Harvard Style Sample REFLECTIVE ESSAY

Reflective Essay 1

REFLECTIVE ESSAY

By [Name]

Course

Professor’s Name

Institution

Location of Institution

Date

Reflective Essay 2

Reflective Essay

Introduction

There are several ways to how a person would improve on their learning skills in their

life. One of the most effective way to achieve a continuous improvement is through reflective

analysis. Only by reflecting on the mistakes of the past may effectively improve the planning

and carry on with next step of the job, or the upcoming tasks. Reflective practice is

considered very convenient as it can be done at any time and at anywhere. It helps the person

to understand the skills that the person possesses and make better use of it. Also, it helps

improve and/or polish the skills that a person may have already acquired.

Objective

This reflective analysis essay will highlight the communication glitches that were

encountered during a group work delegated by a senior lecturer to a group of four including

myself. By using the Gibbs model of reflection shown in the figure 1 below, this paper will

also include the reason of the failure to communicate, how it is solved, what happened next as

well as a plan to look over/refer to when a similar situation/problem arises.

Adopted from Finlay (2008)

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Description and Feeling

During the third year of my undergraduate course in University Brunei Darussalam

(UBD), students are given an opportunity to move out of the traditional learning environment

to be subjected to a programme named the Discovery Year Programme. I enrolled myself in a

student exchange program in China and an internship in the Finance Department in Brunei

Shell Marketing (BSM) for 6 months each. During both of the programmes, I have encounter

several communication issues that are caused by my poor body language, verbal and writing

skills. It got worse during the internship where I am given a joint project to work on for the 6

months in Brunei Shell Marketing. At the same time, I am entitled to work under a fellow

colleague who will be mentoring me in the project as well as join in meetings in the

department whenever is needed.

However, my colleague and I did not get along well. The reasons may include our

differences in culture, age, language and also, personalities. There are little discussions as to

how, where and what am I supposed to do with the projects. I felt lost most of the time as I

did not know how to start or where should I get the supporting documents and resources from.

There is also day in day out tasks to do, therefore, it is very difficult for me to cope. This

went on for another three weeks before I took the courage to raise this predicament to my

mentor. This is when I realized that it is my poor communication skills that are hindering the

progress of completing the project.

Evaluation

After my confession, me and my mentor set an hour a day to discuss about the project.

Although we skipped a few meetings as there are other tasks that are prioritized, we are able

to make progress for the project in the second month. During the discussions, I came to

Reflective Essay 4

realize the importance of communication and the need for me to improve my communication

skills as soon as possible.

It took some time for my mentor and I to basically understand each other’s needs

although our frequent meetings did benefit us on the project. The cooperation and bonding

did not just happen; it needs to be cultivated through constant effective communication, time

and patience. As we have different backgrounds, there are times that I do not understand what

I needed to do. Therefore, mistakes are particularly common during the first three months.

However, the period of time during the internship is very challenging to me as I was

exposed in a real working environment and cases. The day to day tasks are very demanding

and confounding. This is an invaluable experience for me. There are lessons to be learn in

each steps of the progression to completing the project such as independent learning during

the absence of a mentor, comply with the goal of mentor as well as to communicate

effectively and reflect from mistakes. Although the project given to me are not meant for me

to complete within the six months of my internship, we made a fairly progress for it. By the

end of my internship, I felt more connected to my mentor as to those valuable lessons and

skills she has taught me over the six months. By communicating frequently and being in a

team work, we both agreed that we made more progress than working alone.

Analysis

As earlier seen, effective communication was my main barrier to success in academic.

Communication skill is a paramount tool in any institution. To define, communication is the

transfer of information from one party to the next. Communication can be vocal (like the way

I interacted and talked with my fellow learners), written (through print, or digital media such

as emails, websites, magazines, books and others) visually (through graphical representation,

maps, tables and the logos) or non-verbally (that’s, using of sign language, tone, and gestures

Reflective Essay 5

and the pitch of the voice) (Felix, 2014). This section, therefore, covers the analysis of

communication which was my major challenge by demonstrating why communication is

imperative.

In today's world, communication is a fundamental tool that allows people to interact

with one another. We live in a digital information era where success largely depends on the

ability to communicate effectively. This is because the computer ages depends and rely

heavily on sharing of the information which results to the greater magnitude being placed on

having advanced and effective communication skills (Vermaat, Sebok, Freund, Campbell,

and Frydenberg 2014). Efficient and good communication enables the information to be

delivered accurately and quickly from one place to another. Various forms through which the

communication can be achieved include ensuring that the words are chosen well, ensuring

that the grammar and style are used effectively, adjusting to the writing style which is suits

particular audience and the ability of the audience to adequately paraphrase and describe the

message passed in the most logical way. In contrast, poor communication, as I earlier

indicated the real issues which affect my learning, has indeed had a negative impact on the

various aspects of live (Arthur 2014). This is because poorly delivered information mostly

leads to the frustrations, misunderstandings and in most cases, it may result in the disaster

and the loss. Good communication skills expound our character and what we can deliver

hence leading to more exploration of the opportunities.

Understanding the Essence of Good Communication

Communication can be broken into various forms. First, we have oral communication.

This is the communication skill which expresses the specified information or idea verbally.

Achieving effective communication skills involves taking some steps such as making oneself

be clearly understood by your fellow through active listening to ensure what others are saying

Reflective Essay 6

is clearly understood. Listening enable you to understand what you have been told. It is a

crucial tool which will enable both parties to agree with one another and make a better

resolution necessary for handling a specified goal. Oral communication skill is significant in

a situation where the information communicated is a short term and destined to make a

particular resolution (Terrain 25). Effective oral communication skill can be shown or rather

demonstrated through various ways such as ability to effectively paraphrase the key

statements for clarity and easy understanding, strictly facilitating the key sessions to ensure

that the issues are followed accordingly, and coordination process is exercised, developing

and delivering best power presentations to clarify the messages by making the content to

achieve its mandated objectives clearly.

Written communication skills are very crucial to the business people when

comprehensively making business analysis so as to document the elicitation results and any

other forms of communication which are needed for the long-term records requirement

Written communication make use of symbols to pass communication and in the process, the

desired message will be interpreted by the party involved. Understanding of various issues

such as grammar, style, and analysis of various idioms enables the message to reach the

audience in the clearest way (Harrold 8). Various forms through which the communication

can be achieved include ensuring that the words are chosen well, ensuring that the grammar

and style are used effectively, adjusting to the writing style which is suits particular audience

and the ability of the audience to adequately paraphrase and describe the message passed in

the most logical way.

Teaching skills are also crucial as it ensures that the analyst can communicate

effectively through ensuring that information is clearly understood and retained accordingly.

Teaching should allow information to be memorized easily by the learners and in the process,

Reflective Essay 7

it should ensure that the people learn and retain the key information so as to effectively

facilitate the learning experience (Terrain 2014). In order to ensure that the teaching has been

done effectively, the teaching skills should always be demonstrated through verification of

the learners by making sure that the information has been imparted in the most professional

way and the ability of the learners to retrieve back learning outcomes or demonstrate the new

level of knowledge accordingly.

How do we ensure that one acquire good communication skill?

The first step understands what you want to say and why you need to pass such

message. By understanding the intent of the message, you can easily make the choices of

words and be brief to the point to the point so as to avoid any form of contradictions.

Furthermore, the barriers of communication such as situational or cultural differences will be

eliminated once you master you want to say. The second step is to know how you will pass

your message. There are various ways of passing a message. For example, you will begin the

communication by making an eye contact (Patterson 2005). Eye contact is skills of inspiring

the confidence and trust which will enable you to pass the suitable message in a most skillful

way. The other aspect of inspiring how you will pass the message is developed a good body

posture. This is done by standing with the arms easily at the sides as this will signify that you

are approachable and flexible when delivering the message. The third issue is to listen well.

Communication in this context can be seen as a two-way street. After passing out the

message skillfully, one has to stop, listen, and look intentionally for the reactions and

feedback from the intended audience. You have to pave the way for others to react and with

due respect answer them accordingly. Respectfully will adequately give them your full

attention and make them contribute to the topic discussed.

Conclusion

Reflective Essay 8

In conclusion, it is evident that communication is a skill that cannot be ignored if one

wants to reach new level be it in learning, business or whatever form of life you are

acquainted with. Learning the skills of effective communication will, therefore, lead to new

accomplishment. Effective and good communication enables the information to be delivered

accurately and quickly from one place to another. In contrast, poor communication, as I

earlier indicated the real issues which affect my learning, has indeed had a negative impact on

the various aspects of life. Therefore, one should invest in

Action Plan

It is advantageous to continue and form a habit to constantly reflecting oneself. There

are several action plans that have been made to continuously improving my communication

skills in the future. It includes:

To listen attentively and write things down

One of the major hindrances with communicating effectively is to misunderstand the

purpose of communication. Misunderstanding situations are usually lead by not listening

attentively. It is crucial to form questions and ask if there is a need for clarifications. Also,

notes should be taken whenever needed because it is more reliable than relying only on our

memory.

To attend the different student development and skills workshop

There are several student development and skills workshops that are available in

USW free for students to sign up. It would be beneficial to me as there will be professionals

to personally help with polishing my skills.

To join in the Student mentoring group organized by USW

Reflective Essay 9

The student mentoring scheme in USW is fairly new to me. It is very interesting as it

maximizes my exposure to new students from around the globe which also means that it will

require me to communicate extensively for the new students to understand the current

situation of USW or to answer any queries that he/she may have.

Think before I speak, Focus on the Problem

I realized that it is perfectly normal to pause before we speak as it provides enough

time for me to process with the information and it also help to avoid any embarrassments.

There will be times where criticisms are present, I should not be too sensitive on the remarks

but focus on the overall results. This way, it does not only avoid the awkwardness of the

situation but also improve my ways of action.

Adjust my Attitude towards Things

Willie Hugh Nelson (n.d.) once said “Once you replace negative thoughts with

positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”Positive attitudes are able to improve the

overall experience. It makes a difference when a person view things with different mindset.

As people react positively to positive attitude, therefore, I will always wear a smile and see

the positive side of things to help me communicating effectively.

Improving body language

There are various studies dating back to 1978 to the most recent in 2016 that proves

the absolute importance of non-verbal communication in different situations and professions

(Tepper and Haase, 1978; Mundy, Kasari and Sigman, 1992; Guye-Vuilleme, Capin, Pandzic,

Thalmann and Thalmann, 1999; Ali, 2011; Wertheim, 2012; Tandon, 2015; Burgoon,

Guerrero and Floyd, 2016). As the body language is can be perceived differently in different

culture, for example, it is considered rude to cross your hands while you converse with other

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people. Therefore, it is necessary for me to talk to several people from different cultures

about my body language and ensure that my body language did not offend or set off anybody

in the future.

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Reference List

Trenholm, S. and Jensen, A. (2013). Interpersonal communication. 7th ed. New York:

Oxford University Press.

Arthur, J. (2014). International Communication. 7

ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

Terrion, J. (2013). Communication in Everyday Life, Personal and Professional Contexts,

Oxford University Press: NY.

Harold, I. (2010). Empire and Communications. Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press

Patterson, J. (2005). Winning the Heart of Client through Communication. New York: Little

Brown.

Felix, R. (2014). Organisational Communication Concepts. In: American Finance

Association Northeast Regional Conference. Hartford: AFA Press.

Vermaat, M., Sebok, S., Freund, S., Campbell, J. and Frydenberg, M. (2014). Communication

Skills for Managers. Boston: Cengage Learning.

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