This module has been extremely invaluable. I had initially thought that the class would be similar to HR2002: Human Capital in Organisations. (I'm sure engineering students would know this module.) This module taught us about emotions and workplace skills, but little about how we can actually apply them in our lives. ES2007S is thus an extremely effective module. I believe it is the practical nature of most of the activities that we did and the genuine interest that everyone displayed to learn and improve themselves that created a positive environment in the class. It allowed me to be comfortable in making mistakes and trying to learn from them. Indeed, more than the skills learnt, I appreciated the value of feedback more. Often, we know what to do, but we are not sure what is impeding us from doing it right (or that we are doing it wrongly at all!). Therefore, the opportunity to share and learn from each other was truly great. :)
Another thing that I appreciated in the module is the mock interview session (and elevator pitches too!). As someone who is graduating this semester, doing well in interviews is really important to me. The chance to do a mock interview in a relaxed setting was therefore appreciated. I only wish that we had more time and chances to do re-runs of the mock interviews.
This semester has been filled up with so many presentations (mock and otherwise) that I think I have certainly gotten used to the idea of presenting better. I know what to do and what not to do when presenting my ideas. I also know my own flaws, which will help me look out for them when I am presenting. For instance, I learnt that I was a rambler, and that I speak too fast when I am nervous or excited. Plus, I tend to use words like “hence, therefore” too many times. Importantly, I learnt that it is ideal to practise not just the script, but the entirety of the presentation (i.e. slides, script, audience, gestures etc.) when u are preparing. In fact, I think I knew most of these already, but the opportunity to study them in a class setting has allowed me to focus and practise these skills better.
As for my own learning in class, I think one way I could have done better is through greater class participation. I think most times, I only spoke up when Brad called out. I could have had been a more active participant in class discussions. I think the fear of embarrassment or lack of important ideas prevented me from talking too much.
I would like to thank Brad for creating such a wonderful class atmosphere every time for us to learn and improve ourselves. Also, my classmates and especially, my group mates for sharing their enthusiasm to learn communication skills with me! It was an enjoyable learning experience. :)
Hi Priya,
ReplyDeleteIt's been my pleasure working with you for our project proposal. You are a very cooperative team player :)
I agree with what you mentioned about the setting of our class. It's really a very good environment for us to share our ideas freely without constraints.
I think I had learnt quite a bit from the way you present. You don't seem to incorporate any form of 'Singlish' and filer words.
Lastly, I wish you all the best in your future. Take good care! :)
Hi Yiqun,
DeleteThanks, it has been great working with you for the proposal too! You are a very optmistic person and have a lot of creative ideas. I think that is something that I appreciated and endeavoured to learn from you!
So, all the best for your future! Keep improving your communications skills. =)
Hi Priya,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that all of us has had many takeaways from this module through the course of the semester. Giving and receiving feedback from each other is definitely one of the highlights for me. Being aware of our own flaws will definitely help us to improve. I guess that in the real world, people will not really point out your flaws, especially if they see you as competition so that they can have an edge over you. I'm glad that we went through the interview process and peer teach it. We definitely learnt much while doing our research and reading the same things over and over again!
It has been nice knowing you and working with you. I hope that you will finish this sem up well with your final exam (forever!) and as you graduate and job hunt. Remember our interview skills and techniques ;) all the best :)
Pris
Hi Pris,
DeleteThanks, you were a wonderful peer teaching partner as well as classmate! I have always admired your calmness and poise during presentations (even though you say you are nervous at times).
All the best for you future and keep improving your communication skills! =)
Hi Priya,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad this is nothing like that HR module you mentioned! I agree that one of the greatest things about this module was how we were able to make mistakes and learn from them. I think there's so much emphasis on good performance that we tend to forget that making mistakes is one of the better ways of learning.
Like you, I liked the various applications of professional communication that we had throughout the semester. They were really useful in giving us an idea of what to expect when we go for interviews and presentations later.
It's great to know that you've also learnt a lot throughout the semester. I know I have too. :)
I hope that this learning continues past this semester so that we can better hone our skills in professional communication.
Hi Jie Ying,
DeleteI agree, I wish to continue this learning past this semester so that we can continuously hone our communication skills. You have a very good voice projection as well as ability to explain things clearly which I have really admired.
All the best for the future and keep improving your communication skills! =)
Priya,
ReplyDelete"I think the fear of embarrassment or lack of important ideas prevented me from talking too much."
That is misplaced fear, or your mind playing tricks with you. Unless what you were going to express is clearly embarrassing like perhaps you describing yourself with every possible negative adjective when asked by Brad to introduce yourself to the class, then I don't think there is legitimate reason to be embarrassed.
Look at me, was I ever embarrassed by myself when I speak my thoughts? You might not need to be completely like me, over the top sometimes, but there are small ways like the fearless nature whilst abiding by some good rule of respect for one another which you can learn. I don't claim to be perfect in communication to say that, in fact, I find myself getting more imperfect for good reason as I communicate yet more, because better knowledge and experiences humble than promote! Does that make sense? You will find that out yourself as you continue on life's journey, dear Priya.
Also, no idea is ever too unimportant to voice out. Every idea has its origin and therefore significance, because it came from out of your mind, and there is only ever one such mind! Does that make sense? The only way is that you thought other people thought your idea was unimportant, that is how is usually the case with fears like yours. In that case it is other people's fault for thinking your thoughts were unimportant. Why bother then? I'm not advocating completely not bothering about what other people may think, but there needs to be MODERATION, or control. Good things and people are all very controlled, if you can see that.
Finally you mentioned:
"In fact, I think I knew most of these already, but the opportunity to study them in a class setting has allowed me to focus and practise these skills better."
That is the thing about ES2007s, Brad publicizes about the module around NUS as if nobody knew what good communication, executive, interpersonal, intercultural, is all about. But that is not quite accurate. That isn't wrong or bad, because a salesman has to be more bias than normal about his product if he wanted it to be bought over by customers, right? I'd do the same as well, but at the same time I'd also know learning is all about recollection, and every student on the NUS campus from every faculty know what it takes to communicate effectively and well, unless they are mentally backward, which they aren't! The real purpose of ES2007s is *usually* not to impart new skills or ideas about communication as much as *helping students to recall and remember what those skills are*. Does that make sense?
Students took up ES2007s not because they didn't know what good and effective communication skills were, RATHER, THEY FORGOT WHAT THEY WERE! Trust me on this dear Priya, and anyone reading this as well. They forgot what they were is as good as not knowing what the skills were, and so we find almost every ES2007s student saying what they say!
That is the consequence that you get to solve with ES2007s, Brad refreshes all our memories with the skillbuilders, picks us through peer teaching, resumes, interpersonal and intercultural, then finally the all important writing assignment and oral presentation. And the good thing about all these are structurally and methodically taught at a reasonable pace and quantitative measures, facilitating the recollection of the knowledge you and I already know.
Intelligence is more closely related to the power and acuity of recollection rather than bland knowledge, which is to say you are intelligent when you can use the knowledge with ease. Make sense?
In any case, I enjoyed yours and your classmates' posts all throughout the semester, and it was a pleasure getting to know you by what you wrote.
Cheers
Hi Mark,
DeleteThanks for taking the time to comment on my post!:)
Firstly, yes I have to agree that there is no unimportant idea. In this case, I think it was partly my own personal inhibitions as well as the perceived quality of my ideas that prevented me from talking more actively in class. I am still in the process of overcoming my inhibition towards talking actively in class (there's so many years of non-participation in engineering classes to contend with :P). I'm working towards it by aiming to voice out my opinions at least thrice in each class.
As for your second comment, I have to agree with you again. Perhaps it is because I'm in the final year, so I have gone for some career workshops/talks that drill similar concepts/skills into us. However, Brad's usage of skill builders and practical yet fun activities allow us to finally apply and practise these required skills in a relaxed setting! I have always believed intelligence to be the ability to understand and reason about things, as opposed to recollection of knowledge. Regardless, I am really glad I came for this class. Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes. I intend to continously hone those skills that Brad has taught us in future, work or otherwise. =)
Thank you, Priya, for this excellent final reflection! I appreciate the way you initiate this post by comparing what you felt the approach was in that other module to ours in ES2007S. That sets up the expectation that you are going to discuss how practical our activities and exercise were, and you do just that. It's good too that you focus on all the feedback, for indeed in receiving comments on our efforts, we can see from various perspectives what and how we've done. You explain this clearly and concisely. You also focus on some of our assignments, and you explain the challenges that you faced, some of your weaknesses, and then, your learning.
ReplyDeleteThe way you face your own inadequacies in this reflection makes it open and honest, in much the same way that you would offer feedback to classmates in debriefing sessions. I saw that in your own uneasiness after the OP as well (though I think you too hard on yourself). Still, all of this makes for a resounding learning experience. This is what inspires me about working with students here at NUS. Often times, they go beyond the call of duty and really confront their own demons, questioning their own behaviors, analyzing their own motivations. You've been able to do that through out the term, Priya, and I can see that you are learning from that in a very significant way.
I appreciate the great effort and all your many contributions to our group. This is just one stage of your learning journey, of course. I wish you the best as you continue!
Dear Priya,
ReplyDeleteIt was fun working with you! I appreciate that you put in your fair share of effort despite being busy with your 4th year modules! I also wished that we had more mock interviews, as this module is probably one of the only settings that we can get feedback from the interviews (you can always get a friend or colleague to comment on your resume/letter/report, or look in the mirror when practising for a presentation, but for an interview it is quite impossible). Like you said, the feedback had made us aware of flaws gone unnoticed by us, and realising our mistakes is the first step to improving! I wish you all the best in your job hunting - the skills that you have learnt in this module would definitely come in handy!
Bokai