Blog #4 Final Reflection on Learning

Over the course of this module, ES2007s, I believe that it has gradually trained me to be a better communicator. As a statistic major student, I have little presentation opportunities and these are limited to tutorial presentations where students merely scribbled their derived mathematic answers on the board and mumbled what they wrote, either presenting it to the floor or the board, never the audience. That was the way we “presented”. Since presentations are not graded and that no emphasis is placed on the importance of presentation, there is simply no incentive for us to work on our presentation skills. In addition, many of us will probably only deal with data in our future jobs. However, studying for a business minor requires me to present well as strong emphasis is placed on presentations in business modules. This semester, I had a total of 6 business presentations and I was really fortunate that ES2007s’ peer teaching came before any of them. This allowed me to be able to practice and improve before my competitive business presentations, where almost everyone presents like a professional. Therefore, the biggest takeaway from this module will definitely be the many presentation opportunities given, especially peer teachings, the improvements I have made and skills I have learnt, over the course of this module.  

Learning from Peer teachings:

Challenges faced and skills improved on:

·       Since the duration of peer teaching covers the entire tutorial, it was the longest presentation I ever gave and it had the largest amount of content I ever covered over a presentation. Initially, I had difficult trying to remember my script since there were a lot to remember but after much manipulation, I managed to include the various key words into my slides which not only serves to draw my audience’s attention to the key points but also serves as a cue and prompt to guide my presentation smoothly.

Thus, I’ve learnt the usefulness and importance of effective slides and how to create such slides to better facilitate presentations to both the presenter and the audience.

·       The other challenge I faced is the ability to facilitate understanding of my peers on the content I was teaching. I have probably asked myself numerous times throughout my preparation if there was a better way to deliver my peer teaching to allow them to not only understand but also retain what I have taught in my peer teaching session. After much consideration, I decided that teaching through examples then applying what you have learn straight away and ending with a recap is the most effective way to deliver what I want my audience to know. During my presentation, my method was proved effective when my audience are able to apply the techniques they have learnt effectively by writing awesome bad letters with my given scenarios, and I could not be any happier. Through this I have learn the techniques to giving an effective peer teaching or rather presentation and I firmly believe this will be of great use in the workplace in future!

Overall skills learnt: Skills learnt from peer teachings come from the topics I covered, the experiences gained and also the comments given by my facilitator, Mdm Fazilah, and from the classmates in the peer review. I have learnt the importance of the use of gestures and eye contact while presenting to draw your audience attention to key points or to better illustrate certain points and to reach out to them respectively. Furthermore, I also learnt the how I should vary in intonation to make my presentation more convincing and interesting, and to smile more to exude a friendlier vibe during my presentation. All these are valuable skills learnt and I truly appreciate the various comments given and the experiences themselves. Lastly, I would like to thank Mdm Fazilah and my classmates for making ES2007s such a pleasurable and fruitful experience in my last semester of my undergraduate studies. Thank you!

Blog #3 Reflection on Project Proposal-challenges, triumphs, learning points, possible improvements for the next group project

Triumphs:

I shall start by thanking my group members, most of whom are really initiative and motivated individuals and I am really glad I got to work with this energetic bunch in my last semester of school. Thank you all for standing behind my ideas, and all of your further contributions to them, improving my initial suggested solution to such a wholesome one at the end of each project meeting we had. Overall, I would say that we never fail to have an efficient project discussion every single time we met. Time and again, our impeccable teamwork, mutual understanding and chemistry unquestionably steered us to one of the most productive, rewarding and enjoyable project I have ever had.

Project Proposal Challenges and Learning points:

1    At the start of our first project discussion, being creative individuals, we were all just swamped with numerous possible project topics to take on, though not all were feasible. As it was our first time working together, everyone was being nice to not reject or put down the ideas of others’. Thus, we had a little difficulty settling down with a final project topic.

Learning point and improvement: To facilitate a productive discussion in future, we need to learn to tactfully reject impractical or unsuitable ideas by either further clarifying the project requirement or explaining its unsuitability to attain mutual understanding. This will not only allow us to be sensitive to each other feelings but also enable an efficient discussion.  

Challenges 2 and 3 arrive at the same learning point and improvement.

2    One challenge we faced was the communication of assigned work. Though there was a slight misunderstanding, it was quickly resolved through open clarification whenever there were doubts. Effective teamwork is also key in resolving misunderstanding and my group certainly displayed such a quality whenever a problem arises, with initiative and helpful group members standing up to take control of the situation.

3   One possible challenge we would have met with if a clear timeline was not set will definitely be project time management. Minutes made during the discussion did a fantastic job of assisting all of us with our responsibilities, reminding us of various deadlines to be met and the necessary preparations for the next discussion.

Learning point and improvement: This has affirmed the importance of minutes during and after project discussion. I strongly recommend that in future discussions, all clarification should during the discussion so that an effective minute can be formed to better assist the project group members in the process of the task and thus effectively preventing any misunderstanding of the content of the minutes.

4    Things never go according to plan during presentation. It could be due to our lack of opportunity to rehearse together, the lack of communication and understanding of each other’s presentation or nervousness.

Learning point and improvement: Through the presentation, I learnt the importance of informing other group members of changes made to one’s part prior to the presentation so that every member have a clear knowledge of the flow of the presentation, especially time management. As students in NUS, we all have tight schedules with many other assignments and projects taking place concurrently. However, members need to make personal effort to ensure that due diligence is done on their parts. Communication is definitely essential so that every member understands the importance of the presentation to other members.

All in all, communication, mutual understanding and time management are keys to the success of any projects and I will definitely ensure that these are adopted in future projects. This is also applicable to future project discussion in the workplace, though more emphasis has to be place on the above qualities discussed, as we will be working with people from a diverse background and age group. Thus, I am grateful for this experience for it has prepared me in many little ways towards the art of effective communication. 

Blog #2 Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

With today’s telecommunication and transportation advancements, it has allowed for immense international integration which has shaped cosmopolitan cities and cultivated cosmopolites. As we learn to be proficient citizens of the increasingly globalized world, it is inevitable that there will be frictions in the process of such substantial intercultural interaction in our everyday lives.

In a bustling cosmopolitan city like Singapore, we encounter a vast diversity of people with different cultures and nationalities daily. Intercultural interaction takes place everywhere and one such brief yet important communication between a local and a tourist for instance, is through the provision of services.  

Intercultural situation:

Sometime last year, while my family and I were having our Sunday mornings’ breakfast in MacDonald, we witnessed a pair of Caucasians youths playing the fool. The poor cashier was a petite Chinese woman in her sixties. When being asked for their orders, the youths decided to joke around with the cashier by ordering two hundred sets of happy meals and later went into hysterics. Knowing that the youths were not serious, the cashier then asked for their orders again patiently but her attempts were futile as the youths continued teasing the cashier either with ridiculous orders or her incorrect pronunciations such as pronouncing French fries as “friend fry”. Both my Dad and I (I believe many others present too) were angered by the youths’ behaviour and as we were about to intervene, the manager appeared and took control of the situation.

Evaluation:

Both my Dad and I were annoyed at the behaviour of the youths as we thought it was very disrespectful and insensitive of them to mock and tease an elderly of her pronunciations and at her profession. Being Asian, we are rather conservative and are not receptive of teasing, especially towards an elderly in which it is greatly emphasized in Asian’s culture to show utmost respect to elderlies. Therefore, to us, the youths were simply just insolent and we cannot condone the youths’ behaviour which we believed to be bad-mannered and offensive.

On the other hand, the Caucasian youths might not mean to be disrespectful. There were more liberal and might have thought of their behaviour as harmless teasing and that they were just having fun.

Through this experience, I learnt that understanding intercultural behaviour and norms are essential before visiting and interacting with people of a different cultural background as you may unintentionally offend or disrespect the other’s customs. The ability to empathize and the willingness to learn and be receptive to the culture of others will allow you to establish an effective intercultural relationship and be a proficient citizen of a globalized world. 

Blog #1 Interpersonal Conflict Situation

It is certain that one will be caught in an interpersonal conflict situation, especially in the workplace, where corporation and communication are daily essentials to sustain a long term harmonious relationship between colleagues of different personalities. One common interpersonal conflict situation would be the misinterpretation of unintentional confrontation that could severely jeopardize effective teamwork and relationships between colleagues by creating hostility and discontentment.

Interpersonal conflict situation:

People involved: Team leader John, team members Lisa and others

Context: Team is currently working on a project which is due in 3 days.  John needs the market analysis report from Lisa to strategize actions to take for the marketing campaign then present the plans to the Manager. However, it has been a week past the agreed date in which Lisa should submit the report to John. Lisa has asked John for an extension of deadline twice prior the previous 2 agreed date, citing vague personal issues. Upon receiving the 3^rd email request for further extension of deadline, John lost it and went straight to Lisa’s desk to confront her loudly in front of other colleagues present.

The confrontation:  John shouted at Lisa while pointing at her, to reprimand her lack of responsibility and to blame her for the slow progress of the project. Upon pleads of Lisa to hear her out, John stood really close to Lisa to challenge her to contest his authority as a team leader for reproaching her.

Main Problem:

In Lisa’s shoes:

Lisa was troubled with family issues at home and was constantly thinking about her problems while trying to delay report submission with vague excuses.

Problem:

Lisa allowed her emotions from home to affect her work performance and ability to submit her report in time.

Solutions:

Lisa should practice effective emotional intelligence through self- awareness and self-regulation by understanding her emotions and not let it affect her work.

Question:

What else can Lisa do to prevent such confrontation?

In John’s shoes:

1.       As John was unnerved by the urgency of Lisa’s report as the project due date was nearing, he lost his temper upon receiving Lisa’s request for deadline extension and made an impulsive confrontation towards Lisa.

2.       John wanted Lisa to take responsibility in her work and stop delaying the report submission, thus the disrespectful confrontation. John hadn’t thought of the consequences that his actions would bring.

Problem:

1.       John was overwhelmed with anger and he lets his anger took over his rationality.

2.       John was not aware that his non-verbal confrontation has distorted his intended message to Lisa and humiliated her in front of other colleagues by being so disrespectful.  

Solutions:

1.       John should practice effective emotional intelligence through self- awareness and self-regulation by understanding and controlling his emotions and not let his anger cloud his professional judgement, ruining his relationship with Lisa.  

2.       John should be aware of the important of non-verbal communication as 70% of communication is communicated through paralanguage. His shouting and finger pointing showed great disrespect. His intrusion of Lisa’s physical space made Lisa uncomfortable.

3.       John should cool himself down and ask Lisa into his office to understand why she was not able to produce her report in time and work together to finish the project in time.