The skills that I've learnt from this course have benefitted me greatly. The most important skills that I've picked up are writing resume and application letter and how to deliver a good oral presentation.
I like the interactions in class. The discussions facilitates free-flowing ideas and make the class more lively and enjoyable. It is also very innovative for this module to introduce blogging as a means of interaction and communicating our ideas. I think that this is a good exercise to let students practice their written communication skills, which I believe is critical during working life.
Instead of using the NUS wiki, our group chose to use Googledocs. The reason is because all of us are already familiar with Googledocs and it more or less performs similar functions as NUS wiki. The real time updating of the documents is a particularly useful feature. The common problem that we encounter as students when doing group work is the "versioning" of the report. For big projects it can get quite confusing when people mix up the version numbers. Googledocs also facilitates online discussion, so that the group don't have to meet face-to-face all the time. I think that the module should continue incorporating Googledocs or NUS wiki as part of the module requirement.
Overall, I've learnt a lot from this module.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Reflection on Oral Presentation
This is a reflection of my oral presentation.
For my team's presentation, it was split into 3 parts. Sinwei took the first part about background, Sengleng presented our research and I took up the last part about benefits of our proposal and conclusion. For the dry run, my slides were done in a brief manner with only the main points. Instead, I focused on developing my script and thinking about what to say, which I thought was more important. I was thinking of improving my slides after the dry run. It was kind of funny to get filmed while presenting so I was quite unnatural and can't remember my lines. From the class's feedback, it seems that my part was also too short.
After the dry run, I revamped my slides, lengthened it and took more time to memorise my script. As a result of more adequate preparation, I think I did much better during the actual presentation compared to the dry run. Overall I think our team did well for the oral presentation.
From this exercise, I realise the importance of adequate preparation prior to a presentation and also our body language during presentation. For my case, even though I was quite nervous, I was still consciously trying to portray positive body languages and suppress the negative ones. What I learn from this module will definitely come in handy during the course of my work.
For my team's presentation, it was split into 3 parts. Sinwei took the first part about background, Sengleng presented our research and I took up the last part about benefits of our proposal and conclusion. For the dry run, my slides were done in a brief manner with only the main points. Instead, I focused on developing my script and thinking about what to say, which I thought was more important. I was thinking of improving my slides after the dry run. It was kind of funny to get filmed while presenting so I was quite unnatural and can't remember my lines. From the class's feedback, it seems that my part was also too short.
After the dry run, I revamped my slides, lengthened it and took more time to memorise my script. As a result of more adequate preparation, I think I did much better during the actual presentation compared to the dry run. Overall I think our team did well for the oral presentation.
From this exercise, I realise the importance of adequate preparation prior to a presentation and also our body language during presentation. For my case, even though I was quite nervous, I was still consciously trying to portray positive body languages and suppress the negative ones. What I learn from this module will definitely come in handy during the course of my work.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour
I went for a trip to South Korea last year with my friends and got to experience Korean culture first hand. My first impression of Koreans when i touched down is: wow, Koreans sure are rude! Whenever there's a crowd and when people are trying to pass by you, you will feel this incessant nudging from behind. There's no "excuse me"; not even a word from the person who's trying to pass by you. At first, I thought it's just a few isolated cases, but soon when everybody else starts to do this, I realise that this is actually the norm in Korea! I was quite annoyed at first but got used it anyway. In Singapore, usually people will avoid body contact as much as possible in crowds but apparently not in Korea.
The second interesting intercultural encounter is at China when I went there for summer term. Initially we thought the Chinese were extremely helpful when a group of friends and us asked for directions. They always seem to know where's the place. However, when we asked a different person for directions to the same place, the second person pointed in a completely different direction! It happened a few times and we concluded that the Chinese will never admit that they don't know the directions to a place because they don't wish to embarrass themselves in front of strangers. Maybe my Chinese friends in the class can help me verify if this is true? haha.
The second interesting intercultural encounter is at China when I went there for summer term. Initially we thought the Chinese were extremely helpful when a group of friends and us asked for directions. They always seem to know where's the place. However, when we asked a different person for directions to the same place, the second person pointed in a completely different direction! It happened a few times and we concluded that the Chinese will never admit that they don't know the directions to a place because they don't wish to embarrass themselves in front of strangers. Maybe my Chinese friends in the class can help me verify if this is true? haha.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Resolving Interpersonal Conflict
Since this module is about effective communication at the workplace, I will describe an incident that happened in my company during my NS days. One day after training, the commanders of the company were discussing whether we should extend the training for the troops as there was a delay or the soldiers were not attaining certain standards. The company commander, CPT A, was in favour of extending the training. One of the platoon sergeants, 1SG B was however, against the idea. The argument soon blew out of proportion as both A and B started to get personal with each other. The tipping point came when CPT A accused 1SG B of always trying to hold back the company when they are trying to progress. 1SG B then pointed to his own face repeatedly and incited CPT A to punch him in the face. Up till that point I was merely observing the exchange as I was at a loss and did not know what to do to mediate the situation. When I saw CPT A stomping towards 1SG B, that was when I picked up my courage to hold CPT A back and ask him to calm down and not risk his career over one impulsive move. I said to both of them something like, "why do you need a 20 year old youngster like me to tell you what to do? Don't you feel ashamed?" After a brief awkward silence, 1SG B left the scene. Since then, nobody in the company has ever mentioned that incident.
Before this incident, A and B are already not on good terms. I feel that the discussion was just a trigger point for them to lash out on each other. I did not intervene earlier as I was worried that I will aggravate the situation. Furthermore, being 10 years their junior, I doubted that they would have taken my words seriously. I was so glad that they stopped being aggressive to each other after I tried to prevent the conflict from escalating. I am not sure if I had handled the situation properly. Maybe I should have intervened earlier? What would you have done if you were in my position?
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Effective Communication Skills
I think that effective communication skills are important for me because my future job is all about managing people. If you do not already know, I am a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regular. I am quite fortunate in the sense that I get to skip the "job searching/resume (cover letter)-writing" stage. However, I think that it is still a vital skill to pick up as the future is unpredictable, and these skills will definitely come in handy when the time arises. When I return to the force after I graduate, I will have to lead men and take care of their welfare and training. I will have to forge bonds with my men and earn their trust and respect. I believe that effective communication is the key to building trusting relationships with my men. These men come from very diversified backgrounds and it is important to speak with the right tone and the right words, so that certain negative messages are not subtly passed to the men. The same formula will not work for every soldier. I would need to be extremely persuasive so that I can motivate my people to strive for their best and contribute to the defence of the nation. Effective communication with my future superiors will also be crucial with regards to the cascading of intent by the higher headquarters (HQ) down the ranks. Generally, I think that effective communication is an essential skill for anyone. Effective communication minimizes the chance of one offending people unnecessarily, and allow the other party/parties to receive one's message completely and accurately.
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