Seminar Skills

While there are many students in a discussion with insightful information, there are others who will forget to listen every once in a while. One thing I have learned and grown into is becoming an an active, focused listener to my group members. With this skill, I am able to not only give the desired attention to the student talking, but also gain more much needed knowledge on the topic at hand.

Something I have grown into loving is personal relating and discussing the connection to various subjects brought up in the Hutchins program. In turn, I have also noticed that many other classmates will engage in the conversation after a somewhat discretionary detail is shared.

Carrying this skill into college, I have always been an excellent note-taker given my numerous years in the AVID program. Yet, the Hutchins program has managed to help hone my note-taking skills and give my mind a much more refined taste for organization.

Of course all discussions need people to participate and use their dialectic skills to add in on the topic at hand. However, while talking is one of the main things you need for a discussion, there are many nonverbal communication skills you may also need to benefit to the conversation. Some nonverbal communicators may include nodding in agreement, eye contact with the discusser, agreeable hand motions, and many other interesting yet helpful nonverbal communicators to add to the discussion.

One of the biggest things I have had to learn is being open to criticism from my peers and teachers. While criticism on paper is easier to digest, it is harder to handle once orally used. Thankfully, over the years, a couple of teachers have managed to help guide me through this process and see it as a positive thing to help grow within my writing and presentation skills. Plus, I have also gotten to establish an emotional awareness with how I handle the criticism, so I may not overthink it too much and cause more stress for myself.