Final Reflection on Learning

This module was really something different. After taking all sorts of electives in NUS for the past 3 years, Es2007S was one which stood out from the rest. It is different because we are assessed based on how much soft skills we have developed within these 13 weeks. We can see ourselves growing and improving, and it is creepily exciting (at the same time meaningful) to witness that.

I remembered myself turning jelly whenever I had to speak up in front of the class during the first few lessons of this class. Being a Science student, there were no fixed classes and there was never a need to speak up in front of the class to introduce myself. I was really not used to it at the beginning of es2007s. It was quite nerve-wrecking for me even though the class size was so small. I think it was the fear of making a first impression, and  I was worried I would make the wrong one. But as classes carried on throughout the semester, I realized I was less self-conscious, and expressing my thoughts got more effortless and spontaneous. At least, I didn't have that gut-wrenching knot in my stomach anymore. I realized that speaking up in class is not about claiming credit for a clever thought, not about stealing others' thunder, and neither is it about scoring participation points. It is to contribute and spur discussions, creating meaningful conclusions and learning together as a class. Even better if a debate results. It is only when we decide to voice our thoughts, that ideas can be exchanged, isn't it? This is really a skill I would like to continue to develop on as it would definitely be useful for me in workplace, or in group interviews et cetera to facilitate active discussion. Right now, I believe I am only capable of voicing 1-sentence-max thoughts comfortably before I start pausing awkwardly. Need to improve on that.

Besides being more confident in my speech, one other thing I enjoyed from this module was getting feedback from my peers. I don't think this ever happens in other modules in NUS. In the past, whenever I was presenting in class, I would look into those hollow eyes of my audience and wonder what on Earth are the things that are going through their minds right now. Am I effective enough? Do they understand what I am saying? At the end of the presentation, I never once received feedback. I really appreciate the feedback from my peers in es2007s, as well as the feedback from Dr Radhika. This is how we can then improve right! Although I know my classmates may have refrained themselves from saying anything negative to protect my feelings, I do wish to hear them. It is the only way I can stop myself from repeating these mistakes in future. I appreciate Dr Radhika for letting me know about my intonations issue, and to sound more lively when presenting. I would definitely practice on that!

There are many more memorable things I learned from this module, such as having the right body language, having good email etiquette, proposal writing, working in a team and so on. But I am going to stop here, before this post gets too long. Thank you Dr Radhika, for imparting your experience and knowledge with us. Thank you fellow classmates, I really enjoyed everyone's company throughout these 13 weeks of school. =) Take care you guys!

Reflection on Project Proposal

It has been a tiring few weeks dealing with the proposal, oral presentation, as well as cope with endless school work of tests and assignments. I may sound like I am in pain but in actual fact, the takeaways from this project was fulfilling enough to appease all of that. I did gain a tremendous load of knowledge and soft skills from this project, which I believe will stick with me for life.

The outcome for every project is always different. This is because group-mates are never the same person. During project work, we have to deal with various personalities in the team, get through conflicts, accommodate to one another, all while handling an impending deadline. But by getting through a project successfully, it means that we have nailed it. We are one step closer to becoming effective communicators and good team-players.

I really enjoyed working with Jolene and Indah. I have to count my lucky stars for meeting group-mates with such similar working styles as me because this is quite rare in group projects. We know our priorities well and the way we allocate our time is coincidentally alike. Online communication has always failed for me in other projects, but for this one in particular, I learned that it can be successful and efficient too if used in the right ways. Although me and Jolene are early workers, while Indah prefers getting her work done closer to the deadline, we managed to work around it. I can understand her stand well because I used to be in her position. Back then, I wished that my team-mates could have more faith in me because I knew I could finish my work in time. So this time, I chose to place my trust her. I can't deny that there are times when me and Jolene worry as well though. But those situations made us learn how to push and encourage each other, producing a satisfying end product (the proposal) which we are extremely proud of. Without stress, good things wouldn't have surface. Wouldn't it?

Honestly, I am not sure what I can change for this group project because everything worked according to plans. But one thing we could have done differently would be interviewing more people for our project. Interviews can give us multiple perspectives which could have brought our project to a higher level. But due to time constrains, I think that we did the best we could and had no regrets. 

I would definitely bring the soft skills I have learned in this project to my next project, to benefit future project mates. It wouldn't be all smooth-sailing, but when the time comes, it would be yet another rewarding experience for me to gain. 

Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour - Post #2

The ability to accept cultural differences and to be sensitive around others are necessary traits in today's diverse global community. This trait can be cultivated by being proactive in understanding different cultural practices. This can be done by simply googling up the Do's and Don'ts before visiting a foreign country. Empathizing and respecting the perspectives of others are key to intercultural communication. It is also important to keep an open mind when faced with practices you might not be able to comprehend, as these traditions may be dear and significant to the hearts of others. By welcoming cultural diversity, you gain respect from people, and forge stronger ties with others regardless of race, language or religion.

One example which showed intercultural conflict was a true event I watched on National Geographic Channel. It spoke of a Caucasian lady who was imprisoned in Thailand for drug trafficking across state lines. When she first arrived in the prison cell, there were many other inmates in the waiting cell and most were lying on the ground or seated on the floor. She wanted to get over to the other side to a quiet spot. While trying to get across, she was not aware of the position of her feet and unintentionally walked over the heads of some of the Thais. By the time she got to the other side, she realized the entire cell was glaring at her in eerie silence but she was ignorant to what just happened. She was beaten up by the inmates and the fight only stopped when one Thai stood up to defend her.

To the Thais, our feet are considered to be the lowest and dirtiest part of the body and we should never point our feet at someone let alone raise our foot higher than someone's head. Being unaware of cultural differences put us in a perilous position when we are on foreign ground as we may appear rude and offend locals without knowing. Effective interpersonal communication includes excelling in intercultural communication as they are inherently intertwined. To ace interpersonal communication, we must possess cultural sensitivity first.

Here is a short video which I found on youtube to end on a lighter note. It contains the commercial that Dr Radhika mentioned in class and I found it really amusing. Enjoy!

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict - Post #1

When I knew that I had to write about interpersonal conflicts in this blog post, the memory which came to mind was the vacation I had in Melbourne with a friend during last summer break. Many things happened in this trip but I thought I should just mention one incident in brief.  

When we first landed in Melbourne, our prime concern was to buy a local sim card. We each bought one from 7/11 and started figuring out the steps to activate the card. It took us extremely long to figure it out, because the instructions were not clear and the shop assistant was also clueless about it. Luckily for us, we found a tourist information centre and finally cracked the code only after about three unfortunate hours. All this time, the access code was actually the 7/11 receipt number of our purchase! However, by the time we realized that, my friend had somehow misplaced the receipt and her AUD $10 phone card was then rendered useless.

She was quite worked up when it happened and became irritable. I tried my best to help her and even went back to the 7/11 store to ask if another receipt can be generated, all to no avail. When all else failed, she was extremely devastated and threw a fit over it. I knew she had a nasty temper, so I kept quiet while she fumbled through her luggage angrily, and raised her voice while she complained. People were staring and I felt embarrassed because it looked like we were having a fight. My sympathy slowly turned into annoyance because to me, it was unnecessary to make a big fuss and dampen the high-spirited vacation mood over $10. I still did try comforting her and casually said that losing $10 beats losing the entire wallet, in an attempt to lighten the mood. I didn’t realize that she would think it was inappropriate and “bad luck” to say something like that and she actually yelled, “Why would you say this kind of thing!?!” Faces turned and everyone within a 5 meter radius could hear her. I was utterly embarrassed and startled. She turned her back towards me and walked away towards the train station leaving me behind in shock. I couldn’t believe my friend of six years left me behind like that, but could only control my anger and tagged along dejectedly.

This was just the start to many conflicts we faced during this vacation and I was extremely exhausted and upset after the trip. Most of our conflicts arose due to differences in values and being too quick to judge the situation.  Also, perhaps the argument we faced at the start of the trip built up inner grievance and unhappiness, causing us to lose our temper more easily from then onwards.

Looking back, if I could have done things differently, I would lose my narrow-mindedness and learn to cast my pride aside and forgive my friend for her behavior. Because I couldn’t let go my own unhappiness, it made the trip tormenting for me and it probably affected her too. Although I didn’t feel it was right for her to throw her temper at me, there were things I could have done on my part to lessen the tension. I could have talk things through with her instead of keeping all the pent up emotions to myself and clarify the matter and understand each other’s point of view. What would you have done differently in my shoes?