Farewell COMM 351, it has been a pleasure...

COMM 351 has had an impact on the professional presence of my ePortfolio. Most of the changes that were made aimed to tidy up the page. Also, the addition of new writing samples helped to show the development of my writing. I believe that this shows a positive change in the level of professionalism.

What I like most about my ePortfolio is the projects page. I enjoyed having the opportunity to showcase some of my academic projects. I think that having these available gives a unique insight in the type and quality of work that I can produce. It also adds a new different level to the ePortfolio. No longer is it just a platform to post a resume and biographical information. It is a way to display my accomplishments.

Out of the two major projects for COMM 351, I enjoyed ePortfolio 3 the best. This was a white paper covering a training proposal for conflict communication skills. The topic of this paper was very narrow, which made it much easier to collect my thoughts. It allowed for a large amount of creativity, in both the problem and the solution aspect. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to engage and develop a plan that could be implemented.

The most challenging aspect of the ePortfolio as always, was my resume page. For whatever reason, I never truly like the layout. I also struggle to find a balance between how much is too much. The main page of my resume has gone through so many revisions just to get it to where it is today. I am sure that there is more improvement to come but now, I feel that it is at least presentable.

For future students who struggle with this part of the ePortfolio, I would recommend to have patience and do not try to fix it all in one day. Go back to it a few times and see if you still like the way it is presented. Also, have your friends or co-workers look it over. They may notice something that you do not. For example, they might recommend that you bold a heading to help readers understand that they are about to read something different. Format is the key to the successful delivery of the resume page of an ePortfolio.

In my opinion, there really is not so much as an intersection between interpersonal and organizational communication as much as there is a dependency. I believe that organizational communication relies upon interpersonal communication. You can have interpersonal communication outside of organizational communication. However, when a manager tasks an employee, in effect they are using a form of interpersonal communication. That is the basis for why I believe that interpersonal communication is more of a structural element to organizational communication. Effective interpersonal communication can help to ensure successful organizational communication.

Especially in America, we have a very diverse culture and no two individuals communicate in identical ways. Being aware of yourself as a communicator and the differences that you share with your communication partner can allow an open communication environment. Respecting diversity helps the communication partners to not feel threatened or misunderstood. A huge part of the dynamic of understanding diversity it to engage in ethical communication practices.

I would not say that my view of communication is different after completing COMM 351. I came into this course with an understanding of what I expected to learn and I was not disappointed. Instead of my view of communication changing, I feel that my view was strengthened. Reading studies, learning terminology and studying the content gave me a firm basis of knowledge that I will be able to carry with me from this point forward. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying the topic of interpersonal communication in organizations. It is my opinion, that people often take the importance on communication as innate. However, the study of communication shifts the vantage point to show how we can benefit greatly from the study and practice of effective communication. For organizational communication to flourish, we must first understand what it is. The power is rooted in the knowledge and I intend to use that knowledge in all my future endeavors. Farewell COMM 351, it has been a pleasure!