Journal #4

The class that has helped me the most would have to be interpersonal communication. With any internship you will have to be communicating with other coworkers and potentially clients, so the way you speak and interact with them is important. I learned from that class that when in the work place you need to be assertive when trying to speak so that you’re heard. I also learned that body language is everything. You may seem like you’re in a good mood when talking with a donor but if your body language doesn’t agree with your tone, the other party in the conversation can easily pick up on that. Another class that I believe has helped me a lot is communication in a diverse society. I think this particular class has helped me because the people that I come in contact with and interact with are a diverse group of people. Even if I am not coming into contact with them in person, the emails that I send out and the thank you notes that I write to each donor, are tailored to each individual. This would not be such an easy task if I didn’t know the correct way to word things and even how to tailor a note appropriately. When you write a letter that is supposed to be directed towards a certain person, the concept of intersectionality really comes into play. To write an effective letter that captures the reader and makes them believe that you really care, you need to address them on a personal level and delve into their different layers. The third class that I believe has helped me in a huge way, is public speaking. Coming into communication studies, I didn’t like to speak in front of people and when I had to meet new people, I was shy and couldn’t put my words together the way I wanted to. Public speaking has helped me learn that meeting new people isn’t scary. I no longer am afraid to speak in fear that I am going to stutter or sound like I don’t know what I am talking about. Public speaking has given me the confidence I needed to fully immerse myself into a work environment.