Communications Post 1

Written

I grew up in Ecuador until the age of 9 and then I moved to the United States. Thus, English was my second language and it took me three years to learn and enhance the basics of the English language. A consequence of this was reflected in my writing. My writing was never up to the level of my classmates. I used to confuse basic grammar and oftentimes, completely miss the points of essays. However, that changed during high school as I decided to improve my knowledge of the language. I, thus, enrolled in the hardest English courses my high school had to offer which included college-level classes. I quickly saw the product of my hard work as I was obtaining A’s in all my papers and even was able to complete research papers. And I took this process with me to college where I am currently enrolled in a creative writing English class called “A Nation Of Immigrants?” And it was in this class that I created my proudest paper. What’s unique about this paper is that it based on a fiction story and a theme that was not so evident to all the readers. I took a risk in this paper and it paid off. I have attached the paper at the end of this post. My professor enjoyed reading my essay and she even gave me feedback to better my writing. This is just a brief example of my communication skills growing. 

Oral/Visual

Whenever I had to present, I was filled with nervousness. This was particularly the result of my heavy accent growing up and I was terrified that people would simply not understand me. But then I learned how to present important projects and from there all the presentations I have given have gone remarkably well. The most notable occurred in a summer computer coding program I attended during my high school junior year summer. I had to present a final project alongside a team to the entire student class, instructors, and even company representatives. I was very nervous but I was confident in my project. I had fun doing it and we managed to finish it on time. In the end, everyone said my presentation was amazing; that I clearly stated the purpose of our project and the process of how it was created. They did, however, say that my voice changed a little bit when I was stuck on something and that sometimes I failed to conduct proper eyesight to the audience. But other than that, the presentation was well-received. I have attached the website I presented at the end of the post. 

Aural/Visual

I have always been a student that depends on both visual and aural learning. I am not better in one or the other. And my ability to take things aurally is best seen in my classes. Sometimes I would miss some classes and I would look at the notes but I wouldn’t understand anything. Once I listened to the professors’ recordings, I began to understand better. As for the visual component of communication, I heavily depend on seeing what I am learning. This was the particular reason why my first semester was a bit of a struggle. I took Chemistry lab during the fall but the class was unfortunately asynchronous and we didn’t have any physical experience with lab. This made things difficult for me. 

And finally, something that I have communicated with a visual was my final project for high school. I created a world map made out of wood that containing paintings of animals. When you touched one of those painted animals, you will hear a recording with information about that animal and some fact about how they are endangered. In my presentation, I relied on the visual project to explain the judges its function. And the presentation went well and my group received the highest grade.

I still have a long way to go in improving my communication skills but I am ready for the challenge.