#7 - Nostalgia

Wow. Can't believe I'm writing the last blogpost already, it seemed not so long ago when I was fretting over what to write for the first one. I believe the skills that I've taken away from this module would come back to me at one stage or another of my life.

For example, I learnt to be a better active listener when working on the proposal. I feel that all members deserve equal attention for their ideas but some might not be comfortable to share their thoughts. So, by being an active listener, it would facilitate the progress of the project because more ideas are brought up and it keeps the discussion going. When working on the oral presentation, I learnt how variations in tone, volume and gestures can bring the message across to the audience more effectively. Before attending this module, I had no idea that gestures could make such a big impact. I had zero gestures during the peer teaching session but after realizing their importance, I brushed up on that part and thought it made my presentation better! I have to say I thought the blogging assignment would be such a chore but penning down my thoughts actually gave me a channel to reflect and think critically. Plus, I really enjoyed reading everyone's posts, comments and replies. I feel that I got to know everyone just a little more with each word, each sentence and each paragraph. I've not taken a module where there is so much interaction in class and I really liked it!

I hope that we can all keep in touch and meet up for fun, joy and laughter though I think it's unlikely to happen but I'll stay positive haha! Thanks to each and every one of you for making my 8AMs. :)

#6 - oral presentation reflection

First of all, I would like to say I'm really glad to have worked with my team mates and a pat on the back for all of us! It's overrr!!

I think that our hard work has definitely paid off! After countless rounds of practise and feedbacks from each other, we have all improved so much from our first rehearsal.

I felt much more confident presenting today as compared to the peer teaching session. Maybe this is due to the fact that I was a lot more prepared and the lessons we had beforehand definitely helped me. The feedback session after the peer teaching session has also given me valuable tips which enabled me to improve.

I felt I was more enthusiastic this time round. Benefits of sharing a personal story I believe! This is a tip I will definitely remember in times to come. I also made an effort to maintain good eye contact with the audience, brushed up my gesturing skills, introduced appropriate pauses and kept my smile. I think our team made a good decision to click the powerpoint slides for each other because then we could focus more on the audience instead of worrying whether the correct slide was on display.

On the other hand, I think I should have slowed down my speed. Because during the practise rounds, I kept exceeding 5 minutes so I naturally sped up. I should also have used more visual aids because I think that would make my presentation more memorable. Lastly, during the Q&A session, I should have maintained eye contact with the rest of the audience, instead of just focusing on the person who asked the question.

To end this post, I would like to thank the friendly faces in the audience, your smiles have definitely given me extra confidence! :)

#5 - Здравствуйте! Buon giorno! 안녕하세요!

Some time ago, I went on a trip to China and I thought that since we were of the same race, I should not face any difficulties fitting in. However, I soon realized that a difference in culture does exist even though we were all of Chinese descent.

When we are trying to get the waitress's attention in Singapore, we normally call out ‘小姐’ (xiao jie) which means 'Miss' and is considered pretty polite. And might even receive a smile if the lady serving you is much older than the age group the term is supposed to be used for.

However, when I tried to attract the attention of a waitress in China by calling out ‘小姐’, I received hostile stares. Little did I know that this term is actually used to address prostitutes in China! No wonder I did not get my cup of water in the end, I guess I should be thankful I did not have some thrown towards me. The correct term to address a waiter or waitress in China is ‘服务员’ (fu wu yuan).

Through this little episode, I came to realize that to assume something really does make an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'. Well, in this case, more of me. I think that in order to communication effectively, one should try to read up and understand the culture of the country you are traveling to or the people you will be communicating with. They would definitely appreciative of your effort! And let's not forget the importance of non-verbal communication. I think the cartoon below brings across the very fundamental point that your actions might mean one thing in your country and something totally different in another.

#4 - Application Letter

Dear Dr. Tang,

I am writing to apply for the position of Research Assistant (Neuro-Oncology Research Lab) offered by National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) which I came across on www.jobstreet.com on the 5^th of September 2011.

I am a graduate from National University of Singapore (NUS) with a specialization in Biomedical Sciences. My interest in research grew after my first two years in University and it prompted me to take up an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme in Science (UROPS) in my third year. I learnt many laboratory techniques during the course of my project, including flow cytometry, cell culture and western blotting. I believe that this knowledge would be a vital guide for me to ace in the position offered by your organization.

Also, for my UROPS project, I had the opportunity of working with three other researchers, and teamwork and good communication skills were required out of me. I believe these are crucial skills for researchers as we are all working towards the same goal of broadening knowledge. Furthermore, with a thirst for new knowledge, I asked many questions and learnt a lot from the other researchers who were more experienced than me. The desire to learn is another critical assets I possess which would enable me to achieve great heights in NNI.

During the span of my Final Year Project (FYP), a different set of skills was essential as this time as I had to work independently. Planning ahead was important and so was the ability to think critically on the spot. I had to pick myself up in times when the experiment did not go as planned and to think of ways to improve my experimental set up. Even though I lack a few years of experience in the working world, I strongly believe that what I learnt and developed during my University years would make me someone who could make valuable contributions to NNI.

Thus, with relevant academic background, passion in research, the necessary skills of a researcher and a desire to learn, I believe I would make a delightful addition to the NNI family. If you have any further queries, feel free to contact me at 92XXXXXX. I would really appreciate to have the chance to meet up with you for an interview at a convenient time. Thank you for your precious time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours Sincerely,

Le Minming

#3 - the one with the lesson learnt

We all have different personalities and different ways of expressing our emotions. It is not possible for everyone to accept another's personality and agree with all those around them and ultimately conflicts occur because of these differences. In order to avoid conflicts, one needs to develop EQ which is “the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action” (Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer). With time and practice, we master this tricky skill. However, it is easier said than done, sometimes emotions run high and things get ugly.

Here' s situation I faced:

A group of friends and I arranged to go Malaysia for a trip. We were supposed to board the bus at 1.30pm and therefore decided to meet at the station at 12pm to give us sufficient time for lunch and the necessary buffer time. Only B was late and when we called her, she said that she was on her way.

But, after waiting for 45mins, she was nowhere in sight so we gave her another call. She did not sound like she was in a rush and when we asked her where she was, no specific answer came. As the bus was going to leave soon, we were all panicky. She, however, sounded calm and said that she was reaching. With no idea how long she would take, we waited like cats on hot bricks. Realizing that we were going to miss the bus if we waited any longer and we had to pay extra charges to change the timing of the bus, we decided to take the bus first. We called B and found her still far from the arranged destination, so we told her that she could take the later bus and meet us there straight. She agreed.

When we met her in Malaysia, she was obviously cheesed off. When we asked her what was wrong, she said that she was very dismayed that we left without her. We were surprised because not only did she not apologize for making us wait for more than 1 hour and caused us to miss lunch, she turned the tables and blamed us for leaving her behind when she had agreed to our plan. We felt that it was her responsibility to be on time, hence we did not apologize.

If you were me, how would you have resolved this conflict without directly confronting her and making things sour?

#2 - Importance of Effective Communication

To communicate effectively means that the speaker has to get his intended message across to the listener, in its entirety. In order to achieve this goal, several barriers such as language, culture and perception have to be overcome.

Why is effective communication important in the first place? The answer to that is simple - we all want to be understood by our intended audience but without effective communication, our intended message might be misinterpreted or lost.

Due to the fact that people have varying degrees of knowledge, the speaker has to change his choice of words to suit the level of the listener. For example, for a doctor to communicate effectively with his patient, he cannot use too many technical terms as the patient would only be confused. Instead, the doctor must choose terms that a lay person who has not undergone medical training can understand. This might not come naturally to everyone and would require practice. Through trial and error, one learns how to switch between different registers when communicating to different people. With practice, the speaker could communicate effectively with the listener at ease after identifying the type of words, language and tone that he should use.

However, not only are speaking skills important in effective communication, listening skills are equally important. A good and active listener should show genuine interest and encourage the speaker to go on. Eye contact, attentive silence and verbal encouragers are some of skills an active listener should possess. For example, an employer who fidgets constantly with wandering eyes is going to make the boss annoyed and not want to continue with the conversation. Instead of communicating, the boss gets angry and the employer gets listed in the black books. To avoid being in that sticky situation, one should take the time to learn how to be an active listener.

Hence, effective communication skills are important to us in all aspects of life and we should practice and hone our speaking and listening skills in order for our conversations to be meaningful.

#1 - help!

Hi everyone, need some help here. It's been too long since I used blogger and things have apparently changed around here... :s HOW DO I ADD LINKS TO MY SIDE BAR??? Help!!

/edit/ Ohoho a little googling solved everything! :D