University of Maryland, College Park

Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Michael Murphy

Communication for Project Managers: ENCE424

Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman

June 27, 2020

Introduction
Effective communication skills are in high demand and expected of leaders in the
modern-day organization. Increasing technological capabilities have stretched the bounds of
maximizing production beyond human ability, but machines and A.I. lack the interpersonal skills
that are vital for a company to succeed. Historically, engineering programs do not teach future
engineers and Project Managers on the skills necessary to effectively communicate, ultimately
depriving students of a crucial skill needed to succeed in the professional environment.
Communication for Project Managers attempts to fill this void in order to educate future Project
Managers on developing and honing communication skills necessary to effectively lead project
teams and develop professional networks. This essay explores various readings and lecture
materials providing me communication and networking tools and presents my opinion and
takeaways from the results of the DISC personality assessment.

Concepts from Readings

After reading through the first few chapters of Five Stars, The Communication Secrets to
Get from Good to Great, one enlightening and practical concept discussed deals with the
importance of communication skills and the art of persuasion in today’s labor market. I believe
as technology continues to advance and many traditional labor jobs are partially or fully
automated, many levels of the U.S. education system are removing courses and activities focused
on building communication skills and transitioning to developing technical competency, as seen
with the inclusion of many computer science and robotics courses. And while technical
competency in STEM fields are crucial to further improving society, Five Stars also identifies
that “Persuasion is responsible for generating at least one-quarter of America’s national
income….expects it to make up 40 percent of America’s labor income in the next 20 years.”1
Rather than sacrifice communication skills in favor of developing technical competency, society
should encourage the development of communication skills to complement technical skills. As
an engineering instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy, I intend on finding effective ways of
meeting technical course objectives while incorporating activities for students to interact and
hone communication skills that are equally—if not, more—vital than the core engineering
fundamentals introduced through my course.

A second concept I enjoyed reading about was the three-step process behind creating the
“And” question in a crucial conversation as discussed in Crucial Conversations: Tools for
Talking When Stakes are High. When presented with an emotionally-charged situation resulting
in a crucial conversation, Crucial Conversations points out that we should determine exactly
what we want to achieve in the situation, identify the undesired end-states, and develop a
question that attempts to meet the objectives of either party. I believe in our fast-paced world, it
is easy to evaluate a crucial conversation with the expectation of a “Fool’s Choice” where a
winner and loser must both be produced. Crucial Conversations proposes that “the best at

1
Gallo, Carmine. Five Stars the Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great. St. Martin’s Press, 2018. Print.
Pg 36
dialogue refuse Fool’s Choices”2, meaning that many of these Fool’s Choice scenarios are
avoidable through effective communication. Between my personal interactions with my spouse
and my professional interaction with peers and superiors, I have attempted to apply this process
in situations where a substantial disagreement exists. So far, actively considering my desired
outcomes along with most undesirable consequences has helped me to prioritize my words in
shaping a win-win situation. This process has been wildly effective and helped me to sustain
strong relationships through impassioned discussions, rather than default to either a “winning” or
“punishing” approach.

The third concept, taken from A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking, lists best practices
associated with the use of audio, video, and multimedia aids in a visual presentation. I am
preparing materials to begin teaching this upcoming fall semester, and I am not the strongest on
making aesthetically pleasing presentations. My previous military assignment placed a lot of
restrictions on presentation creativity (I was required to stick to a standard PowerPoint formula),
but I intend on using more resources to make presentations more appealing to the student
audience. Some key points that I took away from A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking include
“Keep clips short to 30-60 seconds per clip, embed video clips directly into your slides, alert
audience members beforehand to what will be placed, and discuss its relevance to speech points
when it concludes.”3 The desired end-state is to make my lecture materials more attention-
grabbing while not oversaturating the presentation with media clips that detract from the
objectives of the base material.

In-class Insights

One of the most valuable insights taken from the in-class lectures is the discussion of
complexity in body language. As discussed, the words we say don’t communicate nearly as
much as the tone and body language we convey. Unfortunately, much of it happens almost
instinctively based on the nature of what we are trying to communicate. This can be especially
impactful when trying to establish a positive first impression with another individual. My overall
insight of the lecture is as Project Managers we need to recognize how critical appropriate body
language is when attempting to relay a message, so we should attempt to practice complementary
behaviors that help communicate the oral message. The in-class breakout session required us to
compose a list of bad first impression traits, a few of which I recall exhibiting in previous
interactions over the last few years. Between the lecture and the reading by Allan Pease, I will
apply some of the techniques at home when talking with my spouse and at work when teaching
or counseling students.

Another simple and useful technique taken from the lecture was the practice of altering
how information is presented based on the personality type of the receiving party. In the breakout
session, we practiced composing an email to be sent to a boss of a defined personality type. Each

2
Patterson, Kenny and Joseph Grenny and Ron McMillan and Al Switzler. Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking
When Stakes are High. McGraw-Hill Education, 2012. Print. Pg 46-47
3
O’Hair, Dan, and Hannah Rubenstein and Rob Stewart. A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking. Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2019. Amazon Kindle. Pg 6537-6538.
group was given the same scenario with a different personality boss; the outcome was each email
contained similar information but read differently to be more receptive to the specified
personality type. Using this technique in future interactions, both physically and virtually, will
help to better connect with the other party and establish a productive relationship.

Networking

In my first few weeks of Communication for Project Managers, I have acquired a lot of
valuable knowledge in the world of networking. Within this knowledge are several techniques
that I have already begun to apply or intend on applying once I am working full-time at the
university. The techniques I have started applying are based on the “Fourteen easy-to-use
techniques for ‘When it’s time to network’” from Networking for College Students and
Graduates.4 The first technique I have adopted is the use of business cards. I previously believed
sharing business cards was tacky and outdated but realize now that business cards are still
practical in most networking interactions; I have already designed and purchased a bundle for
future use. Another technique I intend on using is the 20-30 second “Branding Statement”.5 I
intend of creating and refining a branding statement to be used during my upcoming teaching
assignment when addressing either students or faculty. A final technique I have already started to
implement is setting personal SMART goals towards expanding my current network. While my
ability to network is limited due to ongoing events and only working from home, I have already
established a plan to have an impactful first impression and network upon reporting to the US
Naval Academy. This incorporates the use of some other covered techniques (ice breakers, exit
strategy, etc.), sharing a business card at the conclusion of the conversation, and maintaining the
network through follow-ups where appropriate. By setting measurable goals, I will have a tool to
hold myself accountable in meeting my networking goals.

DISC Personality Assessment

The art of communication is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach and must be effectively

tailored to the intended audience or recipient. The DISC Personality assessment is one tool that
helps to define my personality type to help predict my expected behavior towards others and the
things I do. Similarly, understanding the DISC personality of others can help shape the way we
communicate our message to be more well-received and understood. Between understanding our
own personality preferences and the preferences of others, communication can be made more
effective.

My DISC personality assessment identified me as most aligned with the “Steadiness”

personality (37%). My report indicates that “You are likely to be particularly good at handling

4
Faulkner, Michael, and Andrea Nierenberg. Networking for College Students and Graduates. Pearson Learning
Solutions, 2017. Print. Pg 43-44.
5
Faulkner, Michael, and Andrea Nierenberg. Networking for College Students and Graduates. Pearson Learning
Solutions, 2017. Print. Pg 49-50.
challenging technical assignments. You have a strong inner motivation to attain personal goals.
You like to become 'the expert' in your chosen field.”6 I believe this assessment to be accurate,
since I have received several positive reinforcements indicating how cerebral, committed, and
challenge-seeking I am when presented with large, complex assignments. The most insightful
part of my assessment was the category I LEAST aligned with: Influence (9%). Ironically, I am
taking Communication for Project Managers because I am not strong at working with Influence
personality types, and my assessment indirectly reinforces part of why this is a weak area for me.
I believe having self-awareness of own personality supports becoming an effective Project
Manager since it helps us to make decisions that meet company objectives while capitalizing on
personal preferences providing us more energy at work and improving job satisfaction. As
communicators, personality self-awareness helps us to identify our own preferences with what
we desire in communication with others. As a Steadiness personality type, I can communicate
with appreciation to my strengths (humble, even-tempered, patient) while being mindful of my
major fear of instability when seeking information from the other party. In conclusion,
incorporating my personality type into conversation can help me to develop proactive strategies
and communicate more effectively.

Conclusion
Communication for Project Managers presents techniques and skills that are practical for
all Project Managers with a growth mindset. All the reading and in-class materials prove that
while communication may come naturally to some personality types, any Project Manager can
develop their communication skills to complement their unique personality. These
communication skills are not only necessary to be functionally effective in a work organization,
but also critical in expanding our sphere of influence and potential opportunities in the
networking world. Any Project Manager should always view their communication skills with
room for improvement, and Communication for Project Managers has already shown that the
potential for growth is near limitless.

6
“Your DISC Personality Test Report.” 123 Test, 20 June 2020, https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/
 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’s

Press, 2018. Print.

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

Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019. Amazon Kindle.

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.

Patterson, Kenny and Joseph Grenny and Ron McMillan and Al Switzler. Crucial Conversations

Tools for Talking When Stakes are High. McGraw-Hill Education, 2012. Print.

“Your DISC Personality Test Report.” 123 Test, 20 June 2020, https://www.123test.com/disc-

personality-test/
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: Steadiness, Dominance,

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.

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 Describes the way you deal with people, the way you communicate and relate to
Influence
others.
Steadiness Describes your temperament - patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness

Describes how you approach and organize your activity, procedures and
Compliance
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 a clear thinker. You have an inner need to be objective and analytical.
You like to pursue a definite course of action. You respond to logic rather than
emotion.

You are likely to be particularly good at handling challenging technical

assignments. You have a strong inner motivation to attain personal goals. You
like to become 'the expert' in your chosen field.

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, Creative, Individualist,

Inspirational, Investigator, Objective Thinker, Perfectionist, Persuader, Practitioner, Enthusiast, Results-Oriented or

Specialist

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Separate graphs for each dimension

Summary of your prime value to an organization

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