Last Blog

For my first post, I wrote about the importance of written and verbal communication in the workplace to avoid misunderstandings. I believe after this course I have acquired the valuable skills of written and verbal communication.

One of the most important lessons learnt in this module is the writing of resume and the preparation for job interviews. These are essential life skills that will certainly prove to be useful. I have always thought that resume is all about the content. It is only through this course that I realize that the presentation also plays a part. I still remember that I have to buy 100gsm paper just to print out the resume.

The mock job interview is also something that is memorable. I was very nervous although the interviewers are my friends. I am dumbfounded by some of their questions. This is something that I have to work on in the future. I will have another chance to test my verbal communication skills when I present my report this Monday.

I have to admit that I dislike the writing of blogs almost every week but I manage to survive this semester of blogging. Kudos! It is enjoyable reading other people’s blog and how they feel about this module. I have my fun and laughter in class, interacting and learning from other classmates. Overall, I have a pleasant experience in this course.

For my first post I started with a quote “a man is as alive as he can communicate”. I shall end this blog with another: The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished. Let’s all not stop here and continue to discover new ways to communicate more effectively.

Biodata

Since young, I am interested in detectives’ stories and how they unravel the mysteries. In university, I have taken a course in forensic science and this has helped me develop my inquisitive mind and build up my knowledge in this area of interest. I hope I can find a rewarding and fulfilling career as a forensic scientist. I have always believed that perseverance might not always bring in success, but without perseverance success will surely not be achieved. Therefore, I will always give in my best in everything I do and not throw in the towel so easily.

Reflecting on Your Report Writing Experience

Doing this research report reminds me of the project work I did during my JC time. It was almost the same as this research survey report. We have to come out with a research topic and carry out a survey. However, I feel that this report will be of a better quality than my previous one in terms of the writing. I have learnt to incorporate the 7Cs in my writing: Courtesy, Correctness, Conciseness, Clarity, Coherence and Cohesion, Concreteness and Completeness.

I have learnt the importance of coming up with a timeline for the list of things to be completed. Initially, I was not aware of the dateline for the report and nothing much was done during the mid-term break except for the collation of results and research. Thus, there was a lot to be done when I realized I have one week left before presenting the first draft for editing. Better organization and time management might have prevented this.

I envy the other groups as they have one more member to share the workload while there is only the two of us for our report. In addition, I feel that with more people in the group, there will be more ideas and the topic can be viewed in different perspectives. On the other hand, perhaps it will be much easier to communicate in a pair as compared to a group as less time will be needed to come out with a common consensus. However, it is inevitable to work in big groups. Therefore, it is important to develop good communication skills to be able to reach an agreement in the shortest time.

Intercultural Communication

My social circle is mainly made up of Chinese friends and there is usually no taboo in our conversations. Occasionally, we will unintentionally spurt out comments that maybe offensive to the other races. However, I have since learnt to be more conscious of the people around me during our conversations after the incident below.
I have a group of Chinese friends that I often meet up with. On one gathering few years back, one of my friends came back from overseas and brought along her boyfriend to meet us. Her boyfriend was a muslim. At that time, I did not realize the difference of having a muslim friend in our gathering. Initially, we had decided on a Chinese restaurant but my friend reminded us that we need to go to a Halal restaurant. The situation was awkward as I could see that her boyfriend was quite embarrassed and he kept apologizing that we have to change the dining location because of him. Throughout the dinner, we have to converse in English instead of Mandarin, our usual conversation language. In addition, I had to be constantly mindful of whatever I said in case he interpreted it as a racist remark against him. However, after a few more gatherings with him, we became more confortable with each other and were soon able to hit off well.
Singapore is a multi racial and multi cultural country and it is inevitable that we will meet people of different cultural backgrounds especially in the working society. It is important to observe the verbal language and non-verbal cues of other people and be more sensitive to them. Through this, we are able to bridge any cultural differences and communicate more efficiently.

Research Topic

“Making friends or Making out.” This is one of the article headlines in The Straits Times forum a few weeks ago. A writer wrote in to express her concern about the nature of orientation games that are being carried out in the universities. There have also been other articles reporting that university orientation games have taken a more sexual and lewd approach over the past few years. Gone are the days when seniors will bully the freshman and what comes in are forfeits that have more body contact between males and females. An example of such forfeits is asking a male student to do pushups on a female student. This brings up the question whether this kind of orientation games should be allowed to carry on? Or should school advisors step in to regulate these activities?

The aim of orientation is to allow freshman to meet new friends in their university life. The Social Development Unit also makes use of this opportunity to promote more interaction between male and female students. However, encouraging interactions between the genders through this kind of physical and sexual games may not be desirable. Attraction between the genders may become more of a physical attraction rather than base on an individual character.

I have been through as a freshman and senior in orientation. In my opinion, orientation games are indeed more and more daring and physical. Such games can really add more spice and laughter to the camp and boost the spirits of the campers. However, I have to agree that there are still conservative students who deem these games unacceptable. Unfortunately, they often have to participate in such games to prevent being labeled as spoil sport.

To answer the research questions, surveys can be targeted at freshman and also students that are about to enter university life. Since these students are the ones who will have been through or going to participate in the orientation, it is important that their views are being taken into consideration.

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

John is the president of the student council. He had called for a meeting to finalise the details of a upcoming bazaar in school and told his committee that the meeting will only last from 7pm to 9pm. However till 10pm, the meeting still had not end. Jane had promised her parents she will be home by 10pm as her parents were unhappy that she had been returning home late for the past few weeks. Knowing that she was already late, she requested John to let her leave first. John did not accede to Jane’s request, reasoning that the meeting was important and everyone should be present. Jane was annoyed with his decision. When the meeting finally ended at 10.30pm, Jane was the first one to leave the room and on her way out, she slammed the door shut. Jane was clearly showing her displeasure to John. John was also infuriated by the attitude that Jane shown.

After this incident, the relationship between John and Jane became tense. For the subsequent meetings, there was not much said between the two. The other committee members are concerned that if this situation continues, meetings will be even less efficient. They tried to persuade them individually to apologize but both John and Jane were stubborn and refuse to budge.

How could John and Jane better handle the situation and possibly avoid the conflict?

Mad About English

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBFEgMqhOs4

Above is the link to the movie trailer of Mad About English.
I am really impressed by the learning spirit of the Chinese in China. In the effort to communicate efficiently to the foreigners coming to Beijing for the olympics, even those rather old people are learning English. It is really never too late to start learning.

Effective Communication Skills

L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, wrote that, ‘a man is as alive as he can communicate’. This statement highlights the importance of communication to every man as it is the means that connects each and every one of us together. In my opinion, effective communication is a two way process which involves expressing and understanding. One has to be able to put across his/her ideas to the audience and the audience must be able to interpret them correctly as intended.

Written communication may cover from simple emails to key business proposals. For fresh graduates, who are entering the workforce, writing a good resume is of utmost importance and will certainly increase the chance of landing an interview for a job. A resume that displays great organization of the contents can leave a good impression on the employer.

Verbal communication as compared to written communication is much more complex. It is dynamic and response from the other party is almost immediate. Thoughts must be put into words coherently and promptly. Furthermore in face to face interaction, non verbal cues like eye contact and body language are instrumental. Maintaining eye contact can show one’s interest in the conversation while constant fidgeting may reveal one’s nervousness. In the school or workplace, it is inevitable to come into contact with people from other countries. Their English accent can be quite distinct from our Singlish and active listening plays a significant role in understanding one another.

Be it in a small club and society or huge organization settings, effective communication will reduce misunderstandings and enhance the efficiency of the workings. A more cordial interpersonal relationship can then be established.