Professional Communication

I am glad that I have taken this module this semester. I have learnt a lot about communication theories that are beneficial to me in my daily life. Initially I thought that good interpersonal skills are the most important effective communication skill. This is because such skills, which facilitate interaction among people in our daily life, are the most frequently used skills. Now I understand the importance of the other aspects of effective communication. Being able to write well and deliver outstanding presentations are also important skills I would need in my everyday life, especially when I am going to step out into the working force.

Besides learning about interpersonal skills, resolving conflicts and practicing active listening, I gained other practical skills like constructing job application letters and resumes. Applying what I have learnt, I have already sent out a few resumes and job application letters to companies. As I am approaching the end of my pursue of a university degree, I am in the process of searching for suitable jobs. In the midst of researching for job vacancies, I realised that most jobs require applicants to possess good communication and interpersonal skills. Taking this module is definitely an asset for me. Now I can say with pride that I have learnt about the science of effective communication such that my communication and interpersonal skills have improved.

The project component of this module has given me a taste of writing an academic report. Although the process was tedious, I enjoyed myself very much. I had a pleasant learning experience throughout the process of doing the project. In addition, the oral presentation gave me a chance to practise my public speaking skills. In the workplace, I may often be required to present my findings or proposal to my team of colleagues. The oral communication skills I have learnt would enable me to present effectively with confidence.

This module has definitely made me well prepared for entering the workplace. One thing that made my learning process in this Professional Communication class so enjoyable is the company of my fellow classmates. I am delighted in getting to know this group of friendly and nice people. Although this module has come to an end, the learning process of communicating effectively is a life-long process. I am sure we would all put what we have learnt from this module into practice. Let us all say cheers to communicating effectively in our daily life!

I would be graduating from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Science degree with concentration in biomedical sciences in May 2009. Previously I attended CHIJ St Nicholas Girl’s School and National Junior College, where I was given many leadership opportunities. I was a subject representative in my secondary class. Being the level head coordinator of the National Education ambassador and student leader for orientation 2005 in my junior college, allowed me to further display my leadership qualities.

I have always had a strong interest in science. I have been awarded numerous young scientists awards and Questa silver award in primary school. I also represented my secondary school in the National Science competition 2002 organised by the Singapore Science Centre.

I had a positive learning experience doing the research project. One significant thing that I learnt is the importance of building interpersonal relationships. The success of my teamwork can be attributed to good interpersonal skills of my group members. Maintaining a harmonious working relationship within my group is important in order for us to complete our project on time without any hiccups.

We practiced active listening so there were no miscommunications during the process of doing the report. All of us took turns to express our opinions. Besides, we were open-minded to the ideas proposed by one another and the criticisms we made to each other’s opinions. If we do not agree with one another, we would give affirmative responses. We do not pass rude or destructive comments. Instead, we would state our opinions on the same matter clearly. Being active listeners, open-minded and affirmative are important when working in teams. These interpersonal communication skills enabled me to build good relationship with my team members to increase efficiency of getting work done.

I also learnt the importance of working in a team. Thankfully for my other two project members. If not for them, I would not be able to complete the project by the deadline given.

During my summer programme in Korea, I stayed at Korea University’s hostel. At night, most students would gather at the basement to chitchat or play board games. One night, I was at the basement with two other Singaporean friends playing a traditional Korean card game called “Go”. An American guy joined us in the game too. Throughout the game, he sprawled his legs widely when he was sitting down. We were all very irritated with him. When he had won a game, he turned to my friend, Amy, who was sitting the nearest to him and gave her a hug because he was extremely happy that he had finally won a game. Amy was shocked at his sudden move. As she felt uneasy and angry, she made an excuse and went back to her room immediately.

The meaning of body posture can vary from culture to culture. In America where the culture values friendly and casual attitude, people always tend to sprawl when they are sitting down. However this is considered rude and inconsiderate to Singaporeans. It is unsightly and it restricts the movement of the one sitting beside. In the above situation, we all had very little leg space under the table because the American guy had relatively long legs as he is tall. As a result, we all sat quite uncomfortably.

Touch can cause misunderstanding in different cultural context. Gender roles also play a part. Different cultures may have variable acceptable touch. Singapore is not a touch-oriented country. To express happiness, we normally show it through facial expression, tone of voice or a hi-five with someone. In the above situation, the American chose to express his happiness by hugging Amy. Although hugging is common in America among family members, friends and even as a form of greeting, it is considered impolite and intrusive to Singaporeans for the American guy to hug Amy. This is because of gender differences and the fact that they are only acquaintances. In Singapore, hugging is uncommon except between couples. Even so, couples do not usually hug openly in public.

Have you ever faced a scenario whereby you did not have enough bid points to secure a place for a particular module? Or you had been out-bidded in the process of bidding? Many a times, I face with such problems. Often, I have to re-schedule my nicely planned timetable by looking for other suitable modules. As we all know, bid points are accumulative. Therefore, students who matriculated earlier generally have more bid points than those who matriculate in a later year. This may be unfair to the students who matriculated late. This is because with lesser bidding points, it is harder to secure places for the modules they want.

Moreover depending on the bidding round in which one bids for the module, successful bid points could differ among students for the same module. For example, one may spend one thousand points while the other may spend only one point for the same module.

My general research question would be ‘Do NUS students think that the bidding system is biased and thus should be abolished?’I think that most NUS students would agree with me that the bidding system we are adopting now is a biased one.

An attitudinal survey would be important in order to study this topic to test and confirm my hypothesis. Views of students could be reflected and made known to the Office of Student’s Affair (OSA). We can also gather ideas from students on how to make the allocation of modules a more impartial process to replace the current bidding system. Having a survey aids in convincing the OSA to change the way we are allocated our modules.

The above is an example of conflict between a couple which took place at their home. The guy had been busy watching his favourite basketball match on television that he did not wash the dishes. He even messed up the living room by leaving his things around. When he heard his wife open the door, he tried to tidy up the living room. However it was too late, as his wife had already caught him in action. Looking at the mess he had created, she was extremely furious. Without hesitation, she started throwing the remote control against the wall and cutting up her husband’s jersey. Her husband then cut up her newly bought top in return. They started destroying each other’s favourite things. In the end, the husband gave in and started clearing up the mess.

The main problem between the couple is that no communication was present between them. The lady could not control her emotions well and did not know how to express her anger in an appropriate manner rather than resorting to violent means. Her husband made the matter worse by taking his revenge on her by following suit, instead of trying to explain himself or pacifying her. During the conflict, the lady must have felt angry and bitter. On the other hand, her husband felt revengeful on seeing her destroy his favourite things.

If the both of them had better interpersonal communication skills, all of the tragedies could have been avoided. What do you think they could have done in the above situation?

The following is a link to a short video clip on what to do when conflict happens:
http://www.crmlearning.com/what-to-do-when-conflict-happens
It presents a four step approach to help us resolve conflicts in the most productive way.

Developing effective communication skills is important for everyone. This is because Man is not a solitary creature; we are interacting with one another all the time. As a science student, I am often required to work in teams during laboratory classes and project works. Developing effective communication skills helps me to be a good team player by building good relationship with team members. This can be achieved through having good communication with them. Therefore it is essential for me to learn more about interpersonal communication in order to communicate well with my teammates. It is important to be able to work in teams because it allows exchange of ideas and generally increases work efficiency. Therefore it is always a more preferred choice in the real world. For example, many Nobel Prize scientists work in teams to successfully come up with new scientific theories.

On the other hand, conflicts are also common when working in a team because everybody is different. By developing communication techniques, I can resolve conflicts tactfully. Working in a joyful environment can also help to improve work efficiency. Being culture sensitive is another useful skill for me in today’s cosmopolitan society. It allows me to avoid intercultural conflicts and handle intercultural conferences competently.

Besides the above skills, active listening is also extremely important for me especially when I am working in a science laboratory. Instructions given by demonstrators have to be strictly adhered to. This is because any little mistakes made might lead to serious consequences like explosion. Listening actively allows me to avoid making mistakes to achieve accurate experimental results and at the same time ensure the safety of others and myself in the laboratory.

The above are just some more prominent examples as to why I need to develop effective communication skills. Most importantly, being equipped with such skills facilitates my interaction with people everyday.