Foundations of Workplace Success

This article discusses the development of communication skills, public speaking and networking for workplace success. It includes a learning contract, strategies for networking, and reflection on the process. References are provided for further reading.

Running head: Foundations of Workplace Success
Foundations of Workplace Success
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Part A: A Learning Contract
1. Objective
In order to develop my professional skills and competencies I wish to develop my
communication skills (oral and written) and public speaking skills. These skills will enable
me to communicate more effectively in both verbal and non verbal communication and speak
in front of people.
2. Specific resources and strategies
To improve written and oral skills I will enroll for a 2 day communication skills training
course and to improve public speaking skills I will enroll in a 1 day training course on public
speaking training. The resources that I would need to improve my communication include
books and computer for online resources.
The objectives can be measured through the certification received at the end of the
program, indicating my performance and competency in written and oral communication and
in public speaking. Also, my skills in oral communication and public speaking can be
measured by my ability to give oral presentations and speech. My written communication
skills can be measured through by ability to write a good speech (Jackson 2015).
3. Date of completion
Week
1
Week 2 Week3 Week 4 Week5 Week
6
Wee
k 7
Wee
k 8
Wee
k 9
Wee
k 10
Written
commu
nication
training

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(Septem
ber 24th)
Oral
communica
tion
training
(October
1st)
Public
speaking
training
(October
8th)
4. Evidence
 Evidence for oral communication skills: Giving oral presentations and public speech
 Evidence for written communication skills: Writing speech and reports
 Evidence of public speaking: Giving a public speech and oral presentation
The competencies can be measured through the scoring of my performance in these
activities by the judge/assessor/examiner (Westmyer and Warren 2015)
5. Verification by judges:
The proof or evidence of acquiring the identified skills can be shown through:
 Certificate of passing the courses
 Oral presentations

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 Writing and delivering a speech to a group of people
Part B: Networking
Before meeting:
Network meeting I will attend and criteria for choice: The network meeting I plan to attend is
an independent press conference. The choice of the meeting is based on the cope to learn
effective and professional communication and presentation skills.
Aims of the network and how they will benefit me: The press conference can help me
understand the best strategies for public speaking and giving presentations.
Who might be attending the meeting? Newspaper reporters, media personnel and business
executives would be present.
What I want to achieve from the meeting: From the meeting I want to learn about the best
strategies for public speaking, speech writing and oral presentations.
How I aim to promote myself: I used my business card to introduce myself and used my
profile and achievements of my business to leverage my promotion.
Strategies I will use to assist others to develop trust and confidence in me: By using effective
communication strategies, efficient writing skills and the ability to give public speech and
good and informative presentation.
(Thom 2016)
During Meeting:
What strategies I used: Effective listening skills, taking notes and recording speeches.

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Strategies I used to develop trust and confidence, and whether they worked or not: To
develop trust and confidence I used my listening and communication skills, emotional
intelligence and my knowledge. This helped me to develop trust and confidence from people
who attended the meeting.
Positive networking skills I observed: Good presentation skills, public speaking skills and
effective writing skills.
What could have been improved? The press conference could have included more speakers
and could have been for a longer duration.
Information I passed on to members of the network: I shared information regarding my
business and how they can be the stakeholders in the business.
(Harris and Williams 2014)
After Meeting:
Knowledge and skills I shared with others: I shared knowledge regarding my own business
insights that can help them in their profession. The skills I shared were emotional
intelligence, problem solving skills and motivational skills.
Feedback I received about Kaplan Business School: I received positive feedback regarding
Kaplan Business School, and most of the people I met had a good opinion regarding the
School, its education staff and the performance and profile of the students and alumni.
Knowledge and skills I gained? Any others in my class who can benefit from the knowledge
and skills I gained in the meeting? How I can use the feedback gained? The knowledge I
gained included the understanding of current market trends and scenarios in my business. The
skills I gained included effective communication skills and speech writing skills. I believe

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that several others in my class could have benefited from attending the conference/meeting. I
can use the feedback I received about Kaplan to promote the organization in various other
meetings. I can also use the positive feedback to seek good job opportunities.
Evaluation of the network and how can it be useful to achieve my goals: The event was very
successful and informative for me, and I was able to learn a lot by attending it. This
knowledge can help me to achieve by professional objectives through the development of
effective communication skills, public speaking skills and writing good speeches.
(Mitchell et al. 2016)
Part C: Reflection
Four issues I faced in completing this contract:
While completing my contract in the development of communication (oral and
written) and public speaking skills, the main problems that I faced were:
Time Constraint: Each of the classes for oral communication skill development, written
communication skill development and public speaking skill development was for one day,
during which all the concepts and strategies were taught to us. This was a significant time
constraint, which increased the stress and the volume of information I had to understand.
Communicating with diverse people: While learning in a culturally and professionally diverse
environment I had to engage in discussion groups with other students. Often understanding
their perspectives and views was difficult for me due to the cultural and professional
diversities of the students.

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Understanding the main concepts of communication: It was difficult for me initially to
develop understanding of concepts such as active listening, using non verbal communication
such as body language and the theories of communication (such as interactionist theory)
Complexities of the English language: Understanding the innuendos of the language was also
a challenge for me, as I often came across words with ambiguous meanings.
What will I do better next time?
In the next event I shall try to involve some of my classmates to participate. I shall
also use the platform to discuss about my company and increase my network in the
professional circle. Additionally, I would also carry my portfolio to share with the different
business people and arrange meetings with them (Mitchell et al. 2016).

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Reference:
Harris, K. and Williams, J.A., 2014. Some experiences cannot be had at a distance: The
importance of face-to-face settings for building professional networking skills. Atlantic
Marketing Journal, 3(2), p.2.
Jackson, D., 2015. Employability skill development in work-integrated learning: Barriers and
best practice. Studies in Higher Education, 40(2), pp.350-367.
Mitchell, V.W., Schlegelmilch, B.B. and Mone, S.D., 2016. Why should I attend? The value
of business networking events. Industrial Marketing Management, 52, pp.100-108.
Thom, M., 2016. Crucial skills for the entrepreneurial success of fine artists (No. 01/16).
Working Paper, Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn.
Westmyer, S. and Warren, N., 2015. Positive Confirmation: Communication Skills in
Business Settings Exercise. In Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential
Learning: Proceedings of the Annual ABSEL conference (Vol. 42).

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