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Pearl Diving Assignment 1
Julian Ferraro
Communication for Project Managers: ENCE424
Dr. Shana Webster-Trotman
September 26, 2020
Pearl Diving Assignment 1 1

Introduction
Great communication is a well-known reality of the job market; it is a skill sought after
by many employees and employers. Despite recognizing the importance of making business
connections and having important conversations, many people shy away from networking
opportunities because they are either scared to initiate conversation, or they don’t know how. In
this sense, anxiety can manifest as a barrier preventing people from making new contacts and
inserting themselves into potentially beneficial situations. The key to becoming more confident,
as with most skills, is practice.
1. Concepts from Readings
In previous networking situations, I have felt overwhelmed by the potential cost of

failure. Subsequently, I am unsure of how to enter a conversation in which I can convey myself
as a desirable candidate. In Networking for College Students and Graduates, the importance of
making a plan and being confident are stressed very much. They in fact go hand-in-hand in
networking situations since making a plan beforehand of what to say and how to conduct oneself
will increase one’s confidence. There are many different elements to the planning, too. While
coming up with an “elevator pitch” is a good start, it takes a lot more to truly master the art of
introducing and talking about oneself (Faulkner and Nierenberg 591). Practicing the pitch,
watching it over, and then making changes are all part of the process. This is not to mention that
after the pitch, if a person chooses to continues speaking with the representative, they have to
improvise and maintain a captivating and interesting conversation. This takes planning questions
and talking points to bring up, as well as practicing confident body language throughout the
conversation (Faulkner and Nierenberg 706). Going forward, I believe that making a plan and
practicing a pitch about myself may in turn aid my networking abilities. I am starting to plan my
strategy for the next time I go to a career fair, and also rehearse my conversation topics and skills
to impress in conversations with representatives of a potential job opportunity.
Another concept from I learned was from reading Crucial Conversations. I’ve learned the
importance of not being afraid to enter a high-stakes conversation when talking to someone who
sits above in the hierarchy. Telling someone with more power or respect, such as a boss or CEO,
that they may be doing something wrong is definitely difficult for a lot of people. They fear that
they might lose favor of this boss or even lose their job. Many people do not speak up so they
silently resist and drag their feet (Patterson 21). This concept is slightly backwards though.
People in positions of power actually tend to view speaking up in a respectful way as a sign of a
good leader. This skill can not only help coworkers get their ideas heard, but it can also help a
person get considered for a leadership position in the future. It will definitely be important for
me to keep this in mind over my engineering career as I hope to one day manage and oversee
projects. Learning how to not only listen to criticism but also to not be afraid to give it out to
higher-ups will be a skill that can set me apart from my peers and help me be a great leader.

2. Business Etiquette
This week, I will try to employ several facets of business etiquette. At least once a week,
I have a meeting with the boss of my internship over Microsoft Teams. It is a video chatting
service similar to zoom, so many of the concepts that we have learned about in class apply. I
always try to greet my boss with enthusiasm and good energy levels, but I think as the meeting
goes on I tend to lose focus. I never thought that my boss might be able to pick up on this, but
after hearing about how much body language matters, I am not so sure. In the future, I will
definitely put in a lot more effort to pay better attention during the whole meeting. I will also try
to monitor myself and see if I can find any body language cues that might indicate that I am not
completely focused. I would guess that when I lose focus, it shows through a wandering gaze,
and a general disconnected look on my face. This is not a problem that I tend to have with in-
person meetings as I have had several jobs before; it might be a result of the fact that things are
taking place remotely. I think that the fact that I am in my own home makes me a little more
comfortable than I should be. A solution that I will employ is to put myself in the mindset that I
am physically at work with my boss in the room with me. I think this will increase the feeling of
weight that the situation actually has and I will be more attentive in my conduct.
3. Networking
Since the start of my time in this course, I have done a couple of things to increase my
networking abilities. In general, I have been trying to expand my network for a while. I never
used to care that my network was small. It was only around a year ago that I realized the benefits
of knowing more people. At first, it felt good to branch out socially and meet new people with
similar interests to hang out and talk with. After starting to become more social and outgoing, I
discovered that not only does meeting new people provide one with more social diversity, but it
can also help one become more productive. In addition to making new friends, I started to meet
more people who liked to do the things that I like to do too. While these things are not related to
engineering, it is nice to be able to meet up with people to practice creative outlets that I love
such as painting, video making, and other things. These past few weeks I have been moving into
a new apartment and meeting a lot of my roommates’ friends. There was a point in my life not
too long ago where I would not have bothered or been interested in talking to these people, but I
now realize how much I enjoy expanding my network. In fact, one person I met just the other
day I am planning on meeting to work on a joint painting project. Another person I met last week
I made plans with to work on a video together. I feel that these skills that I am learning and
employing right now will help me in my engineering career, I just have not yet met anyone that
is interested in engineering and is from my hometown. I am learning how to dig deeper into a
person to find people with similar interests.
4. DISC Personality Assessment
I always find these types of surveys difficult because it is hard for me to categorize
myself. I think for most people, the options in each question are mutually exclusive. For

example, in this survey it seemed like a lot of questions were subliminally asking if you are a
leader or a follower. Another example would be a question that hints at the idea of you being
relaxed and laid-back, or energetic and excitable. There were also a few questions that asked if
you are sensitive and tend inward, or if you are more outwardly oriented and enjoy socialization;
If you speak your mind or tend to spare other’s feelings. I found that there were a lot of questions
in the survey that I would have put a “thumbs up” to every statement and not have any “thumbs
down” and all. I love to be adventurous, spend time outdoors, and do activities that take up a
substantial portion of the day, but I also equally value time spent inside relaxing, chatting, or
spending time alone. It is very easy for me to switch between the two, enacting Erving
Goffman’s theory of the performed self. I would also not consider myself a leader or a follower.
Again, I always feel like these types of surveys try to categorize a person into one or the other,
but it is completely situational for me. I really don’t like to be either. I always feel uncomfortable
and even reject taking directions from someone who I don’t view as necessarily in charge or
superior, and similarly, I don’t like to give directions to others, even when I know what is best,
because I wouldn’t want them to feel the same uncomfortable or compromising feeling that I
might have. I try to send and receive orders in the most neutral way possible. This can sometimes
be energy and time consuming, so I feel like I do my best and most effective work alone. On the
subject of sensitivity, I think that I walk a fine line between being sensitive and outwardly
oriented. This is a unique quality about myself that my friends often refer to as the most
personally defining for me. I have the capacity to be a great listener and be very in touch with my
own and another persons emotions as well as be nurturing and accepting, but at the same time I
can also be equally loud, abrasive, and funny. For me, it all depends on the social situation and
what is appropriate, but I also would say that I am not afraid to do one or the other when it would
not considered appropriate and still feel comfortable doing so.
One thing that I noted from the results was that my “compliance” part was the smallest at
only 5%. I think that while I definitely do tend to question authority, I can be compliant and
without issue for the vast majority of the time I spent working for someone. I have worked
several jobs over the years and have never had a problem with refusing orders or getting into a
dispute with my boss. In fact, I would say that my bosses tend to see me as a great hardworking
employee. The only stipulation is that I am not afraid to speak up or question decisions that my
higher-ups make. This is a quality that is desired by employees as is stated over and over again in
our readings. Instead of making me headstrong or stubborn, I think it creates more mutual
respect between me and boss. I think it also increases my ability and willingness to comply since
I was heard by the decision-maker and have a more full understanding of the decision after
speaking up. This was another point that was brought up in the readings, specifically in Crucial
Conversations and the example of Kevin and the CEO (Patterson 25).

Works Cited
Faulkner, Michael, and Nierenberg, Andrea. Networking for College Students and Gradates.
Pearson Learning Solutions, 2017. E-book.
Patterson, Kerry,eds. Crucial Conversations:Tools For Talking When Stakes Are High. New York
McGraw-Hill, 2012. E-book.

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Pearl Diving Assignment 1

Pearl Diving Assignment 1 1

1. Concepts from Readings

In previous networking situations, I have felt overwhelmed by the potential cost of

Pearl Diving Assignment 1 2

4. DISC Personality Assessment

Pearl Diving Assignment 1 3

Pearl Diving Assignment 1 4

Pearson Learning Solutions, 2017. E-book.

McGraw-Hill, 2012. E-book.

Pearl Diving Assignment 1 6

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