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.
Yea! Once again I'm the first person to post here! Yes, from what I have read, you have definitely put in much more thought into this final blog post compared to your very first one. I agree with you that birds of the same feather flock together. But sometimes, the bird with a different colour leads the flock. I feel that there are also situations in which we need to have a different opinion in order to have improvement and stand out, just like how you choose to end your post.
ReplyDeleteHaha! You can remember my very first post? I think Lisu will be jealous.
ReplyDeleteYes, being outstanding to lead is good. However, sometimes people tend to be out(side)standing. So I guess, one has to be balanced. We can then apply our communication skills to inspire people or to resolve conflicts within our group.
Aren't you thankful that I "forced" you to take this module:)
ReplyDeleteI am glad that we all managed to pick up some skills from this module and that we are able to work together in this module. There are many things that I learnt and can learn from you during this module, for instance your writing style, the way you persuade your audience and how you are able to express my idea in a more comprehensive and persuasive manner.
Haha, nice!
ReplyDeleteI like your idea about communication in our daily life. When it come to classes and workshop about it, things tends to get serious (job application, interview, presentation) that we forgot that we also communicate in our daily life as well. Because of the the last activity was especially interesting, as it make us asks think more about that aspect
Mark