Reflective Account: Communication and Negotiation Skills Project

This report presents a reflective account of a student's experience with communication and negotiation skills in a workplace setting. The student utilizes the Gibbs reflective cycle to analyze their interactions during group projects over a five-week period, focusing on effective communication, negotiation, and influencing skills. The report details the student's understanding of how communication impacts workplace behavior, including verbal, non-verbal, and written communication. It explores the student's ability to facilitate information transfer, build relationships, and overcome communication barriers within teams. The account also covers the application of negotiation and influencing skills to achieve common goals within group presentations. The student reflects on positive and negative experiences, identifies areas for improvement, and outlines an action plan for future group activities, aiming to enhance communication, manage conflicts, and foster a collaborative environment. The report concludes with insights on how to improve these skills and work effectively in group settings.

PROJECT 1-
REFLECTIVE
ACCOUNT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
Understanding of effective communication skills that affect workplace behaviour....................3
Applied Knowledge & understanding of effective negotiation and influencing skills................5
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Reflective practice is the best way of learning own experiences to enhance and improve
way people work. It helps to looking at what need to be done in workplace, thinking about why it
happen and does it work or not, in simple words it is the procedure of self observation as well as
self evaluation (Pagels and et.al., 2015). The present report is based on reflective account, it
explain the understanding of effective communication skills and its affect on workplace
behaviour. Furthermore, it justifies understanding and knowledge of effective negotiation inn
order to achieve pre determined objectives.
Understanding of effective communication skills that affect workplace behaviour
Effective communication is outlined as capability to convey or share information to
another person efficiently and effectively (Gibbs Reflective Cycle by Graham Gibbs, 2018).
Individual with good non verbal, verbal and written communication skills support facilitate
transferring info between people within group for their commercial as well as personal benefits.
In five weeks period I work together in different groups where I discussed some different topics
in each week with effective communication that helps to create positive work environment
around workplace. It allows me to understood and understand by others. It includes speaking,
empathising, observing and speaking, it help to understand others point of views within five
week.
Gibbs reflective cycle helpful to reflect the overall learning experience during group
work and effective communication skill impact on work place behaviour. This model is starts at
description and ends at action plan which is the final stages of reflective cycle.
Step 1
I had to work together in various teams for time period of five weeks where I had conduct
different activities during taught sessions with effective communication. All the discussion is
happened in same workplace, where I need to make group presentation with my team members
in different groups. There are many people involved in this activity, I had to provide appropriate
direction to all of them effectively that affects on its all over performance. In week 3 we discuss
the topic about effective communication skills which is quite essential for workers to wants to
make better decision for well fare of business. While making presentation we need to build
strong understanding relationship between all of them. In week 4 me and my team members
during making presentation discussed about the barriers of effective communication that helps to

get better solutions for the same. In week 5 I was able to communicate with others about how to
develop personal and negotiation skills.
Step 2
While making group presentation, the discussion about communication skills in week 3,
team members feel that they need to also build their abilities related to that which is beneficial
for working effectively. During the procedure, I feel that I have good communication skills
because I can communicate with other easily without any issues that enhance my performance
better than before. When we are making group presentation it helps to build strong relationship
and also start communicating during the situation. In week 4 we addressed barriers and take
others opinion for reducing it effectively, because barriers affect negatively on performance of
individual in workplace. Most of the people feel difficulty for talking with other and sharing their
feelings, with the help of group presentation, I can make all of the comfortable and feel good. On
the other hand few people can communicate effectively, but some of them still feel
uncomfortable. I encourage all of them to take participation in group activity where we make
essential discussion based on effective communication skills as the main topic of our work.
Step 3
I had experience so many things during group work, I can discussion in week 3 about
effectiveness and significance of communication skills because without good verbal and non
verbal no one can perform better and get important information to anyone. Every thing is good
well during the procedure, some people who feel difficulty in interacting with other also try to
share their point of views as well as feeling that helps to create positive environment around
workplace, it also made impact on behaviour of each person. But on the other hand, while group
work some members to not show their interest in activity, they avoid the discussion and centring
on other activities, it makes disturbance in workplace while I am describing the topic in week 3
and 4 about communication importance and barriers. I make effective contribution in this activity
asked each and every one about any issues that they faced during the process of group work any
think that they want to share. Some individual communicate to me and share their problems and
also wants to solve it as soon as possible because it affects on their productivity and working
abilities the most.
Step 4

I have analyse the whole situation closely while group presentation, I have experience
some positive as well as negative things and evaluate issues faced by others regarding
communication. But one some positive side, in week 4 I discuss about barriers of effective
communication and provide some effective solution which has been implemented by team
members as personally which helps to learn them how they can also remove barriers. In step 3,
when I work together with team and make group presentation, I consider some issues that know
has been resolved by members after consultation to me.
Step 5
At last I have experience and learned how to communicate with group of people, how to
solve their issues and make them comfortable while working together. Through discussion based
on communication barriers I had give the best suggestions regarding the topic which helps in
future situation and also handle the current one. Furthermore, in future if I get the opportunity to
conduct group activity I will interact to each other, understand their issues and challenges that
they faced while interacting with others.
Step 6
After completing the entire procedure in the end of week's I was able to make a action
plan that helps to define my whole experience, learning and understanding about the situation
which I handles through effective communication. I was able to enhance the ability of people and
knowledge rather than before which is helpful for them in future growth.
Applied Knowledge & understanding of effective negotiation and influencing skills
Negotiation is formal or strategic discussion that include between two or more people
who have different perspectives, intentions and aims. Effective negotiation is the key of success,
it includes good communication skills and interpersonal abilities used to bring desired outcomes.
In order to make a good presentation I had a good negotiation as well as influencing skills that
drive people towards common goals and helpful to achieve it effectively which is quite essential
for me.
Step 1
I had lead group presentation activity together with different group of people which is
quite difficult from me, but with the help of effective communication I give my 100 percent in
this procedure to make better results. I had influence others to take participation in group work
activity in week 3 where we discussed benefits of effective communication and skills required

for this. I think that every one wants to develop communication skills because it influence on
their performances and make barrier while they interact with superiors. I also think that they
need special training and developing sessions that helps to enhance their existing abilities and
also develop the new ones. Those who do not focuses on group activity in week 3 I was able to
negotiate all of them for working hard because it is very essential for them as to grow in
professional and personal life.
Step 2
I feel that I can communicate to people in different group effectively, tell them how to
work, listen what they feel and experience during the group activity. On the other hand I feel that
some people's due to lack of interest and interaction, do not contribute in making presentation
better. It make other demotivated and also influence upon their work concentration. In week 4, I
make discussion based on barriers of effective communication that influence workplace
behaviour. Here, we are able to understand difficulties in companies due to communication
problems, gender differences, language and cultural diversity is one of the reasons behind
barriers. In group work, I was able to define each key challenges impact on workers abilities as
well as business performance, through build understanding people in team can enhance their
productivity in future.
Step 3
Here, I had to evaluate what is going good or bad while group presentation, I had
measured that some people did not work well, that influence on others performances. As I have
effective negotiation skills which makes me able to drive them towards focusing on recent
activity. I has discussed with them about issues or any problems that they faced, I asked them
why they do not focusing on group presentation just like the others do. Every thing is going so
good, but to their avoidance it workplace environment get affected. I conveyanced them to focus
on each and every step of five weeks activity, where they can learn and experienced so many
things help in further work. I was able to measure problems that affect on performance of
individual.
Step 4
In team work, I learned how to negotiate others specially those with less interest of
working. I analyse that they need effective directions and proper guidelines which makes them
able to complete given work on time. With the help of above situational analysis I can be able to

make effective discussion that helps to solve issue and motivate people to work systematically.
All people learn different things after realising their own mistakes, that give them a new
opportunity to explore the world. I write down in my notes what I had measured in above
situation and then make efforts for influencing people.
Step 5
After meeting and discussion based on analysis, I was able to provide good solutions that
help in achieving objective of group activity. I have skills to listen effectively to other people
during making presentation. With the help of discussion I was able to influence members of my
team to share ideas, feel comfortable and increased their confidence level better than before. I
found that I have good communication and negotiation skills to work together as group, foster
the collaborative environment during negotiations. I was included in negotiation of issues that
must work to reach at agreeable solution. I have negotiation skills that I used or apply in group
activity over those who has less interested within it.
Step 6
After analysing the whole situation, learning and understanding of effective negotiation
in order to achieve objective I can able to make plan for future if the same situation were arise. I
have the appropriate knowledge about how to conveyance people for working hard, I was also
able to force them for taking participation. In future when had tasked to make group presentation
together with different group I know how to play role as leaders by leading them effectively. I
known how to collaborate and communicate with others in same place at same situations and at
last I have knowledge how to reduce communication barriers and negotiation team in future. In
addition to this, I was able to make schedule to demotivate others and myself from avoiding
promises. I mentioned in action plan where I will used all form of communication as well as
negotiation skills in areas of improvement.
CONCLUSION
From above it has been analysed that Gibs Reflective cycle helps in reflecting on
personal experience that support individual deal with them in future. Without reflecting
experience, person cannot be able to measure their own weakness and strength that they can used
in further situation. Furthermore, effective communication and negotiation skills contribute to
build strong and effective team who are able to achieve set objectives. Effective negotiators have
interpersonal abilities to maintain good working connection with group people.

REFERENCES
Book and Journals
Foronda, C., MacWilliams, B. and McArthur, E., 2016. Interprofessional communication in
healthcare: An integrative review. Nurse education in practice. 19. pp.36-40.
Jackson, D., 2015. Employability skill development in work-integrated learning: Barriers and
best practice. Studies in Higher Education. 40(2). pp.350-367.
Kleckner, M.J. and Marshall, C.R., 2014. Critical communication skills: Developing course
competencies to meet workforce needs. The Journal of Research in Business Education.
56(2). p.59.
Koprowska, J., 2014. Communication and interpersonal skills in social work. Learning Matters.
Mircică, N., 2014. Constructive communication in effective negotiation. Analysis and
Metaphysics. (13). pp.64-72.
Page, D. and Mukherjee, A., 2014, February. Using negotiation exercises to promote critical
thinking skills. In Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning:
Proceedings of the Annual ABSEL conference(Vol. 33).
Pagels, P and et.al., 2015. Training family medicine residents in effective communication skills
while utilizing promotoras as standardized patients in OSCEs: a health literacy
curriculum. International journal of family medicine. 2015.
Pomery, A and et.al., 2016. Skills, knowledge and attributes of support group leaders: A
systematic review. Patient Education and Counseling. 99(5). pp.672-688.
Online
Gibbs Reflective Cycle by Graham Gibbs. 2018. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.toolshero.com/management/gibbs-reflective-cycle-graham-
gibbs/>