What I have learned this year - Essay Example

? Reflective Essay by This is a reflective essay of what I have learned this year. Executive Summary This business class has been instrumental in my life since I have been able to acquire the skills and knowledge required to help build my capacity as a future business executive. These skills will help me communicate my business ideas and proposals in future as the importance of communication in business cannot be overemphasised. It is evident that communication skills can make or break a business depending on the individual’s ability to pass the information clearly. This year, this class has benefited me as I prepare for my future career. I have learned how to make presentations, which is an important skill that I will engage in during the preparation of presentations that I will be making to people. I have also learned how to create excellent essays while following every detail required while preparing great essays. In this case, I have learned the mechanics of writing essays while following the required format and style; the importance of good grammar; the choice of words in essay writing; and the importance of proofreading and editing my essays before submission. In addition, putting my ideas in an essay has taught me the importance of being assertive, which has improved my debating skills as I have gained the capacity to argue and defend my position. However, I know I can improve these skills by practicing a lot in order to be efficient when I engage in any activity. Reflective Essay Students undertake different courses in school in order to prepare themselves for future career work and their life. In this case, the classes that students undertake should help them build their skills and enhance their knowledge so that they can engage in their careers effectively. While some students fail to see the importance of some of the diminutive elements in their education, these elements are crucial in ensuring that students were well-equipped for future jobs and careers. For example, it is evident that an element such as cultural differences may appear minute while considering its face value. However, it is essential to point out that this skill is crucial during inter-cultural communication since different cultures interpret language differently. Hence, the failure to value the importance of this diminutive element may challenge communication between two parties and fail to achieve the objectives. That said, it is crucial for students to consider all key elements that enhance communication. Throughout this year, I have learned formidable skills that will help me build my career in business since these skills will be crucial during communication as we are all aware that successful business involves effective communication of business proposal and ideas. First, I have learned the importance of preparing good presentations that will communicate my ideas and arguments in a manner that was clear and effective. Chivers and Schoolbred (2007, p.20) noted that good presentations should be “interesting and useful to the learning situation, but they can be enjoyable, even memorable.” In line with this, I have learned the skills of writing presentations that do not veer off the topic of discussion while avoiding regurgitation. In this case, I ensure that my presentations were clear and to the point in order to inform the reader or the listener about the content matter in the topic of discussion. In addition, I ensure that my presentations inspired the listeners and readers while they also grabbed and held their attention. However, I realise that I cannot prepare a good presentation without engaging basic skills that are required to develop the presentation. In line with this, this class has taught me the basic skills required to develop a good presentation. Beck, Bennett, and Wall (2005) identify preparation as the main essential element in developing an excellent presentation. Thus, I have learned that preparing for a good presentation involves a variety of factors that must be followed. In this case, I have learned that preparation is synonymous to planning since the two involve engaging in research that provided the content for the presentation while rejecting content that was not suitable. Importantly, the step that involves presentation is crucial in ensuring that I acquired information that will help me prove my argument and defend my position. Presentation preparation skills are crucial for my future business careers since we all know that business presentations involve preparation of proposals and ideas. In order for these proposals to gain acceptance, it is necessary to prepare in an effective manner by preparing well-researched articles. Presentations skills also encompass the importance of time management during presentations. However, I have not been able to develop this skill and use it effectively in my presentations. In this case, I would like to learn how to manage my time well since I find myself preparing presentations that were beyond the time limit. While I prepare presentations that are informative and rich in details, I find myself preparing presentations that were longer than the allocated timeframe. In this case, I need to learn the skills that ensured that my presentations were within the allocated time frame without losing the context of the discussion. To learn this skill effectively, Chivers and Schoolbred (2007, p.23) identify the importance of rehearsing my presentations and editing them before the actual presentations. Other than effective presentation skills, I have learned the skills that are essential in creating exceptional essays that incorporate all the necessary details while engaging skills required when creating these essays. Importantly, creating excellent essays has been a result of the exceptional skills I have gained in preparing my presentations. In this case, essays, just like presentations, require careful preparation through a process of research that gathers material to include while identifying material to reject in order to create content for the essay. Hacker (2006) indicates that a brilliant essay should support the arguments and ideas in the essay by providing evidence that was reliable and authoritative. In fact, this is the most essential element of excellent essays since I am able to support my arguments based on evidence from reputable sources. On the other hand, this skill will be beneficial in my future career since I will be developing business proposals that were well-thought and achieved through research, which means that the proposals would be feasible and sustainable. Consequently, the proposals will be acceptable, which will help me progress my business career. Other than the importance of evidence, I have learned that an influential essay should meet the expectations of the audience and address their needs (Lunsford and Straub 2006; Soles, 2007). Just like a presentation, a brilliant essay should answer the questions of the audience effectively through the evidence provided. I have learned that the evidence should be clear in a way that allowed smooth and logical transition from one key point to another point throughout the essay. In this case, I have learned to ensure that the essay focused on the topic of discussion while avoiding errors in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure in the essay, and spelling. In addition, I have learned the importance of avoiding jargon and writing essays in their required format. This way, business essays will be written using their business format, which is formal in structure and voice just like academic essays. These skills are crucial in creating business plans, proposals, and executive summaries that will be presented to prospective investors and partners. Consequently, influential business papers based on excellent ideas will help me acquire investment partners and develop my career path. I need to improve these masterly essay writing skills and create essays that incorporated all elements. In this regard, I need to practice writing essays for different audiences. In this case, I should not focus on a business audience only since I will meet other audiences such as scientists whose essays have different structures when compared to business essays. I will diversify my essay writing skills and focus on these other different audiences so that I can become an all-rounded essay writer. Consequently, I will not struggle or face any challenge while writing essays for different audiences since I will have gained excellent skills in essay writing. Importantly, I will ensure that the substance of the essay, despite the target audience, was outstanding and of high quality through carrying out effective research. Hence, I will improve this skill by writing various essays while targeting different audiences and ensuring that I engaged in intense research over the subject matter. Consequently, I will forward the essays to my instructor for assessment in order to find the progress and my achievement towards improving this skill. Debating skills are another essential element I have learned this year. Rybold (2006, p.2) noted that debating skills are critical in helping an individual to overcome fear develop oral English skills. In line with this, I want to point out that I have been able to overcome my fear in English and developed good oratory skills in English. In this case, I have learned how to share my ideas through debate and engage other people in order to develop my skills and knowledge in different fields. Conversely, this skill is paramount in my future career since I will be able to present and share my business ideas as a business executive. By overcoming my fears, I will become assertive in order for my audience to consider my propositions in a serious way. In this case, the debating skills that I have learned this year will help me become a better speaker both in public and in private. In conclusion, it is essential to point out that I have also gained are the critical thinking skills, which are crucial during presentations, creation of excellent essays, and in debating. In line with this, it is necessary to point out that I have been able to learn these skills and ask better questions, keep an open mind, evaluate the answers provided, and make better decisions. Importantly, these skills are indispensable in my future business career since they will help assess the information provided and make decisions after a careful evaluation of the available evidence. However, I need to improve these skills by gathering evidence and evaluating it to make good decisions. In addition, critical thinking skills can be improved by learning how to evaluate the weaknesses and strengths in arguments in order to provide answers and arguments that were water-tight. In doing this, I will be able to improve my critical thinking skills and focus on arguments that provided the best solutions. Bibliography Beck, A., Bennett, P. and Wall, P. 2005. As Communication Studies: The Essential Introduction. New York: Routledge. Chivers, B. and Schooldbred, M. 2007. A Student's Guide to Presentations: Making your Presentation Count. London: SAGE. Hacker, D. 2006. The Bedford Handbook. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford. Lunsford, R. F. and Straub, R. 2006. Twelve Readers Reading: A Survey of Contemporary Teachers’ Commenting Strategies. In Straub R. Ed. Key Words on Teachers Response: An Anthology. Portsmouth: Boyton Cook, pp. 159-189. Rybold, G. 2006. Speaking, Listening And Understanding: Debate for Non-native English Speakers. New York: International Debate Education Association. Soles, D. 2007. The Concise Guide to Teaching Composition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, Prentice Hall. Read More