Related Learning Experience
My learning experience to date has provided me with the tools I need to perform effective technical communication at the professional or enterprise level. Over the course of my substantial work experience, as well as my education at Colorado Technical University, Southeast Technical Institute and the Sure Foundation Theological Institute, I have performed a significant amount of in-class research and outside study on the subject of professional communication, which I believe will be quite useful in my continuing career. I have read a substantial number of books on the subject of communication, including those by Henson (2007), Sudden (2007), Picardi (2001), Blyler et al. (2012) and more.
All of these works, as well as my existing experience, have allowed me to gain an insight into the history of technical and professional communication, the varying theories surrounding it, and the effective ways in which communication can be facilitated. As a successful debt collector for several years, I also have a significant amount of practical experience in dealing with customers who are often combative and confrontational, controlling the conversation in order to achieve positive outcomes for all involved. This combination of academic and workplace experience has provided me with an already substantial font of technical communication knowledge and expertise.
Statement of Learning
Within this narrative, I hope to demonstrate the personal and professional factors that demonstrate my sufficient knowledge of the learning outcomes for this particular course. Effective examples of my knowledge in creating grammatically correct written communication for professional business settings, summarizing major concepts, and understanding the correct communication formats for professional technical communication will also be demonstrated. Between my work experience and the works of Crag, Giles, Sudden, Teitelbaum and others, I believe I have an excellent understanding of how to engage in effective and clear professional communication in a business setting. It is hoped that, through this demonstration, I will show myself to be sufficiently competent in the course’s objectives and goals.
Measurable Learning Outcomes
Outcome #1: Create grammatically correct written communication in proper format for a professional business setting
Over the course of my professional development, I have performed many of the professional communication duties expected of a seasoned employee and expected from this course. When I first started my work in debt collection after high school, I did not know much about written business communication; I understood that the vast majority of my work would be over the phone to clients, and so I did not expect such a degree of formality and codification in my interactions with clients, employees and employers. However, as I learned the basics of this job, I found myself growing more and more confident in my ability to interact within this business environment by asking questions of my supervisors and co-workers, who showed me examples of many types of written business communication that they engaged in, and taught me to do the same in my own work.
My first manager at Premier Bankcard was particularly helpful, as he provided me with templates and examples for formal memos and business letters that he had written in the past, in addition to a couple of books that helped me understand professional written technical communication. Some of these works helped me learn about major attributes of business communication, such as parallel structuring (ensuring balanced and clear communications) and the proper tone for business writing (authoritative, courteous, and confident, with non-discriminatory language). Through this practical experience and hands-on tutoring from my direct superior, I managed to cultivate my skills in technical communication in a significant and detailed way.
In my fourteen years working for various debt collection companies, I have written dozens, if not hundreds, of memos to employees, employers and even third-party entities, all of which were done professionally, with proper formatting, style and content. These memos have involved everything from informing other employees of new office codes of conduct, to providing potential solutions to my manager(s) about ways to increase collector call efficiency. To that end, I have learned the difference between memos that bring attention to problems and ones that solve problems; they each have a distinct difference in language, tone and writing style. I know how to divide memos into headers, openings, task arguments, summaries and discussions of the issue at hand, and a succinct closing segment that typically ends with a call to action.
Similarly, I have perfected my ability to write effective and informative business letters, understanding the necessities of formatting. In my work, I have written in block format, modified block and semi-block formats, writing to third-party clients about changes to their debt collection plans, informing them of impending collections, raised/lowered interest rates, and more. I feel supremely confident in writing these kinds of business letters, as they are a normal part of my own interactions with customers on a daily basis. As I grew more and more confident in writing business letters, I was often placed in positions of greater authority and oversight when writing them, soon formatting letters for others and proofreading to ensure that the proper information was conveyed in a professional manner.
In my search for employment, I have perfected my resume-building skills, leaving that particular area of business communication in good hands. I am already well aware of the different styles of resumes (chronological, functional, combination), how they are formatted, and what to look for when writing them on your own. By existing resume has remained on file at the company in which I currently work for many years, and I work constantly to update it. These changes include the addition of special skills and certifications as I gain them, as well as new education experiences that I have started and completed. To that end, I am fully aware of how to make a resume look appealing to prospective employers, while also providing accurate, pertinent information that will increase my value as a worker – skills I plan to continue cultivating as I advance within the field of Loss Prevention in Banking.
Outcome #2: Summarize major concepts in a professional business setting
As someone who has worked for more than a decade in a formal, professional business setting, I would like to believe that I have a good understanding of the essentials of communicating effectively in the workplace. In the beginning of my workplace experience, I will readily admit to being guilty of communication bravado, in which I believed I was a better communicator than I was. However, it was only after reading more literature and performing independent research on business communication that I learned about the component parts of business communication, including how to encode my messages in order for the receiver to decode them appropriately.
Detailed knowledge of the communication model, as well as the fundamental tenets of professional communication and excellence came from reading up on the work of Crag and others. Understanding communication as a series of messages sent between a sender and receiver was an essential component of recognizing my own successes and failures as a communicator. I learned that communication must be encoded and decoded by each participant in order to achieve full, transparent communication, as well as the need to address these ongoing issues in a comprehensive way.
Communication is vital in all aspects of debt collection. I must coordinate with accounts specialists, managers, and the clients themselves, all navigating a constantly changing series of circumstances regarding these clients’ accounts. Sometimes the client claims to work out an installment plan with a prior debt collector who cannot corroborate the data; I must then find quick and effective ways to establish what is true about the account and what procedures and agreements we had agreed on with the client. While the traditional communications model is somewhat delayed and stunted when going through professional written communication (as you have no verbal or nonverbal cues to work from), the basic tenets still apply.
The KEYS process is something I am already familiar with, as that is a primary communication tool we use at Premier Bankcard, where I work as a debt collector. When talking or exchanging correspondence with others in the workplace, I know to be well aware of my own communication skills, playing to my strengths. I also fully understand the professional context in which I communicate with others – this goes for coworkers and clients alike. I must present myself as a calm, collected presence that gets straight to the point regardless of any distraction or distress. I always make sure to keep a keen eye out for communication interactions, looking for verbal and nonverbal cues in interactions to ensure that I am getting my message across. I also make sure to reflect on my ability to convey my intent and major ideas to those I communicate with. Whenever I make a mistake, I mentally log the incident and move forward with that knowledge.
Given my experience with this essential concept of workplace communication, I feel I already have a decent grasp of how to behave and communicate professionally in a business setting. My own practical work experience, and the independent research I did on business communication, has taught me a great deal about the relationship between sender and receiver, the difficulty in successfully encoding and decoding communications, and the need to constantly catalog and evaluate my own interactions and communications with others. In learning and folding these skills into my existing work vocabulary, I have become a constantly self-reflective and consciously improving communicator within my business environment.
Outcome #3: Determine correct formats for communicating technically in a profession.
Technical communication is defined by its specificity; this type of communication requires that both sender and receiver have the proper knowledge and context to encode and decode the messages as they are being sent. Because of that, I quickly learned to determine my audience – in many cases, they would be other debt collectors of similar status as myself. To that end, I knew to temper my language and write to them with direct requests for information. This kind of communication was commonly accepted among my company, and permitted us to behave and communicate professionally. Greater levels of detail and appeals to authority would be used if I were to write a memo to supervisors, or business letters to clients. I am aware that I needed to make sure these individuals in particular knew that I respected their feedback and must be as fully informed as possible about an account, or other pertinent situation.
Part of my substantial work experience involves determining the proper formats for each of these components, including the aforementioned experience in writing memos, resumes, business letters and other pieces of professional written communication. At Premier Bankcard and elsewhere, I quickly learned how to write memos, particularly in formatting headers, providing proper salutations and subjects, and offering headers to separate pertinent information into categories. Summarizing attachments was also incredibly important; through the help of seeing example memos given to me by managers as a template, I learned how to format memos and business letters from memory. I also learned by additional reading from sources such as the Purdue OWL and other business communication formatting resources.
One particularly pertinent situation involved the need to solicit information from another debt collector who had worked with one particular client in the past. This client was claiming that the previous debt collection agency who worked on that account had given them a lower interest rate and a longer grace period on their payments due to a renegotiation of their account; however, my records were not showing them. After discussing the issue with my supervisor, I was tasked with writing a business letter to the agency to ask whether or not this was true.
In this task, I got to use my skills in formatting business letters to communicate to this other agency, to which I had never communicated before. The letter itself was impeccably formatted, complete with formal salutation to the manager of the agency by their full name and rank, the detailed assessment of the situation at hand, and a humble but direct request for more information regarding this issue. I also included attachments of our current data and the claims of the client, which I described succinctly in an ‘Attachments’ section at the bottom of the letter. Within a week, we had received a written response from them confirming that the client was lying to us, complete with documentation to prove it. This was a particularly proud moment for me, as I had successfully communicated to a completely new receiver I had never written to before by properly formatting and penning this business letter to solve a tricky situation at my own work.
Conclusion
More than anything, I live to serve others – as a devout Christian and student of theology, I like to believe I have mastered the art of patience, dedication and faith, which I do my best to extend to my efforts in the community. Whether in my work or my private life, I always strive to maintain an air of exactitude and professionalism in everything I do, which extends to my business and professional communication. To that end, I firmly believe that my fourteen years of experience in the job field has provided me with substantial experience and expertise that fulfills the course outcomes and learning objectives set out for this course. While professional communication is an ongoing practice, and I will naturally always work to get better, I feel as though I have established at least an intermediate knowledge and understanding of the field, sufficient to circumvent the requirements of this course.
My academic career has been more unusual than most, given extraordinary circumstances that effectively forced me to turn elsewhere for my educational experience. I grew up in South Falls, South Dakota, and lived throughout the Midwest, moving quite a bit. This prevented me from setting down roots in one particular learning environment. Throughout my childhood, I have had to endure a significant amount of abuse on myself and my family due to a number of abusive father figures, one of whom forced us to move to Illinois in order to ensure that he would not follow us. Since we feared for our lives, and wanted to ensure that he could not follow us, I was not enrolled in school for a year, leading me to play catch-up independently so I could still graduate high school by my 18th birthday.
My goal in seeking a Bachelor of Science Degree in Liberal Arts at Excelsior College is to supplement my existing knowledge and experience in business communication gained through my current work experience and the other institutions I have attended. Technical, professional written communication can often seem as easy as crafting a set of memos and business letters, but there is so much more than mere formatting to consider. The issues of tone, information, encoding/decoding, and more are vital to understand in order to make sure your business communication is sufficiently detailed and clear for your recipient. The legitimacy of an accredited college is incredibly important to my viability in the job market, though I have already learned many of these skills in the past. I believe that I should be allowed to successfully move forward from this course – when it comes to effectively communicating within the workplace, whether in verbal or written format, I already have an appropriate understanding of tone, format and content commensurate with my existing level of experience.
References
Beebe, S. et al (2012). Business & Professional Communication: Principles and Skills
For Leadership. London, United Kingdom.: Pearson.
Belonwu, V. (2013). 20 Ways to Communicate Effectively With Your Team. Small Biz
Trends. Retrieved fromhttp://smallbiztrends.com/2013/11/ways-to-communicate-effectively-in-the-workplace.html.
Blyler, N.L.R. (Editor) et al (1992). Professional Communication: The Social
Perspective. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320.: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Browning, J. (2014). Life Coaching: How to Become a Professional Life Coach, NOW!
Influence People with Powerful Leaderships Skills (Teaching, Personal Development, Leadership, Influence, Communication Skills). San Francisco, CA.: Good Reads.
Chambers, H. (2000). Effective Communication Skills for Scientific and Technical
Professionals. New York, NY 10107.: Basic Books.
Cheney, G. et al (2010). The Handbook of Communication Ethics. 270 Madison Avenue,
New York, NY 10016.: International Communication Association.
Crag, R. T. (1999). Communication Theory as a Field. International Communication
Association.
Daly, J. et al (2010). Professional Communication Skills. London, United Kingdom.: Pearson.
Donadio, G. (2013). Changing Behavior: Immediately Transform Your Relationships
with Easy to Learn, Proven Communication Skills. San Francisco, CA.: Good Reads.
Donovan, Jeremey (2013). How to Deliver a TED Talk: Secrets of the World's Most Inspiring
Presentations. New York, NY.: McGraw-Hill.
Ellis, R. (2009). Communication Skills: Stepladders to Success for the Professional.
Bristol, United Kingdom.: Intellect Ltd.
Esser, F. et al (2012). The Handbook of Comparative Communication Research. 270
Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016.: International Communication Association.
Ezard, K. (2013). Professional Communication - Introductions. San Fransisco, CA.: Good
Reads.
Fenner, S. et al (2011). Perfect Phrases for Office Professionals: Hundreds of
ready-to-use phrases for getting respect, recognition, and results in today's workplace (Perfect Phrases Series). New York, NY.: McGraw-Hill.
Giles, H. (2012). The Handbook of Intergroup Communication. 270 Madison Avenue, New
York, NY 10016.: International Communication Association.
Goldberg, Danny and Rosenfeld, Manny (2014). People-Centric Skills: Interpersonal and
Communication Skills for Auditors and Business Professionals. New York, NY.: Wiley Corporate F&A.
Greene, B. et al (2012). The Business Style Handbook, Second Edition: An A-to-Z Guide
for Effective Writing on the Job. New York, NY.: McGraw-Hill.
Henson, B. (2007). Communication in the workplace. Milton, Old: Wiley
Konar, N. (2011). Communication Skills for Professionals. New Delhi, India.: PHI.
McKay, M. et al (2009). Messages: The Communication Skills Book. Oakland, CA.: New
Harbinger Publications.
Person, S. J. & Person, S. M. (2007). Workplace communication : process and product.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall
Picardi, R. P. (2001). Skills of workplace communication : a handbook for T & D
specialists and their organizations. West port, Conn.: Quorum Books
Post, P. et al (2005). Emily Post's The Etiquette Advantage in Business: Personal Skills
for Professional Success. New York, NY.: William Morrow & Co.
Price, C. (1994). Assertive Communication Skills for Professionals. India: CareerTrack.
Riely, J. et al (2012). Professional Communication Skill. London, United Kingdom.: Pearson.
Sebastian, E.G. (2010). Communication Skills Magic - Improve Your Relationships &
Performance through Better Understanding Your Personality Style and the Personality Styles of those Around You. Toronto, Canada.: Timshel Publishing.
Simonson, P. et al (2013). The Handbook of Communication History. 270 Madison Avenue,
New York, NY 10016.: International Communication Association.
Sudden, M. (2007). Effective workplace communication : skills for success in life and on
the job. Indianapolis, IN.: JUST Works
Switzler, A. et al (2011). Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. New
York, NY.: McGraw-Hill.
Teitelbaum, B.J. (2013). Communication Skills for Professionals. Dubuque, Iowa.:
Kendall Hunt Publishing.
Wahl, S.T. (2013). Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace
Excellence. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320.: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Whitaker, Steve; David Frolic and Owen Day-Jones (April 24–28, 1994). "Informal workplace
communication: what is it like and how might we support it?". CHI '94 Proceedings of the SIGHS conference on Human factors in computing systems: celebrating interdependence: 131–137.
Zelazny, G. (2001). Say It With Charts: The Executive's Guide to Visual Communication.
New York, NY.: McGraw-Hill.
