#4 Final Reflection on Learning

Time really flies. It has been 4 months since the very first lesson where our course on Professional Communication begun. Looking back in retrospect, I have no regrets taking this module as it has equipped me with several valuable skills, both oral and written that would be of great help and relevance as I venture into the corporate world.

Prior to this module, I thought that oral presentation was my forté, given my extroverted nature that made it easy and comfortable for me to speak in front of an audience. My past presentations being generally well-received is also another contributing factor. It was only when I saw the peer teaching feedback survey responses that I realised I still have several points to improve on when presenting. Some of my classmates thought that I spoke a little too fast and my eye contact was inconsistent at times. To improve on these, I spoke in front of a mirror when rehearsing alone for the final oral presentation. Although it was a little awkward, I was able to evaluate my every move and also take note of the non-verbal cues that I was subconsciously communicating. From there, I worked on my pace of delivery, body language, gestures and eye contact which I believe did have positive changes. In addition, I got Maolei, my team member to help video our team’s mock presentations so that we could all take a look at ourselves and identify what was good and what was not. It was through self-scrutiny and the candid feedback from my friends that I improved.

I also learnt in class that there were three main themes governing an effective oral presentation – ethos, pathos and logos. I managed to apply these three themes to my oral presentation. I demonstrated my credibility by showing the audience the relevant research done – MOE syllabuses on Sexuality Education and statistics from our survey. When presenting the solutions, I explained the rationale behind the main idea. I also used relevant examples to substantiate my reasoning, such as the case study that highlighted myths pertaining to sex amongst ITE students.

I would like to end this post with a quote by Paulo Coelho, which I feel resonates with what Mdm Fazilah wishes for us: “You must be the person you have never had the courage to be. Gradually, you will discover that you are that person, but until you can see this clearly, you must pretend and invent." This is a module that I truly enjoyed; thank you all for the times we learnt together. Special thanks to Mdm Fazilah, Li Ying & Maolei (my team mates) and Anna (my peer teaching mate). Really appreciate it.

 

#3 Reflection on Team-based Research Project Proposal

In the past few months working together with my team mates, there were times when things were smooth-sailing and of course, times when disagreements arose. We have come thus far, meeting several submission deadlines along the way, although it was not exactly easy to cope with having other assignments on hand. Every individual has their own schedule and commitments, and hence finding a common time for project meetings can be difficult.

 

Nevertheless, what I took away from this process that is relevant to the workplace was 2 key values:

1. Communicating one's opinions effectively

2. Being understanding towards each others' schedule and commitments

 

To be an effective team member, one definitely has to communicate his opinions with the rest of the team. We have to accept the fact that each individual is unique, having various mindsets and opinions with respect to a certain issue. What is therefore important is then for the team member to step out of his comfort zone and voice out his opinions instead of staying silent, so that others would be able to better understand the matter from his perspective. It is only when every individual in the team is willing to be candid and share their thoughts with each another that disagreements could be minimised, as everyone's viewpoints are addressed before coming to a consensus on a certain issue. In this respect, having an open mind and accepting criticisms from our fellow team members is also a crucial factor for our own personal improvement. It is therefore necessary to take such criticisms positively - as constructive feedback rather than simply perceiving it as derogatory remarks.

 

Also, when working in a team, it is of utmost importance to be understanding towards each others' circumstances and commitments, although it can be annoying at times. This again relates back to the fact that every individual is unique, having prior commitments and coming from various backgrounds. One should not be calculative as a team member, counting the number of times that he/she has accomodated others' schedules. But of course, the other team members would also need to have valid reasons to justify their inability to make it for discussion on certain days. Being calculative on these little details would definitely contribute to unhappiness that could have been easily erased. Ultimately, it is a team effort that builds on being understanding and compromising or accomodating one another.

 

During the times where it was inconvenient for my team to meet up, we delegated tasks to each individual to be completed before the next meeting. This helped us to set a common goal to work towards to, and things to be done were completed effectively without wasting time. To sum up, what constitutes an effective team is not only having understanding team members, but also supportive ones.