Saturday, November 14, 2009

Final Reflection

Thinking back, the decision to step out of my comfort zone and bid for this module ES2007S was because of the desire to equip myself with practical skills, such as resume-writing and how to be a better communicator, which is definitely of use in the future.

13 weeks later, I am glad to say that this module, Professional Communication has, without a doubt, offered me the skills which I wanted to pick up as well as skills that I have never thought that I can pick up through this course, such as being an active listener and making critical and constructive comments.I believe these life-long skills which will certainly help me in different aspects of my life besides my career.

The main message that this course conveyed to me is that understanding the different aspects of communication (verbal and non-verbal) is very crucial to effectively convey a message, prevent any misunderstanding, resolve conflict, persuade or convince others. However, just understanding the communication skills is not sufficient, we have to integrate it into our daily lives and practice it for sometime before we can become good at it.

Importance of effective communication skills was emphasized in many activities and assignments involved in this module. In particular, the proposal requires effective communication between me and my group mates, Hazel and Jia Min. Through the process, we had some miscommunication but manage to resolve them. This clearly illustrates the importance of effective communication to prevent misunderstanding and also to resolve conflict.

In addition, working on the proposal has exposed me to the different ways that each unique individual works. The sacred combination of effective communication, mutual understanding and good cooperation will undeniably result in good team work.

The blogs certainly gave me an opportunity to learn and appreciate different styles of writings and view numerous perspectives for any one topic. This is especially so for topics on interpersonal conflicts and intercultural skills. I really enjoyed reading the solutions offered by the class for the various problems; some of the solutions did not even cross my mind. Thus, this certainly helped me to further improve my diplomatic skills.

Through the assignments, I had the opportunity to rectify my mistakes in drafting crucial professional documents such as my resume and application letters. If I had drafted these letters prior to the knowledge I have gathered from this module, I would have produced unimpressive letters which would make me lose several job opportunities!

Lastly, I would like to thank Brad for his guidance and the classmates for their active in-class interactions as well as for commenting on my blog. They made the journey through this module enjoyable and insightful. :)



Though the workload of this module is immense, we could all learn from this simple quote of John Alves: “The hard way is the right way.”

7 comments:

  1. Hello Bubbly Shiny!

    I am having a complex feeling as I am actually quite envious that your group had some mis-communication, and you were able to learn how to mitigate the problem. (It is a compliment :x)

    My group is great, everyone knows each other limits and hence, were able to complement each other. Perhaps that is why I felt left out when other groups were reflecting their problems.

    One of the greatest strength of this module was to instill strong emphasis on the 7Cs. I think I have improve my english much more than the other english modules.

    From your current blog, I think you have improved in your language too. It would be even better if you continue to have your work edited.

    I think everyone has grown from this module, from being unable to communicate effectively to being confident in their presentation. Especially, you tried to keep your movement to the minimum. I think you have done great!

    Thank you for the insightful account.

    ;D

    - Huahua -

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  2. Hi Huahua,

    I believe you have also learnt something from the group proposal. Because your group knew each other before hand, all of you could understand each other’s strengths, weaknesses and working style. As such, you may be sensitive with what you say, right? I’m sure you can learn something out of it too. :)

    I agree that there was strong emphasis on the 7Cs. With that in mind, I’m sure all of us would be better with our writings and be CONCISE!HAHA!

    Love,
    Shiny

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  3. Hi Shiny!

    I agree with you that it definitely takes practices to improve on one’s communication skills. Through this course, I have learned various aspects of communication which I believe would better build on my interpersonal and communication skills.

    It’s great to know you have learned much from blogging. Like you, I feel that same way too. The posts on interpreting and managing intercultural conflicts has broadened my knowledge and made me more aware of the importance of cultural sensitivity. Besides this, blog writing has allowed me an opportunity to improve on my writing skills, which is another important aspect of communication.

    I’m glad we took up ES2007S together and learned so much from Brad and our classmates. All the best for your exams! =)

    Peiling

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  4. Hey Shinye!!

    I have also learnt so much through reading our classmates' blogs. It is fascinating how the same topic(blog post) could have so many different interpretations and ideas.

    With all the positive feedback on this module, the bidding points spent on it was all worthwhile ya?

    Ruth

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  5. Dear Shiny!

    Yup I totally agree with you that this module has many surprise topics embedded in it! I was not expecting to learn some of the topics such as the non-verbal aspects and cross-cultural communication. And I was not expecting to see you, my jc choir junior! :D

    I am glad to be able to learn how to write impressive resume and application letters too! I hope that we will keep the techniques that we have learnt in mind even after a long time. :)

    Thanks for being so proactive in class and so willing to give good feedbacks in many ways. I have learnt a lot from you! :)

    Love,
    Nappy

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  6. Hi Shiny,

    Comparing my first draft of application letter with the final draft, I would say that the inputs of Brad and classmates are really crucial.

    On a different note, you have improved a lot in your presentation skills. You are more calm and confidence compare to our peer teaching session. I believe the experience you gained in this module must be an invaluable treasure to you.

    Last but not least, thanks for being my group mate and all the best for your future undertakings. =)

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  7. Thank you, Shin Ye, for this fine and comprehensive final post. I appreciate how in it you recount the more obvious and the embedded skills that were introduced and practiced in ES2007S. This statement also resonates with me: " However, just understanding the communication skills is not sufficient,(;) we have to integrate it(THEM) into our daily lives and practice it(THEM) for sometime before we can become good at it (EFFECTIVE COMMUNICAToRS)."

    There may still be work to be done, but you've made lots of improvement, Shiny. Your hard work is paying off, and will bear greater fruit as you practice more and more.

    All the best in your future!

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