The first time I walked into S9A-01-03 room, I know that I will bring something fruitful and useful back once I step out of this room. ES2007S - Professional Communication, is a module that I am taking and studying in this room. Frankly, I am not sure why Computer Engineering department decided to map ES2007S with EG1413 (Critical Thinking and Writing), which is a writing module. Even though I was supposed to have taken a module that enhance my writing capability, I knew that ES2007S will bring me something fruitful upon attending the sectional teachings.
During my first lesson, Ms Lim Lay Hoon started off by an introductory presentation, in the mean time she explained various attributes that we should be developing, such as get your hand dirty, get a peak sky view, and more. We had the first game - or rather an activity - "Survivor" in ES2007S. The rules were quite similar to the actual reality show, where three out of 4 professions will be allowed to stay while the others that are deemed "useless" will be casted away. In this activity, we were paired up to brainstorm and come up with ideas to promote ourselves so we will not be disqualified. The funny part on this "Survivor" is that we get to listen to many funny and hilarious ideas and proposals. The first day ended with laughter and satisfaction.
On the second lesson, we had another two set of skill-builder sessions and activities, which were interpreting non-verbal communication cues and active listening. We get to learn to interpret non-verbal cues and listen actively. There are areas where people couldn't interact and communicate well with each other, so this is one of the parts where I find most useful in how to deliver your message well across. In spite of the prior preparation of the self-introduction, I felt that I did not present well as I was lost for words during the presentation. By going through this module, I hope to polish up my presentation and communication skills, so that I can interact and communicate more effectively with my friends.
Just two days in attending this module, I find effective communication skills really important. If a message cannot be delivered across properly, one can misinterpret the message wrongly, causing further misunderstanding and disputes. That was probably what I thought of me in the communication with others in the past. By learning and acquiring these effective communication skills, I hope I can be a better and more confident person in conversation and presentation. Last but not least, I hope to meet more new friends in my social circle, and in the mean time foster the bonding and friendships between them.
Thanks for the upload, Jun Lin. I can see great efforts put in to revise your post - great job!
ReplyDeleteI'll give more feedback after others have had a chance to do that.
So how did you attempt to try to resolve the conflicts that arise from miscommunication back then?
ReplyDeleteI do applaud the effort you are putting in to improve yourself - be it in writing or presentation skills. That's a first step that not many people are willing to take and I do hope its not you had no choice because NUS require you to take this as a core module :)
Personally, I feel it takes a lot of practice to be able to speak with confidence and convey your message across especially if english is not your first language. So fret not, I'm sure ES2007S is the "stage for you to shine". Hope it will benefit you in your social skills!
@Ms Lim: yep, and I will try to improve my post in future =)
ReplyDelete@zhing: to be frank, whenever I almost got myself involved in a conflict, I would apologize no matter the fault is at whose. There is a chinese proverb saying that if you step back when dealing an argument, the sky will turn clear. I try to avoid conflicts and arguments as best as I could. And thanks for your feedback and I do have high expectation that ES2007S will benefit me =)
Hey blog buddy,
ReplyDeleteWe have presented well enough to be one of the survivors for the game of survivor. I must admit that it is not easy to perform public speaking but it is not that difficult to be a good speaker. With a few more practice, you will be a master on public speaking.
You have highlighted a few key learning points for the first week of lesson especially on the need to identify non-verbal cue and listen actively.
Hi Jun Lin,
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, the first element that makes me interested in taking this module is the title, while the second is the blog posts from ES2007S's previous students. This exact type of blog post that you write is the one which ultimately decide that I am taking this module. The review is a honest, concise and clear write-ups of the module.
I agree that Sam and you have done a great job in making builder the most popular job out there in the island! Also, as what Ms. Lim and Zhing have said, you are brave enough to go out from your comfort zone and tackle the weaknesses that you have. Most of the people will not dare to do that, so that is quite an achievement already! I believe ES2007S can be a stepping stone for you to overcome the weaknesses that you have. Well, hopefully not putting much burden into Ms. Lim, but I believe she can guide us magnificently.
Hey Jun Lin!
ReplyDeleteAs english is not your first language, I'm really impressed at how well you articulate your thoughts! Even I, at times, struggle to find the right words to express my feelings.
Nevertheless, thanks for contributing such a genuine post. =) Like the others before me, I want to encourage you to never give up! And to continue to stretch out of your comfort zone!
I believe with practise ( many opportunities to come!!), you'll definitely develop the art of communication and presentation by the end of this module!
Jia you, Jun Lin! See you in class tomorrow!
@Sam: Yea, I do agree that practice makes perfect, and I will keep up my good work =D
ReplyDelete@Adi: Thank you for your compliments, and I also hope that this shall be my first step to tackling my weaknesses.
@Genevieve: Thank you for your greatest support and compliments, I shall do my best in improving myself. See you in next lesson! Jia you too =D
Thanks, Jun Lin, for the detailed sharing! I can tell that a lot of hard work has been put in from the very detailed account you posted, and I really appreciate the effort.
ReplyDeleteAs I'd shared with the class, the desire to become a better communicator has to start from within. I'm glad you've decided to ignite that spark of change, moving yourself towards the productive direction of becoming a more effective communicator.
In the earlier post you uploaded, I suggested working to improve on the 'Correctness' of the post. I can see fine effort put in, and this is definitely a much improved version. In fact, you reflected on the class sessions in such great detail that I'm bowled over by how active a listener (and participant) you were, and how much you brought back!
That being said, I observed in this updated post that conciseness was forfeited in order to be accurate, correct and complete. That is a challenge many writers faced – how to present ideas in the fewest number of words possible.
I look forward to reading your next blog post, Jun Lin.