Academic and Research Skills - Personal SWOT Analysis, Communication Theories, Note Taking, and Personal Development Plan

This report discusses the impact of academic and learning skills on personal development. It includes personal SWOT analysis, communication theories, note taking, and personal development plan. The report covers different sources of information, primary and secondary sources of information, and an action plan to demonstrate progress during the session.

Academic and
Research Skills

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................3
a)Personal SWOT analysis:.........................................................................................................3
Personal Development plan.........................................................................................................5
Communication Theories.............................................................................................................7
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................8
Note taking...................................................................................................................................8
Mastered the art of taking notes...................................................................................................8
Example.......................................................................................................................................9
RESEARCH PLAN...................................................................................................................10
A list of all the sources...............................................................................................................12
Produced to a professional standard...........................................................................................13
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................15
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................16
REFRENCES.................................................................................................................................16
Books and Journal......................................................................................................................16

Introduction
In current time, academic and research skills have become crucial in order to get success in
personal as well as professional life. Academic skills are developed while studying in the
university and colleges. These skills impart fundamental knowledge to students so that they can
embark on a successful future journey. In academics, students get skills such as communication,
leadership, team work, time management and more. Apart from the soft skills, they also get
technical knowledge which further helps them in performing job roles and responsibilities in an
efficient manner. During academics, students are required to prepare numerous reports, projects
which are based on research. To collect significant information, it is imperative to have
remarkable research skills. These skills make a person enable to perform extensive data analysis.
In addition to this, research skills are also crucial in order to study the market dynamic in
detailed manner. Here, academic and research skills help in personal growth and enrichment in
profound manner. Main aim of present study is to undertake the personal analysis. It aims to
discuss impact of academic and learning skills on personal development. In the report, personal
SWOT analysis will carry out in order to identify own strengths and weaknesses. The study will
cover smart objectives for self improvement during the course (DeRosier and Thomas, 2018) .
Further, note taking, paraphrasing activities carried out during the session will also discuss the
study. It will include an academic research project including different sources of information.
Primary and secondary sources of information will also cover in the following report. At end, an
action will include which will demonstrate the progress during the session through a personal
development plan. Moreover, the study is based on self reflection which will include different
insights learned during the session along with the detailed process of personal development.
Task 1
a)Personal SWOT analysis:
It is a model that is applied in order to analyze own performance in detailed manner.
While studying in the course, I got opportunity to understand my own capabilities and
weaknesses so that I can work on the areas of improvement. In this context, my own swot
analysis is given underneath:

Strengths Weaknesses
 I have good language skills which is
useful for me to interact with other
people. This skill helps me interact with
my peers and seniors in an impressive
way.
 I am optimistic person who never gives
up in any situation. This nature allows
me to follow the dreams with great
passion and enthusiasm.
 My research skills are not up to the
mark due to which sometimes I am
unable to bring value in my work. In
competencies in research affects my
academic performance in adverse
manner.
 I do not have good time management
skills and communication skills. Due to
lack of time management and
communication skills, I am unable to
structure a proper schedule and build
relation in order to maintain proper
balance in life.
Opportunities Threats
 I have opportunity to use my skills and
knowledge in order to attain my life
goals in specific period of time
 Increasing competition in job market is
the biggest threat for me. It can affect
the opportunities of getting a better
employment in future.
From the above SWOT analysis it has been identify that I have a good language skills that helps
me to improve my interactions with people but because of deficiency in my communication
skills I am capable to to structure appropriate communication between the individuals and
maintaining appropriate balance and life. It also create problem for me to build connection with
another people. In addition to this as I am optimistic individual that never gives up in any
situation so it creates opportunities for me in order to improve my capabilities and achieve my
goals and objectives (Edens and Malecki, 2020). After conducting the swot analysis analyze that
because of my strength I have opportunities to adopt my skills in used in an appropriate manner

so that I can become more successful and get opportunities. As the biggest threat of any
individual is competition level as the competition level is increasing in the Marketplace and it is
became very important for me to overcome my threats and work on my opportunity so that I can
get more opportunities in order to become successful. There are two targets which are set by me
in order to improve my capabilities and for my career development so that I can become more
successful and get opportunities.
 It is very important for me to concentrating on my communication skills so that I can
become more effective these all still support me to conduct effective investigation and
academic performance.
 To improve my communication and leadership skills in order to get more competitive
advantages.
 To improve my team working skills so that I can build connection with my peers and
work on my weaknesses.
Personal Development plan
Personal development plan is very effective strategy that helps me to improve my
capabilities and work on my I deficiency so that I can improve them in outline the official
strategy so that I can achieve and meet the professional and personal objectives which are
decided by me.
Learning
Objectives
Success Criteria Actions Time scale Implementation
To improve
communication
and summarizing
skills
This is very
important for me
too to ensure
better
understanding
about the
summarizing is
skills and to
represent myself
It is very
important for me
to concentrating
on the learning
skills and
concentrating on
the better reading
so that I can
analyze and
2 months The use and usage of
different effective
strategies such as writing
in phrases rather to
complete sentences to
speed up note taking
would be made. Along
with this, I've started
taking notes in my own

in front of my
peers so that I
can improve my
communication
skills
review the
particular
concept in order
to take action
accordingly
words, which helps me
grasp the information
better and leads to
simpler language and a
higher degree of
comprehension.
To improve my
teamwork skills
Teamwork is
very important
for me in order to
perform and get
more
opportunities
because Esteem
work provide
appropriate
coordination and
collaboration and
helps me to get
more innovative
ideas
In order to
improve my team
working skills I
am required to
adopt in work on
a few theories
that is tuckmen
theory and many
more so that I
can take
appropriate
actions
3 months In order to implement
some strategy it is very
important for me to
attend some lectures in
online classes so that I
can learn about the
theories of teamwork and
give appropriate
knowledge about the
bifurcation and
coordination while
operating in the team
To improve
leadership skills
and time
management
skills
In order to
achieve goals
and objectives it
is very required
for me to
formulate a
appropriate
schedule so that I
can improve my
time
Improving one's
understanding of
diverse
leadership
theories is an
excellent way to
increase one's
leadership
ability.
6 months To successfully build
leadership abilities and
qualities, online training
and practical experience
working with great
leaders may be used.

management
skills. Supports
increased
influencing and
motivational
power in order to
better motivate
individuals to
attain their goals.
Communication Theories
The initial purpose of theories is to assist us in organizing and comprehending our
communication experiences. This allows us to make proper judgments in gendered
communication settings. A second use of theories is to assist us in choose which communication
behaviors to investigate. It has been determined that I need to work on improving my
communication skills in order to better my research and academic abilities. Communicating
allows people to communicate their thoughts and feelings while also allowing us to comprehend
the emotions and thoughts of others (PRELIPCEAN and BEJINARU, 2018). As a result, we will
acquire feelings of fondness or contempt for other people, as well as positive or bad connections.
The communication theory is an efficient and effective approach for me to build my
communication since it promotes a suitable manner of communicating about things, as well as
analyzing important parts of events and listening, as well as a critical process that supports
improved commitments. There are few theories of communication which are mentioned below:
Actor-Network Theory (ANT)
Actor-Network Theory (ANT) has its origins in the field of science and technology. It is
now widely utilized in various fields of science as a strategy for doing in-depth study. The
connections that are being created and rebuilt between human and non-human entities that are
part of the problem at hand are the focus of ANT. This Theory of communication provides a path
and a map to make me more navigable, as well as a tool to respond to empirical, conceptual, and

practical communication in order to better research and study. The communication theory helped
me enhance my verbal communication by teaching me how to listen to others and grasp what
they're saying. Theory of communication also helped me enhance my written communication by
improving my capacity to understand and write important information and points in their correct
context. The actor-network theory (ANT) has been seen as a strategy for interacting with and
changing the social world.
TASK 2
Note taking
Making notes entails more than simply jotting down what you hear or read. It's a method of
analyzing, connecting, and synthesizing information from your lectures or reading. Making notes
assists you in being active and engaged throughout lectures, reading, and review. Note-taking is
simply a method of capturing essential information in a succinct manner so that it may be
recalled afterwards. In some instances, regardless of how good they believe their memory is,
they will require to take notes to remember themselves what was said. Note taking is the habit
and ability of writing down important pieces of information in the most systematic and logical
manner possible, allowing for a more thorough examination of data and a greater degree of
comprehension (Okoro, Washington and Thomas, 2017). Note taking is an important ability for
all students since it allows them to take good notes and preserve recordings of the lecture and
conversation, as well as outline the main and lay points concerning a topic from a book or other
sources for future orientation and training. To conduct successful study, every student and
individual must acquire the note-taking talent, as it aids in focusing on the important elements
and leads to a deeper comprehension of a topic. It has also been seen and evaluated that strong
note-taking abilities enable greater comprehension of the subject, as well as better retention and
review of the knowledge in the future. In addition, good note taking is still important throughout
a study for both synchronous and asynchronous material since it aids in the learning and
retention of things that one hears, reads, and sees.
Mastered the art of taking notes
During my present course of study, I have honed my note-taking skills, which aid in
keeping me awake and engaged in the facts and information spoken during class, as well as

supporting increased involvement in the study. Furthermore, mastering note-taking skills leads to
a focus on better organizing information throughout the study, as well as supporting and
generating a condensed form of records and papers based on current research. During the present
course, I honed my note-taking skills by using my personal learning style based on one-size-fits-
all class notes and conversation, as well as keeping more organized in jotting down the most
important and critical elements based on the overall picture of the subject. Furthermore, by
implementing and employing a variety of effective strategies, I was able to acquire note-taking
abilities, which included writing in phrases rather than entire sentences, which increased note-
taking speed while also reflecting the major ideas in a more methodical and effective manner. In
addition I took notes and write down in my own words that helped me to understand about
information in an appropriate manner and it also appropriate result in simple language that I
could retain and recall in the future (Kara and Çoksoyluer, 2017). in addition to this I created an
effective note Framework that include appropriate headings and subheadings of the topic and the
number list that helps me to formulate effective note as well I use several kind of symbols and
highlights the sections accordingly so that I can focusing on the main points in diagram that
support me to improve my note taking skills during the study so that I can get more positive
outcomes.
Example
During active listening from a range of sources, I take careful notes in a notebook and on
supplied papers. Active listening abilities, which include the capacity to properly hear and
effectively comprehend the material given by the speaker, are required for taking notes from
listening sources (Siregar, Rosli and Maat, 2020). Effective listening skills facilitate a systematic
approach to taking notes and reviewing notes in a significant way by facilitating and promoting a
greater degree of comprehension and remembering in the setting of lectures (Omodan,
Ekundayo and Bamikole, 2018). In addition to this I have used several kinds of tiny Phrases and
symbols in order to guarantee of good note taking from the spoken conversation and listening
that has increased and improve my speed in taking notes of every important topics. In addition to
this I had taken notes on the particular information so that I can get variety of the sources in
order to collect the information and stay concentrating on the particular subject in order to get
more positive outcomes. effectively organizing ideas which are developed by me while reading
helps me and ensuring a better God keeping that is rely on the critical thinking and effective

analysis of my capability, in addition to this, Along with this, I've made utilize of clouds and MS
Office for effectual note-taking, which aids in the storage and maintenance of essential material
that I've examined and analyzed over my present course of study.
TASK 3
RESEARCH PLAN
A research plan may be defined as the procedure that an individual considers in order to
perform important research activities. It is critical for a researcher to have a detailed strategy so
that all research tasks may be completed in a timely and correct way (Aliu and Aigbavboa,
2019). This is the most correct section of academic writing since it contains in-depth information
about the study topic. In this project, a research strategy is created in order to examine the
various promotional actions that H&M should undertake in order to enhance product and service
sales in the target market region.
An explanation of the steps you used to conduct your research using primary and
secondary sources of information.
There are various kinds of steps that are engaged in the investigation procedure and use different
kind of sources of information which are required in the research in an appropriate manner.
There are different kinds of steps which are mentioned below:
 It is very important for the company to develop investigation objective than a so that they
can complete the research practices and activities in an appropriate manner. It is very
important for the researcher to appropriately analyze about the topic of the investigation
so that they can formulate appropriate aims and objectives of the investigation.
 It is very important for the investigator to find appropriate resources which are relevant
for the research in order to collect relevant information. There are different sources that
are usually separated into secondary as well as primary resources. Primary resources are
the kinds of resources which described as the particular approach in order to collect the
data and it is very important for the company and investigated to find original and
appropriate information about the topic. Secondary sources the kind of the data which are
already published articles books journals about the academic research (Hebert, 2018).

 After that it is very important for the investigator to evaluate the sources which have been
analyzed and it is very important for the researcher to evaluate every single resource in
order to get the information about the research topic and collect relevant information.
 Determine the findings and the outcomes so that they can analyze and evaluate their
outcomes in an appropriate matter as it is very important part of the investigation which
creates direct impact on the result of the investigation.
 The last step of any kind of Investigation is presentation of the investigation and it is very
required for the researcher to get the information which are appropriately presented to the
end a organization so that they can take effective decisions.
Your research paper's initial draught
Aims: To study the various promotional actions that H&M may undertake in order to enhance
product and service sales in the target market area
Objectives:
 To identify various promotional activities.
 To examine efficient promotional actions that will assist Marks & Spencer in
increasing product and service sales in the target market area.
Question:
 Determine the various promotional activities?
 Analyze the promotional action that will help the H&M in raising the goods
and services in the market place
In this research, 40 Marks & Spencer consumers were polled using a questionnaire survey.
Questionnaire
Name –
Age –
Contact number –

1. Do you understand what promotional efforts entail??
 Yes
 No
2. Which, in your opinion, is the most successful promotional activity for growing product
or service sales in a specific market area?
 New paper advertisement
 Digital media marketing
 TV advertisements
3. Do you believe Marks & Spencer should explore digital media marketing as a means of
improving sales and profitability??
 Yes
 No
4. What are the numerous advantages of digital media marketing for businesses, in your
opinion?
 Increase sales
 Disseminate information
 Attract consumers
 Increase profits
 All of the above
A list of all the sources
There is various kinds of sources that has been adopted by the investigator so that they
can find the appropriate and relevant information about the particular topic. The major resources
which are adopted in this investigation and mentioned below:
Questionnaire: In this investigation appropriate question are developed by the researcher in
order to inspire the people in order to gain views of 40 respondents.
Internet data: These kinds of resources which has been considered by the investigators so that
they can determine the secondary information. There are different kind of articles and blogs on
the Internet which are used by the investigator in order to find appropriate information.

Produced to a professional standard
Primary data
5. Do you understand what promotional
efforts entail
Frequency
 Yes 35
 No 5
Interpretation – It was shown that the majority of the respondents, 35 out of 5, have suggestions
for promotional activities.
6. Which, in your opinion, is the most
successful promotional activity for
growing product or service sales in a
specific market area?
Frequency
 New paper advertisement 5
 Digital media marketing 30
 TV advertisements 5
Interpretation – It was shown that 30 of the 40 respondents believe that digital media marketing
is the most effective technique of promoting sales in the chosen market region..
.
7. Do you believe Marks & Spencer
should explore digital media marketing
as a means of improving sales and
Frequency

profitability?
 Yes 30
 No 10
Interpretation – According to the above-mentioned research, 30 out of 40 respondents believe
that digital marketing is successful for Marks & Spencer in terms of growing sales and
profitability.
8. What are the numerous advantages of
digital media marketing for businesses,
in your opinion?
Frequency
 Increase sales 10
 Disseminate information 5
 Attract consumers 5
 Increase profits 10
 All of the above 10
Interpretation: According to the data gathered, the majority of respondents believe that digital
media marketing has several advantages, including increased sales, accurate information,
attracting clients, and increased profitability.
Secondary data
• To identify various promotional activities.
According to the , (Ambarwati, 2017) It has been concluded that there are many types of
promotional actions, according to the opinions of. Personal selling, sales promotion, advertising,

direct mail, digital marketing, public relations, and so on are all examples of this. All of these
promotional efforts are effective, but each has its own set of benefits and drawbacks.
• To examine efficient promotional activities that will assist Marks & Spencer in increasing
product and service sales in their target market.
According to (Shabbir, Shariff and Shahzad, 2016), digital marketing is the most successful
promotional activity that will increase total product and service sales in the target market region.
Marks and Spencer will be able to undertake marketing operations at a lower cost thanks to
digital marketing.
TASK 4
While working on this project, I learned about a variety of topics that will help me further
my profession in the future. I've determined that an individual must possess a variety of talents in
order to properly execute commercial activities. I was able to analyze numerous components and
factors that would help me improve my overall performance and skills as a result of this. I've
come to the conclusion that there are a number of academic and research procedures that should
be prioritized. I completed four key tasks as part of this project, and with their help, I was able to
enhance my academic and research abilities. During my studies for the Diploma in Business
Communication and Skills, I learned about the importance of good communication skills. I've
concluded that one of a person's most important abilities is communication, which should be
improved in order to transmit correct and accurate information to others. Effective
communication skills may be defined as a person's ability to express messages and ideas to
others in an acceptable manner so that they receive the information they require. Business
communication and abilities will assist me in effectively communicating my ideas to superiors
and coworkers, as well as eliminating misunderstandings. Thanks to the classification of these
tasks, I was able to accomplish all of them without difficulty and on time. In the first assignment,
I evaluated my own strengths and skills that aid me in performing various tasks effectively. As a
result of this, I've discovered that certain of my skills are my assets, allowing me to make a good
effect when doing tasks. Some of my skills, on the other hand, may be considered a weakness.
My ability to perform better and more effectively is hampered by my flaw. I've come to the

conclusion that self-analysis is critical for personal growth. I've determined that I have good
writing and math skills.
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned report it has been concluded that it is very important for the
individual to analyze their strength and weaknesses and work on it so that they can get more
opportunities in order to become successful in their life. It is very important for the individual to
have effective communication skills so that they can build connection with others and become
capable to interact with others so that they can convey their message and represent them in an
appropriate manner. In the above report there is a few communication theory that will support
the individual to improve their communication skills and achieve their goals and objectives. in
addition to this it is very important for the individual to improve their not taking his skills so they
can write down their key points and work on it in an appropriate manner. After that there is a
consideration of the investigation that will use different kind of sources in order to collect the
information and present the findings show that the individual can find appropriate information
REFRENCES
Books and Journal
DeRosier, M.E. and Thomas, J.M., 2018. Establishing the criterion validity of Zoo U's game-
based social emotional skills assessment for school-based outcomes. Journal of Applied
Developmental Psychology, 55, pp.52-61.
Edens, W. and Malecki, A.L., 2020. Research skills, perceptions and attitudes of incoming MBA
students. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 25(1-2), pp.73-81.
PRELIPCEAN, G. and BEJINARU, R., 2018. UNIVERSITY AGENDA FOR DEVELOPING
STUDENTS’SKILLS IN THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY. Challenging the Status Quo
in Management and Economics, p.587.

Okoro, E., Washington, M.C. and Thomas, O., 2017. The impact of interpersonal communication
skills on organizational effectiveness and social self-efficacy: A synthesis. International
Journal of Language and Linguistics, 4(3), pp.28-32.
Kara, H. and Çoksoyluer, S.K., 2017. Encouragement of Early Academic Skills at Home during
Early Childhood Period: Validity and Reliability Study of the EASYC Scale. Universal
Journal of Educational Research, 5(12), pp.2294-2303.
Omodan, B.I., Ekundayo, H.T. and Bamikole, O.I., 2018. Enhancing students’ academic
performance in secondary schools: The Vicissitude of Classroom Management
Skills. The International Journal of Business & Management, 6(11), pp.106-112.
Aliu, J. and Aigbavboa, C.O., 2019. Employers’ perception of employability skills among built-
environment graduates. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology.
Shabbir, M.S., Shariff, M.N.M. and Shahzad, A., 2016. Determinants of entrepreneurial skills set
in Pakistan: A Pilot Study. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting,
Finance and Management Sciences, 6(2), pp.62-74.
Ambarwati, R., 2017. THE USE OF THINK PAIR SHARE (TPS) TECHNIQUE THROUGH
PICTURE TO IMPROVE THE STUDENTS’SPEAKING SKILLS (A Classroom Action
Research of the Tenth Grade Students of SMK Muhammadiyah 7 Wonosegoro in the
Academic Year of 2017/2018) (Doctoral dissertation, IAIN SALATIGA).
Hebert, A., 2018. Information literacy skills of first-year library and information science
graduate students: An exploratory study. Evidence Based Library and Information
Practice, 13(3), pp.32-52.
Siregar, N.C., Rosli, R. and Maat, S.M., 2020. The effects of a discovery learning module on
geometry for improving students’ mathematical reasoning skills, communication and
self-confidence. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational
Research, 19(3).