Running head: Experiential Paper 1

Experiential Paper
Hilary McKeon
Kent State University

Experiential Paper 2
At my practicum at The Country Club of Hudson I learned a lot about marketing, event
planning, work environments, and professional relationships. I learned hard skills from the
specific projects and tasks that I completed, but I also was able to apply concepts from my
courses over the past few years to a professional business organization. I believe that I have
gained insight into what its like to work as a communication professional. Over the course of
the practicum, I felt as though I was a part of the organization. I developed relationships,
learned about and partook in the organizations culture, and observed the adaptive
structuration.
My supervisor, Jillian Lick, is the Membership Director at The Country Club of Hudson.
Modaff, Butler, and Dewine (2008) explain the importance of superior-subordinate
relationships; the success of both parties, as well as the success of the organization, is
dependent upon an effective and efficient relationship between these two people (p. 196).
We both conveyed immediacy in assignment completion over the practicum. I was never
given a specific deadline, but it was an unspoken expectation that I was to complete
assignments in a timely manner. I was trusted to create my own deadlines for assignments in
order to achieve the assignments goals and was actually assigned to create a schedule to keep
track of assignment completion on March 24. Modaff, Butler, and Dewine (2008) describe how
establishing trust, conveying immediacy, giving feedback, and seeking feedback regarding
performance are important to subordinate-superior relationships (p. 206). This was my first
real test of my abilities outside of the classroom and I did not know exactly what they wanted.
When seeking feedback I was often given a vague response. I was either told to leave the
project alone or change it. I sought out more specific feedback but could not get specific
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advice. More detailed feedback would have allowed me to complete assignments more
efficiently.
Throughout the course of the practicum I did not feel like the expectations were clearly
set out for me. I was given assignments that I could do, but I was not certain about the goals,
format or design concepts that were expected. I did not always get clear directions, so I would
create work that was not exactly what was expected. Then I had to redo assignments,
resulting in wasted time and effort. This happened when I created the black and white party
flyer on May 20. I spent half a day working on a flyer only to be told it was not what they
expected. Uncertainty theory concludes that people tend to be uncomfortable with
uncertainty, (Turner and West, 2007, p. 279) If my expectations had been better
communicated, then I would have been more comfortable with the job, and produced more
efficient results.
Although the organization is a developed system, it developed as a structure over time.
Turner and West (2007) compared a system and its structure; The term system refers to the
group or organization itself and the behaviors that the group engages in to pursue its goals.
The term structure refers to the rules and resources members use to create and sustain the
system, as well as guide their behaviors, (p. 280) As a new employee, the structure of the
system was unclear. It took structuration for me to understand appropriate behavior in this
specific organizations culture. Structuration, the production, reproduction and
transformation of social environments through rules and resources in relationships, allows
people to understand their patterns of behavior the structures of their system, (Turner and
West, 2007, p. 280). Only members within the system can understand the organizational
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culture, so when I first started I was uncertain. After witnessing structuration and the
organizational culture, I felt more comfortable and knew how to act appropriately.
Adaptive structuration theory also adopts the notion that rules simultaneously
provide a guideline and constrain behavior by invoking regulations based on previous
expectations, (Turner and West, 2007, p. 282). After the first incident where the image in an
email appeared blank on May 3, a guideline was set for creating future emails. I needed to post
the email the same way that Jillian taught me instead of trying something new. When I tried to
implement a new way of uploading images, I altered the task ritual, or a routine associated
with a particular assignment in the workplace (Turner and West, 2007, p. 308). My future
behavior was constricted and I knew to stick to the task ritual by using the original method of
attaching images.
I feel as though I identify with the club. I took pride in my accomplishments, and after I
worked for a decent amount of hours, I took pride in the club itself. The work I did made me
feel as though I was a part of the team. Modaff, Butler and Dewine (2008) describe, high
organizational identification has been correlated with increased satisfaction and decreased
turnover, (p. 20). Therefore, my satisfaction of the work I did and my overall experience at
CCH correlates with the high identification I felt to the organization.
Each interaction that takes place between coworkers is new and creates something
unique in the structure of their future interactions, (Turner and West, 2007, p. 280). My
strongest relationship at CCH was with Jillian. We instantly connected in the interview
because she graduated from Kent State University and our personalities seemed to mesh well.
Our relationship has grown through shared experiences and group work. After the issue with
the image uploader in Jonass email server we grew closer. We were both angry about the
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situation so we shared the feeling. After about a month and a half, my roommate realized that
she knew Jillian. The next time I was at the club Jillian and I spoke about the mutual friendship
for a bit, causing us to grow even closer. The way we worked together changed as we built a
stronger relationship. Modaff, Butler, and Dewine (2008) explain the importance of superior-
subordinate relationships; the success of both parties, as well as the success of the
organization, is dependent upon an effective and efficient relationship between these two
people (p. 196). If Jillian and I had not built a strong relationship, I do not know if we would
have accomplished as much by the end of the practicum.
My goal is to one day be an event planner. The hard skills I learned at CCH will help me
in my future career. A lot of the work I did at the club involved visual design. Visual design is
relevant to the event planning industry because events are meant to be physically attractive
and need to be properly marketed to meet attendance goals. Without basic visual design skills,
its hard to achieve balance and appeal. According to Torpey (2007), Artistic ability is
essential. These workers must be good with their hands and able to identify the colors,
shapes, and sizes that work best together in an arrangement (p. 36). Planners and the
branches involved in planning an event, such as caterers, decorators, and floral designers
need to understand the mechanics of design in order to make the event a success.
Communications is a valued quality in any field. The most recent job outlook statistics
from the National Association for Colleges and Employers rank effective communication skills
as the most important job characteristic employers consider when making hiring decisions,
ranking above even technical skills, ("Major in applied," 2012). Although communications is
relevant to any career, it is particularly important to event planners. Throughout the
practicum I learned the communication skill of understanding others needs. It is important
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to maintain the key elements that comprise an event. The central focus to planning a cultural
celebration requires adapting new content around the traditional meaning of the event,
moving away from a standardized approach (Stonier, 2008 p. 353). In other words, event
planners must be able to adapt to the traditions, ideals, and beliefs of their client. My own
preferences must be pushed aside in order to successfully plan the event to the clients
satisfaction. My experience at the club taught me how to understand, visualize, and create the
clients overall goal of certain events and themes.
The most obvious skill that will help me in the future is event planning. I experienced
some of the difficulties in event planning such as the issues with booking a photographer on
May 7. The photographer who promised to be at our next event would not respond to any of
our phone calls, so we had to schedule another photographer. I learned that you have to be
ready for anything. The worst scenario is always a possibility when planning events. You have
to triple check plans. I also learned about the lifestyle of an event planner. Although I love
events, especially weddings, I am not sure that I am ready to spend every weekend on the
clock. I currently work in retail, which requires me to work every Saturday and almost every
Sunday. Its very difficult to maintain relationships when everyone else has a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
job from Monday through Friday.
At the close of my practicum I feel that I have not only broadened my skillset, but also
grown professionally. Before this opportunity, I had never been in a professional business
setting or had a full understanding of what its like to work as a communications professional. I
appreciate the insight and direction that my coworkers and work experience at CCH provided.
Although in the beginning I struggled to find clear direction, I was able to adapt and I now feel
that this experience has taught me to think more creatively and be a self-starter. Im proud to
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have been given the opportunity to learn and grow at The Country Club of Hudson with
experienced professionals.

Experiential Paper 8

References

Major in applied communication at kent state university. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.kent.edu/CCI/Comm/UndergraduateProgram/upload/8-19-2012-
Applied-Communication-Major-2.pdf
Modaff, D. P., & DeWine, S. (2008). Organizational communication: foundations, challenges,
and misunderstandings (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
Stonier, C. L. (2008). Tailoring leisure to suit a wider audience through creative event
planning with a multi-sensory approach. NeuroRehabilitation, 23 (4), 351-359.
Torpey, E. M. (2007). Jobs in weddings and funerals: Working with the betrothed and the
bereaved. Occupational Outlook Quarterly. 50, 30-45.
West, R. L., & Turner, L. H. (2007). Groups and Organizations. Introducing communication
theory: Analysis and application (3rd ed., 278-312). Boston: McGraw-Hill.