Understand Self and Others

This journal entry focuses on self-reflection and personal development, analyzing the author's strengths and weaknesses in four key skills: time management, public speaking, researching and information finding, and written communication. It includes an action plan to address identified development needs.

UNDERSTAND SELF AND
OTHERS

Table of Contents
1. Reflective Personal Development Plan Journal......................................................................1
2. Summary and Action Plan......................................................................................................3
References........................................................................................................................................5

1. Reflective Personal Development Plan Journal
Time-management Skill
`1

What is the core skill to develop?I need to develop time-management skill. Time
management refers to coordinating different tasks and activities and maximizing the
effectiveness in self performance (Muller, 2018). The effective management of time helps
individual to get the work done properly in less time. Various elements of effective time
management are properly planning and organizing different task and activities in fixed time-
frame to get the best benefits and advantages.
Why is the core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on?
Time management skill is important because it will help me to effectively organize my
different task and complete them on or before expected time. Effectively managing my task
will not provide me stress or work load. I chose this skill to reflect on because I seriously need
to work on this skill and improve in order to manage my work effectively and within time
frame. Improving and developing time-management skill will benefit me in both personal and
professional life. After completing the task within fixed time-frame will benefit me to use
remaining time in developing my other skills and competences. Time-management skills also
helps in gaining confidence of doing other activities and tasks.
Reflect on your current competences regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competences?
Time management skill is important to maintain work life balance and also helps in developing
the effectiveness and quality of work (6 Tips to Improve Your Time Management Skills, 2018).
My current level of time management competences is poor which brings unwanted work stress
and also makes professional reputation poor. I have identified that I am weak in managing my
work and time because I generally fail to complete the task given in time-frame. My peers and
colleagues also provided me feedback that I am not able to effectively meet the deadlines and
manage my time effectively. My friends and family members also told me that I am not able to
manage my time effectively and this needs to be developed to gain better performance results.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above? For example, is there a
match between how you see yourself and how others see you, or not?
No, I do not see any contradictions from the above analysis. I feel that I am weak and poor in
managing my time effectively because I fail to prioritise the important work and also fail to
complete the task in given time-frame. This is also said by peers and colleagues that I am weak

in managing time effectively. They also provided the feedback that I need to focus on
developing my time management skills and competences in order to bring better performance
outcomes.
How might this skill help me in the future?
Developing the time-management skill will bring me benefits of get the work done in limited
time or within time-frame. I will not get work stress or work load and also can do the work in
perfect manner. Completing the task and activities on time will provide me with remaining
extra time for doing other activities or spending it with family and friends. I can also make use
of the extra time to develop my other skills and competences and bring benefit in both personal
and professional life. Time management skill will provide me with future opportunities as well
and it can improve my educational and professional reputation and image.
Public Speaking Skill
`2

What is the core skill to develop?I need to develop my public speaking skill. Public speaking
refers to communicating or delivering some information or message with public. Public
speaking skill is required while giving presentations, giving speech, or putting our self opinion
and views in front of large number of people.
Why is the core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on?
I selected this skills because I need to develop the public speaking skill in order to become more
confident in my educational and professional career and achieve better results. The public
speaking skill is the backbone of effective communication that is required in every part of
personal and professional life (Brockett and Hiemstra, 2018). The public speaking skill helps in
improving the ability for development and progress in the professional career. By developing
and improving public speaking skill I can form effective relation and connection within
different persons, influence decisions and also motivate others.
Reflect on your current competences regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competences?
I think my current level of competence regarding public speaking is average because I can
manage to bring influence through my speaking in front of small number of people. But, I get
nervous and fails confidence level in front of large number of people, therefore I reflected on
this skill in order to bring improvements. Self-assessment tools helps me in identifying my
strengths and weaknesses and also guides me in developing my skills and competences that can
bring benefits in my future career. I got feedback from seniors and mentors that I am not
comfortable in public speaking and fails confidence level. This makes my presentations weak
therefore, I need to focus on developing public speaking competences.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above? For example, is there a
match between how you see yourself and how others see you, or not?
No, I did not find any contradictions from the view of my mentors and seniors. Through self-
assessment tools I came to know that I am weak in public speaking and loose confidence when
speaking publicly. And the same was told by my mentor and senior and there is a match
between how I see myself and how others see me. The feedback from others suggested that I
need to focus on developing my confidence for speaking in public and large number of people.
How might this skill help me in the future?

Improving and developing public speaking skill will improve my confidence level and also
make me comfortable around people. This skill will also help in providing better presentation
and delivery of important message or information to public. This will also help in improving
my confidence level which can bring benefits in both my personal and professional life. I can
effectively work with diversity and can also lead the team through effective public speaking
skill and competence.
Researching and Information Finding skill
`2

What is the core skill to develop?The core skill and competence which needs to be developed
is researching and information findings. This refers to finding information or doing research on
certain topics or subjects. This skill and competence helps individual to undertake and locate
specific information or details using search engines, books, research papers or other information
retrieval system.
Why is the core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on?
I chose this skill to reflect on because I feel that I am weak while finding or collecting
information on specific given topic. The researching and information finding skill is important
in order to collect relevant data and completing the given task or activity effectively (Allen,
2018). Improving this skill help me to easily find the relevant data or information and making
effective use of the remaining time. This will help me to assess and improve my current level of
skill and knowledge through searching and information findings.
Reflect on your current competences regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competences?
Using various self-assessment tools I found out that my current level of researching and
information finding competence is poor and I need to work on improving the same in order to
bring better results and outcomes. I got feedback from my mentors and colleagues that I need to
work on improving my researching and information findings in order to facilitate learning and
also improving knowledge.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above? For example, is there a
match between how you see yourself and how others see you, or not?
There was a match between how I see myself and how others see me, therefore, there was not
contradictions between my and others view. Colleagues and mentors also said what I felt about
my level of skills and competences regarding researching and information finding skills.
According to the feedback provided by mentors and seniors and self-assessment I need to
develop and improve my finding information skill so that I can gain better benefits and results.
How might this skill help me in the future?
The improvements in researching and information finding skill will help me to effectively find
the relevant and accurate information through primary and secondary sources. Effectively
finding the information will help in managing and saving my time. It will also help me to

communicate effectively through relevant and accurate information and knowledge regarding
specific topic. Developing information finding skill will effectively help me in future to find
solutions to different problems and also taking initiative in certain task and activities.
Written Communication Skill
`2

What is the core skill to develop?The core skill which needs to be developed is written
communication skill in order to bring better results and outcomes. The written communication
skill refers the ability for conveying information in written form efficiently and effectively with
others. Written communication skill is required in every field of life to manage the effective
communication between different people and also for sharing information.
Why is the core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on?
I selected the written communication skill to reflect on because I found that I was not very good
at this skill. The written communication skill is important as it facilitate sharing of message and
information with people in formal way (Brockett and Hiemstra, 2018). I need to possess this
skill so that I can manage to share information to other people in more effective and efficient
way. The development of written communication skill will also help me to improve my
educational and professional reputation.
Reflect on your current competences regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competences?
Self-assessment tools and seminar sessions helped me to identify the importance of written
communication skill and need for improving it as well. I found out that I was a average person
in written communication skill and also got feedback from others that I need to focus on
developing the written communication skill. My mentor and colleagues suggested and gave
feedback that I need to bring better results and improve my written communication skill. The
written communication skill is important because it ensures effective communication and also
demonstrate self intelligence.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above? For example, is there a
match between how you see yourself and how others see you, or not?
No, I didn't found any contradictions from the analysis. There was a match between how other
see me and how I see myself. The feedback provided by my seniors and colleagues also
suggested the same thing that I got to know from self-assessment tools i.e. I need to develop my
written communication skill and competence. As people with good and effective writing skills
are perceived as more trustworthy and reliable.
How might this skill help me in the future?

Improving and developing written communication skill will help me to effectively demonstrate
my intelligence and also to be more influential. Effective writing skill and competence also
helps in boosting confidence level that brings benefits in both personal and professional career.
Written communication skill will help me to improve my professional and educational
reputation and image that will bring effective results in future as well. Effective written skill
and competence also helps in establishing loyal relationship by conveying important and
accurate information or message (Grant and Goodman, 2018).
2. Summary and Action Plan
The above prepared journal entries helps me in identifying my strengths and weaknesses,
which are outlined as follows:
Skills and
competence
Strengths or Weaknesses Current level
of competence
Planning and addressing
appropriate areas to deal
with development needs
Written
communications
skill
It is my weakness as
identified from the above
journal entries.
Not very good I can develop and improve my
written communication skill
by joining courses and taking
help of mentors. Imitating the
writers that I admire will also
help to develop my writing
skills. Expanding vocabulary
and reading and writing
regularly will benefit in
improving the skill (Muller,
2018).
Researching and
Information
finding skill
It is considered as one of
my weakness and I
identified this from the
above journal entries.
Weak I can develop my researching
and information finding skill
by reviewing the sources,
making use of web browsers
properly and also organising
`2

the bookmarks. I can also
improve this core skill by
learning advance search
techniques and making its
effective use.
Negotiation skill This is considered as my
strength and I am good at
it, this was identified using
self-assessment tools and
feedback from my peers
and colleagues.
Good I am already good at
negotiation skill and in order
to develop it further, I need to
find a good negotiation coach.
Practice will also help me to
develop this skill and will lead
to bring better results and
outcomes.
Time-
management skill
This is my weakness and
identified this from the
above prepared journal
entries.
Weak I can improve my time-
management skill by
effectively prioritising the
task and activities and also
setting deadlines for the same.
Effectively managing
meetings, emails and different
task will help me to improvise
my time-management skill
and competence.
`3

References
Books And Journal
Allen, D. B., 2018. Culture and self: Philosophical and religious perspectives, East and West.
Routledge.
Brockett, R. G. and Hiemstra, R., 2018. Self-direction in adult learning: Perspectives on theory,
research and practice. Routledge.
Grant, A. and Goodman, B., 2018. Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Nursing. Learning
Matters.
Muller, G., 2018. Human Side: interpersonal skills.
Online
6 Tips to Improve Your Time Management Skills. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://psychcentral.com/lib/6-tips-to-improve-your-time-management-skills/>
`4