Reflective Journal Entry: Core Skills for Professional Development

This reflective journal entry, contributed by a student and available on Desklib, explores four core skills essential for professional development: time management, public speaking, written communication, and focus/attention. The entry begins by defining each skill and explaining its significance, supported by relevant theories and concepts. The student then reflects on their current competence in each area, drawing on self-assessment, peer feedback, and personal observations. Contradictions between self-perception and external feedback are identified and discussed. Finally, the journal outlines how each skill will contribute to the student's future success, referencing personal experiences and observations of successful individuals. The analysis provides insights into the importance of these skills in achieving personal and professional goals.

UNDERSTANDING SELF
AND OTHERS

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL ENTRY PRO-FORMA
What is the core skill?
Time management , It is management about time that means how to save time of by a
systematic planning so you can accomplish every work according to time. Time
management is an activity to control wastage time behind any unnecessary work. Time
management helps to increase in effectiveness of any person, their efficiency to do any
work and their potential, capacity , capabilities, and the productivity of the company. Time
management is a skill to divide the into parts according to work. Because it is an important
thing which helps to maintain everything. Poor time management can be cause of many
problems and difficulties(Hassenzahl, 2018).
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use relevant
theories and concepts to support your answer)
According to Pickle jal theory good time management helps you to accomplish every work.
This skill provide punctuality of time. In this world everything depends on time so the
need of punctuality is needed which comes through time management. Because it helps to
be more successful in future life. It is also important to get free time from busy schedule
because free time is very important for the relaxation. I selected this skill to understand the
time management quality in a person because their comes many people who think that they
have lot of work to do and they done have enough time. But they do not understand the
value of time because everything is possible if you have time management quality.
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)
According to self assessment I found that time managements is an important thing to build
punctuality and self discipline. Because time is everything if you will not respect the time ,
time wont respect you. If you will not work according to time and you will show the
laziness for work. Then it can be cause of workload. And you will be pressurise by the
work load. So the importance of time management should understand to every person. So
this is all what I got the feed back from my coulleuge and tutor and self
assessment(Mischel, 2014).
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?
What I found is as similar to others perception because time management is an essential
part of life. Because it helps to accomplish every work. Otherwise as we have discussed
above if we do not respect the time, time will not respect us . It will come in terms of work
load and , tension, mental stress Etc. there are many people who does not take seriously of
time management because they are not experienced. They are not working somewhere and
they do not know that how to manage time that is the treason why they disrespect the time.
How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
Time management skill will always helps to be punctual in life and how to create self
discipline in your self. And it will help to maintain your life and your official work load as
well as it will help to get some free time from busy schedule. I have seen many
experienced person who are designated on big posts. I always them that what is the reason
of your success. They all told me time management. If you know that how to manage time .
You can do everything . Otherwise if you are lazy you will always left behind yourself in
the race of world.

What is the core skill?
Public speaking is core skill. It is an art to speak in front of all whom you does not know.
It is a process to communicate with others and provide them informations. Usually public
specking is all about to speak in front of a large public. Like in our school, in any
presentation , in meetings. Public speaking is to provide a good speech on a topic which
should be unique and different in which audience does not have much knowledge. It is a
verbal specking art to attract people by an effective communication skill.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use relevant
theories and concepts to support your answer)
Public speaking is an art to speak in front of all people. It helps to improve our
communication power in front of unknown audience . It is important to be frank in front of
people . Public specking provide tools and techniques to understand the mind of public and
speck according to them. According to John Witherspoon theory public speaking is a
practise to share informations among audience. Through the various sources and platforms.
I select this skill because this skill should be develop in the students(Serrat, 2017.).
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)

Feedback of public specking is some how similar of all the persons whom I asked about it
that in student life this art of public speaking should be developed because students can put
their thoughts in front of all the audience. And they will try to groom this quality inside .
Many of the students and employee fells hesitate to take an initiative in public speaking
because their verbal communication is not well. They feel shy . So this type of comments I
heard from people.
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?
I found most of people feel hesitate to join any platform in front of all her unknown
audience. Their is a contradiction thought , there are some people who thinks that this
quality of public specking can not develop and by the practises and adopted by someone.
This quality comes already from the starting. So it was a point where I was not satisfied
with their comments . Because everything is possible if you try harder to achieve. And
give your dedication and put your efforts .
How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
This is one of the special and unique skill to attract some one by put your ideas in front Of
unknown audience. It is very important to take initiative in tom, join any platform. I
remember my college days when I participated in public speaking program. There was a
power point presentation to give to the audience. In starting I was little bit nervous by
facing a he audience. But when is tarted my speech I felt like it is becoming so easy for me.

What is the core skill?
Written communication is a type to forward message from one source to another source.
Written communication is very important and effective thing of business world. Because
all the business activities needed written process for proof. There are many sources of
written communication in business world these are – Emails, massages, job descriptions,
reports, Memos etc. these all communication use for internal operation. Written
communication is all about to transfer all the massages from here to there.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use relevant
theories and concepts to support your answer)
This skills is important because it help to understand effectively about any topic. Because
there is no need to be in contact with any person verbal. This written skill help to transfer
your massage through the text massages and Emails. Communication through the written is
a very important thing in this world. why did I select this skill because It is very important
for small companies to develop writing skills because they have to provide their
descriptions s of it become very necessary for them to write effective to get popularity(van
Veluwand Chance, 2014).
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)
Feedback of this skill was very unique which makes it differ from others skills. Because
this skill is also used by the tutors who use this effective skills to answer their students. So
this skills helps to m understand every difficult thing so easily. It is a most common form
of every field to understand all the activity. This activity makes you unique from others.

Writing skill provides many information and suggestion. To understand other people about
the thing which has written in the the paper .
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?
I found there are many people who are not aware about the effective working style. The
think that it is not a helpful thing to learn some thing but according to me it is an important
part to learn something by the different idea. Because effective written skill makes any
topic so easier to understand. Effective writing skill has proved very beneficial for the
understand of any description. Some times it is very hard to understand the phrasing of the
words because of the complexity of language.
How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
This skill provide an effective writing which has became an important part of daily routine.
Because somewhere I use this skill to understand complexity of the words. This skill help
to attract another people. And also it will help me to provide any description in a specific
manner. I have attended many effective writing skill programs in my college life where I
had understand their importance of this skill.

What is the core skill?
Focus and attention both factors are an achievement factors which are used in the process
of get the achievement. This skill helps to put your efforts for the any task. Focus and
attention are the key factor of the success. Where a person try to achieve his goal and
concentrate his mind toward the target. He get his goal with the focus and attention. It is
process to keep your mind concentrated towards your target. Without focus and attention
it become very hard to approach your target(Hassenzahl, 2018.).
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use
relevant theories and concepts to support your answer)
Focus and attention is an important factors to to achieve anything because both these are
the factors of the success. Focus means to keep your mind concentrated towards your
goal and attention means to be aware and focus your mind towards your goals. Focus and
attention is necessary to work properly in right direction. This skill make you effective
and work smartly. There are also many profits of focus and attention are there. I choose
this skill to understand the need of focus and attention. And how they use in the process of
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)
Being focus and pay attention is very necessary to approach of success. There are many
people says that we can not achieve anything if we are not serious about our work. And
the seriousness comes with the focus and attention. So all these factors are inter related to
each other. And people knows if they would not focus and attended about their work they
can not achieve anything.

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?
Yes some where I found that there are a few people who does not pay attention and not
focus about their work and they expect for the better result. So overall they does not try to
provide their efforts seriously. They take everything in wrong way. And not try to being
serious for the task. And finally they get negative result and they blame others. So this is
wrong to blame others and and situations. It is their personal problem to not take anything
seriously. And this is the thing from which I am not satisfied with the comment of others.
How will this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
This skill can help us to achieve our desire goals. It will also help to keep focused on
target and pay attention to every factor which relates to your target. So this skill will help
me to put my efforts behind my goals and missions. And this skill should be develop in
everyone. Focus and attention help to provide any specific knowledge about any thing
because at that mind concentrated on the

Action Plan
Objectives to
achieve/weakness
Resources Time strategies
1. public speaking
skill
2. Time management
skill.
Many sources are
there to achieve
effective public
speaking skill like
there are many
activities, seminars,
presentations,
initiatives.
Management skill of
time can be improved
by the systematic
scheduling, divination
of time in parts.
1-2 months
2-3 months
We can develop
public speaking skill
through the taker an
initiative in every
activity of college and
office. And join any
classes to improve
your verbal
communication.
This skill is one of
there most important
skill. This skill comes
with the experience.
Because time
management depends
on the scheduling of
time that how much
time you spent behind
any task or any work
and. By observing
how long time you
take to accomplish
any task(Wagner,
2016.).

3. Effective written
skill
Effective written
skills can be achieve
through the many
programs, to take
participation in any
competitions.
4-5 months Effective written
skills comes with
understating power to
show something as in
formate of
information. This
skill is also develop
with an experience to
do something
effective. so you
would get some new
knowledge to write
on a new topic.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Hassenzahl, M., 2018. The thing and I: understanding the relationship between user and
product. In Funology 2(pp. 301-313). Springer. Cham.
Ninomiya, and et.al., 2018. Performance monitoring in the medial frontal cortex and related
neural networks: from monitoring self actions to understanding others’
actions. Neuroscience research.
Wagner, W.E., 2016. Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model
of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.
Vohs, and et.al., 2016.Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications.
Guilford Publications.
van Veluw, S.J. and Chance, S.A., 2014. Differentiating between self and others: an ALE
meta-analysis of fMRI studies of self-recognition and theory of mind. Brain imaging
and behavior.8(1).pp.24-38.
Brockett, R.G. and Hiemstra, R., 2018.Self-direction in adult learning: Perspectives on
theory, research and practice. Routledge.
Serrat, O., 2017. Understanding and developing emotional intelligence. In Knowledge
Solutions (pp. 329-339). Springer, Singapore.
Mischel, W., 2014.The marshmallow test: understanding self-control and how to master it.
Random House.