Skills
Soft Skills
Critical Thinking
Data Analysis
Leadership
Problem Solving
Public Speaking
Professional writing
Teamwork
Teamwork and networking are soft skills every Communication Studies major develops at CSUSB. While in the program, you learn to work together with team members for campaigns and the student-run internships on campus. As a team member and team leader, I learned to facilitate discussions and brainstorming sessions. During these sessions, I encouraged my teams to share ideas that flow naturally to them, and I would create either a list or a mind map for my groups. These sessions, in my experience, help all team members tap into their creativity and help teamwork get off to a good start from the beginning. This skill has been beneficial to me the more I network and work collaboratively with other professionals.
Critical thinking, public speaking, and data analysis are soft skills developed through my research as a student. For example, I learned to read social media insights and google analytics data to build a client profile. At the same time, I used peer-reviewed articles and research studies to formulate a strategic communication plan for organizations. I developed a strategic communication campaign for a small local jeweler in my strategic communication class. I used the jeweler's social media and website traffic insights to build a “new and improved” plan that would better target her ideal audience. Finally, I presented my campaign to the class and organized a pitch presentation for this project.
Leadership and problem solving were skills that I strengthened while developing a business plan in my entrepreneurship class. In this class, I conceptualized and developed my illustration business with the help of faculty advisors. In addition, I created a social media and marketing plan for my business in this entrepreneurship course. I also developed my leadership and problem-solving skills as I grew my business. I learned how to onboard customers and generate leads while also creating a budget and writing for grants—teaching me how to be resourceful and find answers to questions that would arise while also learning to network with my community.
