Reflective Report: Core Skills of Focus, Negotiation, and Teamwork

This reflective report analyzes the core skills of focus and attention, negotiation, and teamwork, evaluating their importance in career development. The report defines each skill, explains its significance, and provides self-assessments, peer feedback, and personal reflections. The author identifies strengths and weaknesses, highlighting contradictions between self-perception and external feedback. The report uses theories like Interest Theory, Self-determination Theory, and models such as Blake & Mouton's Managerial Grid, Johari Window, and Belbin-type Model to support the analysis. It also includes a SWOT analysis of the author's skills and a performance development plan, outlining how these skills will be beneficial in future career scenarios, such as making business decisions and negotiating for better outcomes. The report emphasizes the practical application of these skills in both professional and real-life situations, aiming to enhance the author's overall professional development and career success.

Executive Summary-
Core skills such as Focus & Attention, Negotiation, Team Working and Public
Relation are helpful for me in building my career and achieving my goals. In this report
meaning of focus & attention skill has been explained. Further, in this report importance of
focus & attention skill has been included. Moreover, this report has been elaborate my
weakness in this skill and usefulness of this skill in future was explained in this report.
Further in this report meaning of negotiation, team building and public relation has been
elaborated. After that in this report my weakness in negotiation, team working and public
speaking has been explained. Furthermore, in this report importance of negotiation, team
working and public speaking has been elaborated. At last in this report SWOT Analysis of
my weakness and strengths and performance development plan has been prepared.
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL ENTRY PRO-FORMA
What is the core skill?
Focus & Attention- Focus & Attention is a core skill which helps individuals in maintaining
focus on completion of a particular task and it does not distract one from doing the task.
With this core skill any person can easily formulate & complete the task and achieve
goals(Brett and Thompson, 2016).
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use
relevant theories and concepts to support your answer)
Importance- This core skill is important in completing the task in an effective & efficient
manner. Thus, with this I am able to complete the task on time which increases my
efficiency and also enhances my interest in task. Focus & Attention is also important &
useful for me in collecting information related to the task and in understanding the task.
Thus, I select this as a reflective skill and it is also a strength for me.
Interest Theory- According to this theory Focus & Attention create interest in me for a
particular work & I enjoy doing the task.
Self-determination Theory- As per this academic theory this core skill is important in
creating self-determination and helps in controlling situations.
For Example- If I am able to focus on what teacher is teaching in the class and what my
classmates are discussing about an important project than it helps me in completing the
project on time & in achieving good marks.

Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence? (use your self-assessment findings, feedback from peers and your
tutor, plus your own reflections on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours to
answer this question)
My Focus & attention is very good according to me, the only problem is that I am not able
to focus on many things at a time. But As per Blake & Mouton's Managerial Grid
(Appendix D)I am not able to concentrate properly on a particular task and I get distracted
with any little thing. On the other hand according to feedbacks of my peers I need to pay
attention on each topic of a task and I ignore many important things while performing the
task. Thus, according to those feedbacks I need to work on improving all this problems for
improving this skill(Salas, Prince and Shrestha, 2017).
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?
Focus & Attention skill is my strength as I am able to focus on my task and complete it on
time. On the other hand, it is also a weakness for me as I am unable to pay attention on
my other important work which affects my overall performance. Thus, to reduce this gap I
have to develop this skill more so I can focus on all the task at a time. I used Thomas
Kilmann Conflict (Appendix E) according to which sometimes I do not show interest in a
task which is a weakness for me and it reduces my performance.
How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
Focus & Attention is a core skill helpful for making career decisions. For Example- After
studies I have to make decisions related to job or business than it require attention & focus
as what is best for me.
Further, this skill is also helpful in real life situation when I am operating my own business.
For Example- In future I establish a business of my own and I need to make various
decisions related to deciding budget or making investment decisions than focus &
attention helps me in preparing a sustainable and appropriate budget if I distracted while
making budget than I can suffer losses.
What is the core skill?

Negotiation- Negotiation is a core skill which is used when both the parties have different
opinion & they do not give their consent on same thing so, they both argue with each other
to get best of it. This skill includes various other skills without which it cannot be done like
communication, influencing and planning.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use
relevant theories and concepts to support your answer)
Importance- Negotiation skill is important for me in interacting with people, in building
relation ship with clients and it is also important for me for eliminating problems.
For Example- If I have to make a deal in which other party is demanding high price and I
am not able to negotiate with him than it reduces profits of my business. Thus, skill is
important for me in achieving success.
I choose to reflect on this skill because it is my weakness and I need to develop this skill
as it is useful in achieving goals & success.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence? (use your self-assessment findings, feedback from peers and your
tutor, plus your own reflections on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours to
answer this question)
In my opinion my negotiation & influencing skills are not good and I have to develop
influencing, communication, building relationship and problem solving situations. In
accordance with Johari Window (Appendix C) there is no need to improve my
communication & decision making areas and beside that I have to work on all the other
areas very hard because without them I am not able to become a good negotiator. To
improve this skill I require a time of 4-5 months(Mäkikangas, Seppälä and Hakanen, 2016).
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?
Negotiation is a weakness of mine but I am good at some areas of this skill such as
effective communication and decision making which somewhere helpful for me but I am

not good in various areas of this skill such as resolving problems, assertiveness and
handling adverse situations. With this weakness I am not able to negotiate properly and
this a disadvantage for me. According to Belbin-type Model (Appendix F) I am not that
much weak on this skill as I am aware about communication & decision making skill.
Feedback received from peers & others are not helpful at all because according to them I
am good at few skills but to improve this skill I have to develop & improve all the areas of
this skill if I want to become an effective negotiator and want achieve my goals(Strentz,
2017).
How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
Negotiation is also helpful in my future career and it is helpful in improving career growth.
For Example- In future I got a job and my boss is giving me low wages than negotiation is
helpful in getting higher pay.
This skill is also useful in real practice such as in operating business.
For Example- I operate a start-up in which if I am capable to negotiate with my supplier of
raw material than it is helpful for me as it minimises cost of production and which in turn
help me & my business in earning higher profits.

What is the core skill?
Team Working- Team work is a core skill through which a person is capable to participate
among group of individuals by giving them innovative ideas & support so that performance
of team can be better and helps in achieving goals easily because individuals of teams
work for a common goal.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use
relevant theories and concepts to support your answer)
Importance- Team Working skill is important for me in building my career in professional
world. This skill is also useful for me for managing conflict among team members &
collecting their ideas and opinions.
For Example- If my boss build a team for completing a task with a deadline in that case
team working skill is important for me for coordinating with others and for giving my view.
I reflect on this skill because it is my strength and it helps me in working in a team and
maintaining relations with team members so that goals of team can be achieved.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence? (use your self-assessment findings, feedback from peers and your
tutor, plus your own reflections on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours to
answer this question)
In my opinion I am perfect at my Team Working skill and there is no need to make
changes & improvement. I am good at making decisions, understanding others opinion,
convincing members of team and supporting & giving productive ideas. On the other hand
, According to Blake & Mouton's Managerial Grid used in (Appendix D) my ideas are
not so productive and also I am not able to understand other views and feedbacks of my
peers is also same that I am not good at understanding others views and I do not listen
others properly. Thus, I need to work of this areas to develop this skill in accordance with
feedbacks received from peers & Appendix D(German, Gronbeck and Germam, 2017).
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?
Team working is my strength and according to me I am very good in influencing
individuals but by using Johari Window (Appendix C) there is a gap that I am not good
at managing conflicts in group and others think that my ideas are not much strong &
productive. Thus, I have to improve this two areas by improving my knowledge for making
this skill more strong.
Feedbacks received from others are not helpful in improving this skill as I am already
strong in this skills because my results are positive and if I follow guidelines of my tutor
and peer than it is waste of my time and I can use this time in developing other skills.
How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
Team Working is a kill which helps me in developing my career & studies.
For Example- In future when i joined a job and my manager ask me to complete a task on
time than I need to form a team thus, team working skill is needed for managing teams &
for achieving team goals,
Team working is also helpful in real life situation suppose In future I open my own start-up
of restaurant than group of individual for operating my business and in that case if I don't
have team skill as how to manage staff than profits of my business reduces. Thus, it is
helpful for me(Baccarani and Bonfanti, 2015).

What is the core skill?
Public Speaking- Public speaking is a core skill with which anyone can communicate
face to face with public or audience. This skill helps in me whenever I have to give a live
speech to a group of people and need to interact with public in large.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use
relevant theories and concepts to support your answer)
Importance- According to communication theory Public Speaking is important for me
because it improves my communication and helps me in motivating & influencing
individuals. Public Speaking also important in making various decisions related to career
and business expansion.
For Example- If there is change in techniques of production in my company for that I have
to give this information to employees and need to make some important decisions
regarding that for this public is most important.
I reflect Public speaking skill because I need to develop this skill as it is my weakness and
without I am not able to communicate in public.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence? (use your self-assessment findings, feedback from peers and your
tutor, plus your own reflections on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours to
answer this question)
I think My public speaking skill is not good at all and I need to work on all the areas of this
skill such as body language, communication, pitch of voice, content of speech and stage
presence. But, According to Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence Test (Appendix B) I am
good at writing content and building relationship with audience but, I need to develop all
the other areas to become a good speaker. At this stage I am not capable of giving a live
speed in public according to Jung Typology Test (Appendix A) it is recommended to me
to control over my voice and body language. Thus, results of this two appendix helps me
in strengthen this skill(Arnold and Boggs, 2019).
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?
Public Speaking is my weakness as I am not good at all thus, I have to improve all this
areas such as body language, relationship with audience and communication style. I used
Jung Typology Test, (HumanMatrics, 2018) (Appendix A) according to opinion of this I
am good at building public relation and my body language is also good. So, I have to
strengthen this skill by controlling pitch of voice & by improving content of my speech.
Tools used by me such as feedback of tutor and peers is not helpful in some cases
because I am good at interacting with people so there is no need to improve this area.
How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
Public speaking is helpful for me in my future studies. For Example- In my further studies
there is situation when I have to give a live speech to audience than it cannot be possible
without this skill.
Further, this skill is also helpful in real life situation suppose in future I incorporate my own
company and I am director than public speaking is needed for providing information about
companies guidelines and for interacting to all the subordinates of company.
Without public speaking skill I am not able to communicate to all levels operating in my
company and which in turn reduces growth of my firm(Dye, Green and Bavelier, 2019).

Analysis
SWOT Analysis
Strengths Weakness
My two strengths are
 Good Communication skill
 Building effective relationship
I am strong in this two skills because I can easily
influence people and people get attracted with
me. I am also good at building relationship as
people like my ideas and I am supportive(Duke,
Cash and Allen, 2015).
My three weakness are-
 Improper body language
 Decision Making
 Concentration
My decision making is very poor as I am not able
to make proper decisions on time and they do
not give effective results. My body language is
also my weakness at with this I am not able to
give affective speech to the audience.
Concentration is my weakness as I am not able
to focus on my all the workings at a same time.
Action Plan
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Timely
Development Area
1
Public Speaking
Public speaking
is my weakness
and I want to be
a good speaker.
To develop this
skill I need to
work on various
areas such as
body language,
building
relationship with
audience and
communication
technique.
Improvement in
this skill is to be
measured when I
give more public
speeches and
evidence on that is
to be measured by
collecting feedback
from audience and
my colleagues.
All this actions such as
improvement of body
language,
communication skills
are essential in
development of this
skill. Without them this
skill cannot be
improved.
Yes this action is
relevant in my real
life also because in
future I am a director
of my company in
future than
improvement in this
skill helps me in
delivering important
information related
to my company to its
members.
I started working on
this skill from now
onwards because it
requires much time
4-5 months

and effort.
Development Area
2
Negotiation skill
My negotiation
skill is very poor
and to develop
this skill I have to
work on various
specific areas
such as
communication
skill, influencing
skill and dealing
with adverse
situation.
Improvement in
this skill is
measured by taking
survey & I also
measure
improvement by
comparing results if
they my present
negotiation skill
helps me in wining
over other person
than there is an
improvement.
This sill is attainable by
improving influencing
skill and decision
making skill.
Improvement in this
skill is also relevant
for me in near future
because if I operate a
business and I have
to negotiate with my
suppliers than this
skill is much required
and it helps me in
achieving profits in
my business.
2-4 months
Development Area
3
Focus & Attention
I am good at
Focus &
Attention skill
but I am not
good at some
areas such as I
am not able to
focus on all the
task.
If I am able to pay
attention on all the
task than
improvement is
measured on the
basis of results of
each task.
Focus & attention skill is
attainable if I focus on
all the areas at a time.
Improvement of this
skill is most relevant
because it helps me
in focusing on overall
working. Suppose in
future if I operate a
business than I have
to focus on all the
operation al
department. Thus,
this skill is useful in
real life and I am
working on improving
this skill as it requires
very less time.
1-2 months
References
Duke, R.A., Cash, C.D. and Allen, S.E., 2015. Focus of attention affects performance of motor skills in
music. Journal of Research in Music Education. 59(1). pp.44-55.
Dye, M.W., Green, C.S. and Bavelier, D., 2019. The development of attention skills in action video
game players. Neuropsychologia. 47(8-9). pp.1780-1789.
Arnold, E.C. and Boggs, K.U., 2019. Interpersonal Relationships E-Book: Professional
Communication Skills for Nurses. Saunders.

Baccarani, C. and Bonfanti, A., 2015. Effective public speaking: a conceptual framework in the
corporate-communication field. Corporate Communications: An International Journal. 20(3).
pp.375-390.
German, K.M., Gronbeck, B.E. and Germam, K.M., 2017. Principles of public speaking. Routledge.
Brett, J. and Thompson, L., 2016. Negotiation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision
Processes. 136. pp.68-79.
Strentz, T., 2017. Psychological aspects of crisis negotiation. CRC Press.
Mäkikangas, A., Seppälä, P. and Hakanen, J., 2016. Work engagement–team performance
relationship: shared job crafting as a moderator. Journal of Occupational and Organizational
Psychology. 89(4). pp.772-790.
Salas, E., Prince, C. and Shrestha, L., 2017. Situation awareness in team performance: Implications
for measurement and training. In Situational Awareness (pp. 63-76). Routledge.

Appendix:
Appendix A HumanMatrics, (2018) Jung Typology Test
Appendix B Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence Test