#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.