University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Gabe Shchuka
Communication for Project Managers: ENCE424
September 26, 2020
Introduction
What do most people picture when they think of engineers? I would wager it is often a
somewhat robotic person that is good at math and science but not very good at communicating or
working with other people, especially other people that aren’t engineers. However, I don’t think
this is a very accurate portrayal of engineers or project managers. A lot of what engineers, and
even more specifically, project managers do revolves around communicating with others. No
engineer is well educated enough to be able to take on all aspects of a project and because of this
near all of engineering is done in groups. These groups will have people with many different
backgrounds and areas of expertise. This means that engineers need to be able to communicate
effectively with people so that what they are trying to build is made according to plan. Project
managers are often involved in these groups with the job of helping all the members
communicate with each other to meet their deadlines and product specifications.

Concepts from Readings

One concept that was established in the readings multiple times is the importance of
being an effective communicator. In my previous non-engineer-specific communication classes,
we were taught how to communicate effectively but not why that’s an important skill to have. In
Five Stars: The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great Carmine Gallo tells the story
of the brilliant engineer who is claimed by his boss to be “the smartest guy in the room” and yet
he has no chance of becoming a leader for his division because he is an ineffective
communicator. The boss then says “He can’t deliver a clear and compelling presentation. He’s
not inspiring.” (Gallo, 2018) This brings up the ideas of being able to communicate your
thoughts clearly but also doing so with enthusiasm. While it is important to be able to express
your thoughts to others, especially when the material is very technical, it is also important that
the information be engaging. If someone needs to communicate a technical subject to an
audience, they could do it with a very concise presentation. However, if that presentation is just
text on plain white PowerPoint slides and is given by someone speaking in a lazy monotone way
there is no way the audience is going to be tuned in and absorbing all the information given to
them. In contrast, if the presenter is very enthusiastic about the subject and makes sure their
presentation is engaging, they will be able to much more effectively communicate their ideas to
the audience. Clarity and enthusiasm go hand in hand when trying to be a good communicator. A
Pocket Guide to Public Speaking reiterates this point when talking about engaging with the
audience. The author says, “Audience members want to know what the speaker thinks and feels
and that he or she recognizes them and relates the message to them.” (O’Hair, 2019) This
passage reinforces the idea that an important part of effectively communicating ideas is ensuring
the audience is engaged and inspired by the way the speaker is giving the information.
Communication is not a single party task, it involves both the speaker and the audience, making
it important that the audience be engaged.
Secondly, I really liked the way A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking breaks down all the
different aspects of things that make people averse to public speaking. Many people are afraid of
public speaking and yet they are never really taught why or how to overcome that fear. Most
people are merely told that the fear will go away with practice but for some people that isn’t the
case or that is an unsatisfactory answer. I think breaking down the fear into all its possible root
causes can help people pinpoint why they don’t like public speaking so they can more efficiently
overcome their fear. I learned in the reading that my dissuasion to public speaking takes the form
of pre-performance anxiety. The book describes this as “when the reality of the situation sets in”
and it is primarily the fear “that their ideas aren’t expressed as well as they should be, or sense
that preparation time is short.” (O’Hair, 2018) I always get most anxious about speaking in front
of people in the few hours before I will be doing it. I get inside my head and worry about being
sufficiently prepared. I think that if I make myself practice speeches more in this course, I will be
able to reassure myself that I am prepared and have less aversion to public speaking.

Business Etiquette
A large part of having good business etiquette is presenting yourself in a positive
professional manner. In this course that can sometimes be difficult to do through Zoom but you
can still make it clear to the others in the class that you are involved and listening. The Essentials
of Business Etiquette discusses how to properly interact with people especially when you don’t
know them very well if at all. “Make eye contact, smile, and express positivity” are all things
that transfer very well to an online learning environment. (Pachter, 2013) This is how one would
act when talking to someone in person so it is exactly how you should act during a Zoom call. I
think these small tips are more beneficial in breakout rooms when we I be talking more and have
more people focused on me than during normal lecture. Doing these things will make anyone
seem very friendly and interested. The author says, “I did this at an event recently, and I ended
up with a new client.” (Pachter, 2013) In our context it could lead to a classmate to peer review
with in future assignments or even a friendship, rather than a client. This is also a good
illustration of communication being an everyday occurrence and more than just public speaking
Networking
Networking is an aspect of everyday life that used to make me wince at just the mention
of it. I always felt that networking events I was required to attend as a freshman and sophomore
were pointless and that I didn’t benefit from them at all. Now that I am a senior and nearing the
time where I will need to find a job I can see the benefit of networking and I am glad I had that
experience early on to hone my networking skills. One kind of networking that I haven’t had
much practice with, however is with my peers, people that are my own age. All of my experience
networking has been with potential employers or professors, but I think you could argue that a
more important web of connections to have is with people that are in the same situation as me.
As a student it is very important to maintain and grow a network of connections with other
students within my major and after college it will similarly be important to have a network of
other people in the field of engineering that have comparable skill and experience levels to me.
That is one thing that I have already been able to improve in this class. Nearly all of my
engineering classes are lectures with very little discussion amongst my peers. In this class we
have already had 2 opportunities to get in small groups to create skits and come up with answers
to questions as a collective rather than as individuals. We also had to reach out to classmates to
find partners for peer reviews. In all other classes which required peer reviews we were simply
assigned partners. I feel that reaching out to someone I haven’t really met before is an important
skill to have and one that will only improve throughout this course. I look forward to future
opportunities to refine my abilities to network and communicate with my peers both in and out of
class.
DISC Personality Assessment
I feel that the DISC Personality Assessment gave me a fairly accurate breakdown of my
strengths and weaknesses as a communicator. My results showed that I was 33% dominance,
33% influence, 29% steadiness, and 5% compliance. It said I have a strong motivation that
influences other people. It also said I thrive on competition and challenge which is very accurate.
Lastly, the results said I don’t tend to let stress or pressure impede my enthusiasm or
performance, which has always been a trait I pride myself on. While I was taking the assessment,
I didn’t expect to receive very accurate results. On a good number of the questions I felt that I
either agreed with all the options or at the very least didn’t disagree with any of them, however
the final report did a good job illustrating where my strengths lie. I have a very agreeable
personality, but I also am able to assert myself and take control of situations. I think these two
traits blend together to create very effective communication that is assertive but also
understanding.
Conclusion
The readings for this course do a good job both connecting to the material covered in
lecture as well as going over ideas that we don’t have time to go over in class. I enjoy reading the
texts as they are a nice contrast from the very technical and dense readings I do for my other
classes. I also appreciate the practicality of the material covered in the books. It doesn’t feel like
I am simply reading because it is assigned, rather it feels like I am learning things I will be able
to apply throughout my career and in life in all sorts of situations. One thing the books make
abundantly clear is that communication is more than just public speaking, it’s a part of everyday
life. Being able to communicate with others effectively is a fairly easy skill to hone and one that
can have benefits in both personal and professional life.
 Works Cited

Gallo, Carmine. Five Stars the Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great. St. Martin’s

Press, 2018. Print.

O’Hair, Dan, and Hannah Rubenstein and Rob Stewart. A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking.

Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019. Print.

Pachter, Barbara, and Denise Cowie. The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat,

and Tweet Your Way to Success. McGraw-Hill Education, 2013. Print