University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Siddharth Sharma

Communication for Project Managers: ENCE614

Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman

March 04, 2023

Introduction
Communication is a fundamental aspect of human existence, allowing us to connect, share
ideas, and express ourselves in meaningful ways. It is a way to understand someone and to ensure
that you are being understood. As a master’s student studying engineering and having more than
two years of professional job experience, I have seen what a crucial role effective communication
can play in our professional life too.
For a Project Manager, effective communication is a basic need and especially as we are supposed
to be working in teams, its value increases exponentially. Effective communication can help in
timely completion of project within the constraints of scope and cost or could lead to a failure and
big losses to an organization. We in the course “Communication for Project Managers” focus on
learning effective communication skills and how to apply these skills in real world through class
activities. This essay will highlight the lessons learned through the required readings and during
the lectures of the class, the measures I am taking in increasing my network and how I have gained
insights and learned about myself through various personality assessments.

Concepts from Readings

The first very inspiring and interesting concept from the readings is the power of common
goal to rally a team. The reading, Five Stars, The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to
Great, shares a very inspiring anecdote of how one-man John F. Kennedy inspired not just an
organization but the whole America with the idea of putting a man on the moon. It is amazing to
realize that the one giant leap for mankind which was the final step of the process was the bold lit
idea of one person. It gave a purpose to 400,000 Americans to be enthusiastic and work together
as a team towards a common goal.
I believe this is a crucial communication technique that leaders should have in their arsenal when
working on a big project. I believe so much in this because I have experienced applying this and
have seen it yielding positive results. It makes a difficult journey a bit easier and inspires everyone
to move together in a single direction. In my previous job experience, when I was promoted to the
position of leading a team of firefighters, I found that many members found their daily task very
boring and near useless. I knew that this point-of-view was due to repetition of things and not
being able to see the result of their daily hard-work. I then discussed it with my superiors to have
a recognition system and whenever there was an emergency, we would award a small gift and
words of appreciation to the people who took care of their responsible area. I knew that when an
emergency strikes, properly inspected and maintained life safety equipment is of huge
significance. This small recognition of doing their daily job greatly had a big effect in uplifting the
morale of the team.

A second pertinent topic covered by the readings is choosing and focusing on the right
topic. As emphasized in Crucial Conversation, I believe it is very important to be sure that we
hold the right conversation for solving a problem. The reading gives us numerous examples of
complex human interaction and how when a person is asked a difficult question the conversation
completely shifts to a different topic.
In our real life, we have come across this situation many times ourselves. When we try to confront
someone and put them in a tough spot or when the stakes are high, we can feel that the emotions
are rising. This leads to shifting of the topic and usually ends up in heated debate resulting in a
failure to achieve the goals of conversation. We are left scratching our heads and thinking on what
we wanted to communicate about and what we communicated. The biggest lesson that I learned
from the reading was that we must acknowledge what the other person is telling us. By doing this
you can earn their confidence that whatever they have said will be addressed, however the task at
hand needs to be currently focused upon. I believe to become skillful in the art of crucial
conversation it is extremely important that we all master this technique.

Another important and interesting topic discussed in the readings is analyzing your
audience. As mentioned in chapter 6 of Pocket Guide to Public Speaking, the perspective of our
speech preparation process should always be audience-centered.
While preparing for our speech, we should ask ourselves who are our listeners? It is after we
have the answer to that question, we can tailor our speech to the audience’s psychology. Their
attitudes, their beliefs, their values lay the foundation stones for our speech. This concept was
beautifully demonstrated in the class activity of the week 4 lecture where we were supposed to
modify our speech as our target audience on “how to invest your money” was changed from
college students to middle aged finance professionals. We understood from that activity that we
always need to adapt our message from our speech to the audience demographics. For example,
in that activity, the age of the audience changed, that meant that we our audience was not novice
in dealing with finances. They have some experience of it. If the speech was left unmodified, the
audience would have lost their interest as they already knew what we wanted to talk about.
Therefore paying attention to audience demographics can have a significant impact on the
reception of our speech by the audience.
Networking

The Communication for Project Manager course is a boon in teaching us how to gain
networks.
I had a LinkedIn account prior to starting this course. I also sent invitations or received ones to
connect with many of my fellow classmates and Dr. Trotman. Following are the names of some
of my classmates with whom I have made new connections with:
1. Denis Silva
2. Daniel Ficca
3. Ethan Cosgrove
4. Hari Donthireddy
5. Jaelyn Boyden
6. Lejuan Johnson
7. Maya Sidorovich
8. Mubarak Babalola
9. Kathryn Whitehead
10. Ulises Rodriguez
Besides using LinkedIn, I attended the spring career fair. It provided me with a lot of opportunities
to grow my network. I would also emphasize that I also went to booths of the companies that had
a requirement of only US citizens. As I am an international student, our visa must be sponsored by
the organization we work for. My outreach to those companies was to introduce myself and gain
more insights into the work they are doing. Almost all of them appreciated me for doing that and
I got to expand my network.
To maintain my current network, I also connected with a few of them over phone or messaging.
One of them graduated from UMD and has helped me in finding me an internship opportunity. I
believe it is important to maintain the networks too and gain valuable advice from them from time
to time.
Lastly, I attended meet and greet sessions with the various companies that are being organized by
my department. It was done over a relaxed environment as compared to a career fair and gave me
an opportunity to strike up greater in-depth conversation with the people in my career interest field.
I ensured that connected with all the people I met on LinkedIn and send a personal thank-you note
for interacting and helping me in increasing my knowledge about my field.
DISC Personality Assessment

Understanding our own personality is very important when working in teams and in
developing strategies to meet the demands of our environment. A person’s behavior can be
attributed to our ‘nature’ and our upbringing. Based on the results of my assessment, I scored
highest in the Dominance category at 33%, followed by Compliance and Steadiness at 26% each,
and Influence at 15%. After carefully studying the results, I agree with them.

Individuals with a Dominant personality type tend to be assertive and confident, with a strong
desire to control their environment and take charge of situations. When dealing with problems, I
tend to assert myself and take control of the situations. I believe this personality of mine can be
attributed to the extensive firefighting training I went through during my undergraduate studies.
Establishing authority and taking control was ingrained in us to deal with distressing conditions.
At the same time, we are also taught to be responsive to challenges in a practical, realistic, and
enthusiastic manner. Dominant people are often seen as natural leaders and tend to be decisive and
goal oriented. Their strengths include a willingness to take risks and make tough decisions, a focus
on achieving results, and a talent for problem-solving. I am assertive, self-sufficient, and
individualistic.

On the other hand, individuals with a Steady personality type tend to value stability, predictability,
and harmony. They are often described as patient, reliable, and loyal. They prefer to work in a
supportive role, focusing on details and ensuring tasks are completed accurately and on time. Their
strengths include being a team player, strong listening skills, and a talent for creating a peaceful
and harmonious environment. As mentioned in the report, I try to take care of the members of my
team. I believe by doing so you gain trust from your team members. Due to this personality trait
people are likely to perceive me as being rational and creative at the same time.

Individuals with a Compliance personality type tend to be analytical, detail-oriented, and focused
on achieving high standards. They have a natural preference for rules and procedures, and their
strengths include a talent for organization and attention to detail. They tend to be reliable and
conscientious and strive to produce work of the highest quality. Personally, I believe that I pay
attention to the details. This gives me confidence in the work I am doing. I also try to remember
from my training that when dealing with an emergency it is extremely important our decisions are
based on facts. Therefore, I always try to make my decisions based on solid information. I try my
best to keep the emotions in check and rely on facts to base any decision off.

Lastly, my score in the Influence category was relatively low, suggesting that I may not possess
many traits associated with this personality type.

Overall, the DISC personality assessment can be a valuable tool for gaining insight into one's
personality type and behavioral tendencies. By understanding my strengths and weaknesses, I can
work to cultivate positive traits while addressing potential areas for improvement. Ultimately, this
can lead to greater self-awareness and more effective communication and collaboration with
others.
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, Steadiness, Compliance, Influence.

DISC Personality Model

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

You are responsive to challenges in a practical, realistic and enthusiastic manner.

You are a fact orientated person capable of providing help based on solid information. You are assertive,
self-sufficient and individualistic. People are likely to perceive you as being rational and creative at the
same time.

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'.
Conflict Management Styles Assessment

The Conflict Management Styles Assessment is a tool used to identify an individual's

preferred approach to resolving conflicts. The assessment measures five different conflict
management styles: Collaborating, Competing, Avoiding, Accommodating, and Compromising.
Based on my assessment results, my highest score was in the Collaborating category, followed
closely by Accommodating, with Competing and Compromising scoring similarly, and avoiding
being my lowest score.

Collaborating as a conflict management style is characterized by seeking a win-win solution for

all parties involved. This style involves actively listening to all sides of an argument and valuing
the opinions and perspectives of others. Collaborating involves working towards a resolution that
addresses the underlying issues and concerns of all parties. Personally, I prefer the collaborating
style of conflict management as I find it to be open-minded and empathetic. Many times, in our
lives, we must work out our differences with the other side. In doing so, we maintain our
relationship with them and keep progressing. This conflict style helped me a lot when I faced the
question of opting to studying abroad and leaving my job and my family in my home country. I
avoided making a “fools’ choice” as taught in the Crucial Conversation. I won the confidence and
blessings of my parents in doing so and at the same time I was able to achieve my goal of studying
at the university of my dreams. In doing this I will never regret taking a bold step in strengthening
my career and at the same time maintaining my relationship with my parents.

Accommodating is a conflict management style characterized by putting the needs of others above
one's own needs. This style involves finding a solution that satisfies the needs of others while
compromising one's own interests. Accommodating individuals are often described as selfless,
empathetic, and compassionate. This style is effective in situations where the relationship with the
other party is more important than the issue at hand. However, I feel have personally suffered due
to this trait of mine too. Settling on the lower end of the bargain is always difficult but sometimes
that is what we have to do to maintain our relationships.

Competing as a conflict management style involves a focus on winning at all costs. This style is
characterized by a desire to assert one's own interests and desires, often at the expense of others. I
enjoy a healthy competition. Due to this style, I tend to be assertive, confident, and willing to take
risks. This style is helpful in situations where quick, decisive action is required, but sometimes
also leads to negative outcomes if not managed carefully.

Compromising as a conflict management style involves finding a middle ground between two
opposing positions. This style involves making concessions on both sides in order to reach a
mutually acceptable agreement. Individuals who prefer the Compromising style tend to be
practical, flexible, and willing to negotiate. This style can be effective in situations where both
parties are willing to compromise, but may not be effective in situations where the issue at hand is
non-negotiable.
Avoiding as a conflict management style involves ignoring or avoiding the conflict altogether. My
lowest score was in the Avoiding category, which suggests that I may be willing to confront issues
directly rather than avoiding them. I find it that I usually don’t withdraw from the situation or put
off the discussion for a later time. However, this sometimes has me spend more energy on the
issues which could have been avoided.
Jung Personality Assessment

I completed the Jung Personality Assessment and found the results very insightful. I was
assessed as an Introvert-Sensor-Feeler-Judger (ISFJ). Based on my experience and statements
mentioned in the report, I agree with the assessment of my personality type. I will break down the
results and share my thoughts on them.

Firstly, the “I” in the ISFJ stands for Introverted. In the report it is mentioned that introverts tend
to be reflective, reserved, and private. I agree with that assessment as I tend to process my thoughts
and emotions internally before sharing them with others. I consider myself a reserved person and
I usually share my personal experiences with the people close to me. It is not in my nature not to
easily discuss my life with my friends whom I don’t see much or who I believe I am just not close
enough to share my personal information with. The reports also break a big myth about a popular
misconception that introverts are shy. I am in complete agreement with that statement and believe
that being shy and introverted are not synonymous. I also don’t consider myself a very shy person.
I try to take the lead and speak up well when required. I also draw my energy from my own
thoughts and the time I spend alone. For me, such alone time with myself usually after a busy day
helps me to charge my batteries and in thinking better. I enjoy going out on long walks alone
whenever I can as it clears what I refer to as the ‘mind fog’ which is just clearing my mind to help
me think better and in contemplating the things happening around me.

Moving on to the second description of me, that is I am a Sensor. As per the report, sensors live in
the present, they rely on facts, handle practical matters well and like things to be concrete and
measurable. For me, I always try to base my decisions on the facts. I abide by this motto as I
believe it is better to make decisions relying on concrete facts. I am happy with the reinforcement
from this assessment that I handle practical matters well and keep things to be concrete and
measurable. This matches with my DISC personality assessment part of me being compliant.

The third personality trait of mine according to the assessment is that I am a Feeler. As per the
report, feelers let their feelings and emotions play a leading role because of their concern for other
people. Sometimes, I tend to see the human side of things and it influences my decision making
process. Being empathetic and caring towards others is important to me. I believe such a quality
helps me to earn respect of my team-members.

The final letter in ISFJ stands for Judging. This means that ISFJ individuals prefer structure and
order in their lives and often make decisions quickly and decisively. They are reliable and
responsible, often taking on roles of leadership or authority. ISFJ individuals also tend to have a
strong sense of duty and responsibility towards their commitments and obligations. I try to take
my responsibilities seriously and stay committed towards my promises and my goals.

Overall, ISFJ individuals are characterized by their warm and nurturing personalities, practicality,
attention to detail, and strong sense of responsibility. They are typically reliable and dependable
individuals who place a great deal of importance on their personal relationships and values. One
of the strengths of ISFJ individuals is their attention to detail and practicality. They are often skilled
at recognizing patterns and making connections between seemingly unrelated pieces of
information. This allows them to make informed decisions based on concrete facts and past
experiences, which can be especially useful in fields such as accounting, medicine, or engineering.

Comparing these results with the DISC personality assessment, I see similarities. Me being a
sensor and having stability are saying same things about me that I tend to value people and
harmony amongst them. Also, me being Judging and Compliance is that I tend to pay attention to
details and like to have follow rules in my life.
 An ISFJ at-a-glance
You are warm, generous and super dependable. You have many special gifts to offer - in particular, sensitivity and a strong ability to keep things running
smoothly. You are careful and thoughtful. In relationships you can be hesitant until you know people well. On occasions you can be infuriatingly modest!

Your ISFJ personality type indicates that you are hard-working and very responsible. You follow through on both work and leisure activities with your own
brand of precision and meticulousness. People depend on you. They know you are not frivolous and will not constantly change your mind. You form a
solid core of consistency in people's lives which creates a high degree of trust.

When making decisions, developing ideas and taking action, you have the ability to excel at processing a tremendous amount of facts, data and information.
Not many other Personality Types have this talent. And, most importantly, one of your most charming characteristics is your sense of humor. Your dry wit
is appreciated by many. 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 - ISFJ.

Likes tackling projects with here-and-now benefits to people.

Desires privacy, peace and quiet and few interruptions, yet also views working with others as important.

Is practical, people-oriented and serves others. Appreciates praise and rewards for work well done.

Is dependable with strong follow through skills. Looks out for the needs of others.

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:

Provides clear directions, organizational skills and a practical mindset. Is a greatdo-er at achieving team results.

Offers concrete and factual input.

Respects others' viewpoints, ideas and suggestions. Keeps a written record of team progress and
activities.
Conclusion
Effective communication is a skill which can be mastered. Through the inspiring real-life
stories from the required reading, we got to learn a lot on how people have achieved amazing
feats through effective communication. The lecture and the class activities helped in learning
how to apply those skills. We increased our network through interaction with our fellow
classmates on social media as well as in the classroom. Last but not the least, we learned a great
deal about ourselves through what our personality types and our approach to manage a conflict.
 Works Cited

Faulkner, Michael, and Andrea Nierenberg. Networking for College Students and Graduates.

Pearson Learning Solutions, 2017. Print.

Grenny, Joseph; Patterson, Kerry; McMillan, Ron; Switzler, Al; and Gregory, Emily. Crucial

Conversations. McGraw Hill, 2022. Print.

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.

DISC personality test result - free DISC types test online at 123test.com

(https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/id=f7ANFF1OBQIAYT2&version=)