Individual Development Plan for a Skill I Wish to Enhance in Myself

Introduction

An individual development plan is one of the crucial tools that when effected by people of different areas for example students or professionals it makes it possible for them to excel in their fields. The tool helps in career growth as one can be able to reach both short and long term goals and improve their performance (Beqiri,2017). One is able to know their weak areas to work and improve and also realize his strengths which to keep one strong. An individual development plan will also help in the projection of the skills one would want to possess in the future whether in career or life situations. The personal development plan is one of the tools that will aid one to achieve personal and career goals. Planning is a key component that enables one to succeed. The goals set in the plan must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. In this individual development plan, I will write about a communication skill, an essential skill I want to enhance in my life.

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The main goals that make me so passionate about possessing communication skills motivate me a lot in day to day activities. Investing in strong communications will likely make one earn more money as one has a better chance of landing a job with more money. They will probably have a good relationship with the others as I will know the best way to criticize, defend myself and contempt. High self-esteem emanating from excellent communication skills is an essential goal in my life (Beqiri,2017). In entering the workforce and also succeeding as an entrepreneur one needs to possess excellent communication skills. I also have a primary goal to participate in social issues which without effective communication skills this will be just but a dream. Another goal I have when I am planning to enhance communication skills is that; I will have a better chance to connect with people of different personalities, class, and backgrounds.

Regarding my plan for enhancing communication skill, I have always wanted to stand in front of a crowd talking to them. Representing a group of people in social settings have also been my desire for long. Combining what I learned in class, reading articles from libraries and the internet with my observations from people with excellent communication skills I plan to prioritize enhancing the skill. Throughout my school, I tried to speak with my seniors including my instructors to get a good understanding of the best way to enhance communication skills. I also saw it essential to be speaking to smaller groups of people which will help me gain confidence slowly by slowly. I can term this as the main change when I compare myself with the past. Whenever I get the chance for instance; to give a vote of thanks in a social gathering, I always welcome such an opportunity with enthusiasm. I take as a great chance to improve and enhance my communication skills.

By the time I am through with my studies I expect to possess exemplary communication skills. Delivering a good speech, advising my subordinates, addressing social groups and fluency and confidence in interviews all depend on excellent communication skills. As an aspiring entrepreneur in few years to come, I expect to have perfected on my communication skills to be able to deal with the extensive network of consumers, partners and other stakeholders I will be dealing with. The school also offers a better platform of enhancing the skill through taking a leadership position in specific organizations where one will have a better chance of communicating regularly to quite a good number of people.

Understanding my strengths proves to be a significant factor in enhancing communication skills. My main strengths are listening skills where I don't prefer interrupting one in the middle of their speech. I also consider my progress in education as the main strength. This gives me a chance to meet many people who are much respected in society. There is a chance to learn a lot from these people. These are highly successful people and tend to possess strong communication skills. I will continue engaging them as I expect them to be a part of my journey of enhancing this skill. Another strength I will utilize in enhancing the skill is my friendliness nature. Being accommodating and open makes me have many acquaintances some of whom have excellent communication skills, and this makes me learn a lot from them (Lu,2015). The ability to appreciate everyone in my interaction is also a great strength that will enable me to enhance my communication skills. Being open-minded and empathetic is also a major strength that I find useful in my journey of enhancing communication skill.

I understand there are a lot of threats and opportunities when it comes to working on achieving something. The important thing here is that I will try to understand the threats well and make maximum use of the opportunities I come across. Among the treats could include, the different perception among my audience, the inability to gather confidence in public speaking. Another threat which poses my journey of enhancing these skills is emotional threats such as fear. Where one doesn't get the attention they need may make one feel disregarded (Lu,2015). This is the main threat that could hinder my willingness to develop communication skill. It may make me vulnerable to always thinking of what other people think of me, and this will eventually lead to stunted growth in my skill enhancement. Being more confident will make concentrate only on the positive side of the people. The people are an essential aspect when it comes to enhancing communication skills.

The critical skills along with my career that I plan to develop in this area of communication are; confidence when speaking in public will help to build trust with the audience - using body language and nonverbal communication accounts for 50% of communication(Beqiri,2017). As an excellent communicator, I have to learn to use and also read other peoples body language. Body language could include eye contact, smile and even nodding. Learning about posture, body positioning and gestures will be so important in enhancing communication skills. Listening actively is also an essential component I have to perfect. I have to listen attentively as it involves understanding and making decisions consciously (Lu,2015). This will help me be more patient and also increase my knowledge and competitiveness. Because communication involves writing too, I need to work on writing skills for example in emails and google chat. It is clear that this skill is still missing on many people who are unable to write unambiguously.

The actions I plan to take to start a small charity organization where I will be able to assume a major role. This will enable me to communicate more; thus my skills will keep improving. I will also need to write more to perfect my writing skills as an essential skill. Watching programs that model communication skills will also be helpful(Beqiri,2017). I also plan to maximize the technology available such as audio books and mobile applications that can help me improve my communication skills. I will emphasize on giving presentations, asking open-ended questions when in a conversation, finding moments that are always teachable and critical thinking.

Conclusion

The competencies that are relevant in developing communication skills are the ability to write well, ability to give presentations, listening attentively, ability to gather confidence when speaking in public. I have discussed these competencies above, and I plan to implement what I haven't so that I achieve my goals of possessing exemplary communication skills in my life. Regardless of the threats that pose someone in this skill enhancement process, I will have to be strong to overcome them if I want to have these desired skills. These are essential skills which are applicable both in career and personal life.

References

Beqiri, G. (2017, December 5). List of Key Communication Skills for Career Progression.

Lu, E. (2015, January 13). How to Create a Personal Development Plan.