Relationship Reflection Paper
This assignment is intended to provide you an opportunity to reflect on the relationship in which you described in the “Goal” paper. Refer to the three specific, clearly stated, and measurable goals you identified in the previous essay.
In a 4-5 page essay (double spaced), please address the following:
1. Reintroduce your relationship, including the type of relationship, length of relationship, frequency of communication, and channels of communication (1 paragraph only.).
2. Reiterate your clearly stated, specific, and measurable goals for the relationship. What were you hoping to improve? On what specific communication behavior were you intending to focus? Make sure your behaviors included both a qualitative communication change as well as a quantitative change (i.e., “I set out to engage in active listening two times per day, etc.). Be specific. (1 paragraph only.)
3. Evaluate your success. What did you actually do? What did you change? What did you improve (or not) in terms of your communication behaviors? What was the reaction of your relational partner? How did your partner’s communication change as reaction or response to what you did? Describe and assess the degree to which your goals were met. Of the three behaviors you used, which one (if any) had the greatest impact on the relationship? For this section, give a specific example of how you implemented each new behavior (identify, define, and describe) and how your partner responded to your behavior (this should be the longest section of your paper, approximately 3 pages).
4. Describe what you hope for the future of the relationship. What are your future goals? Explore the “lessons learned” from this assignment. (one half page).
5. Conclude your essay with an assessment of your satisfaction with the relationship and with your attempt to improve the relationship. (one half page).
6. Be sure your paper has a proper header, including your name, and the title of this assignment. Include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. This paper should be written at college level. Start your introduction with an interesting opener that engages your reader (quotation, poetry, humor, etc.). Avoid canned introductions such as, “For this assignment/paper/project I chose to…” Also, be sure that your paper is typed, proofread, and free from error. Format your paper using 10-12 point font, double spacing, and one inch margins. Spelling punctuation, grammar, clarity, and style will influence the evaluation of your work. Proofread your work and have a friend or colleague read your work as well. Remember, this paper (as well as the first) is about the changes YOU were to make, not your partner.
As a minimum, essays will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
1. Clarity, flow, and completeness of writing.
2. Specificity, and measurability of identified goals for improvement and your performance of the corresponding communication behaviors. What did you actually do? Quantify your behaviors.
3. Use of specific examples and illustrations to clarify each point.
4. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, and college-level writing.
5. The inclusion of an introduction, body, and conclusion.
6. Self-reflection and personal insight gleaned.
Note: Reflection papers must be completely original, NOT a re-draft of the goal paper with minor changes. Papers will be submitted through Vericite, a plagiarism detection software. If your paper is more than 10% “similar” to your mini essay, you will receive a zero. Please do not copy and paste any portion of your first paper into this final paper.
Please DO use the Vericite report to help you identify trouble spots and improve your writing. If you are quoting a source, please make sure you cite and quote clearly. The Vericite report is usually available to you 2-3 hours after you submit your paper (I wish it could be faster, but it has to comb the entire web, apparently. Please keep this in mind for planning purposes.).
I look forward to reading your papers! Please remember, you can be completely honest about how it went. Your grade is not dependent on whether the project was a success. Your grade is based on the paper and how well you address the prompts, along with the quality of your writing. That’s the only I really can grade since I cannot “see” the efforts you made. I hope that helps!
