COMM 351 ePortfolio Part 5: Reflection

My professional presence has improved because of the COMM 351 ePortfolio in a few ways. Primarily, the class itself teaches many facets of organizational communication from work culture to organizational theory. The projects and blogs we were asked to complete for the ePortfolio were demonstrations of what we learned from the course topics. These assignments give our portfolio’s a boost in terms of appearance to any professionals who may look at our pages to see what we know of corporate politics and inner-workings, which in turn, has the ability to increase my chances of being considered for professional positions or potential careers.

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One of the elements I like most about my ePortfolio, aside from the clean aesthetic of the page, would be the blogging element. I like that the blogs can be tailored to include videos, images, and links to other documents. The fact that the ePortfolio is useable for every class is also extremely convenient because multiple assignments, blogs, and projects can be posted, which gives me as a student a well-rounded appearance through this collection of work, whether personal or educational.

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This past project we were assigned, ePortfolio part 4, was my favorite to complete all semester. I believe that the requirements of the assignment (i.e. PowerPoint, uploading audio files, researching certain aspects of a company, identifying why difference matters) are going to be some of the responsibilities I take with me into my chosen career after graduation. Because I aspire to go into advertising and creative communications, I was able to choose companies that inspire me and that sell what I love.

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The most challenging aspect of building the ePortfolio for me was incorporating things that would benefit my professional image but excluding unnecessary things that may not contribute to getting me noticed corporately. Aside from what I’ve learned in school, I also have several hobbies that I’ve gotten good at throughout the years, but those hobbies might be irrelevant to include on the page. Deciding what to include in the portfolio was just as challenging as deciding what to exclude because I believe it can make a difference in how potential employers view who I am as a professional.

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Learning what’s necessary and what isn’t can be a tough balancing act. This is advice that I would give to future students about building the portfolio. While some hobbies might be relevant to the career path you might be viewing, some of them might just be better left unsaid. This isn’t a bad thing and in no way makes said hobby any less important; it simply isn’t relevant information and doesn’t benefit your professional appearance to those viewing your page. Remember that this portfolio is mainly for professional audiences, where potential employers can get to know a lot about your educational and professional experience.

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The intersection of interpersonal communication and organizational communication is where my everyday communication skills affect my work-life. I spend at least 40 hours a week at work, and therefore the way I’ve learned to communicate—whether verbally or non-verbally—will cross over into my career, onto my coworkers, and onto customers. What I learn from studying the topics and theories we covered this semester is that interpersonal communication does have a drastic effect on the well-being of an organization. To build a flourishing company, interpersonal communication skills need to be cultivated and continuously reiterated throughout the entire network of employees.

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Gaining knowledge of ethical communication helps to design an inclusive work environment. Ethics are moral principles that govern a person's behavior or activity. Knowing how to bring this asset to the workplace is imperative for an inclusive culture. In our last project, we learned that acknowledging difference in the workplace matters, and therefore so do the ethical treatment of co-workers, customers, and existing or potential clients. Upholding high ethical standards suggests a more open work culture because it is much more difficult to feel left out or excluded in an organization with ethical communication practices.

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My view of communication has definitely expanded since I began the course. I knew there were multiple facets of communication in and out of the corporate world, but focusing so much on how vital healthy communication skills are to the survival and growth of organizations has really given me a new lens to view how companies operate. I can research a company now and gauge if their interpersonal or ethical communication skills may be lacking based on how the employees and customers talk about the company. Is it an open environment? Is the communication style democratic or autocratic? Is the management supportive or non-supportive? Before this class, I limited my thinking concerning communication and how it can affect my working life. Now, I can use these newly learned aspects of interpersonal communication as a standard to hold myself and my future organization.

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