Reflecting on Language and Leadership Skills

This assignment requires the student to reflect on their personal development in various areas such as language skills (listening, speaking, writing), leadership skills, and summarization skills. They also need to provide a revision plan for future improvement. The student has gained experience from seminars and work environments, which they draw upon to demonstrate their understanding of key concepts.

Skill
Personal Development Planning (PDP) - A Continuous Process
One of the important aspects of PDP is that it is a continuous process. This is because learning never
stops! In other words, everyone can always benefit from taking the time to engage in some PDP.
Indeed, you may well find that the most successful people you know are also some of the most self-
reflective and goal – oriented.
The diagram below illustrates the continuous nature of PDP. It shows the relationship between the
two main phases of PDP- REFLECTION and PLANNING. The reflection phase is necessary both
before and after the planning phase, thereby creating an ongoing process.
This diagram can be used as a template to start working on your own PDP.
n
ILSC Personal Development Planning (PDP) – Week 1 1 12Page 1
PDP

ACTIVITY ONE
Look at the diagram above and complete the following activity.
STEP ONE
What do I know already?
You probably already have a lot more knowledge and many more skills than you think! Think about
some of your experiences up to now and try to complete the table below. Choose one example for
each section. Refer to the transferable skills list for some more ideas.
Experience What did I do? Skills gained?
Refer to the transferable skills list
for ideas if necessary.
Educational
(school/ college/
university) I studied Business management
at the University of Portsmouth
and achieved good analytical
and leadership skills .
Leadership skills and analytical skills
were obtained by me to progress in my
future career
Work experience
(Full time
employment/ part
time employment/
voluntary position/
internship)
I managed to work at The
French Shop, which helped me
to enhance my communication
skills and even improved my
abilities to provide the best
quality customers’ services
(Liaw and Huang 2013).
I managed to gain skills to conduct
quality tests, communication skills and
even enhanced by team working skills.
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Extra –curricular
Experience
(Involvement in
clubs/ societies etc.)
I am fluent in French and
Spanish and even provided
education to children aged
between 10 to 13 years.
I provided education to children with
disabilities related to learning and had
been fluent in languages like French and
Spanish languages. I understood sign
languages and obtained skills through
training as a black belt (Arnold and
Boggs 2015).
Table One: Evaluating existing skills
ACTIVITY TWO
STEP TWO
What am I less confident about?
In many ways this is a more difficult question as many of us do not like to think about this! However,
it is only by identifying our areas of least strength that we can try to improve. Look at the chart below
and tick the box (confident/ partly confident/ not confident at all) which most accurately reflects how
you feel about your abilities in each skill listed. Refer to the transferable skills list if you need
explanations.
Skills Confident Partly confident Not confident at all
Academic Writing
skills 
Academic Reading
skills 
Academic Listening
skills

Presentation skills 
Interpersonal skills 
Team work 
Numeracy 
IT/ computer literacy 
Examination
techniques

Time management 
Critical thinking 
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Problem -solving 
Research skills 
Career planning 
Table Two: Identifying areas of strength and weakness
ACTIVITY THREE
STEP THREE
What are my goals/aims?
Look at the table you completed in activity two. Choose three of the skill areas in which you feel you
have no confidence or partial confidence.
Write these here:
Example: Time-Management Skills
1.To make sure that the queries of the customers are responded to properly and within time to keep
them satisfied.
2. To enhance my numeracy skills and make sure that the analytical skills of mine are improved with
time to progress in my career (Griffin 2013).
3. I would like to improve my confidence level and present myself and the tasks should be done by
me to everyone for facilitating the accomplishment of goals and objectives
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Now you should think about identifying specific goals within each of these areas to work towards.
When writing goals it may be useful to remember these two simple tips.
GOALS MUST BE REALISTIC AND ACHIEVABLE
All objectives you set yourself must be realistic within a given timeframe. Also avoid setting too
many goals for yourself. It is always better to do one thing well than many things badly! It is
important that you know what you want to achieve. So, for example, if you set yourself the goal
‘improve my examination technique’ you should also think about how you will measure this. For
instance, you could decide that you will feel you have made progress if you do not run out of time in
your next exam.
GOALS MUST BE SPECIFIC AND CLEAR
If you know that you are not very confident in your IT skills and would like to improve, it is clearer to
set yourself the goal ‘improve my skills in using PowerPoint’ than to set a goal which states ‘improve
my computer skills’. The PowerPoint goal is specific and therefore makes it easier to reflect on your
progress later.
Bearing these tips in mind, try to complete the table below with three goals that you aim to work
towards through your studies at the College and beyond. The first one is given as an example. If you
need help with this, you should ask your tutor who will be able to help. You should be prepared to
evaluate your progress in each of these as the semester proceeds.
Goal Realistic
timeframe
Any support I’ll
need
How will I
measure success?
Example Learn how to use
APA referencing
correctly
One month Tutor support
Textbook (s)
Internet resources
I’ll have achieved
this goal if I can
reference correctly
without referring to
guidelines
1.
To improve my
presentation skills
and gain high level
of confidence
One month Training and
learning sessions
As soon as I will be
able to present
myself properly in
front of others
properly
2.
To manage time and
ensure timely service
delivery
15 days Proper guidance by
the managers and
leaders along with
proper
communication
established with the
customers (Barak
and Ziv 2013).
Once the
customers’ queries
are responded to
properly and they
gain a satisfying
experience.
3. To obtain analytical
skills and decision
making skills
One month To obtain the
responses and
feedbacks of the
employees and
The decisions made
by me could bring
positive outcomes
and improve the
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engaging them all
together to make a
particular decision
properly
business
effectiveness too
(Buehl 2017).
Table Three: Setting Goals
PEER WORK
Once you have completed the table, show it to a class mate. They should read through your goals and
question anything which is unclear. Remember goals should always be
REALISTIC/ACHIEVABLE/SPECIFIC and CLEAR. Discuss and make clarifications if necessary.
Once you are finished, swap roles.
ACTIVITY FOUR
STEP FOUR
How can I achieve my goals/aims?
Now that you have identified your goals, decided on a realistic timeframe and a method of measuring
your progress, you will need to start thinking more carefully about your approach. It may be useful to
break each goal down into stages.
Example: Learn how to use APA referencing correctly
Stage one: read about referencing/ learn about referencing in class
Stage two: practice referencing by referring to guidelines
Stage three: practice referencing without referring to guidelines and then check
Now do the same for each of your three goals.
GOAL ONE
Goal: To improve my presentation skills and gain high level of confidence
Stage one: To communicate with the other individuals within the workplace properly and focusing on
teamwork to work as an unit
Stage two: This would allow me to discuss about certain matters among each other as well as learn to
present own opinions in front of others
Stage three: Communicating with others and acting in situations to present something in front of
others could enhance my confidence level too (Jin and Bridges 2014).
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GOAL TWO
Goal: To manage time and ensure timely service delivery
Stage one: Responding to the queries of the customers immediately and listening to the issues that
they might be facing carefully
Stage two: To understand the root cause of such problem and then undertaking any necessary step
Stage three: To not wait for long, rather focus on providing the right solution to the problem faced
GOAL THREE
Goal: To obtain analytical skills and decision-making skills
Stage one: Need to take part in training and developmental programs to enhancing the analytical
thinking skills and understanding the feasibility to the decisions to be made
Stage two: To listen attentively and paying attention to what the leaders want to speak
(Bezukladnlkov, Kruze and Mosina 2013)
Stage three: This would sharpen my analytical thinking and allow me to make decisions keeping in
mind the end results
Forward Planning –Assessments
You may be asked to complete this section once a week or once every two weeks. If it not applicable
this week simply write ‘NA’.
Look at the assessments you have for all your modules in the next couple of weeks and write them
below with details of the deadlines.
Assessments Deadlines
Principles of marketing
2 weeks
Analytical techniques 1 week
International marketing 2 weeks
Consumer behaviour 1 week
Organisational management NA
Forward Planning – Time Management
For this section write a paragraph about how you will manage your time over the next week/ two
weeks in order to achieve the assessment deadlines above and to work constructively towards your
personal aims. It would be a good idea do this regularly for your own benefit.
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I would manage time properly to ensure that all the various aspects of marketing and consumer
behaviour. During the first two weeks, I would learn the principles of marketing including the
product, price, place and promotion whereas in the next one week, I would focus on obtaining the
analytical skills and techniques. The next three weeks would be managed considering the learning of
international marketing and about consumer behaviour. The organisational management could be
done within the next few weeks any time with no hurry (Al‐Qahtani and Higgins 2013).
You will have written 250 words on your home country in the lesson under exam conditions and
then self assessed your work.
Now write up the corrected version on this page
I have been studying in United Kingdom and also have work experiences in multiple organisations
located all over the country. The exam conditions were quite good and it provided me enough scopes
and opportunities to excel in my career with ease and effectiveness. My working skills were improved
as I learned to speak in various languages and even managed to become qualified as a black belt. With
the help of my communication skills, I learned to teach students between the age of 13 years with
learning difficulties. By working in the organisations, I managed to provide proper customers services
and even understood the importance of keeping the customers satisfied, not only for enhancing the
profit level but also for improving the brand image and reputation. It was clear that I needed to serve
the customers properly and even respond to the queries, complaints of the customers, furthermore
provide refunds on the Customer service desk properly (Kong et al. 2014). My communication,
leadership and analytical thinking skills improved immensely, which allowed me to act as a role
model to others and could even allow me to progress in my career with ease. I managed to replenish
the stocks and even handled cash along with management of customers’ queries ad feedbacks to
provide them an excellent customer service with ease and efficiency. The learned about the
importance of time management and how timely services delivery could ensure customer satisfaction
and improved the business operations ‘effectiveness too. The communication skills could not only
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help me to present myself in front of others with confidence but would also allow me to progress in
my career through teamwork and coordination among work as well (Bishop and Verleger 2013).
Name Student ID Date
Today I delivered my verbal presentation and I was (a) very nervous (b) nervous (c) not nervous
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I had prepared for my verbal presentation (a) thoroughly (b) not as much as I should (c) not at all
My previous experience of public speaking is:
Previously, I was not much fluent in presenting myself in front of public properly. But with time, I
improved my speaking and listening abilities to manage presentation properly in front of others,
which also improved my confidence and morale level.
A self review of my performance today:
My performance, according to the assessors present there was quite good and it raised my confidence
and even improved my presentation skills. It not only allowed me to present my project in front of
others successfully, but also helped in understanding whether my performance has been able to meet
the expectations or not (Liaw and Huang 2013).
My short term goal with regard to verbal presentations is:
To achieve the verbal fluency and overcome my nervousness to make present myself properly in front
of others
My long term goal with respect to verbal presentations is:
: To give an effective oral presentation in front of many people
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Peer-reviewing a verbal presentation: Student Name:
Was the student confident?
He was not much confident and it showed his nervousness and lack of skills in presenting himself
properly (Arnold and Boggs 2015).
How was their body language?
Their body language seemed to be positive, though some nervousness was seen among them as well.
Was their voice clear?
Yes, their voice was quite clear and they did not hold a breath while talking. Though they were
nervous, still they managed to rectify themselves by talking fluently and made a mark.
Was the student well-prepared and the presentation polished and professional?
The presentation was polished enough it could be understood by his hard work and professionalism.
He was well prepared as well, because while asking some questions, he managed to provide answer
quite easily (Griffin 2013).
Set a realistic goal for this speaker:
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To speak properly and make others listen to the speaker attentively to understand the goals
and objectives that are needed to be achieved.
Reflect on your essay writing skills(Where are you now? How will you improve?)
I have learned quite a bit and even used proper grammatical words to ensure that the essay is
structured and written properly. I am currently at the learning stage and hope to improve my
fluency in other languages while writing essays too (Buehl 2017).
Reflect on your listening skills(Where are you now? How will you improve?)
I have taken part in various seminars and listened attentively to the speeches made by the
leaders. This helped me immensely in learning various things as well as made me overcome
my fears to make presentation in front of others. I would like to take part in other seminars
more to understand how I could enhance my listening, speaking and presentation skills
furthermore act as a responsible leader guiding others in the future (Al‐Qahtani, A.A. and
Higgins 2013).
Reflect on your summarisation skills(Where are you now? How will you improve?)
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I have been presently associated with the various business management aspects such as
marketing principles, human resources, consumer behaviours and organisational management
too.
Complete a Revision plan
I have understood the importance of providing great customers’ services and even managed to speak
in both French and Spanish through my years of work experience at The French Shop and Pies R’US.
I learned the approaches to conduct quality tests and even handled cash along with responding to the
queries of customers easily (Kong et al. 2014).
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Upload a CV
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References
Al‐Qahtani, A.A. and Higgins, S.E., 2013. Effects of traditional, blended and e‐learning on
students' achievement in higher education. Journal of computer assisted learning, 29(3),
pp.220-234.
Arnold, E.C. and Boggs, K.U., 2015. Interpersonal Relationships-E-Book: Professional
Communication Skills for Nurses. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Barak, M. and Ziv, S., 2013. Wandering: A Web-based platform for the creation of location-
based interactive learning objects. Computers & Education, 62, pp.159-170.
Bezukladnlkov, K., Kruze, B. and Mosina, M., 2013. Interactive Approach To Esp Teaching
And Learning. World Applied Sciences Journal, 24(2), pp.201-206.
Bishop, J.L. and Verleger, M.A., 2013, June. The flipped classroom: A survey of the
research. In ASEE National Conference Proceedings, Atlanta, GA (Vol. 30, No. 9, pp. 1-18).
Buehl, D., 2017. Classroom strategies for interactive learning. Stenhouse Publishers.
Griffin, R.W., 2013. Fundamentals of management. Cengage Learning.
Jin, J. and Bridges, S.M., 2014. Educational technologies in problem-based learning in health
sciences education: a systematic review. Journal of medical internet research, 16(12).
Kong, S.C., Chan, T.W., Griffin, P., Hoppe, U., Huang, R., Looi, C.K., Milrad, M., Norris,
C., Nussbaum, M., Sharples, M. and So, W.M.W., 2014. E-learning in School Education in
the Coming 10 Years for Developing 21st Century Skills: Critical Research Issues and Policy
Implications. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 17(1).
Liaw, S.S. and Huang, H.M., 2013. Perceived satisfaction, perceived usefulness and
interactive learning environments as predictors to self-regulation in e-learning environments.
Computers & Education, 60(1), pp.14-24.
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