Reflections on the journey so far

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!

Reflections on Oral Presentation

 

I never really like giving presentations. Presentations do scare me. All the attention focus on the speaker can be daunting. Being a quiet nature person, this was certainly a leap out of my comfort zone.

Prior to my presentation, I shared with my group a video I stumbled on YouTube about what makes Steve Job’s keynotes so persuasive. I have always enjoyed Steve Job’s keynotes, they were simple, engaging and you could sense his enthusiasm for his products. There’s never a dull moment in his keynotes. At the end of it, I just feel like I need this product although I don’t really need it.

As such, our group decided to adapt some of his approach. We make our slides as simple as possible, less words, more emphasis on figures, images and the positive experience. We also wanted to adapt his use of power words like “fantastic, revolutionary, etc” to show our enthusiasm for our topic.

Unlike my peer teaching presentation, I prepared a script this time. I usually tend to repeat points or forget points or spend too much time thinking of an idea if I don’t prepare one. On the day of presentation day, I was nervous and I forgot the sequence of my ideas. Thankfully, there were slides there to remind me of the sequence.

One of the takeaways was that I should just have short glances on the slides and make more eye contact with my audience. Secondly, I should have practice more. With more practice, I think I will be better prepared which will translate to a more confident presentation.

I am sure there will be many more presentations for all of us in time to come. I will definitely remember the lessons learnt. By doing more presentations, I am sure the improvement will come.

Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

A year ago, my family and I went to Perth, Western Australia for a vacation and to visit some relatives there. Often when we travel to a foreign country, we experience different cultural behaviors. These differences could be due to different cultural values and beliefs.

Upon arriving in Perth, my family and I disembark from the plane and joined the queue at the customs. When it reached our turn, my younger brother went ahead first. Immediately, the customs officer asked him if we were his family and called us forward. The officer then told us that we should stay together as a family everywhere we go. This surprised me as back home in Singapore or neighboring Malaysia, we usually proceed individually to the counters unless of course you are accompanying a young child. Even so, a family of five would not be allowed to clear customs together. I guess in countries like Australia, the culture is much more relaxed and family orientated whereas Asian countries like Singapore are more rigid.

The second experience that I would like to share is about my journey on public buses. Upon boarding the bus, most of the locals would greet the bus driver. Likewise upon alighting, passengers would thank the driver before disembarking. Initially I thought that these were regular passengers and the bus driver had built a special relationship with them. However, as days passed and with more trips on public buses, this seemed to be the norm. I felt that this was expected of me and I soon found myself practicing it too. Later, I asked my one of my relatives if this was the norm. He explained to me that the locals are quite vocal and they appreciate the service and sacrifices bus drivers give. In contrast, in Singapore we perceive that it is the bus drivers job to provide the service and bus drivers should be the one greeting passengers. I wish in Singapore, we could have such a culture. From time to time I have observed more bus driver greeting commuters in Singapore. Yet very few will return their greeting or even acknowledge it. I hope that we could at least smile back or return their greeting. Maybe we Singaporeans are just shy.

Application Letter Critique

Hello everyone,

Here is the job description of the internship that I am applying for. Some of the information has been change to maintain privacy.

Internship at a public cooperation dealing with infrastructure and building projects.

'To assist Project Managers in whole value chain coordination with project owners, consultants (architects, engineers, quantity surveyors & contractors)'

Requirements: Students from Civil Engineering (Bachelor)

Dwayne Aloysious Stewart

123, Dark Road

#01-23

Singapore 100123

Mobile: 8XXXXXXX

XXXXXXXX@outlook.com

19 February 2013

ABC Corporation

The ABC Building

8 Alphabet Road

Singapore 654321

To: The Hiring Manager of ABC Corporation

Internship position: Project XX – Infrastructure & Building projects, Job reference no. JRXXXX

I am interested in an internship position in your company this summer break (13May 2013 – 02 Aug 2013). I am currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (Civil) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and am expected to graduate in July 2014.

My interest is in infrastructure projects and I feel that since ABC Corporation develops future-ready infrastructure solutions for the industry, ABC is the perfect place to learn.

As a student in NUS, I have been actively involved in studies and sports. As part of the school’s Aquathlon team, I have contributed as a Team Manager of the team in managing and coordinating their finances, team competitions and administrative work. This has taught me to be organised and resourceful which will be useful in learning and contributing to the company.

Having worked as a retail associate at ZZZZ, I have learnt to communicate with various customers and to attend to their needs. This has enabled me to confidently present the store’s products well to potential customers. As such, I am confident that I will be able to communicate efficiently with various project owners and consultants.

I am confident that ABC Cooperation is the best place to learn and I believe that my skills and attitude towards learning will make this an enjoyable and fulfilling journey. I look forward to meeting your team and if need be any interview to discuss more about the internship. If you have any queries, I can be contacted via my email at XXXXXX@outlook.com or my mobile at 8XXXXXX. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Dwayne Aloysious Stewart (Mr.)

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict (Post #2)

Wouldn't the world be a boring place if everyone thinks the same way and agrees with everything someone else says? I believe at some point of our lives we are bound to have some conflict with someone. However, we do learn a lot more about others through conflict.

The story of an example of interpersonal conflict comes from an American reality show called Hotel Hell. In this series, Gordon Ramsay visits various struggling lodging establishments and attempts to reverse their situation. What struck me after watching a few episodes was that most of these struggling lodging establishments problems were actually due to the breakdown of communication between the employer, employees and the guests.

Ken is the owner of River Rock Inn. When he purchased the hotel two years ago, his grand vision was to transform this hotel into his dream inn. However, his inn is barely making ends meet and guests have described their stay as uncomfortable and unpleasant. The staff are competent and experienced in their field, but why is it that the inn is barely surviving?

Gordon then discovers out that Ken likes to micromanage. Ken controls everything from the restaurant menu to the pens in his office. His head chef Seth has no control over the restaurant. The menu items and the way the dishes are prepare are all dictated by Ken. This leaves Seth struggling to keep up with the wide variety of dishes that are not of his expertise. Notes such as "Don't take my pens - buy your own" and "If you eat those cookies, take one to your next job interview" are found everywhere on Ken's stuff. These signals to the staff that Ken is in charge and everything needs his approval.

Upon gathering his employees, Gordon discovers that there is a communication breakdown between Ken and his employees. His employees feel that he is deflating them, stripping them of their confidence. Ken, watching the conversation from another room joins them later. He then realizes how his management style and behavior is affecting his staff. He apologizes for his nasty behavior and promises to change.

Sensing that Ken is willing to change for the better, Gordon invites Ramesh, the Vice President of Hotel Operations at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to give them lessons on hospitality. Ken fails miserably on greeting guest. However, Karen, the Assistant Innkeeper, excels at welcoming guest. Ken then realizes that he needs to let his staff run the show as they are capable.

If you are one of the employees of Ken and imagine if Gordon wasn't there to intervene, how would you let Ken know that you can manage your own job? Bear in mind that you cannot offend him. Afterall your pay check comes from him.

The Importance of Effective Communication

The ability to communicate effectively is essential in sharing ideas and visions with people. No matter how brilliant one's idea is, it is worthless unless it can be communicated effectively. For this reason, I believe that effective communication is an essential skill that everyone should pick up. Without communication, there is no way one can express thoughts, ideas and feelings.

Good communication is the key to a good relationship. If we communicate well with people in our lives, we are able to better understand their needs and wants. Being a part time swim coach teaching young children, I have experience communicating differently with various audience such as parents, kids and other fellow swim coaches. Each group requiring a unique form of communication. With kids, I would have to keep my instructions short, simple and concise. With parents, my tone of communication has to be different. With my fellow swim coaches, I can be informal. 

Moving forward, I would like to learn how to effectively organise my thoughts and express my ideas accurately to others. As a future civil engineer (I think), I would have to communicate with various departments consisting of fellow engineers, architects and clients. We cannot be fully effective in our jobs if we are poor listeners, speakers and writers. Not being able to communicate well would impede the project at hand.

Effective communication is something that I continue to strive for and struggle with. For that reason, I hope to make the best of my journey in ES2007S.