A Course That is as Bright and Vibrant as a Sunflower Field

After endless days of composing and editing numerous drafts of job application letters and proposals, interviewing and surveying people and rehearsing for the presentations, our ES2007S Professional Communication course is finally over!

While I have learnt many communication skills over this semester, the most important one, in my opinion, is that I have learnt to listen to other people better. Working as a group for the peer-teaching and the proposal and oral presentation, I have realised that for us to be able to work cohesively together, I have to listen better to my group-mates and consider their ideas instead of dismissing their ideas and pushing mine on them. Talking to each other is essential in effective communication. But only when I listen to others then can our communication process be truly complete.

This module is definitely one which has provided me with the most opportunities to communicate with my course-mates and the lecturer. Being able to speak to my classmates and Brad in class was a refreshing, fun yet educating experience as compared to my other modules where we can go the entire semester without speaking to any other person in tutorials. As such, I looked forward to each ES2007S session.

While I can’t be definite that I would use all the skills that I have learnt after this course, I can promise that I would try my best. In the end, it would be the fundamental communication skills like self-management and active listening that I would remember for life.

To my dear classmates: Thanks for your support and contributions in class! Through our interactions and friendships, I have become a better person (and communicator). May our friendships last!

To Brad, our communications guru: Thanks so much for guiding us through an important aspect of our lives. You’re a great coach who can really engage us in class. Gan bei!

Reflecting on My OP Today

Finally, my oral presentation (OP) is over!


Although I had rehearsed my lines repeatedly, even with a group rehearsal yesterday, I think that I lacked confidence in my OP today. My mind went blank in some parts, causing me to stumble over some words and repeat others. Several times, I repeated the same ideas but with a rephrasing of the words. An example would be the idea about encouraging the use of ELearning platforms during the Benefits section.

Moreover, I feel that I did not have sufficient eye contact with the people in the room. I had been staring steadily forward at the back of the room instead of sweeping my gaze to each and everyone. Not only that, my hand gestures were minimal and were not helpful for the presentation. Furthermore, I closed the presentation quite abruptly after the conclusion. I had forgotten to thank the audience and tell them that “We hope that you would accept our proposal”. I feel that I also could have contributed more to the Q&A session as I noticed that Chee Siang tended to answer the bulk of the questions thrown to us.


On the other hand, I think that some positive points in my delivery would be that I was loud and had a pretty constant pace, although it increased and became slightly rushed towards the end of the OP. Additionally, I had made use of some quotes to emphasise my point that students having more convenience in charging their laptops is a very important benefit.

As mentioned by Xiang Min during the commenting session earlier, other than the slides, no other audio-visual media had been used in our OP. This was something that I had worried about initially during the preparation, especially as there had been a variety of videos used for the Peer-Teaching sessions. However, we were unable to find any relevant videos that could have been used. Besides, we felt that the PowerPoint slides would be sufficient.

Another reflection that I have is that I suppose that I could have made use of the remote to change slides instead of pressing the keyboard. Then I would have been able to stand out nearer the front of the room instead of staying behind the desk.

I think that the PowerPoint slides were a great job though, with elegant simplicity of the design, pictures to illustrate certain points and minimal wording. It was the combined accomplishment of my group and I thank you guys for your efforts. Mucho gracias!

Students Want POWER!

Hi all readers and fellow bloggers,

Please help to complete my uni group project survey on power sockets @

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=M_2bQFIcDJEEaUcLGGwd6_2bNA_3d_3d

It's anonymous, so please feel free to express your opinions.

Your time and help is greatly appreciated. Thanks :)

ps This survey is only for NUS students. Thanks again.

Intercultural Situation

A few years ago, my friends and I went on hoilday in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Although we had read up on their customs and practices in preparation for the trip, it seems that we still managed to miss a few important details in our research, as you will soon find out.


Chiang Mai is famous for their night bazaars and right after checking into our hotel, we decided to head over there for dinner. The atmosphere was just perfect: steaming bowls of kway teow naam on the table and the sights and sounds of the night market scene surrounding us.

Halfway though our meal, the Thai pop music that had been playing in the background suddenly switched to a more militaristic marching song. Then we noticed the Thais around us stopping in their tracks and standing up. Having not a single clue as to what was going on, we nevertheless continued sitting and eating. After the song ended, we noticed the locals closest to us giving us the evil eye and looking disapproving.

Later, we learnt that the song which we had heard was actually the Thai National Anthem and that the Thais would stand up when their anthem plays out of respect. While we knew that the Thais have a great patriotism and love for their king and country, we were ignorant of this cultural practice of theirs. Perhaps, something that we could have done was to simply follow the behaviour of the locals in an unfamiliar situation. Then again, perhaps we should have just researched their culture more properly before attempting to blend into their environment.

Personal Statement

When I was nine, I climbed Mount Ophir in Malaysia. I clearly remember reaching the summit on a cold and cloudless morning after a two day hike, looking out over the horizon at the sunrise and then thinking that I had never seen a more wondrous sight. While Mount Ophir may not be Mount Everest, to my nine-year-old eyes, its summit seemed like the top of the world, the mountain an insurmountable obstacle. It was there, standing at six in the morning that I realised for the first time, that to reach success, one must be prepared to face difficulties and conquer many challenges.


One of my strongest characteristics would thus be determination and resilience, with which I confront each and every task I undertake. Being a goal-orientated individual, I frequently set high targets, many of which have several difficult challenges to overcome. While others may throw in the towel when the going gets tough, my resilience would carry me through, allowing me to persevere and succeed.


Hence, I am drawn to the challenging yet stimulating responsibilities in dealing with clients accounts and promoting events. Being determined in soliciting clients for the company, despite facing many rejections is a trait of mine that is beneficial for Peranakan Place Complex. Additionally, when faced with problems on-site and during events, I am able to put my best foot forward with an unwavering spirit and enthusiasm. It is with the utmost conviction that both the organisation and I would benefit from my innate resilience and determination that I pursue this job.

Application Letter for Sales and Events Executive Internship

Dear readers, this application letter is for an internship as a ‘Sales & Events Executive’ with Peranakan Place Complex Pte Ltd. Just some background information on this company: Peranakan Place is a company dealing in fine dining and bars along Orchard Road.

The required specifications for this internship are:

Job Scope:

1. Solicit and service accounts
2. Promote event sales
3. Manage on-site and events

Specific projects/learning outcomes:

1. Ability to handle client in a tactful manner
2. Ability to response efficiently during unexpected turnout of questions during events.

Preferred Year of Study:

Year 2

Specific knowledge / skills required:

Visual Basic; Excel Macro

Application Letter:

My Name

14 Seventy-Eighth Avenue

New York, NY 54787

September 4, 2009

Elaine Chan
HR Manager
Peranakan Place Complex Pte Ltd
180 Orchard Road
Singapore 238846


Dear Ms Chan,

Internship - Sales and Events Executive

I am extremely interested in the Sales and Events Executive Internship as advertised on the NUS Career portal. I have a passion for event-planning and customer relations and I believe that Peranakan Place Complex will benefit from my contributions in these areas.

As indicated in my online resume, I am in my second year at NUS at present, pursuing a Double Major in Applied Mathematics and Management. Having frequently sought out marketing roles and opportunities, I am also experienced in marketing campaigns. I have been planning and organising several successful large-scale events, such as a welcome tea, as a committee member in Campus Crusade. I feel that these experiences have served to refine my event-planning skills as well as my management abilities. Moreover, having experienced it directly, I am acquainted with the pressure one faces when promoting an organization and managing events.

My double major has provided me with a thorough foundation in principles that affect businesses every day. Managing the tough rigor of the double major, as well as being actively involved in two co-curricular activities and volunteer work has made me into someone with a determined and resilient character. Furthermore, I am an enthusiastic and disciplined individual who embraces challenges, as evident from my heavy workload and multiple responsibilities in various fields. It is for these reasons that I believe that I am well suited to working in the fast-paced and intensive food and entertainment industry.

According to the job requirements, you need someone proficient in Visual Basic and Excel macros. Hence, I have taken the initiative to complete a course in Visual Basic, as I believe in the value of developing oneself to one’s full potential. This belief is evident in that I have recently completed a course in Microsoft Excel in order to improve my IT skills. As indicated in the resume, I am also proficient in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and Adobe Photoshop. I am sure that such technical skills might prove useful for your company.

Being actively involved as a Toastmaster has trained me tremendously in being eloquent and confident when speaking to working adults, besides honing my communication and leadership skills. I feel that this is advantageous in that I would be able to effectively develop strong customer relationships for your company. Additionally, I am taking a university module on professional communication, through which my interpersonal communication skills have been improved. Therefore, I believe that I would be better able to handle clients tactfully without any avoidable miscommunication, a capability which is part of the job description.

I would deeply appreciate it if we could meet for an interview at your personal convenience. Please contact me via a phone call or an email according to your preference; my mobile number and email address are stated in the online resume.

I appreciate your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.


Sincerely,

Ms. Abigail Yong


Enclosure: Online Resume

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

Interpersonal conflicts can arise in any situation, whether at home or at school, or between family members or friends.

For this case, an interpersonal conflict occurred between Jason and Tim, two colleagues working in the same marketing team. Both are of around the same age but Jason is the head of the team and has a dominant personality. On the other hand, Tim is merely a team member.


During a recent marketing campaign for an important client company, Jason submitted his report to his boss, thinking that it was the best and had all the relevant points, without consulting the rest of his team. After finding out about this, Tim became upset and resentful that Jason had made the decision for the team without discussing it with them. He felt that the rest of the team were entitled to their opinions as well and could perhaps have added more good ideas to the report.

As a result, Tim started persuading other team-mates to join him and gang up against Jason during meetings so that there would be a majority vote on his side against Jason’s decisions.

However, this in turn led to a feeling of anger and ostracism on the part of Jason as he felt that he was being unfairly attacked by his team. Consequently, he became defensive and accused Tim of trying to get his position as team-head. This certainly did not help matters. Since then, the work relationship between these two has worsened, with tensions running high during group meetings.

As a fellow team-mate and close friend of the two people concerned, I ignored the problem between them. What could I have done instead to help resolve the interpersonal conflict between them?

Blog Post #1: Effective Communication Skills

As I intend to work in different countries, being able to communicate well with others is important to me. This is especially so since I plan to work in the finance industry where proposals and negotiations are part and parcel of the job description. In such situations, any miscommunication might result in costly repercussions or put a kink in our clients’ confidence in us. This is a lesson that was drummed into my head last year while preparing for a law presentation. One of my group-mates had abruptly changed some points in the PowerPoint slides a mere day before the presentation and had neglected to inform me about it, assuming that I had already been notified of the change. As a result, I presented a redundant and out-dated law to the class, resulting in a ferocious tongue-lashing from the tutor and a loss of confidence in our group.

Effective communication is important to me not only in the business sector, but also in my friendships. I enjoy interacting with people from other races and nationalities, as I am fascinated in learning more about their unique cultures and their different backgrounds. As such, I have a variety of friends ranging from Malays to Caucasians and coming from Vietnam, Mauritius, Hungary, Hong Kong and Thailand. It is thus necessary to have good communication among ourselves as they have different customs and some of them may only have a rudimentary grasp of English. There is a higher chance that they may misinterpret my message and be offended. As I also plan to travel overseas in the future, effective communication would be essential in building good relationships with the locals. Meanwhile, I suppose practicing my communication skills on the unsuspecting citizens of the multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore would have to suffice for the moment.