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University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Terrell Dawkins
Communication for Project Managers: ENCE424
Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman
June 11, 2022
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Introduction
Architecture and architects have always been integral to the built environment. The
construction industry has always relied on their aesthetic and structural input when participating
in a project. As architecture students, we frequently inform ourselves about the construction
process and its many intricacies. The intricacies of the construction process include the roles of
an effective project manager. One of the many mutual characteristics of effective architects and
construction project managers is effective communication. Communication is imperative to the
success in both aforementioned careers. Architects utilize communication when communicating
with their clients. For construction project managers specifically, there is a particular emphasis
on the importance of effective communication. Unlike architectural students who provide
effective communication through the realm of the arts, students that pursue
Engineering/Construction project management are required to rely on the realm of the sciences.
Their form of communication may involve a certain chain of command that includes the
aforementioned architects and engineers. Throughout this essay, there will be an analysis on the
lessons learned that were contained in the readings, lectures, and how there have been additional
improvements in my networking/collaborative abilities by completing both the Jung and DISC
personality assessment tests.
Concepts from Readings
After reading the book Five Stars, The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to
Great by Carmine Gallo, it becomes clear that it intentionally highlights many unique concepts
of communication. One of the most interesting concepts to read about in this text is the
understanding of the Pathos Principle. During our first lecture, we discussed Aristotle’s
principles of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. This reading expounds on that concept by citing specific
examples of where it was most effective. Gallo cites the testimony of six-time Emmy Award
winner Alan Alda, who subsequently founded the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science
at Stony Brook University, to stress the importance of relating to your audience while
simultaneously conveying essential information. Alda himself writes, “You run a company and
you think you are relating to your employees and that they understand what you’re saying, but
they don’t, and both customers and employees are leaving you. You’re a scientist who can’t get
funded because the people with the money just can’t figure out what you’re telling them. You’re
a doctor who reacts to a needy patient with annoyance…but it doesn’t have to be that way”
(Gallo, 147). Alda’s prior experience as an actor gave him a greater understanding of the
importance of expressing empathy and relatability for your audience. Furthermore, because one
is able to remember specific sites, people, and names when they are affiliated with specific
emotions, then it ought to make sense for any aspiring communicator to apply the Pathos
principle to their style of oratory. Construction project managers can especially apply the Pathos
principle to their style of oratory because they are required to communicate with a variety of
people with various needs and complaints. In fact, many Construction Project Managers can
utilize the Pathos Principles by employing three types of storytelling techniques that Gallo
himself highlights. The three types of stories one can tell are stories about personal experiences,
stories about customers and clients, and stories about signature events in the history and brand of
the company (Gallo, 156-159). I found this to be particularly interesting because a Construction
project manager’s oratory style can be applicable to all three scenarios. A story about a
customers and clients in the realm of Construction management can relate to how project
managers can use a story of how adequately listening to a client’s needs can lead to a more
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efficient construction process with little delays. Because timing and productivity are essential to
the formation of any project, it would behoove certain project managers to be able to relate to the
needs of their clients in order to ensure a process that fulfills their needs and requirements.
Additionally, a story regarding the adequate relationships between clients and customers would
be ideal for certain stakeholders that decide to place certain investments in their subsequent
projects. A story of personal experiences from a Construction project manager could be vital to
aspiring project managers. When the experienced Construction project manager has the ability to
relate to the struggles and setbacks of a novice project manager because of their prior experience,
it becomes easier for the rising project manager to not only apply the teaching they’ve received
but, their advice becomes much easier to remember because the experienced Construction
project manager was able to connect to them emotionally through their effective communication.
Finally, understanding how a company’s brand can emotionally affect the trust between the
workers and the clients can be vital to the development of a Construction project manager’s
effective communication
A second pertinent topic covered in subsequent readings was the characteristics of a great
networker. These characteristics are covered primarily in Dr. Faulkner’s & Andrea Nierenberg’s
book called, Networking for College Students and Graduates. In the text, Faulkner and
Nierenberg outline seven characteristics of impeccable networkers. These aforementioned
characteristics are confidence, empathy, appreciation, tenacity, enthusiasm and energy, caring,
and rapport building (Faulkner & Nierenberg, 74). I found these concepts to be particularly
interesting from this reading because all of these seven characteristics can be applicable not only
to Construction project managers, but for practitioners of other occupations as well. In the actual
text, tenacity was further expounded upon by citing the tenacious actions of one of the text’s
authors: Andrea Nierenberg. Throughout her time spent as an experienced entrepreneur, she has
inevitably encountered rejections from various clients. One of her clients in particular was
difficult to reach. After failing with a direct approach, her next step was to reach out to her client
by attending events or venturing to clubs where her client might be present. After 5 years of
patience and tenacity, Andrea was able to successfully participate in more than thirty projects
from her client’s firm. Despite the evident success in the realm of tenacity, the text makes a clear
distinction between being a tenacious character and embodying the traits of a pest. Possessing
tenacity means taking advantage of opportunities in a positive manner. In contrast, one who
embodies the characteristics of a pest would only seek to annoy the person they are pestering be
forcing them to acknowledge their existence (Faulkner & Nierenberg, 75-76). In addition to the
more mundane environments in the realm of management and business, tenacity can be an
essential networking characteristic for Construction project managers because there may be a
need for their firm to network with either their clients or general contractors. Perhaps there is a
request for additional materials for construction projects that happen to not be delivered on time.
As a result, they have to consistently reach out to the contractor or those affiliated with the
contractor. These aforementioned characteristics also coincide with the personality traits of
effective communicators that we have discussed during our lectures. One of the communicators
we decided to discuss was Martin Luther King Jr. One of the characteristics of Martin Luther
King Jr. that we discussed was his ability to consistently connect and empathize with his
audience. He was able to specifically able to empathize with the frustration at the pace of racial
change in America. Consequently, this ability to empathize allowed King to network and connect
with other civil rights leaders that displayed mutual feelings regarding said subject. In addition to
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empathy, King possessed a sense of rapport building that was most evident when he was willing
to network with other civil rights leaders that may have slightly disagreed with.
A third important topic that was pertinent to the readings was the discussion of different
personalities concerning one’s ability to network with others. In Networking for College
Students and Graduates, the authors begin expounding on this topic in Chapter 5 titled, “When
Networking Doesn’t Come Easy: Networking for Introverts”. The text also points out that, while
established networkers primarily exhibit extroverted and introverted personalities, they tend to
obtain similar result when attempting to obtain contacts. While the extroverted networker gains
their connections by thriving off of the energy of others, the introverted networker obtains their
connections by being active listeners. According to Faulkner and Nierenberg, the introverted
networker possessed three distinct characteristics that make them more approachable than their
extroverted counterparts. These three characteristics are empathy, appreciation, and caring. All
three of these traits also coincide with the aforementioned seven characteristics that most
networkers have in general. Being a strong listener, as emphasized in the text, is just as, if not
more essential than being proficient in the art of skullduggery. When one listens more
effectively, they are more likely to intake more information about the person they happen to be
interacting with. One effective listener that Nierenberg interacted with was a woman named
Alice. During one meeting concerning a project, Alice began to spark a conversation about
Andrea’s sister named Meredith, and her sister’s horse named Noddy. According to Nierenberg,
Alice is someone who “listens, she takes in all sorts of information, and when the time is right,
she will put different people and projects together when she thinks there is a good fit (Faulkner
& Nierenberg, 88-89). After giving Andrea’s experience with introverted conversationalists and
communicators, the text outlines bad listening habits that one should avoid when communicating
with someone. These mistakes are focusing on the other speaker rather than what he or she is
saying, ignoring or shutting out what you don’t understand or don’t like, letting your emotions
filter out what the other person is saying, daydreaming or letting external environmental factors
distract you, and interrupting before the speaker is finished (Faulkner & Nierenberg, 90). In the
world of Construction project management, these tips can benefit and improve the
communication abilities of certain project managers that struggle with effective listening.
Because listening and effective communication are so closely intertwined, improving on one’s
listening abilities would be imperative for subsequent interactions with stakeholders, contractors,
engineers, and architects. For myself, I have taken the time to improve and increase my
networking capabilities. Firstly, I have given my contact information to other students in my
class to improve my chances of having honest feedback regarding subsequent writing
assignments. Secondly, I have maintained a solid rapport with both my classmates and my
professor by making myself more well known throughout class by actively participating in
lectures, and by participating in assigned hangout rooms.
Networking
Since starting Communication for Project Managers, my perspective on networking has
changed. I used to view networking as a manipulative task where someone tries to benefit at the
expense of others. However, I now understand that networking can be a beneficial tool that can
improve one’s interpersonal skills. Improving on one’s interpersonal skills can assuredly be
essential to one’s communication abilities because, as project managers or managers in general,
it is essential that one has the ability to establish good rapport with other employees. Starting this
class has made me realize that being able to maintain and establish this rapport could lead to an
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increase in efficiency when completing certain projects. Furthermore, this course has allowed me
to understand that networking opens opportunities for advancements in one’s career. The
advancement of one’s career could mean the ability to secure an internship after graduation and
the ability to advance themselves socially within the company that offered them said internship.
Out of the effective communicators we’ve discussed, there are five attributes that stood
out to me that could assist in my development as an effective communicator. The characteristics
I documented were attributes that were primarily found in Martin Luther King and former U.S.
president Barack Obama. These specific attributes are charisma, empathy, articulation,
storytelling, and confidence. All five of these attributes can contribute to an increase in my
presentation skills as an aspiring project manager.
Confidence
Confidence is essential to my improvement as an effective communicator. Managers,
business owners, and other public speakers that lack confidence have difficulties captivating a
crowd and subsequently intaking their message. Lacking confidence denotes a lack of sincerity
in their message and within themselves. Therefore, if one wishes to provide a message that they
hope will leave an impact, it will behoove these same presenters to invoke some form of
confidence in their speech to ensure said impact is evident. Many people try to increase their
confidence by speaking from the heart, using humor, having a solid voice and tone, and making
strong eye contact. Although I consider my confidence to already be somewhat stable, I still
believe that there could be some room for improvement. This week, I will start being surer of
myself as an individual by placing myself in uncomfortable situations to avoid being placed in
my comfort zone. Additionally, I plan on reinforcing positive thoughts and actions. Furthermore,
I also intend on recording myself more often to alleviate any further anxiety when placing myself
on camera. The resources that I can use to help me in this endeavor are the class lectures
themselves and through the required and optional readings that detail how one may increase their
confidence as public speakers. Overall, I would rate my confidence with a 7 out of 10.
Empathy
As human beings, we have the natural inclination towards those that have the ability to
display and understand empathy. Because we value empathy to such a prominent degree, it
should not come as a surprise that we tend to implement empathetic values in or presentations.
Presentations regarding social issues require a significant amount of empathy in order to further
connect with one’s audience. Utilizing empathy is a trait that I would undoubtedly benefit my
abilities as a public speaker. The first action I will take to improve on my ability to empathize
with an audience is to spend time to anticipate with what the audience wants. This action will
allow me to place myself in the audience’s shoes, which some would postulate as the basis of
empathy in general. Secondly, I would attempt to be more vulnerable with my audience rather
than concealing said vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities can be a personal story that is pertinent
to the subject or personal failures that are also pertinent to the topic at hand. Thirdly, I intend on
increasing my listening skills. Increasing my listening skills will allow me to easily connect with
what others have said in order to have a more comprehensive dialogue. I would rate my current
skills of empathy as a 5 out of 10. The main resource I can use to increase my empathy is the
feedback received from my fellow classmates. Receiving and giving feedback will allow me to
further understand my classmates point of view when giving a critique.
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Charisma
Communication and public speaking in general require some form of charisma. The
majority of effective public speakers have a strong sense of charisma in order to captivate their
audience. Currently, I would rate my level of charisma as a 5 out of 10. Utilizing charisma will
make it easier for me to cultivate larger crowds while having their full attention. I intend on
improving on my charisma by learning how to smile more often when presenting, making solid
eye contact, and by energizing my voice. All three of these improvements will make me more
memorable and approachable as a presenter both as a student and as a project manager. Smiling
more often while presenting can work well with establishing trust with one’s audience.
Additionally, smiling while presenting can reduce anxiety and tension while presenting to a
classroom or an even larger audience. Making strong eye contact coincides with smiling for your
audience. Smiling with your audience and making strong contact will consequently result in a
voice that is energetic and dynamic rather than a voice that is dull and static. A dynamic and
energetic voice coincides with the presenter energizing their voice. Resources I can use to
increase my level of charisma are the class presentations, the additional class readings, and the
feedback from any assignment I may submit.
Articulation
Contrary to popular belief, one who is articulate is not one who utilizes complex
vernacular. Someone who is articulate is someone who knows what words to say and how to say
them in order to get them across a certain audience. I strongly believe that I could improve on
how I decide what words to use in order to effectively communicate to an audience. Currently, I
would rate my level of articulation as a 7 out of 10. To further improve on this front, I intend to
speak slowly when I talk. I’ve discovered that whenever I talk at my usual speed, I tend to talk
faster than most people. Whenever this occurs, it becomes difficult for some people to
understand what I am trying to say. By speaking at a slower speed, I would be able to better
enunciate certain words that would be difficult to hear when speaking at a faster pace. Secondly,
I would improve on the volume at which I speak. Throughout my time presenting as an
architecture student, I noticed that some have struggled to hear my voice not because I was shy,
but because my pitch is naturally very low. Those with lower pitches have the tendency to have
difficulties with others hearing them because our ears have an easier time understanding those
with higher pitches during annual conversation. Therefore, my improvements would revolve
around being mindful of my pitch whenever I speak and ensuring that others can clearly hear
what it is I am saying. Thirdly, I would watch for unnecessary words when giving a presentation.
When writing or giving a presentation, some have the tendency to utilize words that are either
irrelevant to the topic at hand, or redundant within greater context. Sometimes, when giving a
presentation, I have the tendency to use certain words such as “um”, “okay”, or “so”. Although I
attempt not to do this very often, it can be difficult to forsake these words altogether as they feel
somewhat natural. In summation, to improve on my use of unnecessary words, I intend to speak
slowly and take frequent pauses as I speak rather than fill the silence with the aforementioned
irrelevant words. In addition to removing these filler words, I also intend to regulate my volume
while speaking, and I intend on making my word choice more concise to further get my point
across. Speeches that tend to be both articulate and concise tend to be more memorable in stark
contrast with speeches that tend to drag on while simultaneously not making their points clear.
The resources I can use to improve on my articulation are the main textbook: A Pocket Guide to
Public Speaking, my fellow classmates, and feedback from my instructor.
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Storytelling
Historical events, oral traditions, and techniques have been passed down through the art
of storytelling for centuries. Various public speakers have mastered and implemented the art of
storytelling in their presentations. Those that have the tendency to tell stories when giving
speeches or presentations intend to invoke a form of trust, empathy, and persuasion. Many
speakers throughout history also use these techniques in order to keep the audience engaged
whether they happen to discuss social issues, political issues, or economic issues. Because
human beings are somewhat hardwired to listen to stories, telling a story when giving a speech
can be an effective tool because we naturally respond to events that illicit powerful emotions.
Currently, storytelling has become one of my weaker characteristics as a public speaker, as I
would currently rate my storytelling skills with a 4 out of 10. Whenever I give presentations, I
tend to go along with the outline of what I’ve written before giving the actual speech. Over time,
I realized that implementing more stories in my presentations could captivate audiences further
and make my presentation more memorable. To improve on my skills as a storyteller, I initially
intend on telling a personal story that is not only relevant to the presentation, but impactful for
the audience as well. Secondly, I intend to use my stories to build up tension to its ultimate
conclusion. Some have even suggested that one can form contrasts between two subjects so that
the audience can keep guessing what happens next (Bicks). This growing anticipation has a
greater chance of resonating with the audience and thus being more memorable. Thirdly, I intend
to use my storytelling abilities to display levels of competency for a specific job that I may be
applying for. These stories could be short, concise, and relevant to the interviewer’s inquiry of
experience. For example, if an interviewer were to inquire about any prior experience I may have
either in project management or construction in general, I would tell stories about my time spent
as an Insulation Installer while working for the company 84 Lumber.
DISC Personality Assessment
Communication influences many aspects of life, both professionally and personally. The
DISC Personality Assessment concluded, with an abundance of the Dominance personality type,
that I have a strong inner motivation to assertively create and implement new ideas, that I handle
pressure well, strive for excellence, and that I am innovative while being afraid of taking risks. I
mostly agreed with the results because many people have told me that I have high expectations
for myself and for other people. I’ve also been told that I am a go-getter when it comes to
accomplishing my own goals. The insights that I have gained from this test were not very
surprising. Despite the fact that the majority of the results were somewhat underwhelming, being
self-aware of my Dominance personality makes me a more effective communicator because I
can now appeal to the strengths of the Dominance personality type and improve on the
weaknesses of the Dominance personality type. If I were unaware of this personality type, it
would be much more difficult to ascertain my strengths and weaknesses as a communicator.
Conflict Management Styles Assessment 
Encountering conflict as a project manager is almost inevitable. Strong communicators
tend to have varying styles of managing conflicts. The Conflict Management Styles Assessment
determined that my preferred conflict management style is Collaborating. The Collaborating
style can help improve effective communication because collaboration is an effective solution
when determining the most efficient methods of managing conflict. This is especially relevant in
the realm of Construction project management because this form of project management is
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essentially a collaborative process. Many parties are involved and must find ways in which they
can effectively complete certain projects. One specific example I can think of utilizing this style
of Conflict Management was during a class project I was involved for one of my architectural
history classes. This assignment required us to analyze the stylistic elements of the house that
was assigned to us. Two of my group members constantly argued about whether or not the house
implemented classical elements into the structure. I decided that I would research this in order to
confirm this and potentially end this conflict so that we could continue with the rest of the
project. After I determined that there were indeed classical elements in the Kicking Horse house.
The readings have provided me with some techniques that I could apply to further
enhance this style of managing conflict. The first techniques came from the text called: Crucial
Conversations. In this reading, it instructs the reader to utilize the CRIB technique when
attempting to get to what the authors call, a mutual purpose. The “C” portion of the CRIB
acronym stands for: Commit to seek a mutual purpose. In order to commit to a mutual purpose.
one must stay in the conversation until one can devise a solution that benefits everyone else.
Additionally, the “B” in the acronym encourages the reader to “Brainstorm new strategies” to
prevent any further jeopardy within the group (Patterson et al. 87). I chose these techniques
because they directly coincide with my preferred style of conflict management and would
highlight some of my inherent strengths as an effective communicator.
Yung Personality Test Assessment
The Yung personality test concluded that have an ENTJ personality type. I mostly agree
with the results. Regarding my frustration with inefficiencies, the test was extremely accurate.
Throughout the majority of my daily life, I tend to make decisions that would result in me
completing certain goals as quickly as possible, or with as little effort as possible. This
philosophy can be best summed up as “working smarter rather than harder”. There were some
insights that were quite surprising. For example, the test concluded that I had an extremely
extroverted personality. While I do enjoy being around groups of people to some extent, I do not
think that this personality trait is as extreme as the test proclaims.
ENTJ personality types are somewhat similar to the Dominance personality type
described by the DISC assessment results. One of these similarities is the prominence of
assertiveness. Both personality types have the tendency to deal with problems and conflicting
situations aggressively rather than passively. Both personality types also have the tendency to
determine the most effective solutions that would undoubtedly produce the best outcome for the
overall team. They see themselves as leaders and consequently as the most dominant force in
their respective groups.
Conclusion
As communicators, having some form of introspective is imperative if we intend to
maintain a significant amount of satisfaction with our actions. Failing to do so could result in us
be disillusioned with what it means to be both an effective communicator and a leader. After
reading the assigned texts and analyzing my characteristics as a communicator, I have found
these practices to be very enlightening. Anyone pursuing a career that requires that one be an
effective communicator, such as a Construction project manager, should have an interest in
learning and understanding their unique strengths and weaknesses as a leader. This form of self-
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awareness would not only benefit myself, but it would also benefit those that happen to work
with me both in the academic world and the professional world.

DISC Personality Assessment Results

Conflict Management Styles Assessment Results 

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Yung Personality Test Assessment

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Works Cited

Bicks, Becky. “Improve Your Storytelling Presentation Skills and Get Your Ideas Adopted.”
Duarte, 31 July 2021, https://www.duarte.com/presentation-skills-resources/storytelling-
presentation-skills/.

Faulkner, Michael, and Andrea Nierenberg. Networking for College Students and Gradates.
Pearson Learning Solutions, 2017. Print.

Gallo, Carmine. Five Stars the Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great. St. Martin’s
Press, 2018. Print.

Patterson, Kerry, et al. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes Are High.
McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.