Crafting Your Accomplishment Stories: Skills & Insights
School
University of Guelph**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
UNIV 2100
Subject
Communications
Date
Dec 11, 2024
Pages
4
Uploaded by DeaconMantis3558
My Accomplishment StoriesInstructions:In this activity, you will use stories of your past accomplishments to aid you in identifying your top skills and strengths. 1.Identify three (3) different events from your past that you are proud of. They can be events in your personal life, at school, on a sports team, at work, etc. Perhaps it was a time when you went “above and beyond” what would normally be expected, a time whenyou "beat the odds", took initiative, or came up with a solution to a complex issue, perhaps a time when you received special recognition/awards, were promoted or led a project. 2.Using the charts below, document the details of each story. 3.Think critically about HOW you were able to accomplish what you did. Review your stories and look for evidence of skills. Dig deep, accomplishments typically require the use of multiple skills together, try to identify at least 5-8 for each story. Story 1QuestionsYour story detailsSet the stage for the story; describe the situation, challenge or opportunity you were faced with.During the summer before my first year of university, I had the opportunity of being a team leader of a research team as part ofa summer research program by a student-led organization. Our team had 5 high school students (many of whom were writing a scientific research paper for the first time) and it was my role to guide and mentor them while we collaboratively write a scientificresearch paper on a medicine-related topic. What were the obstacles you encountered during this story?As a team leader, the main obstacle I faced was effectively communicating with all team members, who were each in different time zones (since this was a remote opportunity) and had different schedules and commitments. Sometimes, there were team members that did not complete their role or were not responsive. Since most of the members were writing a scientic paper for the first time, they would also be confused about various aspects of the writing processes and seem intimidated by the project. What did you do to overcome those obstacles and how did you do it? Be as specific as you can.To overcome the obstacle of members being unresponsive or inactive, I would individually reach out to them and make sure that communication is open and accessible. I would ask if they are struggling with anything or need help – this usually worked well and helped members come out of their shell and communicate their doubts. For team members who were confused about the writing process, I made sure to organize weekly meetings where there would be a session for questions towards the end. I would then make sure to answer the questions of all team members and provide any advice they Page 1of 4
QuestionsYour story detailsneed.What was the end result? What did you learn from this? What feedback did you get from others? In the end, we were successfully able to collaborate on the project and submitted our final draft of the scientific paper for publication. I also had conversations with many members of the team who stated that this was a helpful opportunity for them andthey learned various new skills related to academic writing. I mainly learned how to lead a team to collaborate on a final gial, siunce this was my first time given a completely independent leader position like this. I also learned that open communication is key, especially in a team setting. The feedback I got from members of my team was to have a consistent schedule (sometimes I would move timelines around last-minute, which would have been confusing to many members). What 5-8 skills is this story evidence of?Communication, leadership, collaboration, organization, responsibility, writing, mentorship. Story 2QuestionsYour story detailsSet the stage for the story; describe the situation, challenge or opportunity you were faced with.A university association that I was an executive member of was hosting an escape room event that required extensive planning and coordination. As the social media director, I had no experience planning this specific event and was solely in chargeof taking photos and designing the promotional material for the event.What were the obstacles you encountered during this story?When the day of the event arrived, there was a last-minute absence of one of the event planners – this caused there to be various roles that needed to be fulfilled that were left unaccounted for (gathering materials, communicating with sponsors, guiding participants of the event, etc.)What did you do to overcome those obstacles and how did you do it? Be as specific as you can.Although I was new to this specific role, I broke out of my comfort zone and took the initiative to fill in for the event plannerby fulfilling these diverse tasks. I was able to draw upon skills gained from previous experiences, such as organization, leadership, and patience; this allowed me to fulfill the various goals of the event, leading it to be a success.What was the end result? What did you learn from this? What feedback did By the end of the event, I not only learned new skills such as event planning, how to organize catering, speaking to businesses/sponsors, and even public speaking as an MC, but Page 2of 4
QuestionsYour story detailsyou get from others? also was able to create an event that was enjoyable for participants while making an impact in my community.What 5-8 skills is this story evidence of?Initiative, problem-solving, patience, event planning, responsibility.Story 3QuestionsYour story detailsSet the stage for the story; describe the situation, challenge or opportunity you were faced with.As a Children’s Program Volunteer at the Brampton Library, my role was to prepare, create, and lead engaging activities (such as storytime, lego playtime, coding workshops, and more) for children of all ages.The storytime activity was the first event I had to lead as a volunteer; the goal of the activity was to encourage children to read, while providing a judgment-free environment for new readers.What were the obstacles you encountered during this story?I encountered a challenge during this event, which was a child who was frustrated due to sensory issues, would not cooperate throughout the event, and made loud noises that were distracting to other children.What did you do to overcome those obstacles and how did you do it? Be as specific as you can.I was able to calmly communicate to the child one-on-one, drawupon previous experiences with children, and use problem-solving skills to find a solution to the child feeling overwhelmed (which was to provide time for them to take a snack break).What was the end result? What did you learn from this? What feedback did you get from others? By the end of the event, I was able to chat with parents and children who mentioned that they found the event to be very engaging/friendly and were inspired to read more in the future.What 5-8 skills is this story evidence of?Patience, leadership, communication, problem-solving, positive attitude, event planningPage 3of 4
Review the skills you identified for all three stories. Do you see trends? Are there a few skills that show up multiple times? These are your core strengths, document them below.Yes, some skills were more commonly used than others, which are also known as my core strengths; these skills are communication, event planning, and leadership. Page 4of 4