I'm sure all of us feel the nostalgia as this semester comes to an end. I'm still thankful, though, for not having to wake up at 5.30 in the morning to make it for class at 8am on a Monday! The very last activity we had was solemn and I must say, it was a good way to end the lesson. It set me thinking, we've been 'learning' professional communication to secure jobs, secure business deals etc, but have we stopped to think how we can use what we've learnt and apply it to matters we hold dear?
Reflecting, the most important life skill I've picked up is perseverance. Beginning with the end in mind is lip service easily paid. Beginning with the end in mind and enduring the process towards the end takes much effort and, most importantly perseverance. Indeed, perseverance is painful but at the end, you only reap what you sow. One thing for sure after you've endured till the end, you will stand to gain. That's what education or anything in life is all about isn't it?
How many of us still keep that piece of paper of first impressions? Do others' impression of you match what you think you are? I felt that the first classroom interaction we had was very meaningful. I do not think that there will be any other chance for you to get opinions on what peoples' first impression are of you. This is surely a good way to work on some things you thought you never had.
As the course progressed, we became more familiar with each other and probably felt less inhibited to speak up. Personally, before this course, I did not place much emphasis on non-verbal cues in a social situation. Now, I am more sensitive to the non-verbal cues on top of being clear and concise in such situations. In addition, I feel that because of the interactions in class, we have all moved on from being classmates to being friends. It is probably true that like-minded individuals with a common mindset are more able to click. From this course, I believe that birds of a feather flock together, rather than opposites attract. I cannot imagine two individuals with opposite mindsets - "I think the workload is ok" and "I think the workload is very heavy" will click.
The blogging component has led me to be more sensitive towards others, especially when giving comments. Also, I have learnt to put in more thought when communicating via a blog. Although a blog is a platform for you to air your views, it has to be done with sparing a thought for others. (Remember that in Singapore, lawsuits can be filed against you for "improper" blog posts).
Finally, this whole course has been enriching. The most essential skill (communication wise) I've learnt is to learn more about resolving conflicts. Of course, I think this course wouldn't work if we do not receive feedback and Ms Lim has done this well (I thought that she was a video recorder for our peer teaching). I guess people may end their blog by saying "Ok! 7Cs. I should end". For me, I'd end this final blog post by saying a big thank you to everyone - especially to Ms Lim, for making this journey of ES2007s a very enriching experience.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The 'Big' Day
The highlight (to me) of this course is finally over! What a relief! The preparation for the oral presentation certainly was blood, sweat and tears! Blood because you get high blood pressure dealing with a computer. Sweat because the weather leading up to the oral presentation was extremely humid and hot. Tears because the long hours in front of the computer caused the dry eyes thus resulting in (lots of) tears production. However, I felt that it was all worth it after watching our own recorded presentation. All of us have indeed put in much effort to make this presentation a success!
I am thankful for my two team mates - Lisu and Mark. Lisu certainly has great (artistic/creative) ideas while Mark lessens the pain when dealing with Powerpoint. In fact, I would say our communication between our team is excellent (which brings me back to the point made in my first blog post - Mutual Understanding). For the preparation of the slides, each of us had taken the initiative to complete whatever is left from the first person who started working on the slides. We understand that everyone is busy with regards to tests, assignments etc. Thus, we are able to have the initiative to 'cover up' for each other. Unfortunately, we still had to meet in school on a Sunday, the day just before the oral presentation. Although we had rehearsed a couple of times prior to Sunday, we still had to be in school from 10am - 5pm to perfect our presentation. Having a group member from the School of Computing (SoC) is definitely an added advantage. We were able to use a room that is similar to the size of our classroom with a projector to simulate the conditions in our classroom.
For the delivery of the presentation, I felt that all of us have improved tremendously. Personally, I had taken my very first bold step of giving a presentation without having to memorize/read a script. That was an accomplishment for me. For the past 2.5 years, I've had to give many presentations. For each of the presentations, I had wanted to present spontaneously (without memorizing/reading). But I did not have the courage to do it because they were for core modules and the usual thinking pops out - 'what if I forget? what if I don't know what to say? what if I don't know how to answer?' So, I am indeed thankful for this module to give me the chance of doing what I've always thought about doing.
I felt that I was more confident compared to the time during the Peer Teaching presentation. I find that I had also made less frequent pauses (maybe it's due to the fact that I didn't have to search my memory for what to say). Indeed, I find having a spontaneous presentation will help with the smooth flow of presentations. There is a downside though - countless practice, practice and practice. For the peer teaching, I had practiced in front of a mirror. However, I find that I am unable to look at myself in the mirror to give the presentation. For the oral presentation, it was different. Slowly, and eventually, I managed to overcome the self-consciousness and was able to look at myself in the mirror. It was definitely a confidence booster! This also helped me with regards to having eye contact with the audience. During the Peer Teaching feedback session, Ms Lim commented that I was staring into space. That I have to agree. It was different for the oral presentation. I found that I had not much difficulty having eye contact with the audience, and that helped me to relax after awhile.
That being said, being spontaneous may also result in forgetting to mention the main points! I had actually missed out a few points that I wanted to mention. I asked Lisu if she noticed that I had missed out a few points. Thankfully she didn't. Hopefully this would mean that the audience is able to see the flow of my presentation as well!
For the slides, I must say credit goes to Mark for designing the background of the slide (it was not a template), drawing the "partitioned rubbish chute. Overall, the slides were pleasing to the eye. Earlier on, we overlooked some parts like having more than 2 lines per point etc. We worked on the feedback given and spent 1.5 hours making sure that the 6*7 rule was followed, logos were not covered, better quality photos were used.
Thank you Mark and Lisu!
A pity that I was unable to make it for class on Thursday. I love to see all my classmates present. I can see that Team Energy has made improvements from the time we had Peer Teaching presentations though. Great job guys! I'm sure the rest of the class would have improved by working on Ms Lim's feedback as well.
I am thankful for my two team mates - Lisu and Mark. Lisu certainly has great (artistic/creative) ideas while Mark lessens the pain when dealing with Powerpoint. In fact, I would say our communication between our team is excellent (which brings me back to the point made in my first blog post - Mutual Understanding). For the preparation of the slides, each of us had taken the initiative to complete whatever is left from the first person who started working on the slides. We understand that everyone is busy with regards to tests, assignments etc. Thus, we are able to have the initiative to 'cover up' for each other. Unfortunately, we still had to meet in school on a Sunday, the day just before the oral presentation. Although we had rehearsed a couple of times prior to Sunday, we still had to be in school from 10am - 5pm to perfect our presentation. Having a group member from the School of Computing (SoC) is definitely an added advantage. We were able to use a room that is similar to the size of our classroom with a projector to simulate the conditions in our classroom.
For the delivery of the presentation, I felt that all of us have improved tremendously. Personally, I had taken my very first bold step of giving a presentation without having to memorize/read a script. That was an accomplishment for me. For the past 2.5 years, I've had to give many presentations. For each of the presentations, I had wanted to present spontaneously (without memorizing/reading). But I did not have the courage to do it because they were for core modules and the usual thinking pops out - 'what if I forget? what if I don't know what to say? what if I don't know how to answer?' So, I am indeed thankful for this module to give me the chance of doing what I've always thought about doing.
I felt that I was more confident compared to the time during the Peer Teaching presentation. I find that I had also made less frequent pauses (maybe it's due to the fact that I didn't have to search my memory for what to say). Indeed, I find having a spontaneous presentation will help with the smooth flow of presentations. There is a downside though - countless practice, practice and practice. For the peer teaching, I had practiced in front of a mirror. However, I find that I am unable to look at myself in the mirror to give the presentation. For the oral presentation, it was different. Slowly, and eventually, I managed to overcome the self-consciousness and was able to look at myself in the mirror. It was definitely a confidence booster! This also helped me with regards to having eye contact with the audience. During the Peer Teaching feedback session, Ms Lim commented that I was staring into space. That I have to agree. It was different for the oral presentation. I found that I had not much difficulty having eye contact with the audience, and that helped me to relax after awhile.
That being said, being spontaneous may also result in forgetting to mention the main points! I had actually missed out a few points that I wanted to mention. I asked Lisu if she noticed that I had missed out a few points. Thankfully she didn't. Hopefully this would mean that the audience is able to see the flow of my presentation as well!
For the slides, I must say credit goes to Mark for designing the background of the slide (it was not a template), drawing the "partitioned rubbish chute. Overall, the slides were pleasing to the eye. Earlier on, we overlooked some parts like having more than 2 lines per point etc. We worked on the feedback given and spent 1.5 hours making sure that the 6*7 rule was followed, logos were not covered, better quality photos were used.
Thank you Mark and Lisu!
A pity that I was unable to make it for class on Thursday. I love to see all my classmates present. I can see that Team Energy has made improvements from the time we had Peer Teaching presentations though. Great job guys! I'm sure the rest of the class would have improved by working on Ms Lim's feedback as well.
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