Reflections on COMM 323 ePortfolio Part 4
What I like most about my ePortfolio is the opportunity to create a unique brand for myself. The platform of Wix.com provides students like me a single place online where I can showcase my writing and creative skills. I feel the ePortfolio represents my professional talents and writing abilities in a positive manner. The expert-like appearance of a personal website and all of the unique content that I have written across many courses builds up into a robust collection.
The most challenging aspect of the ePortfolio is keeping it fresh. This is due to the repetitive assignments that each course assigns. Unfortunately, the similarity between class ePortfolio questions makes if more and more difficult to be able to write original posts about the same topic. It is understandable that each course has to ask basic ePortfolio questions, especially to any newcomers to Wix, but for veterans like me, an optional assignment would be more interesting.
The advice I would give to future students about this part of the ePortfolio is to have a peer review completed of their Wix site. In a previous semester I did this and although there were no revisions requested of me, it was time well spent to ensure my site was conveying the type of persona I wanted to communicate.
Given that many of my COMM classes have required use of the ePortfolio, it has become harder to really learn anything “new” about the Wix program. However, I did embed a YouTube video for the first time within a blog post. It was very easy to include the video after copying and then pasting the YouTube URL into the Wix software. I liked how easy it was to add this nice visual component to the blog.
Reflection on Leadership:
I think the situational approach of leadership best suits my personal communication skills and professional goals. The personality type of a situational leader blends with my personal style of communication in that I tend to try and influence others in differing manners based on the situation from directive to supportive. This leadership style allows me to use the natural “take charge” activator traits that I possess while also giving others that I would interact with the opportunity to be independent through the supportive role I would be able to play. Based on what I have learned about leadership skills, I plan to capitalize on the strengths of the situational approach in my future personal and professional endeavors.
My knowledge of leadership will definitely influence my approach to managing future events. Now that I have a better understanding of the elements necessary to plan a successful event, I can build upon those assets to ensure the final outcome is achieved. From the initial stages of planning, fundraising, and on site dimensions to marketing and gaining a positive return on investment – the many components to event management are much clearer. These components include clear communication to the team to make sure the goals and objectives are met, building relationships with the team and empowering staff to make decisions. Leadership styles are one of the most important factors in creating a successful event as well as choosing the right team.
Communication:
My view of communication is different than when I began the course, because I have expanded my knowledge of this general topic and reached into a new area of event management. I was able to learn how to effectively communicate in an event marketing role as well as why it is important to provide strong leadership during an event. Communication leadership plays a significant role in everything we do.
