was
much easier to network with these students because the shared interest concept of networking
was already in place, golf. There was no digging to find something that we both liked it was out
there on the surface for everyone to observe. Networking for College Students and Graduates:
Nonstop Business Networking That Will Change Your Life suggests allowing yourself to network
and having a positive attitude towards networking is a crucial step in effective networking. This
semester I need to focus on this concept and allow myself to network with others. I cannot
continue to shy away from interactions with new people that do not necessarily have a common
interest aside from field of study or occupation.

DISC Personality Assessment

The way you communicate influences your personality. The DISC Personality Model
categorizes your communication skills into four factors, Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and
Compliance. After completing the DISC Personality Test I received scores of Dominance – 38%,
Influence – 32%, Steadiness – 16%, and Compliance – 15%. I agree with these results. I am a
very competitive person who wants to get ahead in every way possible. I tend to persuade others
towards my own ideas and am very stubborn. I am confident in my decisions and do not always
do what others say, while still adhering to the general rules put in place. The most surprising
thing to me is how close the results for my two highest categories and two lowest categories. It
shows that I am almost split between dominance and influence as my most influential factors
while steadiness and compliance are equally non-influential. Being aware of my personality type
will help me be more self-conscious of my flaws, working towards improving steadiness and
compliancy, while also working to continue to improve upon dominance and influence in
positive ways. It is good to know that how I feel I communicate is in fact the case. I have viewed
myself as a commanding and persuasive speaker and this test has shown that to be true. Many of
these feelings however apply to people that I have worked with extensively and I feel
comfortable around.

Conclusion
I have taken into account the DISC Personality Assessment, business etiquette and
networking techniques, and concepts from the readings in order to build on my communication
skills. I am a dominant and influential communicator who still struggles with anxiety when
speaking in front of others. I need to get out of the mentality that I dislike networking and work
on finding common interests with my peers outside of golf. Continuing to be professional while
working at the golf course may help me to further my education or work prospects through the
people that I meet. I recognize the need to continually enhance my communication skills in order
to succeed in current societies.
 Works Cited
Faulkner, M. L. and Nierenberg, A. (2017). Networking for college students and graduates:
Nonstop business networking that will change your life. Streetlight Graphics.
Gallo, C. (2018). Five stars: The communication secrets to get from good to great. St. Martin’s
Griffin.
O’Hair, D., Rubenstein, H., and Stewart, R. (2016). A pocket guide to public speaking.
Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., and Switzler, A. (2012). Crucial conversations: Tools
for talking when stakes are high. McGraw Hill.
Pachter, B. (2013). The essentials of business etiquette: How to greet, eat, and tweet your way to
success. McGraw Hill Education.