Reflections!

Through this enriching communication module, I have learned the importance of effective communication. In my first blog post, I mentioned that effective communication skills allow efficient sharing of ideas and thus, hasten the completion of a group project. I manage to see the efficacy of effective communication during the various ES2007s group project meetings. For instance, I find it difficult to truly understand the views of my group members if all of us are talking at the same time. This situation is evident during the several phone conferencing that I had with Dinesh and Terence. Through these meetings, I learn to be an active listener and to evaluate every suggestion given by my group members critically.

This course also provides me a valuable learning experience to practice my presentation and interviewing skills. After going through the mock interview and the group presentation, I realized that I have lot of room for improvement in these aspects. My performance paled in comparison with that of my other course-mates. During both occasions, I felt rather uneasy and nervous speaking to my other course-mates. I definitely need more practice in order to shake off my stage fright and uneasiness during a presentation.

Besides, this module also teaches me how to write a persuasive resume and job application letter. In addition, the preparation of these materials allows me to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses and also enable me to search for a job that I desire. Futhermore, this course provides me a fulfilling blogging experience. Prior to this course, I set up a blog to record my daily experience in Stockholm,Sweden. However, my interest died off after several blog post as I did not receive many comments. I had the impression that my friends back in Singapore were not reading my blog entries. In contrast, for this Es2007s blog, I received a fair amount of constructive feedbacks from Brad and my Blogging group members. This had motivated me to comment regularly on my blogging group members' blog posts.

Lastly, I would like to thank my course tutor, Brad, and my other beloved course-mates who had made this course so interactive, enriching and enlightening to me. All the best to everyone reading this blog post!

My Oral Presentation

I really struggled during the presentation of my slides today. Seeing the excellent performance of the other two groups, I felt really nervous and worried for my presentation. During my presentation, I had difficulties expressing my thoughts and I missed out quite a bit of points. Some of the sentences that I would like to say include “Our group had used information from ICCS homepage in the formulation of our survey questions and also in the analysis of the survey question.” and “Our group felt that it is quite imperative to inform the public about the current beach conditions and also educate them about the negative impact that beach litters pose on us and our environment.” As a result, I felt that my presentation was quite incomplete. Also, I went through my slides pretty fast. This was probably due to my innate reflex when I had nothing more to describe. I should have taken a few seconds to gather my thoughts instead of just rushing through my presentation. I am not really sure whether my disappointing presentation got anything to do with my preparative work- writing down what I want to say and memorizing them. Perhaps, my stream of thoughts was affected by my four hours of sleep this morning. Anyway, I shall end with the video which we did not have the chance to show during our presentation.

Biodata!

I am Terry Ho Chao Jin. I am a Singaporean whose past education experience include six years at Chongful primary school, four years at Anderson Secondary school and two years at Victoria Junior college. Currently, I am a life-sciences (concentrating in Biomedical science) undergraduate the National University of Singapore (NUS). After completing my undergraduate degree next year, I plan to continue with postgraduate studies. I choose this major because I am an inquisitive person who enjoys the investigative nature of doing scientific research.

Character-wise, I am a person who is hardworking, amicable, caring and patient. In contrast, some of the negative qualities that I have include the lack of self-confidence and leadership. I hope to improve on these negative points by striking more conversation with other students and probably take more initiatives to lead during group project work. I have a wide range of interests which include oil-painting, photography, shopping and sport activities such as squash, running and swimming.

Last semester, I embarked on an exchange programme at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. The study environment in this university was quite different from that of NUS. All the modules that were offered were biomedical related. In addition, the number of students enrolled into each courses was comparatively smaller (at around 50). My overseas stint also made me realized that I actually take joy in travelling. The several travelling opportunities that I had in Europe were fulfilling and also enabled me to develop better time-management and interpersonal skills. This was because I was required to conduct intensive research of the places of interest and search for affordable accommodation. During each trip, I had ample opportunities to interact with the local as well as exchanging valuable travelling tips with other avid travelers. In future, I do hope that i can find a job that can provide many travelling opportunities.

Communication issue

A communication issue that I faced recently occurred during a meeting with a professor. As I intend to take up a Final Year Project (FYP) next semester, I have been busily emailing professors to arrange meeting with them in order to find out more about their field of research. I have emailed a total of nine professors and only managed to chat with three of them. The six other professors replied directly to me that they would not be taking in more honours students in the coming semesters as their laboratories were packed. I shall give an account of my encounter with the first professor, Professor A.

Firstly, I was asked by Professor A whether I had read any of her journals. In response, I told her that I read several and briefly touched on the main gist of one of the journals. Prior to the meeting with Professor A, I merely read up the journals published by Professor A as I was “told” in her email that she would gladly present her research interest to me during the meeting. Thus, I was anticipating the meeting to be a platform for me to discover the type of FYP that she could offer me. Secondly, Professor A asked me about my CAP score and whether I could better my current score. I honestly replied her that it would be rather difficult to raise my CAP score to 4.5. Towards the end of the meeting, Professor A took down my contact details. However, Professor A added that there was no confirmation of allocating a FYP to me and I am free to look for other professors. Professor A told me to read through her journals and propose something that I can work on.

One week later, I found out from my friend that Professor A had already given a FYP to a friend of his. Thus, I am in a dilemma now. I am not sure whether I still stand a chance if I send her FYP proposal now. In addition, Can you please give me suggestions on how to secure a FYP?

Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

I remembered vividly a scenario which changed my perspective towards a welcoming ceremony. This intercultural situation occurred during my visit to a Maori cultural centre in Rotorua, a city in the north island of New Zealand. The Maori are indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. After meeting with our guide at the entrance of the cultural centre, we were led into an indoor theatre. All of us sat down hastily as we were eager to watch the welcome performance on the stage. Soon, twelve traditionally dressed Maori tribesmen marched into the stage. After arranging their positions on the stage, these half-naked men started shouting at the top of their voices furiously. In coordination to their ear-splitting roars, they performed precise hand actions, like slapping of their chest and thigh. Furthermore, these fierce-looking performers had scary face tattoos and were staring at us throughout the performance. All these elements of the welcome performance made me felt uneasy and nervous.

After the performance, one of the performers explained to us about the importance of the customary display. I learned that the performance that was put up was actually a Maori war dance called “Hakka”. This dance was originally performed by Maori warriors before a battle. Its purpose was to proclaim strength and prowess of the warriors so as to intimidate the opposition. Nowadays, the Haka constitutes an integral part of welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors. This experience was totally different from any form of welcome ceremony that I had participated in or read about. Before attending this event, I always had an impression that performances put up during welcome ceremonies would be light-hearted and entertaining. Through this overseas experience, I realized that I should learn to be more receptive to different cultural traditions.

Business Correspondence Critique

The following is a business letter that is addressed to my mother:

Dear Madam

Budget 2009: One-off Income Tax Rebate for the Year of Assessment 2009 “Defer GIRO” Option for Individual Income Tax Instalment

One-off Income Tax Rebate

To help taxpayers cope with the economic downturn, the government is giving a one-off income tax rebate of 20%, up to a maximum cap of $2,000, for the tax payable for Year of Assessment (YA)2009. This rebate will be applied on income earned in year 2008 by all individual tax residents. IRAS will compute this rebate automatically. You do not need to apply for it.

“Defer GIRO” Option for individual Income Tax Instalment

To help ease the cash flow problem which some taxpayers may be experiencing, taxpayers who are on GIRO instalment payments are given an option to defer their income tax instalment payments on the tax payable for YA 2009 such that the GIRO deductions will start in August 2009 and end in April 2010. There will be no deductions from May 2009 to July 2009. Please refer to the appendix for more information on how your instalment payments would be affected if you opt for the deferment.

Sign Up by 15 March 2009

If you wish to opt for your instalment payments to start in August 2009, you can sign up online at the IRAS website (http://www.xxxxx) from 9 february to 15 March 2009, using your SingPass. You will be granted the instalment deferment once you have signed up and no further changes can be made. Singaporeans (including Permanent Residents), Employment Pass Holders, Entrepreneur Pass Holders and S-Pass Holders may apply for a SingPass website (http://www.xxxxxx).
If you do not have a SingPass or if you need any clarifications on the above, please email us at XXXXXXX or call XXXXXXXX for assistance.

Yours faithfully

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The above letter is in a block format with open punctuation. On the positive side, this letter contains all the necessary standard components of a business letter. Besides, the writer delivers the good news message in a very direct, clear-cut way. Bold Subheadings which precisely summarise the main idea of each paragraph enable the reader to find information of interest quickly in this letter. In addition, the letter contains very specific information such as the definite amount of tax rebate and the deadline of application of the “Defer GIRO” Option. Furthermore, different channels for the application of the “Defer GIRO” Option and enquires are explicitly presented. These factors add up to the concreteness and completeness of this letter.

However, there are some minor flaws which can be improved on. For instance, the length of the first sentence of the second paragraph is too long and this may cause the reader to lose concentration.In addition, there is an incorrect use of a dangling modifier. This sentence can be improved by splitting it up to several shorter statements and avoiding the use of the dangling modifier. Another imperfection that can be rectified is the cohesion of certain sentences. For example, the last two sentences of the first paragraph do not flow smoothly. To achieve smooth transitions between these sentences, conjunctions like “as” can probably be used.

Solutions to an interpersonal conflict

I shall describe an interpersonal conflict situation that happened during a backpacking trip in Europe. A (female) and B (male) were two university students who were assigned exchange programme places at the same foreign university in Europe. Both of them only got to know each other two months before the start of their exchange programme. They contacted each other usually via email and rarely met face to face to develop a better understanding of each other personality. As this was the first trip for A and B to Europe, both of them hoped to visit some of the famous monuments and cities in Europe. Thus, they decided to embark on a month-long backpacking trip before the start of the autumn term.

On the second day of the trip, A suddenly told B not to follow her anymore in a furious tone before storming away. B was totally stunned and totally puzzled of A’s unexpected reaction. On the first day of the trip, A took a more proactive role. She was always reading off the map to find directions to different destinations – train station, hostel or places of interest etc. When in doubt, A would take the initiatives to seek directions from the locals. However, B took a more “backseat” role. He would just tag along with A and was more engrossed in taking photos. The sudden irate reaction by A was probably triggered by B “laid-back” attitude – not volunteering himself to seek out for directions.

Thus, what would be the appropriate actions that B could carry out so as to resolve this unpleasant interpersonal Conflict?

Importance of effective communication

Effective communication skills are valuable tools especially in situations where there are constant needs for interactions. Being tactful and mindful of our speech, we can avoid unnecessary misunderstanding with other individuals. As active listeners, we are more likely to understand the needs of the other party. Thus, these skills enable good relationships to be fostered and maintained.

In project work where teamwork and cooperation are key ingredients to success, effective communication skills act as catalyst to hasten the process. This is because ideas and suggestions can be shared quickly among group members, enabling the group to come to an agreement quickly. In addition, instructions can be disseminated accurately between the leader and the members. These factors allow the project to be completed hastily. The importance of these skills can also be utilized in other activities. For instance, in team sports events like soccer, swift “communication” between players is one of the crucial factors for a victory. However, the hastening effect of effective communication skills is applicable only if each of the team members is cooperative enough to contribute his or her parts. I remembered doing a project for a module titled “Remote sensing” with a fyp(final year project) history student. He did not complete the part that he was assigned to do. Instead, he just kept on assuring me and my friend that he would complete his part and always stressed that he was bogged down with his fyp. In the end, I and my friend had to help him to complete his part.

Besides, effective Communication skills are essential during travelling. Wandering in foreign places where we hardly speak or understand the local language, non-verbal communication skills such as hand signs may be helpful when we want to clear our doubts or ask for directions. In addition, as we are aware of the local customs and practice, we are less likely to do actions that offend them. I do feel that effective communication skills are important during travelling. During my secondary school geography trip to New Zealand, I encountered an embarrassing situation. I was unaware that the mode of greeting by the Maoris is by the rubbing of noses. Thus, I was momentarily stunned when a maori warrior came really close to me. In the end, he had to press my head so as to commence the nose rubbing action. On another trip to a small town in Austria, I had a difficult time communicating with locals. This is because the majority of the dwellers are elderly who speak only German. Fortunately, I am able to ask for directions by showing them a tourist map, the name of the place of attraction and also by using basic hand signs for going “straight”, “left” or “right”.

Lastly, effective communication skills are lifesaving tools in situations of emergency. For example, if we discover a bomb in a bus, the damages are reduced if we can convey what we discover quickly to the police.