Final Reflection

ES2007 is one of the most interesting, enjoyable and practical module that I had taken so far. I see every ES2007 class as a platform for me to make mistakes, get timely feedback and learn from those mistakes. I value every learning opportunity given to me and constantly seek to improve myself, in a hope of being a more effective and confident speaker. In the process of it all, I've gained several insights of myself as an individual, as well as a speaker. I give Brad the credit for making an effort to conduct every lesson in the most enriching and interesting way possible.

Before taking this module, I never deem non-verbal communication and body language to be essential features for any oral presentation or speech. When I was assigned to give presentations during junior college, I tend to focus more on the content and the delivery rather than the non-verbal. However, my whole perspective about oral presentation changed after taking this module.  I've learnt that in any presentation, non-verbal is equally as essential as the verbal. Take for instance; eye contact, the most fundamental non-verbal communication required for any presentation. In the past, eye contact was something that I would try to avoid when presenting in front of a large group of people. The fear of awkwardness and intimidation deterred me from establishing eye contact with my audience. I would thus glance through my audience swiftly and fixed my eyes anywhere except the audiences’ eyes. However, through the multiple drilling and practice sessions during class, I've learnt the importance of eye contact. To be an effective speaker, eye contact is necessary so as to  engage and capture the attention of the audience.

One of the most memorable experiences from this module was the mock interviews conducted. I was enthralled by the excellent opportunity to play the dual roles of being an interviewer and an interviewee. We had to put on our Hollywood acting skills to create the right interview atmosphere and to make the whole interview process as genuine as possible. My very own interview experience was a really fantastic one as I got a “veteran” interviewer Zhi wei to interview me. I recalled that some of her mind blowing questions got me stumped at several occasions and I was forced to think on the spot and answer her to get my way through the interview. That top notch Hollywood interview experience as mentioned by Brad felt so surreal and I've learnt a lot from it. Before I step into the interview’s room in future, I am sure to do research about the company, prepare potential interview questions and be as confident as I can.

And most of it all, I had very fun and encouraging research group team mates who made the project more bearable and less mundane. We could share our ideas boldly and were not shy in expressing our opinions during project discussion. Every one of us have our own distinctive style and it was thus crucial to be flexible and adaptive to accommodate to those different styles. I like the fact that we had established great rapport by the end of the project and I thank Christopher, Samantha and XiaoWei for being such an awesome bunch of team mates.

In conclusion, I've gained a lot of useful insights and feedback through the course of this module and I enjoyed every single lesson conducted by Brad. Once again, I thank Brad for being such a supportive and encouraging tutor who yearns to watch his students improve along the way, and I am also thankful for all the wonderful friends that I've made from this class.

SHARLENE J

Reflections on oral presentation

The final oral presentation I had was a really practical and good learning experience from me. I vividly recalled my heart pounding anxiously when xiao wei was giving her presentation. At my seat, I repetitively remind myself that I have a good bunch of audience and there was really nothing for me to be afraid of.

This oral presentation was beneficial as it provided me with relevant and instant feedback of my own oral presentation skills. Being a naturally fast speaker, this trait of mine was carried forward when I was giving my actual oral presentation. As a result, some of my audience actually lost me along the way.

Also, Brad shared with the class that despite me sounding soothing during my oral presentation, I sounded commanding as well on the other hand. I did not really get his point at that point of time but I started to recall on the various aspects of my oral presentation (which includes the intonation, articulation of words, volume etc).  To my surprise, I realised that in an attempt to sound persuasive, I sounded commanding instead when I was trying to place greater emphasis on certain ideas then.

With regards to the visual aids during oral presentation, I certainly agree that minimal words during a presentation would capture the maximal attention of the audience. Like what Brad had mentioned, the main aim of an oral presentation is to successfully engage and capture the audience’s attention as well as to bring forth the main idea in the simplest way possible. Those excessive words on my slides actually diverted the 

audience’s attention away from me to the screen instead.

In conclusion, for my future oral presentations, I would definitely make a conscious effort to speak lower, to be more tactful when placing emphasis during presentation and to prepare slides with as minimal words as possible. I am now more mindful of my flaws and would continuously make an effort to improve them. I felt that this mock school setting oral presentation provided me with an excellent opportunity to get a taste of what an actual oral presentation could be like in the working world. I had gained several useful insights of my own oral presentation and it was definitely a memorable experience.

Fostering Intercultural Communication

Culture is what identifies a group of people, is a shared and learnt human way of living and is intangible.  I am fascinated by the plethora of cultures present in the world today. There’s so much to learn from one another’s culture and I always feel that it would be very interesting to adapt to a foreign culture for a stipulated period of time to experience their lifestyle, language spoken and their way of communication.

Whenever we want to seek a stranger’s attention, it is the norm for most Singaporeans to either nudge that particular person, tap the person on his/her shoulders, or call out to that person. I was the stranger when I was holidaying with my cousin in Amsterdam. We were on a one hour boat ride around the city centre of Amsterdam and capturing as many pictures as we could was our top priority. The stunning surroundings amazed us completely and we paid little attention to the people around us. I was totally unaware that I had stepped out of my seating boundaries and intruded into the captain’s area.

Suddenly, I felt an arm around my shoulder and was taken aback. When I turned and saw the captain with his warm arms around me, I understood his non-verbal cues instantly and retreated back to my seat. He did not utter a single word to me; all he did was smile. I was actually standing right in front of the steering wheel, obstructing the captain from starting the engine. His way of getting my attention was something very different from the Asian culture. It dawned onto me that all of us are unique individuals who communicate our ideas differently. Culture is what symbolizes us and give us our own identity. If I had the opportunity to reside in Amsterdam for a longer period of time, I deem it necessary to adapt to their lifestyle, read up more about their cultural norms and behaviour, so as to enhance my ability to interact with the people there.

Culture is that invisible bond that holds people in a community together. The different cultures in the world have brought about diversity in the ways of life and that is what makes every community different. All of us have been moulded by our own culture and this in turn shapes our values, beliefs and perspectives in life.

Application Letter Critique

Hi everyone, this is the link to the job position that i am applying for.

http://www.singstat.gov.sg/careers/careers.html#career

This is my application letter.

Sharlene Tan Yanying

7 Kent Ridge Road

Singapore 119119

94738921

sharlene_91@gmail.com

20 February 2013

Department of Statistics Singapore

100 High Street #05-01

The Treasury

Singapore 179434

To: The Hiring Manager of Statistics Singapore

Application for position one of Management Executive Officer (Statistical)

I am writing to express my interest for the Management Executive Officer position in Department of Statistics Singapore. I am expecting to graduate from National University of Singapore (NUS) with a 2^nd Class Honours degree in Statistics and Applied Probability (specializing in finance). I would like to start off my career with Statistics Singapore as it is well known to be professional in dealing with national statistics and also for the top notch services that it provides.

At NUS, I have undergone an all rounded education experience that combined the analytical, theoretical and research skills in the science arena as well as the creativity in the arts education. I have also become competent in the various computer packages for statistical work and my familiarity would serve good use in managing statistical database and information confidently and accurately. I have also been trained in statistical research and analysis of data during my course of my study in NUS. Thus, I consider the studying of Statistics and applied probability to be highly applicable and relevant for the above post, and am confident to carry out my duties efficiently and effectively

During my summer vacation, I was attached to a company as a surveyor to do data collection and conduct surveys in public. That job experience gave me a new insight of how actual data analysis was being conducted, and I believe that I am equipped with the fundamental skills of data collection, processing and compilation. I am confident that I am a well suited candidate who will contribute positively to the company.

Thank you for taking time to review my application and would appreciate an interview with you at your convenience.  I can be reached in confidence at the above telephone number or by email at sharlene_91@gmail.com and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Faithfully,

Sharlene Tan (Ms.)

Resolving interpersonal conflict

The Dilemma

All five of us could never contain our excitement whenever we were on the topic of graduation trip. However, our discussions were never fruitful; the destination was an issue. The failure to come to a common consensus on the destination was impeding us all from realizing our holiday dreams. Two friends were involved in hampering the whole decision making process, namely A and B.

It has always been A’s dreams to venture to Japan. In college, she never fail to integrate Japan and “Arashi”, her favourite Japanese band, into our daily conversations. She loved Japan and was at the level of beseeching us to explore Japan with her. On the other hand, B favoured Japan’s neighbour, Korea more. Like A, she always shared with us how the dynamic Korean culture intrigues her and she was well known for being the Korea enthusiast. Due to their dominant characters, none of them were willing to compromise and the five of us were constantly stuck in this stage of planning. Voting was never the way out to relief C,D and I from the agony of being trapped in between the two conflicting people. Even if one of them were to be out casted, neither of them would step back and go with the majority.

This compelled C, D and I to step in and take charge. Since all three of us were more keen towards Korea, we approached A and verbalized our thoughts and opinions. The disappointment in A’s face left all of us speechless. We had made several attempts beforehand to convince A to change her mind but to no avail.On a serious tone, A suggested that we carry on with our holiday plans without her and assured us that she did not mind forgoing the trip. All of us pondered for a long while before agreeing on the least ideal decision, which was to proceed with our trip without A.

Things went awry when A learnt about our confirmed air tickets. She was in an upheaval state and refused to speak to any of us for months. Our initially strong friendships turned sour and we were all regretful for what had happened.

I came to a realization that all five of us should shoulder the blame for failing to consider one another’s feelings, especially those from A. Although she gave us the assurance that she did not mind giving the trip a miss, but I am certain now that she secretly hoped that we did not exclude her at that point of time. All we cared was to prioritize our own interests first and that self-centred mentality destroyed the solid relationship we were building on then. Through the years, I have always been wondering if there exists a perfect solution out of that predicament then.

In your opinion, what do you think would be the most ideal way to solve this interpersonal conflict, being fully aware that both parties were determined not to give in?

Why effective communication is important to me?

Communication is an activity involving words, body language and gestures, facial expressions and tone. Effective communication is the ability of the speaker to convey the message accurately and for the listener to understand the full meaning of the message. It certainly involves the undivided attention of both the speaker and the active listener for good communication to take place.

Communication is a daily activity and is essential in every aspect of our lives. We meet people from all walks of life every day. When we converse with people from diverse cultures, backgrounds and race, it is important that we hold proper conversations as their way of living and perspective would be different from us. Effective communication is therefore essential so that we are mindful not to offend and convey the intended message without any ambiguity.

In this competitive society, being able to communicate effectively gives one an advantage over others. It certainly portrays the confident side of the individual, and creates a positive image of the person. When competing for intriguing job positions, the person with the right communication tactics and ability to express and promote himself/herself ideally gets the job. People who can speak well enlist support easily and are also empowered with the ability to lead. This helps them to work their way up the social ladder efficiently. In the workforce, interpersonal relationship among colleagues can be strengthened via active and effective communication. By voicing out, one is expressing his/her thoughts freely and allowing their ideas and opinions be heard. This could result in fewer misunderstandings and create a more peaceful working environment.

I certainly agree that communicating efficiently is an important skill for everyone to grasp. Being a good communicator definitely adds value to us as individuals and is beneficial in every area of our lives.