The beginning.

This might be the last post for the module ES2007S. But yet, it's the beginning of a new phase, communicating with people at a improved and more effective level. That's what I took away from this class, it's a good takeaway indeed.

Going back 5 months when i was still enjoying my summer holiday and at the same time choosing the modules for the semester, i saw an email promoting the module es2007s. I read that it was about professional communication. Alright, i'll be frank, the first thing that caught my attention was that there was no exam for this module. Besides, I was going to take another of my core module that requires alot of presentation and that this es2007s should help me in that. It was like killing two birds with one stone. I'm glad i made the right choice. Because it did help me in my presentation on the other module!

Through the semester, I learned so much more about communicating. Much more than communication in terms of presenting. But communicating and establishing relationships. The comments and suggestions given by Ms Lim and my classmates were extremely helpful in improving myself as a communicator. One particular activity I really love is the video that we are required to take during our final presentation. Although I have done many presentation throughout my school life, I never had the chance to see how I present. This video is a first and I really saw how i present. Of course, with the video, I now can clearly identify the areas I need to work on and change. It was really useful!

Of course, other memorable stuff include looking up for OSHE in-charge and conducting and securing an interview with him. It really felt like a real-life experience. It felt more than academic and that we were doing something that is extremely relevant to real-life.

Lastly, thank you all for making this module so fun and enjoyable! It was great time knowing you guys and let's keep in contact!!

P.S We can meet up in science instead since engine floor is still slippery and might be dangerous.... I don't want any of you to risk falling! hahaha.

Reflection on Oral Presentation

What a relief! The final oral presentation is over!

But of course, looking back at the presentation, I certainly do have some things I would like to reflect on for the presentation.

The first thing that came to might is the handling of the remote for the slides. I am not used to the remote that Ms Lim uses and ended up clicking when I should not. I remember the second slide when I was suppose to be sharing my personal experience with the audience. The pictures are suppose to come up one by one, upon my command. However, because I am not used to the equipment that I am using, the appearing of these pictures did not came up as I've planned it to be. In fact, due to that, I may have lost some effects or impacts that the sequence of the pictures appearing are suppose to have. So that's the first point, I should always be familiar with the equipment that I will be using for any presentation.

The second thing would be to practice more. I wasn't able to deliver entirely based on what I've scripted down. In fact, i may have forgotten certain phrases that I intended to use to drive the message of slippery floor across.Also, the lack of practice also disrupts the flow of my speech because I needed time to think about what's next. And I may have unknowingly have awkward pauses because I need to think of what's next to say. Therefore, practicing is definitely something that should always be done before a presentation; even the best presenter around does that. And that's my second point, to practice more until what I want to say is drilled into my head.

Lastly, I believe that I didn't achieve the full impact as the first speaker and didn't manage to bring across to and convince the audience the problem of slippery floor. The impact of my speech could be further improve to drive the message across.

But nevertheless, it was an improvement from my previous presentation as peer teacher. I managed to follow some of the advices given from the feedback session. Things like when the other team mates are presenting, I looked at them and nodded approvingly. Also, I am now more conscious of my non-verbal actions.

Well, it was definitely a good learning experience!

Inter-culture Communication

People in different countries do have their own style of living. And when we live in, work in or even visit their country, it is always interesting (and pays off) to observe their culture and practices and respect it. I have worked in Korea for 3 months last year and here’s what I observed of the non-verbal communication in Korea, particularly in their drinking culture.

Drinking has always been an integral part of life for most Koreans. Drunk as one might get when drinking, certain propriety still have to be observed. I was at my first drinking sessions on a Wednesday night after work. I observed that seniority plays a very big role in those sessions. The senior colleagues never had to pour themselves drinks. Also, when the junior members poured drinks for them, they have to do it with two hands as a sign of respect. Besides, it is also not allowed to pour drinks for yourself as it is believed that if you do so, you are not respecting the person sitting opposite you. Lastly, when you raise your glass and drink your alcohol, you cannot do it directly facing the senior member who toast that drink to you. That is, you have to look away and finish your shot.

Of course, I was the least senior, alright, most junior one in those sessions. I practically have to observe everything. It does get tiring sometimes, afterall, I’m not used to such formality in Singapore even when I drink with the elders in my family. From this, we can see how much importance is placed on status and ranking in the Korean society. Therefore, we should be aware of and respect their way of life in order to prevent unnecessary misunderstanding and conflicts but instead, forge better communication network by truly integrating with them. 

Application Letter

Dear Sir/Mdm,

I would like to apply for a summer internship position in Credit Suisse as a financial analyst in the investment banking department. I have come to know this summer internship program that you are offering through your website and I am very keen to participate and contribute as a competent individual.

I am currently a third year student in the National University of Singapore, working towards a Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering. My background in engineering has always demanded a high level of mathematical mastery as well as a strong set of analytical skills from me. Besides, my training in engineering has also conditioned me to be a strong problem-solver and a team-oriented individual. Apart from engineering, my interest in the finance sector has also propelled me to constantly keep myself updated on the financial news through medium such as the Wall Street Journals as well as television program like CNBC and CNN. The Ups and Downs of the market never fail to fascinate me and pushes me to get into the industry. Therefore, despite having little academic background in finance, I strongly believe that the foundation skills I had acquired and the fierce passion I possess will certainly allow me to accelerate my learning process to making significant contribution to the finance team.

Also, my previous internship and work experiences have allowed me to build relationships and a diverse network, refining my interaction and socializing skills with clients and colleagues. In addition, my internship experience is not only confined to local company, but as well as overseas establishment. I had spent 3 months working in Korea right after my first year of studies. My short stint in Korea had taught me to appreciate and to adapt quickly into other culture and practices. Similarly, my second internship at a local firm had further improved my human interaction skills. I was given the role of a Project Engineer and was required to coordinate with many different groups of professionals in order to progress in the projects I was handling. Lastly, I am also currently operating my own company, dealing with water filters, in order to sustain my university expenses and am responsible for the profit and loss of the company.

Therefore, with a qualified academic background, diverse and wide human relations experiences and more importantly, the desire to learn and excel, I can assure you that I will be an impressionable contributor to the team in this summer internship program. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 9XXXXXXX and I will provide you with more information that you may need. In between, thank you for your kind attention and I look forward to hear from you soon. 

Yours faithfully,
Perry Teo

True Story

I believe many drivers, in some point of their driving life, would have some rough encounter with other drivers. Well, here's mine.

____________________________________________________

I remembered this incident particularly well because it was the first conflict I had with another road user ever since I had gotten my driving license. It was rather late at night along New Upper Changi Road and the road was almost empty. I was with a couple of friends and we were on our way to a supper place.

While along that road, I was driving behind a motorcycle, with a pillion rider and riding pretty slowly. But as we weren't exactly rushed for time, I didn't switch lane to overtake, instead, I stayed behind the rider. Maybe I was too engrossed conversing with my friends, but the next thing I know when I stopped at the traffic light, the rider pulled up beside me and started knocking hard on my window, demanding me to wind it down.

Of course, I didn't know what happened or what went wrong but because of that hard knocking on my window, I already start to feel anger building up. So the first thing I said aggressively (slight) was,"Eh! What you want?!"

Then I found out the issues he had with me. He (no gender bias here, it's really a "he") claimed that I had shone him a high beam while driving behind him. And he went on to say that I am picking on him and that he's riding within the road speed limit and not road hogging anything. Of course, you should imagine him saying all these in a coarser tone. And that got me even more angry.

We couldn't settle this conflict within the red traffic light time-span, so we stopped by the roadside to trash it out again.

What follows was a good 10 minute of both verbal accusations(by him) and denial (by me), complimented with a slight dose of vulgarities. However, when we both realized that this saga is leading nowhere, we both end it off (hostilely) by walking away from it and back to what we were doing, with bad feelings and rotten mood. I guess that can be counted as a resolve to this issue since we are strangers and I probably won't see him again.

P.S: I found out later that I didn't actually use the high beam on him. It's just that my car beam shines slightly higher due to the higher car height and that his motorbike was not that high. Or maybe it's also because I was driving close to him to create that effect.
________________________________________________


Reflecting back, both parties could have averted this conflict if we were to control our negative emotions and feelings. Even though this conflict do not strain any relationship as we do not have any in the first place to speak of, but it does leave a bad experience and spoils your mood for the rest of the night.

Now why is holding back our negative feelings important? One thing I learn about conflict is that when two person exchange in a heated verbal argument, the issue that started this argument plays a less significant role in fueling the heated exchange. Rather, it's the attitude, tone and expressions of the user that quickly elevate the conflict. You get more angry not because he did that, but because he said it in a manner that is not too friendly. Therefore, it is important to regulate them.

Since it is more logical to avert this escalated conflict by beginning with myself, changing My Behavior and My Attitude to change his behavior and attitude, we should go back to where it all begins. How should I react when he knocks on my car window?

Getting to know Effective Communication

Communication is one of the earliest sign of intelligence for human. The need to communicate stems from the need to depend on each other, the need to borrow the strength of fellow beings and the need to achieve greater heights by working together. It may seems like a simple thing. I mean we all have been communicating ever since the day we were born, it's not something new, rather, it's something we do everyday, so how hard can it get? Unfortunately, that is only true if we were like machines, void of emotions and feelings, void of forming complex perceptions and relationships. Effective communication becomes a tad harder with so many other factors to consider. However, when we are able to communicate effectively, information and ideas in our mind can become reality, improving our quality and way of life. Maybe the sci-fiction movies about robot being able to take over the world so swiftly are true afterall; they can communicate so effectively with each other.

So basic communication is a two-way thing. It comprises of both listening and speaking. Now that's gathering information and transmitting information.

Let's start with speaking. We do talk alot everyday; to your family, friends and probably even the dog on the street. And when we talk, we want someone to hear us. Not only that, we want them to hear us correctly, or at least going in the same direction. Only that way could we get them to align their thinking with us and we can achieve what we set out for. The ability to do this is important in all stages of life. Think about what you can achieve if every idea you have in your head is communicated effectively to the right person and becomes a reality?

Listening aspect would therefore be more of interpreting information coming at us. Equally as important as speaking, listening allows us to gain more knowledge and wisdom so that we can generate even more ideas and creativity. Of course, it is beyond just plain words that we hear, but more importantly, deciphering those words in the same direction as the speaker. Think about how your bosses will like you more if he/she knows that you are moving in the same direction as them.

Ultimately, in my view, getting to know effective communication, whether listening or speaking, is to establish relationships. Communication only flows if there is a relationship. So, the next step for this semester would then be to refine the listening and speaking skills, towards building relationships and finally, getting to know effective communications!

Argh, now my baby cousin is bugging me. How do I effectively let her know that I've work to do.....