REFLECTION

REPORT
London School of Commerce
Name: Rashique Afzal Ali
ID: 0006M0FM0F1019
Course: PPD, A1
Word Count: 1544
Table of Contents
Contents
Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................................2

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3

Literature Review........................................................................................................................................4

Step 1: Description..................................................................................................................................4

Step 2: Feelings.......................................................................................................................................6

Step 3: Evaluation....................................................................................................................................6

Step 4: Analysis.......................................................................................................................................7

Step 5: Conclusion...................................................................................................................................8

Step 6: Action plan..................................................................................................................................9

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................11

Reference List............................................................................................................................................12

RASHIQUE AFZAL ALI 1

Executive Summary

In this paper the author will write a reflection report in order to analyze strengths and weaknesses within.
The objective of this report is to take analysis and make a plan on how to improve on the strengths and
how to overcome the underlying weaknesses and Gibb’s reflective cycle will be used to conduct the
reflective report along with a few other models that were discussed in the course of PPD.

How to overcome any lacking will also be discussed so that mistakes from the past can be turned into
success in the future.

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Introduction

A reflection report is conducted in order to examine the past in an effort to learn from it so that past
mistakes are not repeated. In a simpler term it is similar to just “looking back” and learning. Not only is it
reflecting on the past actions but encourages to dig deep in the thoughts and feelings that were
accompanied by the actions. This whole process is undertaken in order to maximize self-awareness
leading to the formation of one’s own identity (Helyer, 2015).

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Literature Review

Gibb’s Reflective Cycle was created in 1988 in order to create a structure for learning from past
experiences. The framework it creates presents the writer of the report a lending hand to learn plan from
experiences that either went well or unwell. The cycle has 6 stages as shown in fig 1 (UOE, 2019).

Fig 1. Gibb’s Reflective Cycle (UOE, 2019).

Step 1: Description
Day 1:

On the 26th of February 2020 in the second semester the course was introduced to everybody along with
the details of the course the purpose it holds and reason for learning it. The name of the course is Personal
Professional Development and the aim of it is to help managing one’s one learning and to work as a
catalyst for career growth (NHS, 2020).

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Along with the description a homework was given where students were required to choose a career and
based on that a SWOT analysis was requested to be done.

Day 2:

On the 2nd of March 2020 all of the students were given instructions on how to conduct a reflection report
along with a brief explanation about the structure of a reflection and the use and importance of it.

Day 3:

4th of March 2020 was the day the importance of communication was taught. The statistics of the total
impact of a message surprised all of the students. The stats were that how a message impacts the person
depends 55% on Non-verbal Cues, 7% depends on the words that were used to convey the message and
38% is for the tone of voice that was used (Pease, 2006).

Along with that Robert Katz three critical managerial skills were taught which are needed by top
managers, middle managers and line managers. The three critical skills are Technical skills,
Interpersonal/Human Skills and conceptual skills (Granite State College, 2020).

Day 4:

On the 9th of March 2020 stages of group development which are shown in the figure below were taught
through group activities.

Unclear Conflict Develop Function & Task Completion

Storming

Norming

Performing
Forming

Adjourning
Purpose Increased Clarity Relationship Accepted Recognition
Unclear of Purpose Clear Roles & Structure
Good or Bad
Directions Power Struggles Responsbility Focus on Goal Feeling about
Need for Agreement & Achievement Accomplishment
Leadership Consensus Delegation

Fig 2. Stages of Group Development (Forsyth, 2014)

Day 5:

The 5th class was taken on the 11th of March 2020. It is when the second assignment was discussed
amongst all the students. Which continues on professional development by combining methods and ideas
which are useful for professional growth.

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Day 6:

16th March of 2020 was the last day where classes weren’t properly conducted due to the educational
institutions considering to close temporary for the Coronavirus pandemic. Online classes were then
resumed on the 13th of April.

Step 2: Feelings
On the first day of class when the course was introduced to all the students the feelings that were felt was
not the same across the board as some of the students were genuinely were interested including the author
of this report while others were left confused and a bit worried as this type course was completely new to
all.

As classes continued the course started to feel more and more interesting to everybody in the class
including the author himself. What everyone and the author felt was that this course was completely
different than the other courses and it included a lot of practical group activities which started to bring the
whole class closer to each other. A feeling of fun and enjoyment was combined which made learning
easier.

At first the course was underestimated due to the reason that is something new but that changed when key
managerial skills and stages of group development as taught. It was as if a new domain of learning was
opened to all the students. It felt as if the small details can add up to make big changes of PPD is done
well and honestly.

When the classes were closed due to the Coronavirus a feeling of sadness and uncertainty was spread as
most students prefer face to face style learning and it would be the first time classes would be given
online.

Step 3: Evaluation
At the beginning of the course it was all smooth but a couple of difficulties aroused. First difficulty in the
PPD course was the when everyone asked about what makes the most impact in a message. No one in the
class was even close the correct answer and this was mostly due misconception that what words are used
makes the most the impact whereas the correct answer was Non-verbal cues. 2 nd difficulty was when
Chinese whisper was played to check how much of a given message stays the same when the message is
passed along and even in that all participants failed to get the whole message right.

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The activity that went well was the last activity which involved different groups to make a tall structure
using limited tools. At first group members had trouble deciding which member would play which role
for example who would be the Harmonizer, Encourager, Clarifier, Questioner, Listener or the Opinion
Giver. The author and everyone took time to realize their roles as because they did not work together
before but with some time all members discovered their roles instinctively. The author’s contribution in
these hurdles was to bring everyone together to a mutual place so that work could start instead being
stuck in power struggles.

Step 4: Analysis
What was learned from the PPD course was that creating self-awareness is very important no matter if the
person is employed in an organization or just wants growth in his or her personal life. The Lessons were
learnt when mistakes were made by the author and other group members.

Everyone was taught the importance of communication and how it impacts depending on how the
message is delivered. To get a good grip on communication so that in the future it can be done better there
are 10 elements of effective messaging (Osgood, 2018).

1. Being aware of the audience.

2. Being relevant.
3. Being focused.
4. Being Compelling.
5. Being Distinctive.
6. Being Authentic.
7. Being Consistent.
8. Being Visual.
9. Being both Literal and Visceral.
10. Being open to other influences.

The second hurdle could have been overcome if the Robert Katz model shown below was read by anyone
before the classes were taken.

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 Fig 3. Robert Katz Management Skills.

The difficulties that were faced in the last group activity was because no one in the group ever worked
with each other before and it could be seen that at first the awkwardness of the initial stage obstructed
process but every person on the group found their suited roles.

Step 5: Conclusion
Based on the Analysis the author came to the conclusion that even having skills like being able to gel in a
team and being efficient there are still some skills that can be polished further.

The first being improving communication skills, especially the listening part of because if that was better
the group activity which tested communication skills would have given a more positive outcome. Second
thing that can be improved is learning to take the initiative much faster as because the second group
activity had a time limit and minimum tools. Even though the end plan was clear there was hesitation
between the author and the others to make the first move. If this was not the case the group would have
positioned first instead of second.

Step 6: Action plan

In order to overcome the lacking mentioned an action plan is needed.

Berlos’s Model of Communication can be used as a guideline for improvement

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 Fig 4. Berlos’s Model of Communication (Narula, 2006).

• Source - it is the place or the person where message originates from. The speaker should have
good communication skills along with knowledge and an understanding of the culture and social
system.

• Message - The speaker has to clearly speak out his or her thoughts clearly. Which also involves
having control over good vocabulary on top of that the speaker must be aware what tone to use
and by code the model means the body language used while structuring the message (Juneja,
2015).

• Channel – this represents all the senses of a human being. Through which medium the message
will be relayed.

• Receiver – the receiver is on the same level of the source in order to decode the message
properly.

A way to solve the last lacking is to follow the steps below which was made by Google to create an
effective team.

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 Fig. 5. 5 key factors for an effective team (Vandeneijnde, 2017).

Psychological safety - this refers to a person's perception on how people around him will
feel if an interpersonal risk is taken.
Dependability - in teams that are dependable, members will finish tasks on time.
Structure and Clarity - all members should be aware of task expectations in order to fulfill
them
Meaning - the work must be meaningful or a work that is suited to the member's
personality.
Impact - The member should be made to feel that his or her work is making an impact and
that is important for the team.

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Conclusion
For personal growth whether it be in a professional field or just in daily life, a reflective report sets up a
structure to follow for inner growth and also helps to find out weaknesses. Knowledge should be gathered
from all around whether it be from books or from experiences so that a person can become well rounded
to excel.

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Reference List
Forsyth, D., 2014. Group Dynamics. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Granite State College, 2020. Katz Three Skills. [online] Granite.pressbooks.pub. Available at:
<https://granite.pressbooks.pub/ld820/chapter/6/> [Accessed 3 May 2020].
Helyer, R., 2015. Learning through reflection: the critical role of reflection in work-based learning
(WBL). Journal of Work-Applied Management, 7(1), pp.15-27.
Juneja, P., 2015. Berlo's Model Of Communication. [online] Managementstudyguide. Available at:
<https://www.managementstudyguide.com/berlo-model-of-communication.htm> [Accessed 3 May
2020].
Narula, U., 2006. Communication Models. New Delhi, India: Atlantic.
NHS, 2020. Personal And Professional Development. [online] Health Careers. Available at:
<https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/career-planning/developing-your-health-career/personal-and-
professional-development> [Accessed 3 May 2020].
Osgood, C., 2018. Communicating With Impact: Ten Elements Of Effective Messaging. [online] Forbes.
Available at: <https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2018/07/10/communicating-with-impact-ten-
elements-of-effective-messaging/#4b613e711805> [Accessed 30 April 2020].
Pease, B., 2006. ‘The Definitive Book Of Body Language’. [online] Nytimes. Available at:
<https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/books/chapters/0924-1st-peas.html> [Accessed 20 April
2020].
UOE, 2019. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle. [online] The University of Edinburgh. Available at:
<https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/gibbs-reflective-cycle>
[Accessed 3 May 2020].
Vandeneijnde, M., 2017. 5 Keys To A Successful Google Team | Being At Full Potential. [online]
Beingatfullpotential. Available at: <https://www.beingatfullpotential.com/community/5-keys-to-a-
successful-google-team/> [Accessed 3 May 2020].

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