SBM3101 Professional Development & Business Communication

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Communication is very critical for both personal and professional development since it is
the basis for sharing our ideas and interacting with others in our day to day activities.
Professional development and Business Communication is a unit that I learnt with the
expectations of gaining the fundamentals of effective communications and how I can apply these
fundamental skills in the contemporary business environment. By learning this unit I would
familiarize myself with the key communication concepts and theories as well as learn the
elements of correct spelling, grammar and business language (Bright, 2004). The unit is a
stepping stone for students in developing their carrier since it highlights the barriers to effective
communication and the various ways in which the barriers can be overcome. This unit promotes
how the student can develop self-awareness as well as learn what motivates people to achieve in
their career and business. Self-awareness provides the students with the capability to conduct a
personal audit of their skills and identify the areas in they need to improve in their professional
practice. Learning how to develop and sustain a professional network was also one of the
expectations I had from studying this unit.
I learnt so much from studying this unit and I believe the knowledge I gained will be
significant in my career development. First and foremost I learnt that communication is very
important and it plays a significant role in personal and career development. Communication
enables us to convey our ideas and thoughts effectively and this bridge the barriers between
people. Communication skills are so critical and good managers should possess them to
effectively manage the personnel under them (Dwyer, 2012). I learnt the principle theories of
communication and how I can apply them in the business context. The business environment is
made up of various stakeholders such as the consumers, the media, shareholders, government

and legislative bodies, and suppliers hence interacting with all these parties require good
communication skills. In this unit, I learnt the importance of using the correct language, the
correct grammar and the application of correct academic referencing (Dietsch, 2006).
Communication is very delicate and a small punctuation error can completely alter the intention
of the message delivered (Australian Government Printing Service, 2014). In this unit, I learnt
about the various forms and types and how collaborative communication technologies have an
impact on today's workplace. Presentation of your message is very important in business and it
has to be used appropriately when it comes to formal communication and advertisement of goods
and services.
This unit also helped me to learn effective research skills and how to comprehensively
evaluate and analyze information obtained from various sources. Research is important in
business and having these crucial effective research skills will enable one to develop their
business career (Emerson, 2010). Nonverbal communication is also an important aspect that I
learnt in this unit. There are three types of nonverbal communication namely personal, cultural
and universal nonverbal communication. There are also cultural barriers that exist during
communication and there several strategies that help to bridge the cultural differences (Dodd,
2007). Positive intercultural communication can be facilitated by acknowledging cultural
differences, promoting cultural sensitivity and awareness, developing empathy and promoting
flexibility when it comes to adjusting to other cultures.
In learning this unit I did not experience many challenges but there some few aspects
that offered little dares. I had a challenge in mastering the visual design principles in the third
chapter of the unit but through continued effort, I managed to understand them clearly. I can now
describe the various principles namely contrast, alignment, repetition, proximity and simplicity

principles as well as apply them in the business environment. I can effectively match the graphic
to the audience and message and this will ensure proper visual communication.
The mode of delivery used in this unit was face to face delivery where the lectures and
tutorials were given to us by the lecturer. There were several contact hours per week and we
students were involved in the various teaching and learning activities such as the activity-based
learning that was supervised. There were interactions with fellow students and the faculty who
gave personal and collective feedback in the process of learning. In this unit, I had to sacrifice
more than 10 personal hours per week to reflect and review the lectures we were learning and
this really helped me in understanding the unit and attaining the learning objectives.
I really liked this unit because it talked about concepts that are very practical in the
business environment as well as for personal development. The lectures and tutorials given were
really comprehensive and they gave me the basis of personal development and business
communication. The learning objectives were met and I was able to acquire very important
communication concepts and skills that will benefit me in my career. I liked everything about the
unit especially the delivery method and the interaction with other students and the lecturer which
really helped me have various perspectives on the chapters we learnt. The learning resources
given consisting of recommended books and journals helped me get a wider understanding of
personal development and business communication.
The course was well delivered but if I am given the chance to change anything about it I
would recommend the course to concentrate on a practical approach to teaching and learning.
The students should be more involved in the learning process, be exposed to the business
environment and apply what they learnt in class in the real world. Encountering the real
challenges would equip the students with the capability to solve the communication barriers in

business (Sherfield and Moody, 2009). Applying the skills in the filled while being supervised
would prepare the students to be ready for their career.
In conclusion, the learning this course has been very informative and it has helped me
have a wider insight into communication in relation to personal development as well as from the
business point of view. The learning objectives were met in this course in understanding the
various communication principles and concepts as well as how they apply in the business
environment.
Bibliography
Australian Government Printing Service .Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 6th
ed., (2002) John Wiley and sons, Milton, Queensland
Bright, J. and Earl, J. (2004) Resumes that get Shortlisted, Second Edition, Allen & Unwind,
Crows Nest.
Dietsch, B.M. Reasoning and Writing Well: A Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader and
Handbook, (2006) Fourth Edition, McGraw-Hill, United States.
Dodd, C. Managing Business and Professional Communication (2007), 2nd ed., Pearson
Education, UK
Dwyer, J. Communications in Business: Strategies and Skills, Fifth Edition (2012), Pearson
Publishers
Dwyer, J. The Business Communication Handbook (2011), Ninth Edition, Pearson Education,
Frenchs Forest
Emerson, L. Writing Guidelines for Business Students. (2010), Fourth Edition, Cengage
Learning, South Melbourne.
Sherfield, R. M. and Moody, P. G. Solving the Professional Development Puzzle, (2009)
Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey