Introduction
As a course requirement, students keep a journal of their experiences and skills learned throughout the course. This paper describes three items extracted from my journal, which are part of the experiences and skills I gained from the course. The first item is based on my experience with the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory; the second item describes the skills I gained in business communication while the third one will focus on what I learned about team building as a professional business skill.
Business communication skills
Business communication is a basic function that enables stakeholders to relay information to one another to facilitate the exchange of commodities. There are several business communication channels in business, the channels link up customers, sellers, suppliers and manufacturers (Ober, 2007). All those who are linked up in these channels of communication must always learn skills of effective communication to maintain mutual relationships.
The communication channels are established either by verbal communication or through written means. Verbal communication is where exchange information by word of mouth either face to face or on phone. Good verbal communication skills entail; clear projection of the voice, the ability to listen or give others time to air their views and of appropriate choice of words (Hamilton, 2008). Business communication should largely be official and deliver a direct message to the targeted audience. Verbal communication is largely used for advertising and indirect sales to customers.
The second form of communication is the written one. This takes the form of official business letters, e-mails and other written official business documentation. It is essential to learn how to use this form of communication as it is widely used to pass on business information among business stakeholders. Business letters serve as an effective means of communication among members of the supply chain- making orders, complaining about defective deliveries or inviting one to a business forum or meetings (Hamilton, 2008). Emails have become another popular form of written communication due to the fact that it is a cheaper faster and reliable form of communication.
Modern business marketing strategies are largely characterized by direct sales and presentations through forums, exhibitions and meetings. For one to successfully make a business presentation, he or she must be well equipped with verbal communication skills. Other aspects that complement one’s communication skills relate to personality and culture (Ober, S. 2007). Factors such as emotional intelligence, negotiation skills and etiquette play an important role in building one’s communication skills.
Team Building
Levi (2001) defines a team as “a special group of individuals working together to accomplish a particular goal.” Many organizations in a modern society largely use teams to carry out their tasks. Team members are normally linked by the objectives of the work they are meant to accomplish. Group members often influence one another to carry out the job elements. Levi (2001) points out that, groups are defined by both social identification and representation.
Generally, teams can be classified into four major categories; work teams, management teams, top management teams and cross-functional teams (Kaptan, 2002). Work teams comprise groups of people who engage one another on a daily basis to carry out work-related assignments. Management teams comprise members who are bestowed on the responsibility to manage the actions of the work teams. Cross-functional teams are comprised of members often of the same rank but drawn from different departments within the organization or from different organizations (Sternberg, 1997).
There are several factors that determine the effectiveness of a team; the most important of these is the technical expertise required for the work. Team members must be well versed in the skills necessary for the execution of the job. Other factors include; the size of the team, commitment of the members to carrying out the work and trust among the members (Kaptan, 2002).
Team building is essential to succeed in a group. To be able to lead a group or work well in a given group, one must have the ability to bond well with the others in the group. Group leaders must have the ability to recruit, empower and influence others to do what is planned for them (Maddux and Wingfield, 2003). Members of the group on the other hand must be able to bond well with each other to collaborate in carrying out their assignments.
Main challenges in team building include; human differences arising from culture, perception, gender and race (Sternberg, 1997). It is often hard to make people who hold on different ideologies to think on the same echelon and work with the same spirit. Racial differences ethnicity and gender remain sticky issues in team building in some cases. Till today, there are groups of people who would consider themselves superior and cannot work well with those they consider inferior (Kaptan, 2002). Forming a workable team out of such groups remains tricky.
Team building is particularly important in project execution all people who are involved in project execution should collaborate and combine their efforts towards the successful execution of the project. Modern projects are often characterized by “onsite and virtual groups,” virtual groups participate in the project through remote means, giving their ideas through internet or telephone communication (Maddux and Wingfield, 2003). This is common with project consultants who because of their busy schedules are often not able to be present at the project site during execution.
Conflicts are often rife in projects and business processes. Skills of conflict resolution are very important for team leaders and members to be able to retract from the conflict and carry on with the project or business process. Lack of conflict resolution skills can cause situational escalation beyond control and cause team breakdown.
The Myers Briggs Personality Inventory
The Myers Briggs Personality Inventory was developed by Katherine and Isabel Briggs in 1942. Their thoughts were “based on the questionnaires of Carl Jung, the MBTI is meant to guide people in understanding their personality components” (Hills, 2003). The two psychologists advanced 16 types of personality derived from four major elements. From each element, an individual makes a choice from two options that best reflects his or her personality type. Every element has two ends with each end having two choices which mean that each of the four categories has four options resulting in 16 personality types.
The first personality type described in MBTI is the introvert/extrovert. Hills (2003) indicates that extroverts are “outgoing individuals who are more interested in the external world around them, he describes introverts as individuals interested in the internal world.” The second personality element is sensing and intuition. This element describes how people collect pieces of information from their external surroundings.
The third personality element in the MBTI is thinking and feeling. This element describes an individual’s way of analyzing and synthesizing issues to make decisions (Quenk, 2009). Here, people are put into two categories of decision making; those who make decisions by engaging the mind and those who make decisions based on empathy or heart feelings. In decision-making, many people are largely influenced by the perception of others to their decisions.
The final personality element according to MBTI is judging and perceiving (Quenk, 2009). This element relates to people’s ways to make choices. The choices regard either collecting information about a particular phenomenon to find out the truth or simply making a conclusion from the first observation (Watkins and Campbell 2000). The elements as described above are represented by conventional letters, the first personality type described as extrovert/introvert is represented by the letter E or I respectively, in which case an individual will either be described as E or I personality. The second personality element described as sensing and intuition is represented by letters S and I. the third element goes by the letters T and F and the final element is represented by J and P.
Our personality types play a major role in determining our learning behavior. Hills (2003) states that the MBTI structure is very instrumental in e-learning provisions in which individuals should be allowed to make preferences to what they like. The preferences that people make are often influenced by their personality types. Hills (2003) demonstrates that each person has a liking for a “particular learning style,” he further points out that learning is more effective if a learner is given chance “to learn through his or her own style.”
It is by recognizing this fact that e-learning can be developed into a preferable learning experience for students. Most organizations that have attempted to launch e-learning fail to face challenges of the dynamic course contents, technological challenges, and high student dropouts. Some of these challenges can be resolved through MBTI insights to understanding personality differences (Watkins and Campbell 2000). Providers of e-learning need to understand and address the e-learning preferences based on the different personality types.
Conclusion
This paper has explored my learning experiences based on three entries in my journal. The entries give details of the skills I acquired in business communication skills, team building, and the MBTI. It has been a great learning experience characterized by a lot of discoveries and new information on various phenomenons in the surrounding. The MBTI was particularly intriguing, giving me an opportunity to learn and evaluate different personality types including my own.
References
- Hamilton, C. 2008. Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions. Belmont: Thompsons Wadsworth.
- Hills, H. 2003. Individual Preferences in E-Learning. Aldershot: Gower Publishing Ltd.
- Kaptan, S., S. 2002. Team Building. New Delhi: Surup and Sons
- Levi, D. 2001. Group dynamics for teams. London: Sage Publications Inc.,
- Maddux, B., R. and Wingfield, B. 2003. Team Building: An Exercise in Leadership. New York: Crisp Publications Inc.,
- Ober, S. 2007. Contemporary Business Communication. New Jersey: Cengage Learning.
- Quenk, L., N. 2009. Essentials of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
- Sternberg, J., R. 1997. Thinking styles. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Watkins, E. and Campbell, L., V. 2000.Testing and assessment in counseling practice. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.,