Blog post 6: Final Reflections

These few weeks have proved to be a trying yet exciting period. I have gained several important skills such as e-mail writing, meeting and teamwork skills, while refining my existing communication skills, that include oral presentation and listening skills. As such, I feel more confident and prepared in tackling the ominous working world. All the lessons that I take away with me from this module will be of much value in every aspect of my life. I have also realised that it is not easy to learn communication skills, despite how easy it sounds. I encountered several difficulties in this module, such as learning how to write concisely and clearly. I had always found writing papers relatively easy, however, the blog posts which limited the word count proved to be a laborious task. This module has taught me to articulate ideas clearly, be it on paper or verbally. I have enjoyed the challenging tasks put to me by this module, as I felt that I really gained much from it. Altogether, I know that my communication skills are much better now, than before I read the module.

This will be my final blog post, so I bid all you readers farewell. Thank you for taking the time to comment and read my posts diligently. Take care.

Blog post 5: Oral Presentation Reflection

Overall, I enjoyed delivering the presentation my group members and I came up with. We had lots of fun preparing the slides and practicing together and I felt that we as a group truly bonded.
However, I felt that my delivery during the day could have been greatly improved. Despite having practiced a few times, I stumbled a few times to find the correct words. My plan had been not to draft a speech and merely repeat it. Instead I chose to familiarize myself with the concepts and main points that I wanted to deliver during the presentation and present it immediately to appear more natural.
Simultaneously, on hindsight, the presentation slides should have been more professional looking. While attempting to create a relaxed environment for the audience, I should have employed the use of more graphs and figures instead of the comic strips. While the slides shared a common template, the animation slightly varied and that made the presentation inconsistent and distracting. Even though the intention had been to ensure that my group members were comfortable with their own animation and timing, it had its disadvantages.
Nonetheless, I was very proud of the presentation my group members and I delivered. We managed to keep within the 30 minute time limit somewhat and the main points were delivered. I felt that we had managed to produce a persuasive proposal.

Blog post 4: Intercultural communication

Communication between people of different cultures may result in confusion and misunderstanding. This is usually caused by the lack of understanding of cultures. We often think that we know about the cultures in Singapore, but this is where we’re often mistaken.

There was a time when I was at my sister’s-in-law parents’ place for her ‘mehndi’ or ‘henna’ ceremony which basically involves colouring of the bride’s hands with dye for good luck. Her Indian parents were serving food and drinks to the guests. However, having eaten before the ceremony, I was pretty full. Upon thanking the mother and refusing dinner, I realized that I had made a mistake as she was clearly offended. By refusing to eat, I had insulted her which wasn’t my intention. To make up for it, I took second helpings of the food and complimented her on the ceremony. I had initially thought that I knew a lot about the Indian culture from my constant watching of Bollywood movies, but I was clearly wrong. I’m glad to say I have learnt a lot more about the Indian culture from my sister-in-law consequently.

The importance of intercultural communication is clearly presented in the above example as I had to explain to her that I did have dinner about an hour ago but I would be glad to sample a little of everything. Instead of shying away and ignoring her, I understood her position and immediately tried to placate her to ensure that she understood I was not shunting her culture. The only way to ensure racial cohesion is by fostering intercultural communication.

Blog post 3: Application letter

Application for internship, details at: http://ejobcentre.nus.edu.sg/Jobs/jobdesc.asp?type=0&eid=4763291&jid=2212114&did=314&its=0&src=8&itn=

Dear Ms Madeleine Chong,

I am applying for the internship position as a journalist, as stated in the university’s website. Being keen and passionate, I will be grateful to be offered an opportunity to write for Singapore Press Holdings. I’m willing to learn and adapt to any environment required by the position. As a quick learner and hardworking individual, I thrive working under deadlines.

Studying Science was a path that I had always intended to undertake as I was curious about the way everything worked. As a Life Science major, I have consistently carried out research to write reports and am able to quickly grasp new concepts and ideas quickly. Such assignments often require an exceptional command of the English language, as scientific papers often deal with elaborate jargon. Details are always focused on while keeping the larger picture in mind. Framing new concepts in simple terms is a skill that I have mastered during the years. Concomitantly, should any task require scientific terminology, my years studying Science will be prove to be advantageous and applicable.

While studying in NUS, I have read several modules from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, to broaden my knowledge beyond that of the world of Science. Subjects such as Psychology and Sociology have enabled me to better understand the people while modules such as Social Issues and Economics deal with affairs of the evolving world. On several occasions, I have held interviews and surveys for my modules. From such experiences, I have learnt that communication is crucial when handling sensitive issues and I believe that I have the necessary skills.

Being a former student councillor has taught me to be initiative and brave when faced with challenging situations. Involvement in team groups such as Choir have shown the importance of teamwork as people around can often assist you to improve the final product.

I would like to reiterate my keen interest in this opportunity and hope that I will be considered for the position. I appreciate you taking the time to review my application. Thank you. Please do contact me at 96914140 should you require any additional information.

With regards,
Jihan Abdat

Blog post 2: The trouble with conflicts

Interpersonal conflict occurs so often, that most of us have acquired a manner of resolving arguments. However, the trouble is that we often employ the same approach to resolving any conflict that arises, and this should not be the case as, more often than not, disagreements are different in nature and thus should be addressed independently.

An example of a conflict that I have once been involved in was during my early university days in 2008. One of my closest junior college friends had tickets for the annual National Day parade rehearsal and she had invited our common group of friends along. However, due to limited tickets available, I was not invited. As a result, I was upset when I found out about it, especially since I was closest to her in that group of friends and I voiced out my unhappiness with the situation and we got into an argument. Back then, I dealt with it in a somewhat childish manner as I just simply stopped talking to the group of them. However, I should have approached the conflict maturely and dealt with it appropriately. The main problem was that she had assumed I was too busy to attend the rehearsal and as such, when on to invite others. While that was the main problem, several other causes made the situation worse such as our distanced friendship as I was the only one posted to NUS with everyone else having gone to NIE. Was the assumption made by my friend the main problem?

Blog post 1

Importance of effective communication skills

Communication is often taken for granted by most of us who simply dismiss it as a tool that we use all the time. Without putting too much thought into it, we actively and passively employ communication skills in everyday life and many of us, unfortunately fail to maximize the advantages of communication. Effective communication allows us to present ourselves in different ways and yet, achieve the same aim; to understand one another effectively. One’s point can be effectively brought across without any misinterpretation or misunderstanding, with any communication channel employed, even e-mails. That is the brilliance and importance of effective communication skills. Being able to master the necessary communication skills, we will be able to translate our point across any channel.

This is especially crucial for dispensing bad news to others to ensure that they understand the point you are making without unnecessary comments on your part. Being able to communicate bad news effectively is a skill that many of us are still learning to grasp, as such conflicts often arise out of such situations.

Concomitantly, effective communication skills enable us to present ourselves appropriately to the people around us, be it our tutors, future employers or simply our friends and family. With the proper skills at hand, conflicts can be minimized, enabling us to extend our social and business networks.