That’s fast. 12 weeks
of ES2007S classes just flew by. I remembered the first day of class. I walked
in expecting some normal tutorial style class. Instead, I was handed a piece of
paper, ‘Communication icebreaker- Finding
someone who....’ We had to circulate around the room, introduce yourself
personally and then find someone who fits the characteristics on that paper and
ask appropriate questions on it. This clearly got me out of my comfort zone.
There were so many strangers in the room and I had to walk up to them and
personally introduce myself. Nervously, I manage to know 10 classmates. At
this point, I thought this is not going to be just another module.
From that day since I
first step into Es2007S class till today, these strangers have become friends
and I have learnt lots of things from Brad and everyone in this module.
I have learnt how to
deliver an engaging oral presentation. Though I am not 100% confident yet, I am
definitely making progress. I am glad that we had many presentations. It
allowed me to get out of my comfort zone. It gave me a chance to practice organizing
my thoughts before speaking, something that I struggle with before.
As an engineering
student, I rarely have the opportunity to write. Even if I did, it will always
be accompanied with equations and drawings. Blogging gave me an opportunity to
express my thoughts. I had to learn how to be courtesy, correct, conscious,
clear, coherent, concrete and complete (7Cs).
These certainly improve my writing.
Another major takeaway
from this module was learning to communicate effectively. I have learnt to be
more aware of my non verbal expressions. Clearly, we shouldn't underestimate
the power of non-verbal communication.
One of the highlight
of this course was the mock interviews. Unlike the usual career centre course
that I took, this module offered a chance for us to put what we have learnt
into practice. In fact, role playing as an interviewer for the first day helped
me prepare for a real internship interview later that day. It gave valuable
insights of what a HR team will be looking for in an interview.
Having learnt a lot
from this module though feedback from everyone, I am confident that I am
better prepared for life after graduation. In fact, I have been able to communicate
better with my peers now. Thank you everyone!
I would like to thank
my project proposal groupmates, Michelle, Sofie and Zhiwei for the fantastic learning journey together. I have learnt a lot from three of you.
Last but not least, I would like
to thank Brad. I have enjoyed this module though your enthusiasm. Thank you for
creating an open environment where it is easy to exchange opinions and ideas in
class. I always find the opinions shared in class interesting (that’s one of the
reasons why I like to listen instead). The critical and constructive comments you
give in an encouraging tone certainly helped in the learning process.
This will definitely not
be the end of my journey on learning to communicate effectively. There is still so
much more to learn. Till then ‘Fake it until you become it’.
All the best for the
finals everyone! Take care!
Thanks, Dwayne, for this comprehensive overview of your learning experience in the course. You paint with a wide brush, so we understand how you feel about the first day icebreaker and then tasks like the mock interviews, the OPs and the blogging. As for communicating effectively, for me that is quite a general statement that applies to everything we done. What's relevant here though is how you walked directly out of class and then into an interview where you could apply skills learnt. That's a rare bird, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIn any case, thank you for all your effort this term, and for the accolades.
Best of luck as you pedal farther down the path of your own learning journey!
Hi Brad,
DeleteI definitely want to remember almost every single learning experience when I revisit this blog in the future. The experience of walking out of class to an interview was priceless. I could immediately apply the experience learn in class during the interview. It certainly boosted my confidence. Thank you once again for everything in class.
Hey Dwayne!
ReplyDeleteI actually have to do lab reports in my course (2 for every module on average), and most of the time there wasn't a page limit set so we didn't really bother with the 7Cs of writing and even irrelevant issues were in the report. Embarking on my FYP next year with a page limit of 25 pages (and pre-set font size and line spacing) I guess the 7Cs will come into play when I do it.
Glad that you took this course, and hope to see you around engineering! Good luck for your finals too!
Regards
Hannah
Hi Hannah!
DeleteI too sometimes just chuck everything into lab reports. Certainly FYP is going to be a different game. I am sure after this module we are now equip to do an impressive FYP report.
All the best for the finals and see you around!
Hi Dwayne,
ReplyDeleteIt was a nice and pleasant experience to work with you as well :-)
I can still remember the conversation I had with you during the icebreaker activity. At that time, I thought you were quite comfortable to communicate with strangers, and I was the one who felt very "out of zone".
After listening to your peer teaching presentation and working with you in same proposal team, I think you really have developed a lot in terms of oral presentation skills. During the proposal presentation, you can completely left your script and had tried various ways to engage the audience. Though you still need to be more natural when you try to engage the audience, you still had a good try, and I believe to master it is really a matter of time.
It was really nice to have worked together with you, Sofie and Michelle. All the best for your finals as well.
Warmest regards,
Zhiwei
Thanks Zhiwei!
DeleteIt was a great experience working with you, Sofie and Michelle. I really admire the way you hide your nervousness and appear confident.
Take care and all the best for the finals!
Hi Dwayne!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that interviewing me on the first day of the mock interviews did manage to help you for the internship interview! :) i hope it went well.
Anyways, i think i have seen how much you have improved in your oral presentation skills, from the peer teaching to oral presentation. You are now more able to keep the audience engaged, and you appear more confident as well. :) However, do remember to stand straight while presenting, as you tend to slouch a little!
All the best for the upcoming finals and internship!
Bao Wen
Thanks Bao Wen!
DeleteI hope I didn't intimidate you too much during the mock interview. Learning how you handled those tough questions did prepare me well for the real interview.
I do have that bad habit of slouching. Sometimes I do like to lean in to listen better or 'connect' better. But I guess there are other more effective ways of doing that. I will definitely be more aware of my posture in the future. Thank you and all the best for your finals:)