It has come to an end

In my first blog post, I mentioned that effective communication is an important medium for me to express my thoughts and ideas to others and to do so effectively require a special set of skills. Upon reflecting on my first blog post and through the lessons in class, I came to the realization that my understanding of this “special set of skills” was only peripheral, it involves so many factors such as understand body language, good listening skills etc.

Over these couple of months, this module has helped me gain a better understanding of the value of effective communications and the skills that enable good communication. Now, I am able to relate the importance of effective communication skills in more specific areas such as interpersonal or intercultural interactions or scenarios. Furthermore, I have also understood that effective communication is beneficial in preventing misunderstandings, resolving conflicts and relating our thoughts accurately and courteously.

Through the various activities, assignments, peer teaching, project and oral presentation that we were involved in this module, it further substantiates the importance of effective communications. In particular, through class sharing’s and peer teaching session. It was evident that effective communication was essential to convey the message and our ideas across effectively because if the ideas or messages were not conveyed across effectively, misinterpretations and misunderstandings may arise. And towards the end, we experienced ease in conveying our ideas across one another and it made interaction with peers in class more enjoyable.

Besides developing verbal communication skills, I have also benefitted greatly from the several writing assignments that we were tasked to do such as writing cover letter, our biodata, minutes and group report. Personally, I dread writing because I don’t think I write well but because of these assignments it has helped me feel comfortable writing again. Through this module, it has helped me develop good written communication skills such as the 7Cs of writing and I am thankful that I have improved quite a bit.

I understand that developing good communication skills does not stop when this module ends but it continues after this and it will be a continuous learning process for me as well as the others in class. Therefore, I am challenge to build up on this foundation of effective communication skills that I possess and continue to interact well with others either through verbally or written communication. And ultimately, I hope to be an effective communicator in the future be it at the workplace or with friends and relatives.

Lastly, I would like to thank Ms. Lim for imparting and sharing many valuable and insightful skills and lessons to me as well as providing constructing feedbacks. Not forgetting the class, for the wonderful and funny interactions and also their comments on the blog post. It’s been a pleasure to know and work with you.

OP

Reflecting on my own oral presentation that took place on tuesday, I will only rate my overall presentation fair not good because i feel that i could improve further and be better.

For the preparation of the presentation, my group deliberated on how we should go about presenting our proposal that was different from the proposal. We brainstorm for quite a bit and decide on the flow of the presentation. We were in-charge of different sections of presentation and I was tasked with the introduction, sharing some background information as well as introducing the framework for our proposal (EEA framework).

I started by doing some background research began planning my presentation. I wrote out a speech text for the presentation and practice a few times. But having pondered after the presentation ended, I thought I should have put in more time in preparation and practice. This would have help be calmer, less nervous and more confident and this  may have prevented me from forgetting to present some points.  I felt that more practice focus on presenting a good presentation such as being more enthusiastic and having more confidence to engage the audience well. It will also help look at my cards and the slides less frequently. I think my voice was loud and audible and i adopted good standing posture without too many hand gestures. For the Q & A session, i think all of us in the group handled the session pretty well.

As I read the oral presentation rubic from my peers after class, I realized that the flow of slides for the pictures was flashed too slowly and too many pictures were used. It then gave rise to an awkward silence when it was flashed because I intended to speak only after all the picture slides were flashed. I felt that the use of slideware and delivery was poor. I did not achieve in relaying the message that I initially wanted to bring across. Next time when such situation is faced again, I would take another approach or try to flash the slides faster and provide commentary or pose questions to the audience as the slides flashed.

 

Intercultural Behavior

Hi all,

Sorry for the lack of explanation of some areas and not really writing about an intercultural situation (Task 2.4). There was not so much of a cultural conflict that I saw or experienced in china but it was rather the differences in culture that I felt was rather nteresting and thought of sharing some of the photos I took while I was there.

This incident happened when I was in JC. My friends and I were at the canteen during our break time and we were just eating and chatting about the different races in Singapore, injecting some jokes about the different races in our conversations. There was one particular “joke” my friend robin said that left an impression on me and had him regret what he said for awhile. He shared one of his satirical observations that he made.  He asked, “Do you know why it is very easy and fast for Malays to order and get their fast-food orders?” We answered no and he replied, “Because most of their friends and relatives like uncles and cousins are working as delivery man, just call them can already (very fast one).” We all laugh in that instance but we realized that Ali was there with us. All of us thought that he will not mind because we had one of such sessions before. And then we realized, he had relatives who were working as delivery man.

 After this incident, things between them were sour, as if it was a cold war like North and South Korea. Thankfully, Robin went to apologized to Ali and he accepted the apology.  

 This incident took place because of our lack of awareness and sensitivity for the different races and ethnic groups we have in Singapore. We all knew that Ali was Muslim and he was around us when we were chatting. But we failed to be sensitive to such racial issues and we definitely did not think before we speak.

We were disrespectful towards other racial groups, poking fun and laugh about the jokes at the expense of racial harmony. Living in a multi-racial country like Singapore, we should be attentive and conscious of our actions and words when we are around people of different race and ethnic groups. By understanding that we were threading on thin lines, we should all be mindful and be aware of what we say as it may compromise the racial harmony that we have in Singapore.

 I am glad that through this experience my friends and I learnt to be more sensitive and think before we say something.  We also realized that we have to be aware of the different individuals around us so as to prevent any possible conflict that might arise through our words or actions.  And don’t worry, the friendship with Ali is all good now.

intercultural behaviour

Being in this multicultural country (Singapore), she has provided us with many intercultural experiences and has also allowed us to see many intercultural behaviors being acted out in many ways for us to see almost every other day. More recently, we have also seen the influx of many expatriates coming to Singapore to seek greener pasture for their careers as well as to experience the “Asian” culture. And these have contributed to the many races and cultures that we experience in Singapore. Also with each race, for example within the chinese race, there are also different cultures for different dialects such as teochew, hokkien, hakka, cantonese and hainanese. I myself is a teochew (glad to be one and also glad to be able to speak the dialect), and i can see many difference in cultural behavior and practices between different dialects.

And in this post, I would like to share some of my experiences (mainly with photos) when I went to my grandfather’s hometown in shatou, china. I was glad I had the opportunity to go back to my roots and experienced the authentic teochew culture back in China. It was definitely an eye-opener for me spending two weeks with in the village in shatou. I was the chaperone for my grandfather and grandmother. I accompanied them to china to take care of them while they make yearly their visits to their families.

It was quite a culture shock I must say. From roadside markets, toilets by the river, waste food buckets, eating vegetables fresh from the farm, roadside stalls selling kway chap and fried oysters, steamboat with my cousins, traditional village festivities, visiting schools, my grandfather’s house when he was a child, drinking tea, Macdonald’s servers speaking teochew, etc. Now i would like to let the photos do some work. Enjoy.

At the end of this trip, I was very glad that I was given this opportunity to revisit my roots. It was definitely a humbling experience for me. This trip allowed me to appreciate, value and respect the teochew culture at its purest form. Being able to speak teochew was advantageous because it has helped communicate effectively with my relatives to get to know them better and understand their daily struggles or challenges faced. Although we are all related by blood and come from the same ancestors, we are so different in so many aspects. I guess I am fortunate to be a Singaporean

BIODATA!

I am currently a third year Life Sciences undergraduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS), majoring in Biology. My interest in Biology was sparked off when I was just a young boy. My aunt, a principal investigator in A*Star would often bring me to her laboratory and as a young kid, I got all fascinated and intrigued with what was going on in the laboratory. On some occasions, she would ask me “help out” with her experiments and that was when I became infatuated with science especially biology. Over time, the interest level grew and not only did I excelled well in this subject in school, I became motivated to further my studies relating to biology. Thus, with my strong interest and educational background in biology, I aspire to be a researcher to learn and continue in the conservation efforts of the rich biodiversity found in Singapore.

Aside from my studies, I also had the opportunity to take up several part-time jobs such as an events coordinator for some high-profile events like the Singapore Biennale and the Singapore River Festival. In addition, I also worked as an Assistant Stage Manager and even had the privilege to be part of the cast for the local production called “The Swordfish, Then The Concubine.” Through these working experiences, I have accumulated many invaluable real-life experience and also gathered the necessary skills and knowledge about how production work is done, how to work cohesively as a group to ensure everything runs smoothly and also to provide me with insights to another field that is not related to science. Working with many individuals allowed me to network and get to know people from all walks of life. This has greatly enhanced my interpersonal skills and more importantly, I learnt how to better manage my time and organise resources efficiently.

On the personal front, I am the type of guy who enjoys outdoor activities such as playing football, tennis and swimming. I play football every weekend, as I am currently a player in the football team participating in an amateur league. My football team comprises of my friends from the Secondary School and playing together as a team allows us to bond and maintain regular contact with each other. From the matches that we have played together, I recognize that only with effective communication and good teamwork, then we can achieve the desired outcome of winning a match.

Besides sports, I also have the musical side of me and I was a saxophone player in my school’s concert band of which the band has won many gold awards during Singapore Youth Festivals and overseas band competition. And on a few occasions, I’ve also returned to play with my school’s alumni band (Saints Alumni Band) for several public performances. Apart from that, I also like to unwind by watching good movies and indulge in delicious food found in various parts of Singapore.

I hope that my interests, education and work experiences will enable me to be sufficiently prepared for my future career so that I can make significant contributions to the study and conservation of the rich diversity in Singapore.

Job Application Letter Critique

Andrew Tau

Blk 120B Rivervale Drive

#13-388 S(542120)

Telephone: +65 97606567

September 4, 2009

HR manager

THELo&BeholdGROUP

331 North Bridge Road

#10-06 Odeon Towers S(188720)

Dear Sir/Madam,

APPLICATION FOR THE POSITION OF EVENTS AND MARKETING ASSOCIATE

I refer to the position of Events and Marketing Associate listed on www.jobsdb.com.sg dated 31 August 2009.

I am a graduate from the National University of Singapore with an Honours degree in Biology. I am an outgoing individual with a strong interest and passion for events as well as the food and beverage industry. My background in science honed my abilities to grasp concepts easily, thereby enhancing my practical understanding skills. Coupled with my strong work ethics, I am confident that I will be able to add value to Lo&Behold and achieve the organization’s strive for excellence in the food and beverage industry.

During my academic stint, I held leadership roles in multiple projects. This cultivated my interpersonal skills and my ability to solve problems efficiently and creatively. I was also involved in research projects, of which I Iearnt how to approach and resolve issues in a logical and methodological manner.

I have also been privileged to work in established companies such as, Wildrice Singapore Pte Ltd, Fly Entertainment Pte Ltd and Orangedot Pte Ltd. Gaining work experience through internships and assignments in these firms gave me the exposure as I networked and interacted with industry players on various levels. I also learnt how to manage, coordinate and execute events having taken on multiple roles in events planning. My public relations and management skills have also been enhanced through the events-related projects that I was assigned.

I am motivated and able to produce work of the highest standards. Apart from being able to operate independently both with initiative and resourcefulness, I also work well as a team player in attaining common goals.

My Curriculum Vitae is attached for your consideration. I will be most willing to furnish you with any information where required and I will contact you shortly to ensure that my resume has reached you.

I look forward to working in your esteemed organization.

Yours Faithfully

Mr. Andrew Tau

PS: Sorry the formatting is a little out. Please ignore the format.

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

I was involved in an interpersonal conflict with a good friend from Junior College and this happened a few years ago. My friendship with Felicia (not her real name) started in year one of junior college. When I first knew her, she was a very nice, helpful and innocent girl. We were in same class and we had a group of really good friends, Amanda, Lucy, Albert, Ryan, Michael, Felicia and me (names have been changed). We even created this “joke book” to record our lame jokes and ridiculous drawings so that we could reminisce all the wonderful times we had together in the future. All of us got along very well with one another and we were very close. We did many activities together such as going out after school, bake and cook at each other house, watch movies and even organising stayovers.

In year two, Felicia was involved in a romantic relationship with one of my good friends from secondary school. He was also attending the same junior college as us. Things went well for them and they were a very sweet loving couple. After graduation, the guys went to do their national service and the girls went to the university. They were still very much in love until something happened.

One day, a friend of ours who was quite close to felicia, told me that she was going out with another guy from school and was intimately involved with him. I asked her if felicia was doing this behind my friend’s back and if she was two timing him, she said yes. I was shock and angry because she had cheated on him for another guy while my friend was kept in the dark and thought he was still attached with her. I also felt disappointed because I thought they were actually a very compatible and loving couple and I could even imagine them marrying each other.

After this incident, the friendship between us became quite awkward. This may also be due to the fact that
I don’t see her in the same light anymore and my impression of her also changed so much so that I was disgusted of her actions. She did not personally came and explained to me what had happened. I guess she knew I was unhappy and angry about the whole incident. Communication between us gradually stopped. We drifted apart and we stopped contacting each other. It got quite bad to a point that whenever there was a gathering with our group of friends, only one of us would appear. It was quite stressful for our friends and it affected everyone in the group. And this “cold war” between us lasted a long time.

Questions:

What could I have done so that the “cold war” between us was prevented?

How could this situation be salvaged?

What would you have done or felt if you were in my shoes?

Are effective communication skills important?

Communication is an important medium for me to express my thoughts and ideas to others. And to do so effectively requires a special set of skills.  This set of communication skills helps me to convey my view and take on certain topics effectively and accurately during discussion, conversation with people or to a wide group of audience. Communication is not just about verbal (such as voice or sounds)  but it also involves the non-verbal, visual, written and so much more. Thus with so many factors involved, it is very beneficial for everyone to possess effective communication skills.

With effective communication skills, it allows us to avoid repetitions and reduce misunderstanding, for example instructions spelt out clearly and accurately by your teacher or employer will prevent counter productive work,  increase efficiencies and saves time. Effective communication skills also helps us to put forth our ideas clearly where people will be able to understand and comprehend. This is seen when we are communicating with people of different cultures and nationalities where it helps to ensure thoughts and ideas are correctly portrayed and clearly understood by others and their interpretation of what we have communicated is aligned with what we have expressed.

For me, I hope that through this course it will help me  sharpen my skills in effective communication and be able to communicate better. This is because i have experienced bad communication previously where I could not convey my thoughts clearly and this gave rise to some unpleasant situations. Lastly, as I am going to graduate  soon in about 1 or 2 years time, it is important for me to have good effective communication skills. With this set of beneficial communication skills, it will help me set myself apart from my peers which will be advantageous for my job search.

signing off from my first blog post. enjoy.

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