Reflective Journal: Evaluating Key Skills for Personal Development

This reflective journal delves into the importance of various skills for personal and professional development. The author explores the significance of communication skills (verbal and non-verbal), research skills, the use of ICTs, teamwork abilities, time and self-management skills, and problem-solving skills. The journal provides self-assessments of these skills, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. The author reflects on how these skills contribute to personal growth and success, providing examples of their application in different contexts. Communication skills are discussed in detail, emphasizing the importance of both verbal and non-verbal aspects. The author also describes experiences in research and teamwork, showcasing the benefits of effective research abilities and collaborative efforts. Furthermore, the journal emphasizes the importance of ICT skills, time management, and problem-solving abilities in achieving personal goals. References to relevant books and journals support the author's reflections, providing a comprehensive overview of the topic.

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Reflection.....................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
A person always need various skills and abilities in their person life to increase or
improve its performance level. There are communication skills, research skills, teamwork skills,
time and self-management skills and problem solving skills some major skills which each learner
or person should improve to achieve high success. These skills are basically the most powerful
key to a person for completing each target in decided time period. Currently each company or
business focuses on hiring only those candidates who has great skills and abilities. This
reflection discusses value of different skills in personal life.
MAIN BODY
Reflection
Currently I have different skills which is giving great contribution in personal
development. Many people always appreciate me for my various skills (Lambert and Spinath,
2018). Currently I’m taking huge advantages from these skills.
Communication Skills (Verbal and Non-verbal)
Communication skill is one of the most important skill from employability skills which
supports a person to give and receives various type information with others. it is not only involve
listening, speaking, observing and empathising but also leads high understanding in people.
Communication skills are basically classified into two forms i.e. verbal communication, non-
verbal communication (Kur Maker, 2019). Verbal communication includes telecommunication,
emails and written skills as well which is used to listen and understanding their meaning through
writing. While non-verbal communication includes facial expression, body language and eye
contact which supports to convey information group of people effectively in certain place.
Communication skills is not only important for personal but also it is important for job place
which supports to interact wide variety people well form. I also have good communication skills
but I want to improve my several skills like listening, body language and eye contact while
communicating. Otherwise my written and speaking skills are excellent which I observe in
myself.

Whenever I communicate with group of people then I easy to communicate with them
and easily passes information which I want to make them understand (Kramer, Barkmin and
Brinda, 2019). But while communicating with people I feel I unable to coordinate my facial
expression and eye contact with others which causes I don’t get expected results. So, I want to
work my non-verbal communication so that I get hundred percent results while communication
with peoples. The reason behind is that I know in future when I go for job or any platform that
time I need to coordinate my bod language with my speaking then I can promote by others. to
improve non-verbal communication, I join communication classes where trainer guides every
time whenever I come on stage. I read books who given direction to coordinate body language
while communication. Thus, I improve my communication skills.
Research Skills
My existing research skills are too effective, because I never take too much time for
researching something (de Araujo, Andrade and Guerrero, 2016). Once my class teacher gave me
task, in that task he told me to complete a research report on NASA. That moment was so
interesting to me, because I always like to research on different topics. I already have completed
various researches on different topics. I really like to research about something, so when my
teacher gave that task, I felt that is too good opportunity to me, for showing my research skill and
abilities to all classmates. Then I started my task of researching each information about NASA. I
have used different platforms, like; internet, newspapers, books & journals, and magazines etc. to
complete my research project (Fanari, Meloni and Massidda, 2019). According to my
experience, these are the best sources to complete a research project. People really appreciate to
a person in academics who have effective research skills.
Finally, I completed that research task which my teacher has gave by using by various
research sources and techniques. Many times I thank to god for giving me that research abilities.
At the end when my teacher has analysed my research task, he really appreciated me because of
these extra-ordinary abilities. He told to other students also to improve research abilities like me.
That was one of the best moments of my life, when my teacher was appreciating me for my
research skills in the front of whole class (Zimmerman, Alfaiz and Maker, 2019). On that time, I
was completely understanding the value of the excellent research skills.

The Use of ICTs
There is information and communication technologies also plays great role in personal
development. I also have ICTs abilities, but not much effective. Currently I’m continually taking
various steps towards improving these skills or abilities, because these are also too necessary for
a person to achieve high success in the life. Recently I has joined a coaching class for more
developing these skills. Once I was watching show, so in that show the anchor has informed
about value of ICTs abilities to audience (Martzog, Stoeger and Suggate, 2019). On that time to
date, I’m continuously working on improving these abilities I knew that, a person can easily
communicate with other one through information technology.
ICTs helps to people in increasing its value in information technology sector. That’s why
I’m trying to improve these abilities. If once I will completely improve these skills, then I can
easily earn huge profit through information technology sector. Currently there is an effective
future scope in information technology sector to that person who have effective abilities of ICTs.
Teamwork Abilities
Teamwork abilities also too necessary for a person to achieve effective results in the life
(Palermo, Mikulski and Conejo, 2017). My teamwork abilities are too excellent, because from
my childhood to date I always like to work in team. According to my experience, if people want
achieve their decided targets on time, then they need to work in team as a member to achieve that
target on time. A teamwork always give opportunity to a person for learning different things.
When a person works in a team, on that time it can easily know different innovative ideas from
their other team members. In team work, all members work together for achieving common
goals, in which each member have opportunity to share its any productive opinion in teamwork
(Wahyuni and et.al., 2017). So, this thing of teamwork give opportunity to a person for
improving its thinking capabilities as well. That’s why these skills play great role in our life.
Recently I was participated in a teamwork. In that teamwork, me and my members has
decided to plant some trees. I always like to work in social welfare, so that was great opportunity
to work in social welfare, so then I has joined that teamwork. In that teamwork we all members
were came together for planting trees. Each one has shared their point on view on how arrange
soil, water and other necessary items to tree plantation (Bycroft, 2018). I also have presented my

opinion on how to plant. We all were listen carefully to each other. At the end, me and members
were successfully has planted trees through effective teamwork abilities.
Time and Self-Management Skills
Time and self-management skills are too necessary to for managing my valuable time
(Uzundag and Küntay, 2018). I have learnt somewhere that each person should take some
productive steps for developing and improving their time management skills. My existing time
management skills are good, but not excellent or very effective. I have taken various steps
towards converting good time management skills into excellent or effective time management
skills (Hameed and et.al., 2018). Through effective time management skills, I can easily manage
my precious time for different daily activities.
On the other hand, self-management skills also play great role to me, because with
abilities I can easily manage my-self. These gives me opportunity to know my own strengths and
weaknesses. So, through self-management skills I can easily more improve my strengths, and I
can easily remove my weaknesses also through these skills.
Problem Solving Skills
Problem solving skills or abilities gives opportunity to a person for solving different
problems within their person life (So, Wong and Lam, 2016). A person always faces different
problems, challenges and difficulties etc. in their daily life, so these abilities give opportunity to
a person for dealing with these problems and challenges. I’m also facing different problems in
my personal life, so these skills always help me to remove such problems and difficulties.
Currently these abilities I highly need to improve, because I think a person face
thousands of problems in their whole life (Knoblauch and et.al., 2017). So, if I will face any
problem in in the future, in that case these problem solving abilities will help me to find out a
specific solution for removing that particular problem. According to my knowledge, a person
who linked with any field is always facing many difficulties or problems in their daily activities,
so these abilities supports to that person to solve those different problems (Seliger, 2018). My
existing problem solving abilities or skills are excellent, but I will try to more improve these
skills for effectively solve upcoming problems.

CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that each person should improve various skills and abilities to gain
effective results in the personal life. Currently most person takes various step for improving their
different skills to increase their all over performance.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Bycroft, C. L., 2018. Identification of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required for Aircraft
Electronics Technicians. (Doctoral dissertation).
de Araujo, A. L. S. O., Andrade, W. L. and Guerrero, D. D. S., 2016, October. A systematic
mapping study on assessing computational thinking abilities. In 2016 IEEE frontiers in
education conference. (FIE) (pp. 1-9). IEEE.
Fanari, R., Meloni, C. and Massidda, D., 2019. Visual and Spatial Working Memory Abilities
Predict Early Math Skills: A Longitudinal Study. Frontiers in psychology. 10. p.2460.
Hameed, J. A. K., and et.al., 2018. The Impact of Technology Interaction with Multiple Sports
Fields and Players in Raising Efficiency and Increasing Abilities and Skills.
Knoblauch, M. A., and et.al., 2017. Perceptions of athletic trainer abilities to perform skills
outlined in the BOC practice analysis. Journal of Athletic Training. 52(6). p.S293.
Kramer, M., Barkmin, M. and Brinda, T., 2019, July. Identifying Predictors for Code
Highlighting Skills: A Regressional Analysis of Knowledge, Syntax Abilities and
Highlighting Skills. In Proceedings of the 2019 ACM Conference on Innovation and
Technology in Computer Science Education. (pp. 367-373).
Lambert, K. and Spinath, B., 2018. Conservation abilities, visuospatial skills, and numerosity
processing speed: association with math achievement and math difficulties in
elementary school children. Journal of learning disabilities. 51(3). pp.223-235.
Maker, C. J., 2019. Culturally responsive assessments of mathematical and spatial analytical
skills and abilities: Development, field testing, and implementation. Unpublished
Manuscipt, Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies. University of
Arizona, Tucson.
Martzog, P., Stoeger, H. and Suggate, S., 2019. Relations between preschool children’s fine
motor skills and general cognitive abilities. Journal of Cognition and Development.
20(4). pp.443-465.
Palermo, F., Mikulski, A. M. and Conejo, L. D., 2017. Self-regulation abilities and Spanish-
speaking preschoolers’ vocabulary and letter-word skills in Spanish and English. Early
Education and Development. 28(2). pp.207-223.
Seliger, C. S., 2018. Exploring the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities of Data Science
Professionals. (Doctoral dissertation, Purdue University).
So, W. C., Wong, M. K. Y. and Lam, K. Y., 2016, November. Social and communication skills
predict imitation abilities in children with autism. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 1, p.
3). Frontiers.

Uzundag, B. A. and Küntay, A. C., 2018. Children’s referential communication skills: The role
of cognitive abilities and adult models of speech. Journal of experimental child
psychology, 172, pp.73-95. Uzundag, B.A. and Küntay, A.C., 2018. Children’s
referential communication skills: The role of cognitive abilities and adult models of
speech. Journal of experimental child psychology. 172. pp.73-95.
Wahyuni, S., and et.al., 2017. Developing science process skills and problem solving abilities
based on outdoor learning in junior high school. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia. 6(1).
Zimmerman, R., Alfaiz, F. S. and Maker, C. J., 2019. Culturally responsive assessments of life
science skills and abilities: Development, field testing, and
implementation. Unpublished Manuscipt, Department of Disability and
Psychoeducational Studies, University of Arizona, Tucson.