Personal Learning Plan
The following examples are in response to the goals I set for myself at the beginning of this
quarter:
Goal
Become familiar with the study of
interpersonal communication from a group
perspective.
Learn how to better understand group
dynamics and how people interact with each
other. This goal is important to me because it
will greatly help me in my professional career.
Being able to understand how a group is
communicating will help me to come out of a
meeting or group setting with a better
understanding of what just took place.
How I’ve met my goal
I feel that the assigned reading material has
significantly helped me to develop an in-depth
understanding of group dynamics; specifically
Beebe and Masterson’s Chapters 1 and 5.
I’ve been able to take the concepts learned in
this course and apply them to the group
settings I find myself in at work – giving me a
better understanding of the dynamics
between group members and how they are
communicating with each other. I now find
myself coming out of meetings with a full
understanding of what was discussed, and I
am now noticing how different team members
have certain methods/tactics they employ in
these meetings.
Discover the importance of analyzing one's
role as a group member.
Learn how to understand each member’s role
in a group setting. This goal is important to
me because I often find myself in group
situations… It is important for me to be able to
analyze each team member’s role in this
project and I believe this goal will help me to
better understand the different dynamics of
each person’s role.
Similar to my response above, the reading
material has significantly helped me to reach
this goal. Beebe and Masterson’s Chapter 7
was helpful here – I learned how to look for
and interpret non-verbal cues which, in turn,
aids me in analyzing and understanding the
dynamics of each team member’s role within
the project I am involved with at work.
Become more sensitive to the complexity of
group interactions.
Learn how to interpret the inner-workings of
how a group interacts... Again, this goal is
important to me because I feel it will help me
further my ability to better interact with
groups in my profession.
Over the last few weeks I’ve found myself
more aware of the interactions between
group/team members I am involved with at
work. Isaacs’ Dialogue stressed the
importance of the four principles of dialogue –
all of which aided me in meeting this goal.
Understanding these principles has enabled
me to be more sensitive to the inner-workings
of group settings and group interactions.
While in meetings at work, I now find myself
attentively listening to how individuals
interact with others. I’ve noticed that most
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people change their tone and demeanor,
depending on who they are speaking to.
Develop leadership skills.
Learn how to become a better leader. I
believe that being able to affectively facilitate
and conduct a meeting will aid me in growing
my leadership skills. This goal is important to
me because it will help me to continue to
advance in my professional career.
I’ve found that Facilitation at a Glance! has
greatly helped me in organizing and running
the meetings I am responsible for at work. I
have noticed that I’m now more outspoken in
meetings, as opposed to just sitting back in
the corner with my mouth shut. I’ve been
able to step up and conduct my meetings with
poise and confidence, and I’ve actually seen
that this, in turn, makes others treat me as
more of a team member/leader.
Recognize the influence one has on a group
as well as the influences a group has on
another.
Learn how to understand the different roles
that people have within a group and how
everyone’s actions influence the group as a
whole. This goal is important to me because I
believe that being able to understand how
people influence a group will help me better
understand the way the group is working
together.
Our reading material (again, very handy) has
taught me how to recognize and interpret
specific characteristics in individuals I
encounter on a daily basis. Now that I know
what to look for (and actually pay more
attention), I’ve been able to see how certain
people can influence a group. For example,
I’ve noticed the tone of voice, body language,
and confidence in certain individuals can
greatly influence those around them.
Become a more effective communicator in
both group and team settings.
Learn how to better communicate within
group settings in both my personal and
professional lives.
The big thing that helped me to reach this goal
was Isaac’s Dialogue in which he addresses the
four principles of dialogue. I briefly touched
on this with a prior goal, and it holds true here
as well. The principles he outlines are key to
learning how to effectively communicate. I
have found myself going back to Isaacs’ words
again and again, striving to implement these
principles into my daily life – both work and
personal. These principles have helped me to
become a better communicator, enabling me
to get my point across while respecting other
opinions and listening attentively.
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Principles of Dialogue… and what they mean to me:
Something very beneficial for me this quarter was taking Isaacs’ four principles for dialogue and
implementing them into my daily life – both personal and professional. While there was a great
number of very helpful concepts we learned this quarter, these four principles have really stuck
out for me as being important and extremely helpful; specifically the principle of listening.
Listening. Respecting. Suspending. Voicing. They are one big working part. If one is missing, it
just doesn’t work. Isaacs discusses how these four principles not only are a necessity to create
a sense of “wholeness,” but that “they also work together and underscore the principles of
participation, coherence, awareness, and unfolding” (81). When reading this section of
Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together, something just clicked for me. Like when you lose
your pen and you frantically search your surroundings for a good three minutes only to find it
clenched between your teeth… and you say “oh, duh, it’s right in front of me.” Well, it was kind
of like that for me. The principles make complete sense, but I had never thought of them as
one working part before.
Seeing these described in a new way helped me to take the information and apply it. I find
myself thinking these things through every day and asking myself – over and over again: Am I
actually listening or am I just hearing? Am I being respectful of other people’s boundaries or
limitations? Am I forcing my opinion or am I suspending it? Am I voicing myself at the right
time? These four things run through my head every day, and I truly feel that thinking about
them as one big working part has helped me to be better at my job, and better at
communicating my thoughts, directions, actions, etc.
The Creative Process:
When our group first met, we each threw out an idea or two for a project and agreed that we
should avoid anything related to politics! While everyone had great ideas, we all quickly agreed
that Ryan’s idea to write a grant proposal for a local organization was by far the best, and quite
possibly the most challenging. We quickly jumped on board and all began researching the
different grants that were available for local organizations. We chose to help the Pediatric
Brain Tumor Research Fund, and were lucky to have Ryan serve as our liaison. We ran into our
first problem when we found out that we were not going to be able to provide the necessary
information to write a grant proposal, so we shifted our focus into coming up with other ways
we could support this wonderful foundation.
When we came up with a solution, our project took off! We all had ideas and thoughts for ways
to implement this, and we were able to work together to discuss all of the ideas and come up
with a feasible project that we could accomplish within the course of the quarter.
I wouldn’t do anything differently next time. I think that we all came together as a group and
worked very well together. We communicated openly about all of our ideas on how we could
implement them. We were very diligent about staying on task and coming out of each meeting
with next steps and a clear goal to achieve before the next meeting.
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Listening Quiz:
In re-taking the listening quiz, I found myself with a score of 74; 11 points higher than at the
beginning of the quarter. There were two areas in particular that I found I’d significantly
improve in:
 Emotionally charged words seem to make me less angry than before. Prior to this
quarter, I had a difficult time listening to people once they upset me. If my toes were
stepped on or my feelings were hurt, I’d tune the person out and everything they’d say
from that point on would go in one ear and out the other. But over the course of this
quarter, I’ve learned how to become a better listener.
 If I considered a subject boring, I would usually just stop listening to whomever was
speaking. I found it hard to pay attention to something I had little to no interest in.
However, through the quarter I’ve learned that even if I’m not all that interested in the
subject at hand, being a good listener is a large part of being a good communicator… so
it is important to listen to everything.
Diversity:
My group was made up of Caucasians all born and bred right here in America, but we were still
very diverse in regards to our backgrounds and upbringings. In working with these folks, it was
interesting to note the different styles of communication. This could be, in large part, because
of the different personalities; but I believe the different backgrounds and upbringings had
something to do with it as well.
While my group was not necessarily culturally diverse, I did notice a diverse range of
speaking/writing styles in the weekly discussion board posts and I found it interesting to read
the different writing styles.
Course Grade:
In the Learning Plan I created at the beginning of the quarter, I expressed my desire to earn an
A in this course. I think that an A is very well deserved because I have put a lot of time and
effort into my work product. I’ve prepared thoughtful and complete discussion post responses
each week. I also worked very hard with my group on our project, which I feel turned out very,
very good!
I’ve been very diligent this entire quarter, staying on top of the reading assignments and
required posts. Although I did miss one required post in Week 8, I feel that I’ve worked
extremely hard and am still deserving of a high mark. I actually feel really bad about missing my
post, as I always strive to meet all of my goals/deadlines and do everything to the best of my
ability… but I found myself behind that week because I was out of town with my family at the
hospital while my grandfather underwent open heart bi-pass surgery. (He’s doing great and
was released just this morning!) So I did fall behind that week and failed to make my required
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post, but was able to catch back up over the weekend and jumped right back into the
discussion board the following week.
Field Notes – Greatest Learning Experience:
In our group’s field notes, the one obvious thing that stands out to me is our strong sense of
organization and structure. We began each meeting with a purpose and came out of each
meeting with a sense of achievement, a new goal to reach, and a path to get us there. Keeping
these notes has allowed me to go back to them for reference if a particular detail slipped my
mind.
(Full collection of Field Notes can be found on the following pages)
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4/11/2011 Group Meeting #1
Members met, determined the direction of the project, and agreed on some initial steps. The
project's direction involves creation of a grant proposal to secure funding for community
activism, charitable endeavors or public works. Group members will research 2 to 3
possibilities for which grant funding is available and submit these ideas by Thursday 4/14/11
evening.
Initial tasks related to the creation of the group include arranging for Evernote access by
members, undertaken by Sue; and creation of free Skype accounts for remote meetings,
undertaken by all members. Once the final decision regarding grant writing is made, the group
will also create a related G-mail email, FB page and Twitter account.
Initial rules determined at meeting #1 (which are subject to change) are:
1. Facilitators rotate at each meeting, beginning with Sue at meeting #2, and continuing in
alphabetical order.
2. The facilitator will take field notes, much in the way that a face to face facilitator writes on a
flip chart.
3. Remote meetings will occur at least once per week.
4. Face to face meetings will occur approximately once every 2 to 3 weeks or more as needed.
The next meeting will occur remotely via Skype on Sunday 4/17/11 at 6:30 PM.
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4/17/2011 Meeting Field Notes
Field notes based on 4/17/2011 Skype meeting:
>Grant to be written on behalf of Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Fund
-In addition to simply drafting the grant proposal, our group will organize and share information
with the public via social media regarding the disease and treatment statistics and fundgenerating options. In addition, we will share our advancement in the grant writing process.
-Steps in this process will include:
1. Creating an appropriately named gmail account to use with social media outlets
2. Creating both Twitter and Facebook pages for sharing the above mentioned items
3. Research of available grants, determination of most suitable option by the group
4. Collaborative drafting of proposal letter and submission to suitable recipient
>Ideas for what information we should share via FB & Twitter:
-Statistics regarding number of cases of pediatric brain cancer diagnosed each year
-Average cost of treatment
-Recovery rate statistics
-Links to treatments centers in our area, such as Seattle Children’s, SCCA, FHCRC, etc.
-Frequent Run of Hope updates, including dates, registration deadlines, participation
requirements, etc.
(All of these can be small bites of information that can be easily posted to FB & Twitter via
mobile devices, allowing us to post frequently)
>Ideas for FB & Twitter pages:
-Maybe the profile picture could be something with medical connotations, like a picture of a
brain MRI
-Permanent links to treatment and research center pages that direct people to donation links
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Weekly Field Notes
For week ending 4/24/2011
This week the group communicated via email and through posts on Evernote. The following
items were discussed and/or decided upon:
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Group members posted ideas for group name to Evernote throughout the week. Via
email exchanges and Evernote posts.
Group members posted ideas for grants to Evernote. Howard collected the grant ideas
and discussed them with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Fund (PBTRF) Board in a
meeting on Thursday, 21 Apr.
Feedback from the PBTRF was very positive. The PBTRF is supportive of us posting links
to their website on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. Howard will be meeting with
the PBTRF again on Wednesday, 27 Apr to further discuss and review grant options.
Group agreed that the rotating facilitator will create an agenda for future meetings;
Agenda will be distributed to group prior to meeting for review/comment.
Next Steps:
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Sue will set up media accounts.
Howard to meet with PBTRF on Wednesday, 27 Apr
Group members to find (and post to Evernote) statistics regarding pediatric brain
tumors in order to begin the database to pull FB and Twitter posts from.
Next Skype conference call to take place Monday. 25 Apr at 6:30pm; Megan will be
facilitator and send out agenda in advance of meeting.
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4/25/2011 Field Notes
Group met on 25 Apr via Skype. The following items were discussed and/or decided upon:
PBTRF Grant:
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Howard provided a recap of his meeting with the PBTRF last week. He indicated that Dr.
Nelson, the head of research at the PBTRF, is currently out of the country but returning
this week. Howard will be meeting with him on Wednesday, 27 Apr to discuss grant
opportunities. Dr. Nelson will be able to provide us with insight in regards to which
grants the PBTRF is eligible to apply for, and will be key in obtaining the information
needed for the grant writing process.
Howard will provide the group with an update after his meeting with Dr. Olson this
week.
Media Outlets:
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Sue created an email account and sent the password to the group.
Group discussed Facebook page format and posting requirements. Seren will be in
charge of making the Facebook posts, but all group members will have access and can
post when they desire.
Group discussed the items that will be posted to Facebook and Twitter. Posts will
include links to the Run of Hope Facebook page and information regarding the run such
as where/how to sign up, where to donate money, etc.
Group members will post information (statistics, links, etc.) to Evernote each week. Sue
will use this database of posts to pull from and will add Facebook and Twitter posts
multiple times each week. Once a post has been used, Sue will cross it off of the list so
that we can track what has been used.
Next Steps:
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Group members will research and find a minimum of two photos to add to the Facebook
photo album. Photos should be attached to a post in Evernote.
Group members to begin researching information to be posted to Facebook and
Twitter. Information to be posted to Evernote for Sue to pull from.
Ryan to meet with PBTRF on Wednesday, 27 Apr. Following this meeting, group will
have more information with regards to the grant and we can then discuss
roles/responsibilities for writing the proposal.
Group will correspond via email to determine next meeting date; meeting will be held in
person.
5/3/2011 Field Notes
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This was a face to face meeting between all group members.
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As previously discussed via email, Howard’s contacts at the Pediatric Brain Tumor
Research Foundation updated the group on financial requirements for receiving grants,
which the group is unable to meet. The focus of the project will now be obtaining
corporate sponsorship for the Run of Hope, a race in which participants collect
donations for the foundation.
The administrator of Run of Hope has authorized the group to utilize images, data and
links from their web site.
The next stage of the project will be to draft a letter to be sent to local businesses
describing the aims of Run of Hope and requesting sponsorship. Each group member
will be responsible for selecting 20 businesses to receive the letter. Business will be
rewarded with the opportunity to have their name on the sponsor list, raising
community awareness of their services.
Also under discussion was our social media progress. The group has drafted a mission
statement following the SMARTS guidelines on page 106 of Communicating in Small
Groups; Principles and Practices. The mission statement will be posted on our Facebook
page and possibly used in the sponsorship request letter. It is: Students Supporting
Pediatric Brain Tumor Research is comprised of concerned individuals that have come
together with the goal of raising community awareness and obtaining corporate
sponsorship for Run of Hope, which raises funds nationwide for pediatric brain tumor
research.
Goals for the week include having a live FB page and Twitter feed by Friday 5/6/2011
and having a rough draft of the sponsorship request letter by 5/6/2011.
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Weekly Field Notes
For week ending 5/16/2011
Team members communicated via email throughout the week.
Topics included preparation of our final letter.
Decisions made include:
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Approval of final draft of letter seeking donations to Run of Hope. This letter will be
distributed to local businesses, organizations, and healthcare providers. In return,
donors gain publicity by having their organization’s name and logo placed on the Run of
Hope web site.
Donations will be tracked via a Firstgiving web page, to be set up next week by Ryan
Witcher.
Meredith will participate in Run of Hope to collect additional donations.
Each team member will share a list detailing to whom they sent donation request
letters, to be compiled on Evernote.
The team will continue to meet via email throughout next week. If the need arises, the team
can meet face to face, however, virtual communication has proved to work very well so far.
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Weekly Field Notes
For week ending 5/22/2011
Team members continued to communicate very well via email throughout the week. Team
members also posted Twitter and Facebook updates in order to promote our project.
The main topic of discussion was sharing of ideas for the final project. Each member will have
access to all of the field notes we’ve taken turns creating and compiling through the quarter.
Highlights of the project will include each member’s specific contributions and the strengths we
recognized as a group and individuals to achieve our goal.
Suggestions include:
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Howard’s strengths / contributions: Howard had the best original idea for a project the
entire group could work on together. As a group, we recognized this right away. He also
has contacts within the organization the group decided to work with and facilitated the
exchange of information and guidelines for the project.
Meredith’s strengths / contributions: Drawing on considerable career experience with
drafting proposals, Meredith created a concise, well written letter to generate donor
contributions to Run of Hope. Additionally, she designed a logo for the team’s Facebook
and Twitter profiles that will also be used on our letter. She also drew on her experience
within the community to write the story of an amazing young man that has overcome
multiple brain tumors since childhood, to be shared on SSPBTR FB page.
Tracy’s strengths / contributions: Tracy has generously contributed her time and
athletic ability to participate in the Run of Hope in order to generate additional
donations. She has also contributed to expanding the content of our social media pages.
Sue’s strengths / contributions: Sue had the idea to promote the project with social
media in order to expand its reach within the community. She initiated the creation of
email addresses and social media pages not only for promoting the project, but for
sharing ideas and field notes as well.
All team members participated in planning and execution of ideas. In addition, all members
took turns facilitating, scribing, and compiling field notes.
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Weekly Field Notes
For week ending 5/28/2011
This week the group continued to communicate via email and through posts on Evernote.
The sponsorship letter was finalized and each group member sent the letter out to 20
businesses/companies. Group members posted their list of businesses to Evernote for all
members to review.
Group began discussions regarding how to present our final project. Sue will begin to put
together a draft PowerPoint presentation. Final project presentation to include:
 Goals we’ve made/met
 A summary of the project
 Discussion regarding the methods of communication that were used
 References to practices and procedures that were implemented
Draft presentation to be sent out by deadline for group review/input.
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Weekly Field Notes
For week ending 6/4/2011
by Serenity Hewett
Group continued to communicate frequently and effectively through email this week. Last
week’s goal included completing the first draft of the final project presentation in PowerPoint.
The goal to distribute the first draft by May 30th was met.
Throughout the week, group members reviewed and provided input and feedback to one
another regarding the final PowerPoint project. Group members took turns updating, adding to,
and editing the PowerPoint presentation.
Group scheduled an in-person meeting to take place on Monday, June 6th. The goal for this
meeting will be to finalize the content for the final presentation.
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6/6/2011 Field Notes
By Samantha Horvath
This was a face to face meeting between all group members.
Group worked collaboratively throughout the previous week to put together the draft
PowerPoint presentation. In today’s meeting, group members went through slide-by-slide to
finalize the content of the presentation.
Samantha will make the changes discussed in today’s meeting and email the updated
presentation to the group for review/final edits. Goal is to submit the final group project no
later than Wednesday, June 9th.
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Weekly Field Notes – FINAL Notes
For week ending 6/11/2011
by Megan Petofalvi
This week the group continued to communicate via email to finalize the PowerPoint
presentation.
Each group member was responsible for contributing specific portions of the presentation
which were compiled into the final product:
 Serenity provided the first draft of the presentation focusing a large part of her effort on
outlining the group’s goals/communication methods and provided references to how
the group tied our reading material into our communication process.
 Ryan provided input and photos regarding the project and process we used to solicit
sponsorships.
 Samantha cited all of the works we referenced in our presentation, and provided
specific information regarding the list of sponsors that were requested.
 Megan provided an additional reference to the reading material and organized/edited
the presentation for final submission.
In the last meeting, our group set a goal to submit the final project no later than Wednesday,
June 9th. The final work product was submitted in time to meet our goal.
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