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!
Hey Abby,
ReplyDeleteYour presence in class was definitely inspiring. I like the way you do your presentation with confidence and good preparation. Whenever I have a presentation, you're going to be flashing through my mine!
I'm glad to be in ES2007S as well. The chance to communicate in class definitely is one of the perks of enrolling in ES2007S. Now that you have mentioned active listening, I'm glad you have grown to acquire the essential skill. Most people lack the ability to listen in group discussions and that's probably one of the major failure in communication. Sometimes, I'd complain about how XXX in project A simply refuses to listen! For me, I feel that I haven't exactly carve this in my subconscious mind. So now there's another thing that I've learned from Abby!
Hope to see you around in school. Gd luck in your exams!!
Hallo Evonne,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind compliments! Glad that I could help you in your communications too.
All the best in your studies as well!
:D Abigail
Hi Abby!
ReplyDeleteBeing able to communicate with you has also been refreshing to me! You're one of the greatest inspiration as a model oral presentor in class! I have learnt a lot from you
I do agree with you that through ES2007S, we have learnt to communicate with our team mates better when working on a group project. Sometimes, we complain why our team mates do not cooperate with us but little do we know that sometimes, it's our own communication fault too!
Let's keep in touch even though we may seldom see each other next time! =)
Hello Abby! Ha, what a way to start your blog with the hectic schedule of the course! =P Indeed, we have learnt a lot from this course and similarly, I am afraid of not having the opportunity to use and refine the skills that I have been equipped with from this module. However, looking forward to every ES2007S lesson is indeed a shared sentiment I have with you.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, thank you for being a friend and a great classmate. Without your comments, I would never know where I went wrong and would never grow out of my mistakes, which I was not even sure that they were my mistake – ultimate problem. Let’s stay in contact; Facebook would be the best form of communication for all the ES2007S students! How about starting up a new group on Facebook called “NUS ES2007S”? =)
Regards,
Ivan
Hey Abby,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thank you so much for the help you have given me as my blogging buddy. I must really apologize as sometimes I sent you my drafts quite late and caused you a lot of inconvenience.
One great thing about you (of course you are also great in a whole lot of other things) is your friendly smile that makes people who just get to know you feel comfortable talking with you. See how great the power of non-verbal communication!
You mentioned in your blog that you learnt to listen and accept other people's views. Now, that's really surprising as working with you on the project, you did not give me the impression that you were pushing to sell your idea to Chee Siang and me. On the contrary, you were an easy person to work with and I appreciate your effort especially where writing is concerned. Anyway, back to your post, it is really important for everyone in a team to give and take so that effective communication and exchange of ideas can take place. Please forgive me if I have committed the offence of insisting that you and Chee Siang use my idea when we were working on the proposal.
All the best for your finals and don't forget to flash your friendly smile when we bump into each other at school!
Hi Abby,
ReplyDeleteLike what Wan Wei said, I did not find you “pushy” during the proposal or the peer-teaching. (I actually find you agreeing with us most of the time.) I agree with you that this module has definitely provided us with the most opportunities to communicate! I probably talked more than all of my modules added up.
I am often amazed at the way you give out your presentation. You have this aura of confidence around you and your delivery is always loud and clear. Your good editing skills have also helped us a lot during the proposal writing. It is nice working with you!
Thanks a lot and all the best!
Chee Siang
Thank you, Abby, for this clear and concise (can't get the 7Cs out of my head) reflection. I especially like the way you compare ES to a sunflower field. Your focus on active listening and the part it plays in group communication as one of the "take away points" is also appreciated. There's a pearl of wisdom in that observation, for sure.
ReplyDeleteI usually point out that all learning depends on the folks involved. In the case of G9, you and the others contributed to a really fine class. Again, thank you for being a big part of that.
Best wishes in your future, too!
See Abby, you need facebook too!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I really like the way you “reflected” on the course in this post, it really seems that you have grown as a person. I have too, and I guess that is something that is so great about a course like this huh?
And like what many of our other classmates have mentioned, you do have a very nice smile that you are not stingy about sharing! I really appreciate all the comments you have given me about my work too, they have always been very helpful and the effort you have put in them really shows.
It is a shame though, as I realized that we hardly had a chance to work together during this entire course. Perhaps we might meet in another module in the future? When that happens don’t act like you don’t know who I am k!
I wish you all the best for the finals!
Bisous,
Sheryl