Professional Development Portfolio: Learning and Action Planning

This portfolio assignment reflects on a Master's student's learning journey, focusing on the development of presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills. The student analyzes their acquired skills, identifies areas for improvement, and formulates an action plan for future growth. The portfolio covers three key tasks: self-assessment of learned skills, identification of areas for further development, and the creation of a detailed action plan. The student highlights the importance of effective communication, time management, and team collaboration. The document includes reflections on new technologies, management theories, and practical applications. The student's action plan outlines strategies to improve communication skills, address time management challenges, and enhance interpersonal abilities. This portfolio provides a comprehensive overview of the student's professional development and future goals.

Portfolio

Table of Contents
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
Action planning for the future. ........................................................................................................7
Meaning of action plan....................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................15

TASK 1
What have I learnt?
As a Master's student I have learnt various presentation skills, hard skills and soft skills,
technical skills which has effectively helped me improve interpersonal and presentation skills. It
helped me learn various communication skills and boost up my confidence. Effective
communication skills and presentation skills has taught me how to work in a team effectively. I
have realized that team working is more effective than isolated working. Team working helps in
taking into consideration new ideas and insights which will eventually lead to strategic decision
making and higher achievement of goals and objectives (Importance of Communication Skills for
Students, 2017). I have examined the fact that, effective presentation skills helped me learn how
to communicate complex information in interesting and simple manner. This helped me boost up
my confidence. I have examined that, these presentation skills helped me improve problem
solving skills and also helped me in motivating the audience to keep them engaged and make
them understand about the particular subject matter. Effective communication and presentation
skills have helped me in accessing and analysing critical information with utmost accuracy
(Silverman, Kurtz and Draper, 2016). It has increase professionalism in myself and gain more
insight on the fact that, effective communication and presentation skills have encouraged me to
do pubic speaking with higher performance and productivity.
I have also gained practical knowledge to boost up the confidence and gain more
efficiency on the knowledge which leads to higher standard. Gaining practical knowledge has
helped me evaluate how the market will function which eventually helped me in taking effective
decision by taking critical decision. Gaining immense knowledge has helped me gain sufficient
knowledge on the particular subject matter (Arnold and Boggs, 2019). I have also examined
that, it helped in creating various variety which eventually leads to higher operational standards
and deliver best in the practical context.
I have learnt that working in team has helped me complete the particular task with higher
accuracy on a timely manner by encouraging decision of all the team members. I have also learnt
various analytical and communication skills to effectively solve the problem by communicating
and transferring information with higher efficiency and importance. I have also learnt leadership
and management skills to guide individuals to accomplish set task on a timely manner. Effective

leadership and management skills help in guiding and motivating other team members to follow
the set guideline to reach common objective with higher accuracy and performance. I have also
examined the fact that, effective interpersonal abilities helps me in maintaining strong
relationship with team members and professors. This will eventually help in solving any problem
with utmost accuracy. I have leant how to make effective decision by formulating standard plan
and organizing various activities. I have also learnt how to prioritize the work, so that work can
be achieved in a timely manner.
What new information has been presented?
I have learnt that, effective communication tools like social media platforms, use of
advanced technology like email, Facebook, Instagram, twitter, YouTube, which helped me in
effectively transferring information to the team members in a cost efficient and timely manner
without any delay. I have gained new information, ideas and insight of the people for effective
decision making and helped me in understanding the concept of each individual (Jolles, 2017). I
have learnt about new and advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, automated
technology, chatbot, communication information technology which will help me in
implementing new technology which will save time and also lead to higher efficiency and
productivity. I have learnt various management and leadership theories which have helped me
gain insight how the theories are applied and how it helps in critically understanding the
particular subject matter.
I have learnt various other theories, concepts and models like PESTLE analysis, Ansoff
matrix, McKinsey model, Kotter's model helped me in effectively understanding the practicality
and helped me increase the knowledge. Application of this model in the future business context
will help me improve the performance and productivity of the business. I have also learnt how to
operate various software and websites (Van Emden and Becker, 2016). I have also examined the
fact that, use of various websites and software will help me in saving time and use accurate data
and information to deliver the best results. I have learnt various skills to give interview and build
my personality to set outstanding impression. I have also learnt how to prepare an effective CV
which will create first class impression on the interviewer.
What was interesting?

The most interesting part was to evaluate the functioning and features of various new and
advanced technology. It helped me wider the knowledge and make me understand the
importance of integrating these technology which will save time and will eventually help in
transferring information on a real time basis. It was an interesting part to build effective
interpersonal and presentation skills which helped me boost up my confidence and gain immense
knowledge on various field of the study (Jóhannesson, 2016).
Area for improvements.
I have examined that, I had difficulty in adapting to and learning advanced technological
devices and software. To improve this, I have indulged myself in learning and taking classes to
understand the importance of each technology and how it will be used and implemented. I also
had difficulty in communicating with other team members. I had difficulty in understanding their
needs (Burns, 2017). To resolve this issue, I have developed effective interpersonal skills to
critically examine the problem and transfer information and also focus on considering each other
idea for strategic decision making and efficient group work. I need to focus more on my
communication and presentation skills which will help me boost up the confidence and mitigate
all challenges in an efficient manner.
TASK 2
Areas for further development
I have learnt that there are various skills that need to be developed which will help me in
improvising the knowledge and skills for effective decision making. Critically evaluating the
areas for further improvement will help in future progress and development (Theobald, 2016).
List of areas for improvement includes:
 Ineffective communication skills.
 Ineffective presentation skills.
 Lack of creative and problem solving skills.
 Ineffective time management.
 Unorganized
 Ineffective interpersonal skills.
I have effectively participated in various group activities which has helped me analyse
the fact that I lack various skills which affect the efficiency of the particular task and also create

distraction . I have analysed the fact that, I lack effective communication and presentation skills.
I have examined that, ineffective communication skills will lead to low morale, lower
confidence, dissatisfaction, lower performance, increase in stress, failed project delivery, etc.
To improve communication skills, I focus on speaking and building relationship with customers.
I have focused to speak with utmost confidence and clarity. I will also focus on engaging with
audience to boost up the confidence and take honest feedback for further improvements. I will
focus on communicating specific and reliable information and learn basic verbal and non- verbal
communication skills for higher improvement and productivity (Bovée, Thill and Raina, 2016).
I have also analysed the fact that, I lack creative and problem solving skills which
adversely affect the impact the efficiency of the data and lower the performance of the
individual. I have learnt that improvement of effective communication skills has helped me in
creatively thinking and implement new ideas to effectively solve the problem. It helped me in
finding the best solution to the problem and also help student in improving the learning. It will
help me in identifying my own errors and and take necessary action to resolve the issue.
I have learnt that, I face difficulty in time management which leads to delay in project
submission and put negative impact ion the professor. I have analysed that, time management
helps in effectively accomplishing the task in a short duration of time. To improve time
management skills I will focus on eliminating distractions and focus on key task with higher
efficiency by organizing and scheduling all activities on the time efficient manner.
I have also analysed the fact that, I am quite unorganized and I face difficulty in
prioritizing the task which leads to ineffective management and delay in completion of any
project. I have learnt that keeping things organized in a systematic manner help in achieving set
targets on a timely manner. I have also analysed that organizing and prioritizing the key task
helps in completing important task on a timely manner without any delay (Escobar-Rodríguez,
and Bonsón-Fernández, 2017).
I have also examined that, I lack interpersonal skills. I have examined that, I face
difficulty in understanding team members and cannot maintain strong relationship. I have
analysed that, effective interpersonal skills helps in maintaining strong relationship with team
members. It helps in effective decision making and mitigating problems by choosing corrective
actions.

TASK 3
Action planning for the future.
Meaning of action plan
Action plan is an effective framework of plan and detailed outline of the activities which
are to be performed which helps in attaining specific goals and objectives which helps in gaining
specific skills and knowledge. This will also help in effectively outlining the plan which will
help in attaining future goals.
Awareness of global context for higher education and employment.
As a master student, it is very crucial for me to keep track of various task and activities
which are going to take place in education sector and employment sector. I have also examined
the fact that, keeping in touch and maintain relation at global level he;ps in developing effective
skills for future growth and success of the individual.
Target Strategies Outcome Start date End date Time required
The main
target is to
improvise
the
communicati
on skills.
To improve
my
communicatio
n I will
consider
effective
strategies to
improve my
communicatio
n skills which
comprises of:
 First of
all, I
would
like to
clear
by
 Learnin
g and
developi
ng
effective
verbal
and non-
verbal
commun
ication
helps
me in
giving
effective
presenta
tion
which
25/02/19 25/05/19 It will take
approximately 3
months time to
improve my
communication
skills.

basics
and get
fluent
in
speaki
ng by
taking
part in
variou
s
acade
mic
compe
tition,
focus
more
on
public
speaki
ng
(Kernb
ach,
Eppler,
and
Bresci
ani,
2015).
 I
would
also
focus
leads to
higher
sustaina
ble
growth
and
develop
ment of
personal
ity
(Theoba
ld,
2016).
 Learnin
g
various
different
languag
es will
help me
in
effective
ly
commun
icating
to the
people
in their
own
languag
e which

on
learnin
g
comm
on
langua
ges,
which
will
help
me in
elimin
ating
langua
ge
barrier
and
comm
unicate
freely
with
everyo
ne. I
would
also
focus
on
learnin
g sign
langua
ges
will
eventual
ly help
in
maintain
ing
strong
relations
hip.
 Learnin
g
various
sign
languag
es and
understa
nding
body
languag
e of the
person
helps in
better
interpret
ation
and
understa
nding
(Jóhann
esson,
2016).

and try
to
unders
tand
body
langua
ge.
 I
would
focus
on
develo
ping
verbal
and
non-
verbal
skills
which
help in
effecti
vely
present
ing
with
confid
ence to
large
numbe
r of
audien

ce.
The main
target is to
learn time
management
skills.
 I will
focus
on
prioriti
zing
the
work
which
are of
utmost
import
ance
and
whose
deadli
ne for
compl
etion is
near.
 I will
focus
on
organi
zing
and
system
aticall
y
formul
ating a
 Prioritiz
ation of
work
will
result in
targetin
g those
work
which
are of
key
importa
nce and
will
focus on
developi
ng plan
to
complet
e task
on a
timely
manner
(Moore
and
et.al.,
2018).
 I will
focus on
effective
25/05/19 25/07/19 It will take
approximately 2
months time to
improve my
communication
skills.

plan to
accom
plish
the set
task
which
leads
to
higher
efficie
ncy.
ly
organizi
ng
things
by
scheduli
ng the
task and
activitie
s which
are
importa
nt.
The main
target is to
learn
interpersonal
and problem
solving skills.
 To
improv
e
interpe
rsonal
skills ,
I will
focus
on
interac
ting
with
people
and
build
strong
relatio
nship
 Effectiv
e
interpers
onal
skills
will help
me in
maintain
ing
relations
hip with
team
member
s and
individu
al for
effective
decision
25/07/19 25/11/19 It will take
approximately 4
months time to
improve my
communication
skills.