REFLECTION REPORT
This is my learning journey and experience on Interdisciplinary Communication Project course semester A 2022
As the Interdisciplinary Communication Project course came to an end, I realised that it gave me further insight into a real-case communication campaign while working with an actual client - something I had never done in previous semesters. Personally, I did not see this course as a typical course but rather as a learning-by-doing course. After 12 weeks of collaboration with my team - Spicy Spiders agency - I discovered that it has opened up a new perspective on my studies and career path, but it has some flaws that must be learned and developed.
Beginning.
.Beginning
This realisation may have significant relevance through three insights. The first insight is that I have an opportunity to work with a real client and operate an actual communication campaign. We must learn how to schedule everything from project kick-off to project showcase and client meetings to update our process. The Interdisciplinary Communication Project course concept has provided our team with a realistic collision, which is valuable for me to understand what a real communication campaign's mechanism looks like and how what I did may affect the project's outcome. According to scholars (2008), an actual communication campaign is how an agency shapes how audiences talk about current issues and how to define them to gain public support. An effective communication campaign necessitates careful planning to effectively communicate the benefits of products or events while meeting campaign objectives (Moneywatch 2007). In this course, understanding an actual communication campaign could help to lessen the work's confusion in the future by understanding all the requirements.
Work with Client
Experience work as a communication designer
The second insight came from our team’s key role. At first, I thought it was a disadvantage for me to be in charge of the design process in the team since it was not associated with my career approach - event coordinator. In reverse, it has given me a more profound perspective on my future career. It is also beneficial to my professional communication bachelor's degree because it has provided me with a broader perspective on event design, which allows me to improve my vision and organisational skills. To explain the industry further, communication designers are responsible for using visual elements to design and procedure concepts to deliver key messages to audiences for the campaign (Grauer 2020; Potter 2002). On the other hand, event management necessitates the ability to conceptualise and design events, also planning folders, create the vision boards and event documentation (Berridge 2010).
Throughout the course, the Spicy Spiders team and I encountered numerous roadblocks searching for a suitable concept to meet the client's requirements. Moreover, visualising it was the most challenging part of my process. According to Anders (2010), visual communication is essential in the development and design of artwork because it can depict the formation of objects in ways that language cannot. Besides the main visual, my team and I must create additional visuals for the mock-up. As a designer on the team, I must consider the possibility of perfectly visualising it. Firstly, I began by sketching on paper and then used Canva for online sketching in response to a request from my team members. Nevertheless, my team and I have faced many conflicts in sketching and visualising parts when we can not understand, explain and listen clearly to each other's opinion on the concept. However, in order to communicate through sketches, we must use effective verbal communication (Anders 2010; Hakkarainen & Seitamaa-hakkarainen 2000). Furthermore, sketch-based design approaches can minimise communication issues as long as the team members are involved in the same way.
Team conflict
Solve the problem
According to the research, each team member will decrypt the sketches based on their mental picture and understanding (Anders 2010; Hakkarainen & Seitamaa-hakkarainen 2000). Therefore, it is crucial to connect the verbal information with the sketches. To solve the problem, we had an offline conversation and identified it together. We decided to listen to other opinions first and whoever gave the opinion had to be consistent with their idea and fix the communication way. Anders (2010) believed that sketches are critical tools for supporting and facilitating concept development. After realising that our sketching online on Canva did not convey professionalism, we decided to switch to iPad using the Procreate app and Adobe Photoshop to illustrate the artwork quickly due to my suggestion. One of my favourite visuals is the storyboard, which I had to sketch and design in only three days to create ten pictures. Even though it is not as perfect as I had hoped, it gave me a different feeling while working under time pressures.
After this project, the central insight I found out about myself is that I absorbed knowledge from experiences better than learning it through theories or lessons. This realisation may have significant relevance for two reasons. First, few learning courses can assist students in interpreting knowledge without using lessons or theories. Boud and his colleagues (1993) believe that learning from experiences is essential in developing higher-level learning, which is frequently overlooked in formal classrooms. Furthermore, it is not only a required component of experiences, but it also includes positive engagement and observation of the environment. Besides, according to the course requirements, each team member is responsible for reporting their research to others. This can help them reflect on themselves and learn from their mistakes easily, or they can help others understand the central insight of that idea. Experiences gained from teaching contribute to prompt learning, which can make an occurrence for the mentee to take lessons (Boud, Cohen & Walker 1993). Secondly, to explain why I observed knowledge through experience better is because, after the course, I had realised that I am a reflector learner. To be justified, reflector learners learn by observing and thinking and prefer to think about their experiences and keep from many different aspects (Caple & Martin 1994).
Absorbed knowledge through experience
COMMUNICATION STYLE
Learning style
Reflector and Auditory
- Honey & Mumford and VAK Learning -
Being evaluated as:
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Supportive, expressive, and emotionally oriented
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Logical, analytical, linear, and data-oriented.
Working style
Personality
We'd love to hear from you
Right-brained
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Intuitive
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Creative
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Idealistic
ENFJ
(extraverted, intuitive, feeling, judging)
Strengths
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Excellent communication skills
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Driven to meet others needs
Weaknesses
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Tendency to manipulate
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Blames self when things go wrong
Musical intelligence
Easy to recognize sounds and tones
Visual/ Spatial intelligence
Easily visualize anything related to art, fashion, decoration and culinary design before creating it.
Process information through logic and reason
Logical/ Mathematical intelligence
Self-doxing
There is only 1 result about me in 89,100 results which is my Linkedin account
Online Future Professional Narrative
Being recognized as a professional event director
Hosted different multiple successful events
Working for top corporations in the field
Highly experienced and skilled
Need to improve?
01
Prepare the essential require skills
02
Highly focus on relevant lectures
03
Improve digital portfolio through professional activities as much as possible
04
Minimize weaknesses and enhance strengths from ENFJ personality
Conclusively, the Interdisciplinary Communication Project course has allowed me to participate in a real-world communication campaign and explore myself through study and working style, which has helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses. In my opinion, experiencing a real-case communication campaign is a valuable opportunity for me to truly understand an actual communication campaign and train how to work with clients in the future. Since event coordinator is my chosen future aspiration, it requires me to deeply understand the mechanism of a campaign to operate an event properly. To improve for future projects, I will persist in using my learning style as a reflector, developing strengths and overcoming weaknesses to complete my future preparation for myself.
.The End
The End.
References
Anders, W 2010, ‘A Design Process Based On Visualization’,Unpublished paper, Mälardalen University, Sweden.
Boud, D, Cohen, R & Walker, D 1993, Using Experience for Learning, SRHE and Open University Press, Buckingham.
Berridge, G 2010, 'Event pitching: The role of design and creativity', International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 29, viewed 19 May 2022, <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267921675_Event_pitching_The_role_of_desi gn_and_creativity>.
Caple, J & Martin, P 1994, 'Reflections of Two Pragmatists: A Critique of Honey and Mumford′s Learning Styles', Journal of Industrial and Commercial Training, vol. 26, no. 1, viewed 19 May 2022, <https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/00197859410051235/full/html>.
‘Effective Communications Campaigns’ 2008, Communications Campaign Best Practices, vol. 3, viewed 19 May 2022, <https://www.lgbtmap.org/file/communications- campaign-best-practices.pdf>.
Grauer, P 2020, 'What’s the Difference Between 'Communication Design,' 'Visual Communication Design' and 'Graphic Design?', ECU NEWS, 30 April, viewed 19 May 2022, <https://www.ecuad.ca/news/2020/whats-the-difference-between-communication- design-visual-communication-design-and-graphic-design>.
Hakkarainen , K & Seitamaa-hakkarainen, P 2000, 'Visualization and Sketching the in Design Process', Design Journal, vol. 3, no. 1, viewed 19 May 2022, <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233596463_Visualization_and_Sketching_the _in_Design_Process>.
Potter, N 2002, What is a designer, 4th edn, Hyphen Press, London.
Watch, M 2007, 'Developing a Communications Campaign', CBS NEWS, 2 May, viewed 19 May 2022, <https://www.cbsnews.com/news/developing-a-communications- campaign/>.