BLOG POST #4: FINAL REFLECTION ON LEARNING

Week 13 has arrived and I have finally come to the end of the module, ES2007S. Through this course, I was introduced to a myriad of useful content from the skills needed for effective communication to writing resume letters and proposals and the techniques used in persuasive speeches.

The one aspect that I found extremely useful was persuasive speeches as it made me reflect about how I could make audience identify with my points better. As opposed to the Peer Teaching activity that focused more on techniques relating to delivery of content, I initially found the Oral Presentation aspect to be quite challenging. In the mock oral presentations, I felt that I was merely regurgitating content without considering if the audiences were internalizing the content that I had presented. However, with my teammates’ help and re-watching the series of videos screened during class-time, I have learnt much about how visualization techniques could be used to enhance the impact of a particular problem and interpreting statistics to relate the situation to personal self/community.  Personally this exercise was extremely rewarding and fruitful, as it had opened my perspective to different techniques of presentation.

At the start of the course, I was slow in opening up to my teammates due to my introverted nature. Hence, I felt that there seemed to be a barrier of communication between us. However, over the weeks in which we did up the group presentation and proposal and despite minor misunderstandings, I am glad that we generally worked well as a team. For instance, I remembered that my teammates willingly made accommodations for the meeting to be postponed to another day when I had a sudden test scheduled on that day. This experience made me realized the importance of accommodation and discussing any issues collectively with your teammates to come to the most appropriate solution together.

All in all, this module has been a joy to take and I thank Mdm Fazilah, my team-mates (Anna and Manish) and the class for the experience (: All the best for the upcoming examinations.

BLOG POST #3: REFLECTION ON TEAM-BASED RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL

Over the course of 6-7 weeks in crafting out the team-based proposal, there were a number of essential takeaway points that I had gathered. Firstly in a group work, there were bound to be differences in opinions amongst team members towards the subject of focus. Nonetheless, I was glad that this obstacle was surmounted whereby we sat down and exchanged the ideas that we had in mind. Subsequent weighing of the pros and cons behind our various ideas was also essential in deciding the most effective means of presenting our proposal. In addition, it was also when some of our ideas were combined together that our proposal was better presented. Through this, I have learnt the importance of respecting others’ opinions as careful consideration could possibly lead to a brand new idea that I personally would never have thought of. This would be a classic example of how brainstorming can lead to development of new ideas in the working industry and possibly place a company ahead of others. 

However, there were some aspects that I felt that my team could improve on. While we delegated tasks that were to be completed by a certain deadline, these were not adhered to and pushed to the last minute. Sometimes, certain team members had to take over the workload from other members, resulting in extra burden and stress especially when the deadline of submission was approaching. In retrospect, I felt that this could be improved on if there was greater commitment on every member’s part to contribute to the proposal. This could be facilitated by active communication through emails and sms messages where we could remind each other of our tasks and push for the completion of the allocated tasks. Similarly, these skills of active communication are undoubtedly applicable in future workplace settings whereby it is of utmost importance to work together as a team and understand each other's commitments in order to complete the task at hand.  

BLOG POST #2: EVALUATING INTERCULTURAL BEHAVIOUR

An intercultural situation that I personally witnessed was during my cashiering job at the Takashimaya Japanese Food Fair. The chefs were Japanese while the promoters and cashiers were Singaporean. Due to the hectic work involved especially during peak hours, there was this particular promoter who ate while moving from one station to another. However, the Japanese chef tapped the promoter on the shoulder and asked, “Is it common for Singaporeans to eat while walking?” The promoter replied with a definite yes. The Japanese chef chuckled and said, “ Oh in Japan, it is considered impolite to do so. We normally sit down and have our meals”. The promoter was astonished as her eyes widened in surprise. Nonetheless, she regained her composure before bowing apologetically.

To me, the notion of eating on the go is widely prevalent in Singapore’s context. Be it grabbing a snack or a drink, the sight of Singaporeans munching on their food as they embark on their daily activities is very common, possibly attributed to convenience. However, having travelled to Japan before, I did realize that this practice was not commonplace. In fact, I do not seem to recall any Japanese eating while walking on the streets. Interestingly, I did notice that in the Food Fair, the Japanese chefs always bent down whenever they took a drink (perhaps to ensure that they were away from the sight of others). 

Engaging in conversation with other Japanese, I have found out that the practice of eating while sitting is part of their table manners. This is simply because walking while eating may result in spills on the ground, to yourself or others. In Japanese culture where respect plays a key role in various social processes, it is understandable why eating while walking is frowned upon.

As I bent down to tuck into the slice of cheesecake that I was offered to at the Food Fair, the Japanese chef gave an approving nod. Afterall, respect and proper understanding of each other culture’s is the key to fostering better communication skills.

BLOG POST #1: RESOLVING INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT

The one interpersonal conflict that left a deep mark under my skin was the time where I was involved in a group essay project. In our group of five, we divided the workload equally and scheduled the deadline for compilation. Unfortunately, there was a member who failed to turn up for our scheduled meetings. Thus, I approached her for an explanation. She explained that being a Music major, there were rehearsals scheduled late till night for the upcoming concerts but promised that she would try her best to turn up for meetings and do her part of the project.

Despite making a number of calls and leaving text messages, she did not respond positively. She failed to submit her part on time and her absence from meetings became a pattern. As it was a group project in which all of us had a responsibility to shoulder, it was only fair that she played her part regardless of other commitments. Afterall, weren’t the rest of us filled up to the brim with a heavy workload as well? At that time, I began to feel annoyed and wondered if the late-night rehearsals were simply an excuse to escape from her responsibility.

The situation escalated to the point that the teacher-in-charge was informed of the current happenings. Through an arranged discussion with the teacher, it was only then that I realized that contrary to my thoughts, she was truly kept busy with late-night rehearsals five times per week. Nonetheless, she did not receive the grade awarded for our project.

Upon reflection, I was wondering if more could be done to prevent the situation from escalating to such a drastic point. Perhaps, we could have put ourselves in her shoes and understand her schedule. Yet at the same time, this would have required active response from her.

Do you think our group made a right choice by reporting about her lack of contribution to the project?