Reflection
When I participated in the Week 1 “Design a New Candy Bar” activity, I was a bit reluctant in sharing my ideas and did not feel comfortable presenting. I lacked the confidence because I did not have any background information in marketing and had not established any rapport with the professors or my classmates. Reflecting back I realized that the reason why I silenced myself was because I could not personalize my learning setting or establish any relationship on the first day of class. This fact about me was illuminated after taking the Values Perspective assessment in the CLP course. I learned that as a relational person it is important for me to have some contact to be able to express myself and to create a safe learning environment. The relational perspective is also reflected in my Type One/Imaginative learning profile and how I learn best.
The Marketing Fundamentals course helped me develop the agility and adaptability competency by challenging me to adapt to new and changing environments. Working in a group setting taught me to be open and accepting to new ideas without imposing my own. It also taught me to never have fixed ideas and to always be open to change because resisting will never allow me to grow or improve. Being mindful of my fixed mindset tendencies will help me challenge myself to excel in situations that require flexibility in the future. I know that being open will foster more creativity and innovation which is a something that is important to any marketing student. I was also able to develop my effective oral and written communication competency by creating effective presentation materials. I was in charge of creating the PowerPoint presentation and marketing pamphlets that was used in the tradeshow. In addition, learning the principles of business writing and APA citation has benefited me as I will be using it in all my business courses in the future.
The course has taught me three key learning skills that will help me as a marketing student and in my career:
The importance of adapting to change
The world is constantly changing and so are marketing strategies. As a marketing student it is important to always be up to date with market trends and to anticipate and respond to these changes quickly.
The importance of open communication
Our group was a high performing team because we all fostered open communication. It helped avoid miscommunication and ensured that everyone was well informed and engaged. I believe that this is an important trait to have because a marketing career is all about communication.
The importance of networking skills
I spent four months working closely with my group members and had an opportunity to establish a good reputation. My personal brand of being hardworking and fun to work with started here but will carry on for the next four years.
The main benefit of working in a group is the diverse opinions and skillsets that group members bring to the table. During the brainstorming sessions we were able to generate great ideas and hear different opinions based on the interests and experience of each member However, with such a diverse group it was sometimes hard to reach a consensus which prolonged our group work process.
Another benefit is that it helps improve oral and written communication skills. As a group we were constantly communicating with each other through emails, texts and meetings which challenged me to articulate myself in a concise manner. On the other hand, working in a group can be challenging because it can be hard to coordinate multiple schedules. Some of our group members had part-time jobs and it proved to be a challenge whenever we had to setup meetings a week in advance. In some cases we had to Skype in group members who could not make it to ensure that everyone was included.
Being an Imaginative learner and a relational person, I noticed that I always encourage and embrace different ideas and opinions, but it can sometimes be counterproductive when decisions need to be made. I was able to overcome this paralysis by following the lead of Type 4 learners in my groups and that meant taking risks and adopting the “just do it” attitude.
How did your learning styles factor into the ability of the group to work collaboratively
As an Imaginative learner, I thrive in environments where there is room to discuss and listen to everyone’s ideas. In this group setting I was the one who motivated the group members to work together cohesively by ensuring that every member’s voice and opinion were heard. I paid special attention to the introverted group members who sometimes did not express their thoughts. I did this by suggesting that we use a “speaking stick” which gives the holder of that stick the authority to speak while the rest of the group listens.
Knowing that a safe space is conducive to my learning environment I took the initiative to facilitate the group’s team contract agreement. In my past experience group contracts are never discussed thoroughly which then leads to misunderstanding and conflict. To avoid that, I suggested that each group members shares what they are interested in and what skillset they bring to the team. After getting to know each other and a long discussion on our strengths and interest we were able to draft a contract that went beyond the surface. It was important for me to go through this process to ensure that everyone was committed and to establish trust amongst us all.
In our group work, I paid more attention to the human interaction and was able to decipher some emotions and feelings through nonverbal communication. Whenever I felt that someone was shutting down I would reach out to them to see if I or the group could help out. I also played the role of referee ensuring that everyone had a fair say in the project and completed their assigned tasked based on the agreement. This is one of the ways that I, as an Imaginative learner and relational person, helped the group work collaboratively.
Artifact Marketing Fundamentals Tradeshow Presentation
I selected our product presentation that was used in the tradeshow as an artifact to exemplify my ability to prepare presentation materials under the effective oral and written communication competency. This artifact showcases my ability to use visuals and PowerPoint to illustrate a product idea in an appealing and professional manner. In the future, I would like to enhance my abilities by exploring other presentation mediums such as a Prezi or InDesign. The PowerPoint I created is something that I am proud of and will definitely use in my final Creative Learning Portfolio presentation when I search for jobs this summer.