BCM 3700 Accomplishments

I learned a lot in BCM 3700 this semester. The most notable accomplishment from BCM 3700 is that I feel more confident in making individual presentations. I learned a lot from the lecture and information provided about presentations. After much preparation and practice, I delivered my presentation and received good feedback. I learned a few tips for making presentations better in the future from the review slips that I thought were a great addition and enhanced the learning experience. I learned a lot about types of business communication that I hadn't known about. In particular business memos and letters, I feel confident in writing these after practicing on assignments that were a helpful experience. I also learned a lot about different cultures and how these differences should be handled in written and verbal communication. I didn't know much about this topic, so it was very informative. There are many more accomplishments and important learning experiences, but these were the most notable. I can honestly say that every class I learned something new that I know will be beneficial in the future. Overall, I really enjoyed BCM 3700 and I think that the business communication skills I learned will be very helpful in my future business career. It was a great experience with lots of good writing and communication practice.

Team Project

I have personally have been doing quite a bit of work on our upcoming team project. The other two members are doing their quite parts as well. I have step up to make sure we are all on the same page and organizing our group. I have made sure that everything is done and will be printing the final copy and finizaling the presentation. I did most of the research because I wrote the introduction and background sections of the report. I searched for some good websites and found informative information. When my research was complete, I wrote the introduction and background sections of the report. When the entire report was all written, each member (including myself) went through and edited for errors and flow of the document. I practiced my 2-3 minute part of the presentation, which was taken directly from the parts of the report that I researched and wrote. Essentially we all tried to do the research, writing, and editing for our own parts, so we could work at the same pace. Then we all edited and practice our parts of the presentation.

Business Etiquette

If I was going to the capital city of Japan two months from now, there are many key features of business etiquette that I would need to consider. Although there are a few part of Japanese business etiquette that are universal like being polite, sensitive, and having good manners, the majority of business equittee is quite different from in the UIn general, business practices are much more formal in Japan and they are sensitive to differences in their customers. One of the biggest things that I need to consider is the business card practice that is so importantand ritualistic in their business etiquette. They are considered a must have and they are many unspoken rules that need to be followed to respect their practices. You have to give every person at the meeting one of your business cards and present it in both hands with the Japanese side facing forward to the most senior member first and bow slightly, then continue the same presentation to each person going the reverse order of the corporate structure. It is key to treat both your cards and theirs with respect by not fidgeting with them or using them for notes. Be certain to pick up all the business cards, so they don't think you dismissed any member of their company. Another important part of business etiquette is making sure the attire fits in with theirs. As a women, I will need to be very careful about how  I dress because women are still new to their business culture. I need to be sure to where long skirts or suits in appropriate colors and keep in mind their current fashions that are important to the women there. It is very important to remember that female works are not to wear high heels or jewelry and need to be dressed appropriately. One key feature is to call ahead if you will be arriving late and be sure to arrive early and plan a tight schedule for the meeting. There are many other equittee aspects that I need to consider because their culture is so much different than ours, but these are the biggest differences. It is very important to consider these other aspects of business etiquette because my actions will reflect the company that I'm working for as a whole. It is necessary to consider these difference in business etiquette because it will set a good table for the work that I hope to accomplish and will give them a positive outlook on potential future interactions.

Semester Progress

My semester is going quite well and it seems to be flying by. This is my first semester at Western Michigan University, so I felt a bit out of place like the first day of kindergarten. I think this felt more obvious because I transferred in the spring semester, rather than the fall, so everyone seemed settled in their roles. I was a little nervous about how this semester would go as seemingly everyone talks about how much different attending a community college is than attending a 4-year university. Honestly, I did not have this experience at all and felt like it was a very smooth, easy transition for me. It doesn't really seem that much harder or different than the community college I attended for 2 years. The only difference is the campus is more spread out and one of my classes in a large lecture hall, rather than a classroom. I have really enjoyed all my classes and all of my professors. The workload seems tolerable and consistent with the goals of the classes. I have experienced a lot of success in my accounting classes and enjoyed learning the material, which is good as I'm an accountancy major. In most of my classes, I have 3 or 4 exams per semester, which I much prefer to just a mid-term and a final. I have felt many successes on my exams as well, there has just been one exam that I didn't get as high of percentage as like to get. Of course, that was a stressful day for me because I had an exam right before that exam and my individual oral presentation directly after it. As a result, that class' final is making me a little more stressed to make sure that I end up with an 'A' in the class. I enjoy the class and the material, but the way the exams are written is quite challenging, especially because there is no textbook to refer to and practice sample questions. The other challenge of the semester was the 6-10 minute presentation in this class. I don't like speaking in front of other people, so I was quite nervous and spent lots of time preparing. Now, that challenge is finished and I'm tentatively heading towards the Team Presentation. This makes me nervous as a perfectionist, I want everything to be my way and 'perfect.' It is hard for me to trust other people to do their work, when it affects my grade, which is extremely important to me. Along with team presentation, I'm gearing up for all my finals and will be spending extra time on studying of the one final. Hopefully everything will go well during my first finals week at WMU! Overall, it has been a great semester with many successes and just a few challenges that are a normal part of a student's life.

Presentation Reflection

I think my presentation went well and about as I expected to do. I was extremely nervous while presenting and felt like I stumbled over my words a few times. Before I got up there I felt fully prepared as I had spent days practicing my speech, but when the moment came to actually present the preparation went out of my mind. It seemed like I did pretty good though and similar to how I had been practicing. I think that the use of the PowerPoint went well. I think the changing of slides helped me to remember what to say next and I wasn't tempted to read off of the screen because there were no words. I felt like I also did well at not referring to my notes and speaking directly to the audience. I think that I didn't do well at annunciating my words. This has always been my problem when speaking in front of people because I'm so nervous. I tend to talk faster, which makes me 'stumble' over my words making it sound like I have a speech problem. I tried hard to not do this, but I could hear myself reverting back to this bad habit a few times. Also, I only received one question, so I didn't feel like I could adequately show all the additional information that I knew about this topic. I'm not really sure how I could change that in the future though. Next time, I will work harder at being comfortable in front of the audience and trying to speak at a normal pace and clearly in my normal tone. I learned a lot about the yarn making process as my topic. I also learned about using signposts and how to introduce/conclude a presentation during the class lecture. I think the sample presentation helped me to be more comfortable and feel more prepared about what the presentation was aimed at accomplishing. I also think I'm learning to be more comfortable in front of the class than I was 5 or 6 years ago in Middle School and High School, but I can still use a lot of work in that area.

Presentation Preparation

I spent a lot of time preparing for my oral presentation because I was so nervous about how it would go. A considerable amount of time was spent brainstorming a topic that would interest me and I could find enough information about to present for 6 to 10 minutes. I didn't have topic that I personally knew the information about, so I decided to research a topic instead. As an avid professional knitter, I use yarn all the time, but I never knew where it came from or how it was made. This intrigued me and was a great example of a business process, so my topic became "How Yarn is Made." I used the internet to conduct my research. I came across the innovative company Juniper Moon Farms that had a lot of information about their yarn making process. I went though a few interviews that Juniper Moon Farms did for articles to promote their community-supported agriculture, which includedintriguing information about what they did. Their own website is where I found the wealth of my information. The 'about' section included basic information and pictures, but it was the blog written by Juniper Moon Farms owner was were I found the intricate details of the yarn making process. She described the delicate processes in numerous posts that I sorted though and showed many pictures. There were also guest posts by expert sheep shearers/shepards and other Juniper Moon Farm employees that were quite informative. Once my research was done and speech was constructed along with the PowerPoint to be used as a visual aide, I was ready to practice. I practiced many times to be sure I didn't need to refer to my notes very much and I knew the material. I live at home, so I practiced in my room over and over for a few days in a row. On the afternoon of my presentation, I practiced outside while walking around on campus. The first few times I just worked on the flow of the information and what details I needed and didn't need. Then, I tried to work on my timining to fit in the requirments. When the day of my presentation came , I tried to do a mock presentation where I focused on perfecting all the elements and using the visual aid.

Team Projects

Team projects aren't my favorite part of school. I'm intimidated when I hear that they will be assigned as I know they will require hard work. This is because I have had a lot of bad experiences with team projects, but I have also had a few good experiences with team projects. I know that team projects were designed to a be a good and enjoyable experience, but that doesn't always good. I like team projects because it is easier to get the work done when it is spread across members who can focus on areas that they are good at, instead of one person trying to do everything. This goes hand in hand with something I dislike about team projects. Some members, especially in high school and early college, didn't want to do their part of the work. They figured someone else would do it, so they didn't care. This means that the sharing the workload doesn't happen and one or two people end up doing the bulk of the work. Another thing I like about team projects are they allow for collaboration of ideas and can call on different experiences that members have had. This also brings up something I dislike, which is with so many different ideas it can be hard to make decisions. You have to work together and can't let everyone get their own way, which can be tricky. I like that team projects have become easier with technology. It is much easier to collaborate on things like Google docs without having to email copies back and forth or be in the same room. This technology aspect has helped me put more trust in team members. If I can see what they have been working on and doing there part, I don't worry as much about the final project. The biggest dislike I have for team projects is that I can't make sure everything is perfect. When I my own work, I'm very critical and fix it until it's the best it can be. This is very hard to do in a group because you don't want to the members to think you don't like what they did, but at the same time I want a good grade. It can be a very tricky situation for a perfectionist like me. The best experiences I have had is when there are a couple perfectionists in the group and we all critiqued each other, which made for a better team and better result. Both a like and dislike of team projects are the mix of personalities and hidden agendas in the group, it can make a big difference on either it will be successful or not.

Public Speaking

Public speaking is very daunting to me. It is one of the things that I truly fear. I have done well in school and usually enjoyed my school work, but speaking in front of the class were my worst days. It is very scary to me and worry immensely about it being horrible. I have always been a very quiet person and uncomfortable in big groups of people. I would much prefer to sit quietly and take in all the conversation than take myself. Not wanting to talk and voice my own feelings in front of people is what makes public speaking so hard. I don't feel confident in myself, which makes it even harder. I don't even like to raise my hand in class to answer a question, even though I usually know the answer. I'm so afraid that it could possibly be the wrong answer that I don't offer it up. The only way I speak in class is if I'm specifically asked. It's not a problem of knowing the material, instead it's that I'm scared it will could be wrong. I don't like to ask questions either because I'm afraid of how it will make me look. I have had done a little better in college as presentations have been at the end of semester, so I can tell myself that if I mess up I probably won't see the other students again. I have tried to not worry so much about the public speaking and focus on the content of the speech, but I still struggle with it. I get myself so upset that I end up talking fast and mumbling over my words. That is just adds to my dislike of speaking in front of people. I have often stumbled over my words making me sound like I have problems speaking. I find the most challenge when I don't have a presentation behind me. The presentation or visual aide gets some of the focus off of me, which makes me a little more comfortable. It also easier if there are other people up there giving a presentation at the same time. Overall, the whole public speaking situation is definitely something that I don't like and I only do it when it is absolutely necessary. 

Writing

Describe how you feel about writing (of any sort). Is it difficult for you? How so? Or does it come easy? Do you enjoy it? Dislike it? What’s your favorite type of writing? (fiction, journaling, nonfiction, etc.) Least favorite?

Writing has never been my favorite thing. When I write something, I want to edit it over and over again. It is a little stressful to me that I can't get it to sound right. I won't say that writing was difficult for me. I have always been good at writing in high school and college. However, I don't think writing is easy for me. I write so much better when I have an example or template to follow. This helps me get the basic structure down and then I go back to write the details. When I first start to write, I'm often concerned with a minimum page requirement, but by the end I worry about it being too long. I think writing comes easier once I get started and the ideas are flowing. Sometimes coming up with an idea and supporting details is difficult, but once I have a plan down I don't have difficulties. I don't really enjoy writing, but I don't dislike it either. I would much rather write all day long than talk in front of people. One of my history classes we had to write long essays instead of having multiple choice exams and I felt like I learned so much. I wasn't just memorizing information, but I really understood the topics. That experience is one reason why I like writing because it is an easier way for me to learn and comprehend information. However, I won't write at home for fun. I do enjoy reading in my spare time, but only write for school or work. My favorite type of writing would be nonfiction. The writing assignments that I enjoy the most are research reports or responses about something that actually happened. My least favorite writing is fiction. I'm not a creative person, so I have a hard time forming fictional writing. If I can base the fiction on a event I've experienced or read about, I can write a little better. However, writing something completely fictional with no real life base is my least favorite.

Ineffective Piece of Communication

I wasn't able to participate in the Career Fair this year, but I plan on participating next year with the new resume.
I have came across many effective pieces of business communication, but it's the ineffective pieces of business communication that really stick out in my mind. I received a note this week regarding the details of an upcoming meeting that was very ineffective. At first glance, the main graphic was very pixely like it had been stretched too large and the sides of the graphic were cut off to fit in the spot. I think that this looks sloppy and not representative of the company. Once I got to the actual text, the grammar was very distracting. There were no apostrophes were they were needed and no commas to break up the long run-on sentences. The tense changed from first person to third person in this one paragraph note. There were many other sentence structure problems and grammar rules that were ignored. I'm not a grammar expert, but these issues were glaring out. It read almost like a text message typed while you were running out the door, instead of a important notice that was sent to 100 people. The main point of the meeting was so hidden in the text that it could have been easily missed. If more time had been spent writing and editing this message, it would be more appealing and effective to the readers.

Five Year Plan

My "Five Year Plan" has been evolving in my head and it's been hard trying to figure out how I want to go about my life. The next two years I plan to continue working on my Bachelor of Business Administration in Accountancy. I would like to complete 150 credits, so that I will be eligible to sit for the CPA exam in Michigan once I have completed the other requirements. As I work towards my degree, I will be taking the opportunity to live at home to save money as I pay for my college without any student loans. Next summer, I would like to obtain an internship at an accounting firm to help build my resume for when I graduate the following year. While in school, I would also like to take the opportunity to be involved in a student organization to help me network with fellow business students that could potentially help me in my career. I'm working very hard to get the best learning experience and would like to graduate with honors. If I don't have a job lined up when I graduate, I will spend the time finding a good job that fits in with my goals. By the end of the five years, I hope to be working at an accounting firm obtaining lots of valuable experience that will help me pass the CPA exam as I continue building my career.

Trait that sets me Apart

In any job field, particularly business fields, it is important to show your traits when searching for a job. These traits are what will make you blend in with everyone else or set you apart from the other applicants. There is one trait that I feel will sets me apart from the other applicants in my field. This trait is ambitious. No matter how hard a task is, I'm determined and work hard to achieve that end. When I set a goal I stick to it, even if it takes a lot of hard work. I think this trait will set me apart because when an employer hires me, they will know that I won't give up. They won't have to be worried about a project being late because when I'm given task I complete it. By having this ambitious trait, a potential employer will know that I'm prepared to be there for the long term. I'm not planning on skipping around to different companies, if things get a little difficulty. It is evident in my past experience and personality that I'm very ambitious. This trait will set me apart from other applicants because oftentimes when things get tough, other applicants/employees will likely get frustrated and give up. This isn't part of my personality, so when I get hired I will be dedicted to them and help meet their company's goals and expectations.

Most Important Factor in Business Commmunication

There are many important factors in communication, particularly in business communication. They all play very vital and important roles. However, while analyzing these factors, a single most important factor in communication can be idenitifed. I believe that the purpose is the most important factor. In all forms of communication, it is important to define and understand your purpose. The purpose will give you a road map for the rest of the process. It will help you narrow down your goals and it will make the rest of the process more straightforward. Without a purpose to guide you, the other factors can't be followed. Once you have defined a clear and meaningful purpose, then you can go on and focus on the other key factors, which is why I picked it as the single most important. This is true for all applications of communication, whether it is a simple phone call to a friend or a 50 page research paper. One of these applications is business communication. For business purposes, it is key to define a purpose. As a whole business communication has a general purpose to inform, persuade, and collaborate. Since the general purpose is all the same for business, it is the specific purpose that is so important and will guide everything. Although it may seem like a simple step, business colleagues and customers will appreciate this initial analyzation and focusing of the message. Overall, I believe that the purpose is most important because it is the first thing that needs to be determined and analyzed in order to achieve successful communication.

First topic: "Describe what you hope to gain from BCM 3700 this semester"

Overall, I hope to learn many new things about business communication and how to put them into practice. I have taken a few general writing and communications classes in college, but nothing that has focused on business communication. Since I’m majoring in business, I’m excited to learn how to write and communicate in business situations. I feel like the information in this class will be especially useful in my job search and career. BCM 3700 seems like one class that will actually have a lot of use after college. I have looked over the class schedule and it looks like we'll be covering a lot of information that includes a diverse array of interesting topics and assignments. Although I don’t particularly enjoy group work or individual presentations, I know they will be needed in my career, so I’m hoping to gain more practice in these areas that will make me more comfortable. I like that we will be turning in drafts and revising them before turning in the final. I think that it will contribute to a better learning experience and allow me to gain more information by revising the assignments. I’m reading through our chapters and the book seems easy to read and understand. I like how the book includes modern examples, especially insight into social media and other relatively new avenues of communication. I hope to gain both the background knowledge of communication and writing, as well as practical experience. I’m looking forward to a great semester of learning and practicing business communication skills!