University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Joseph Neto
Communication for Project Managers: ENCE424
Dr. Shana Webster-Troutman
September 25th, 2021
Introduction

With only two semesters of college left, I am very close to entering the real world as an
engineer. I have completed many courses with focuses on engineering principles and theories,
but there is more to coming up with solutions to the various different problems in the world than
just math and science. Projects need to have a leader who is organized and can oversee all
operations. In order to do that effectively, communication is a key skill. The Communication for
Project Managers course is crucial for my success in working my way up in a company, by
helping me develop skills in networking, public speaking, crucial conversations, and
communication as a whole. This essay will highlight what I have learned this far in the course
and how I have, and will, practice some of these new skills.

Concepts from Readings

One concept that I learned about when reading Five Stars: The Communication Secrets
to Get from Good to Great by Carmine Gallo (2018), is how important the use of the three
different rhetoric proofs is. One individual that the reading highlights is Thomas Jefferson. He is
described to be “skilled at delivering information in a logical structure while also eliciting the
right emotions for the cause”(Gallo, 50). As the attorney selected to write the Declaration of
Independence, it was crucial to select someone who was considered to be “a master of the
persuasive arts.”

What makes Jefferson such a good communicator to learn from is how he uses all three
of Aristotle’s rhetorical proofs so well. Not only was Jefferson an accredited attorney, but he
understood that “persuasion isn’t simply a recitation of facts.” It is said that his writing not only
placed an emphasis on the logic behind his thoughts but his ability to effectively tap into the
readers’ emotions. Later in the reading, we learn about why Pathos, the appeal to emotion, is so
effective. Through scientific studies, it has been determined that “emotion is the fastest path to
the brain” (Gallo, 51).

When taking this into consideration and looking back at how I present persuasive
information, I believe I do a good job utilizing the proof of Logos by highlighting specific facts,
but I do not pay as much attention to Pathos. One thing I am going to work on is my appeal to
the emotions of my audience. According to molecular biologist John Medina, “stories trigger a
rush, provided by chemicals such as oxytocin, dopamine, and cortisol”(Gallo, 52). A great way
to tap into the emotions of your audience is by telling stories that relate to your topic. In the
future, adding stories to my communication will be a great way to take advantage of the Pathos
proof.

Another concept that I found to be very important is the focus of chapter three of Crucial
Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition by Kerry Patterson,
Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler (2011). This chapter focuses on “how to stay
focused on what you really want.” I believe this is a very important concept because of how easy
it is to lose track of what the main point of your work is. This is especially crucial when taking
part in crucial conversations. One anecdote used was a story about two sisters fighting for who
got to use the bathroom first. When their dad had them figure it out between the two of them, it
took twenty-five minutes for them to come to an agreement and both eventually go to the
bathroom (Patterson, 27). This was something that I was able to relate to and laugh about (as
mentioned earlier that stories appeal to emotions), as I have two younger brothers who are close
in age and have had many fights very similar to that. One thing that was highlighted when
considering this crucial conversation between the two sisters is how they lost track of going to
the bathroom and took more time to argue and name call rather than finding a solution sooner
than later so they could both be satisfied and comfortable quicker.

“More often than not, we do something to contribute to the problems we're experiencing”
(Patterson, 29). When losing track of what your goal is, the communication is made out to
become more challenging and unnecessary as it is no longer about the main point. When in a
crucial conversation, it is important to always keep the main point in mind. Especially when
conversations become heated and emotional, taking a step back and remembering what the end
goal is should be the top priority. It is easy to go off-topic and criticize someone like siblings
fighting, but then that will lead to a disagreement to become unnecessarily longer.

As I still sometimes resort to namecalling and insults when in heated crucial

conversations, I am going to work on trying to keep the main goal of the conversation in mind.
Although resorting to getting off-topic is easy and may make me feel better in the moment, I will
make sure to take a step back and remind myself of what I am trying to accomplish when crucial
conversations become too emotional.

The last concept that resonated with me during the first few weeks of this course is
controlling your voice when speaking. This was covered in chapter 17 of A Pocket Guide to
Public Speaking 5th ed. by Dan O’Hair, Hannah Rubenstein, and Rob Stewart (2016). When
verbally communicating, there is a lot of information that comes across from not only what you
say but how you say it. Being able to fully control your voice is important as your voice “can
signal confidence and control, and enable you to communicate meaning exactly as you intend”
(O’Hair, 129).

There are many different ways to manipulate your voice. One way in doing that is by
controlling how you sound when speaking. The first component to control is the volume in
which you speak. When choosing a volume to speak at, there are a few things to consider, such
as the size of the room, if there is a microphone, and if there is background noise (O’Hair, 130).
Your pitch is another component to control how you sound. It is not only important to find a
range that is comfortable to speak at but using a variety of pitches when speaking. Adjusting
pitch can help create an emphasis on certain words to help express your feeling about what you
are speaking about.

In addition to the sound of your voice, the patterns in which you speak also have a great
effect on your communication. Being able to control your speech patterns is just as important as
the sound of your voice. Two ways to control speech patterns are speaking rate and strategic
pauses (O’Hare, 131). Just like controlling the sound of your voice, changing your speaking rate
and pausing at the right time can add emphasis to certain words.

When looking back at videos of me speaking, in formal and informal settings, I have
noticed that I am very monotone. It sometimes even looks like I am boring myself when I talk.
My pace and pauses are usually pretty good, but the tone and volume of my voice are very
stagnant. In the future, I want to focus on manipulating my voice much more and sound more
excited when I speak. I think varying the pitch and even volume sometimes will help me not only
emphasize my points better but sound more excited and hopefully get my audience excited about
what I am talking about too.

Networking

Since this class has begun, I have started to pay more attention to situations where I can
network. On our first day of class, we were instructed to exchange contact information with
some of our classmates. I think this was a great start and not only do I have a way to contact
some of my classmates but having just a small interaction helped in developing a relationship as
well.
In addition to meeting with my classmates, I also did some networking over the summer.
I remembered a member in a group project I was a part of mentioned that his father worked at
the Goddard Space Flight Center. I reached out to that group member and asked if his dad would
mind if we could set up a call. We were able to have a great conversation over Microsoft Teams
and I got to learn a lot about his experience at the Goddard Space Flight Center as well as
creating a meaningful relationship.

DISC Personality Assessment

After completing the DISC Personality Assessment, the factors were ordered Dominance
was at 48%, Influence at 33%, Compliance at 11%, and Steadiness at only 7%. I was personally
surprised to see these results, however, when completing the assessment, I felt conflicted for
most of the questions as I felt most of the choices applied to me. I believe my ability to deal with
problems and control certain situations is strong, but I was expecting to receive more evenly
distributed results. With steadiness and compliance being my lowest factors, I was shocked how
low they were compared to the others. I like to think that I am fairly organized when it comes to
my responsibilities. I keep an agenda that I update every day to keep track of my assignments
as well as activities and responsibilities outside of the classroom. Seeing I had only received
11% for Compliance was surprising, especially because of how much I enjoy going through my
schedule and making sure I am on top of what I have to do each week. When considering
Steadiness, to see that this factor describes temperament, it made me feel a little sad as I
believe it is very important how you treat others. I think I do have a fair amount of patience and I
believe I am thoughtful as well.

However, just because I do not agree with these results does not mean that I will not
take them into account in the future. I am well aware of how important it is to be organized,
especially as a project manager. I have worked with multiple project managers over the last few
summers during my internships, and there is no doubt that there is a correlation between the
organization of the project manager and how well the project sticks to the schedule. The same
goes for one’s temperament. When communicating with contractors and subcontractors, it is
important to be patient but persistent at the same time. As organized as the project manager
may be, it is difficult for everyone to be on the same page all the time so mistakes will happen.
When it does, it is important to be patient, but to make it known that the mistake needs to be
fixed. I believe that also ties into dominance and influence as well. When problems arise, it is
necessary for the project manager to have control over those situations and to effectively
communicate with others on the project.

Conflict Management Styles Assessment

Unlike the personality assessment, I strongly agreed with my results from the conflict
management styles assessment. My conflict management style is compared to a shark. This style
is described as Competing, someone who values their goals over their relationships. While I do
value my relationships, I believe those who care about me should value my goals and would
respect me for standing up for what I believe in. However, unlike the description, I would never
force others to agree with me or to accept my solution. That is why I think my second-highest
score for the conflict management styles was Accommodating and Collaborating, which values
relationships over goals and values relationships and goals equally.

I believe this style of conflict management is good because I will try to control the
conflict with my end goal in mind, but will do so respectfully as I value the relationship between
myself and those I have a conflict with. An example of this is when I was living with my
roommates sophomore year and the apartment kitchen was dirty and dishes piled up in the sink. I
would get frustrated when I would want to cook, but I would have to clean up after someone else
before I even began to prep my meal. One day I was tired of cleaning up after my roommates and
I called for a house meeting. I was very blunt about how I felt and made it clear that everyone
needed to start cleaning up after themselves. I was more concerned with everyone being on the
same page about keeping the apartment clean because it not only made our lives easier but it was
more sanitary and more presentable when we had guests over. I was assertive and did not have a
smile when I shared how I felt, but I made sure to get my point across. It was clear that some of
my roommates were not happy with me, but after some time they expressed that they respected
me for speaking up for myself and we were all still friends. I believe being assertive and having
your goals in mind, but keeping relationships in mind as a close second is the best style when
dealing with conflict, especially as a project manager as money and a company’s reputation is on
the line. This ties into “how to stay focused on what you really want” (Patterson, 27). Keeping
the end goal in mind is always the objective. Especially when working on the same team, getting
to the solution is always the priority because everyone wants to experience success. It is
important to have that end goal in mind as the top priority. If you are solving the conflict with the
end goal in mind, there will be no insults or attacking anyone’s character which would not
damage any relationships.

Yung Personality Assessment

After completing the Yung personality assessment, I was happy to see the results I
received. The personality type that this assessment describes me as is the
Extravert-Intuitive-Feeler-Perceiver. I agreed with how this personality type described me as I
was able to see myself within the description of each of the four factors of this result. I
absolutely feel like I am an outgoing person, where I am full of energy and very talkative, even
to people I do not know. I also agree that I am an optimist and have a very future-oriented
mindset and am always thinking about what could be next. Emotions are also a big part of my
personality, as I care a lot about how others feel about me and I always want everyone I meet to
have a good perception of who I am, as well as me wanting everyone around me to be enjoying
themselves. Lastly, I believe that I live a fairly spontaneous life. With lots of last-minute
decisions, and one of my common phrases, “it will be a game-time decision,” I prefer to leave
things open-ended and do whatever feels right in the moment.

I think this was a very different type of personality assessment compared to the DISC
assessment. I believe that the DISC personality assessment was more based on how an individual
responds to certain situations. Because I am the type of person to stick to my gut and make
decisions based on what I feel is right, the DISC assessment gave me results that I did not agree
with too much, as there are many factors that go into making my decisions. On the other hand,
the Yung assessment produced results more based on character. I believe that this assessment
showed more of who I am as a person, not how I make decisions. I think the Yung personality
assessment was a much better assessment because I think you learn more about a person from
their character compared to the decisions they make. This is because there are situations where
tough decisions need to be made, and internal conflict is not demonstrated by that decision.
However, if you know someone’s character, you are more likely to be able to predict someone’s
decisions, but can also predict when there will be internal conflict as well.
Conclusion

After the first few weeks of this course, I have already learned so much, not only about
communication but myself as well. Through the different readings and various concepts I have
learned about, I know what skills I can work on when communicating with others. I think the
various techniques of voice manipulation, staying focused on the end goal, and using rhetoric, I
can improve my communication, professionally and personally. I have also learned a lot about
myself through the self-assessments. While I may not agree with every result from the
assessments, I would be a fool to not consider each result when trying to improve myself. I know
I am very end goal-oriented, but I will make sure to keep the relationships I have as a high
priority as well when fighting for what I want.

I am very excited to learn even more about the “soft skill” of communication and how I
can become the most effective communicator I can be. I look forward to not only learning about
how to communicate but how I communicate and how I can improve. The in-class exercises are
my favorite part of my week as I get to go out of my comfort zone and practice these great skills.
I really enjoyed this pearl diving assignment and I got to reflect on how productive these last few
weeks have been.
 Works Cited

Faulkner, Michael, and Andrea Nierenberg.

Networking for College Students and Graduates.

Pearson Learning Solutions, 2017. Print.

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

O’Hair, Dan, and Hannah Rubenstein and Rob Stewart.

A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking.

Patterson, Kerry, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler, 2011.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition
DISC personality test result - free DISC types test online at 123test.com 9/22/21, 9'47 PM

Your DISC Personality Report

Introduction
Your specific distribution of scores on the DISC personality test is an indication of
your unique personality. You can think of this as your DISC Personality 'DNA'. In the
pie chart below you see your distribution of scores.

The highest percentage is likely to be your most dominant personality factor, the
second highest your next most dominant personality factor and so on. As such for
you the DISC factors are ordered as: Dominance, Influence, Compliance, Steadiness.

DISC Personality Model

To help you understand the DISC model of personality here are definitions of the

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DISC personality test result - free DISC types test online at 123test.com 9/22/21, 9'47 PM

four factors measured.

Dominance Describes the way you deal with problems, assert yourself and control
situations.

Influence Describes the way you deal with people, the way you communicate and
relate to others.

Steadiness Describes your temperament - patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness

Compliance Describes how you approach and organize your activity, procedures and
responsibilities.

Your DISC personality type

Your unique sequence of scores characterizes you in a specific way. The positive
impact you are likely to make on people is:

DISC Patterns or Profiles

As you will appreciate, there are literally thousands of different combinations of
scores. Therefore to help interpretation, communication and understanding, DISC
Personality Model experts have defined - through statistical analysis of the score
combinations - fifteen DISC 'Patterns' or 'Profiles'.

The 'Profiles' are often given names. The objective of these names is to give a single
descriptive term that captures the essence of that Profile. Names often used are
Achiever, Coach, Evaluator, Counselor, Creator, Individualist, Inspirational,
Investigator, Objective Thinker, Perfectionist, Persuader, Practitioner, Enthusiast,
Results-Oriented or Specialist

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 Conflict Management Styles Assessment
Please CIRCLE ONE response that best describes you. Be honest, this survey is designed to help you
learn about your conflict management style. There are no right or wrong answers!

Joe Neto
Name ________________________ 9/23/2021
Date _____________________

Rarely Sometimes Often Always

1. I discuss issues with others to try to find solutions that meet everyone’s
1 2 3 4
needs.

2. I try to negotiate and use a give-and-take approach to problem situations. 1 2 3 4

3. I try to meet the expectations of others. 1 2 3 4

4. I would argue my case and insist on the advantages of my point of view. 1 2 3 4

5. When there is a disagreement, I gather as much information as I can and

1 2 3 4
keep the lines of communication open.
6. When I find myself in an argument, I usually say very little and try to leave
1 2 3 4
as soon as possible.
7. I try to see conflicts from both sides. What do I need? What does the other
1 2 3 4
person need? What are the issues involved?

8. I prefer to compromise when solving problems and just move on. 1 2 3 4

9. I find conflicts exhilarating; I enjoy the battle of wits that usually follows. 1 2 3 4

10. Being in a disagreement with other people makes me feel uncomfortable

1 2 3 4
and anxious.

11. I try to meet the wishes of my friends and family. 1 2 3 4

12. I can figure out what needs to be done and I am usually right. 1 2 3 4

13. To break deadlocks, I would meet people halfway. 1 2 3 4

14. I may not get what I want but it’s a small price to pay for keeping the
1 2 3 4
peace.

15. I avoid hard feelings by keeping my disagreements with others to myself. 1 2 3 4

Source: Reginald (Reg) Adkins, Ph.D., Elemental Truths. http://elementaltruths.blogspot.com/2006/11/conflict-

management-quiz.html
 Scoring the Conflict Management Styles Assessment

As stated, the 15 statements correspond to the five conflict management styles. To find your
most preferred style, total the points for each style. The style with the highest score indicates
your most commonly used strategy. The one with the lowest score indicates your least
preferred strategy. However, all styles have pros and cons, so it’s important that you can use
the most appropriate style for each conflict situation.

Style Corresponding Statements: Total:

Collaborating (questions 1, 5, 7): 9

_______

Competing: (questions 4, 9, 12): 11

_______

Avoiding: (questions 6, 10, 15): 3

_______

Accommodating: (questions 3, 11, 14): 9

_______

Compromising: (questions 2, 8, 13) 7

_______

Collaborating
My preferred conflict management style is: _______________________________

Compromising
The conflict management style I would like to work on is: ____________________

How can I practice this conflict management style?

To work on compromising, I can do more listening and
___________________________________________________________________
consider what others want out of the disagrement too.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
 Brief Descriptions of the Five Conflict Management Styles
Keep in mind that one style of conflict management is not necessarily better than another; each
style has pros and cons, and each can be useful depending on the situation. This assessment is
intended to help you identify your typical response to conflict, with the goal that when you
encounter future conflicts, you will be aware of not only your instinctive reaction, but also the
pros and cons of that reaction for the specific situation. Furthermore, you will also be aware of
the other styles of conflict management that you could draw on to resolve the situation, if one
of the other styles is more appropriate for the current situation.

Owl Collaborating
Owls highly value both their goals and their relationships. They view conflict as a
problem to be solved and seek a solution that achieves both their goals and the goals
of the other person. Owls see conflicts as a means of improving relationships by reducing
tensions between two persons. They try to begin a discussion that identifies the conflict as a
problem, and strive to resolve tensions and maintain the relationship by seeking solutions that
satisfy both themselves and the other person.
Turtle Avoiding
Turtles tend to value avoiding confrontation more than either their goals or
relationships. They often find it easier to withdraw from a conflict than to face it. This might
even include completely giving up relationships or goals that are associated with the conflict.
Shark Competing
Sharks typically value their goals over relationships, meaning that if forced to
choose, they would seek to achieve their goals even at the cost of the relationship
involved. Sharks are typically more concerned with accomplishing their goals than with being
liked by others. They might try to force opponents to accept their solution to the conflict by
overpowering them.
Teddy Bear Accommodating
Teddy Bears typically value relationships over their own goals; if forced to choose,
Teddy Bears will often sacrifice their goals in order to maintain relationships. Teddy
Bears generally want to be liked by others, and prefer to avoid conflict because they believe
addressing it will damage relationships. Teddy Bears try to smooth over conflict to prevent
damage to the relationship.
Fox Compromising
Foxes are moderately concerned with both their goals and their relationships with
others. Foxes typically seek a compromise; they give up part of their goals and
persuade the other person in a conflict to give up part of their goals. They seek a conflict
solution in which both sides gain something; the middle ground between two extreme
positions. They are willing to sacrifice part of their goals in order to find agreement for the
common good.
Adapted from: Conflict Management Styles Descriptions. Docstoc, http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/47081621.png
Jung personality test result- free Jung personality test taking online at 123test.com 9/24/21, 2(58 PM

Your Jung personality report

What makes you different?
Report information

Gender: Male
Age: 21

This free report describes how you prefer to: deal with and relate to people, process
information, make decisions and organize your life. It gives you a good overview of
your personality and behavior. You can use this information to assess how well your
personality might fit a potential employer or type of job.

Your Jung personality type

The descriptions you chose about your behavior indicate that the Personality Type
that most accurately describes you is: Extravert-iNtuitive-Feeler-Perceiver

Extraverts are outgoing, energetic and action-oriented. They are enthusiastic

and expressive
iNtuitives pay more attention to information that is imaginative and original.
iNtuitives focus on the future.
Feelers let their feelings and emotions play a leading role because of their
concern for other people.
Perceivers prefer a lifestyle that is spontaneous, flexible and adaptable. They
like an environment that is unstructured, and like to keep their options open.

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An ENFP at-a-glance
You are a charming, effervescent and people-oriented individual. You have a
contagious enthusiasm and love to inspire others to greater things. You see potential
in everyone and in every situation.
People are naturally attracted to you - they see you as passionate, inspirational and
lively. You have an exceptional ability to intuitively understand a person after a very
short period of time. You use your intuition and flexibility to relate to others on their
own level - to be on the same wavelength.

You live in a busy world of possibilities where your imagination runs free and each
and every day is important. You just can't bear to be left out of anything! For you,
diversity is the universal key to happiness in life - you enjoy many different types of
friends, interests and experiences. Every Jung Personality type has one or two
specific nicknames that concisely describe your Jung personality type, e.g. Inventor,
Strategist, Protector and others.

Your probable contributions to an organization

Each Personality Type has a different set of skills, talents and attributes that they
bring to an organization, group or relationship. Here is a list of those most commonly
associated with Personality Types like you - ENFP.

Brings a special brand of warmth, graciousness, enthusiasm, color and

vivaciousness to an organization.
Seeks variety, challenge, diversity, novelty and ideas.
Easily handles and excels in ambiguous situations.
Has little hesitancy in becoming involved in different projects - does not hold
back.
Is committed to the progress and growth of people.

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On a team
Some people work well on teams, others work best on their own. Understanding the
personality types of team members provides information about how individuals are
likely to carry out their work and interact with each other. Given your personality
preferences, the following are the strengths (and possible weaknesses!) you will most
likely bring to a team:

Has an infectious excitement that inspires others.

Contributes creative ideas along with humanitarian values and limitless
potential.
Constantly empowers and validates others and their contributions.
Allows team members to share and express themselves.
Is terrific at integrating people, resources and overall vision.

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