Professional Communication

Looking back on my first post, the desire to learn the science of communication in the hopes of equipping myself with beneficial skills had motivated me to bid for ES2007S. After 12 weeks of building and honing these skills, I am proud to say that I am now trained with basic competencies required in written and oral communication and job searches. This module has thus certainly served its purpose.

4 Comments:

Hello Monkey Ally,

I agree with you that this course has seriously offered valuable insights on the structuring of a persuasive presentation. Like what you have mentioned, I did not realized that our presentation sounds too demanding to our target audience. Little things such as the tone and the choice of words that Ms Goh has mentioned really serve to enlighten my understanding towards such forms of presentation. Honestly speaking, this will be one of the major knowledge that I will be able to take home from this course.

And last but not least, I would also like to thank you for all the wonderful efforts for the survey report. I really had a good time working with you in another major project and I believe such experiences really serve to strengthen our friendship even further.

Hereby wishing you all the best for your coming exams!

SM

Hi Alicia,

I'm glad that you have "hit the goldmine" in this course. I think I learn a few things too but I have decided to be the devil's advocate and suggest the many inadequacies about this course. I'm not a negative person, but reading through so many "positive" posts when I know that many of us did not feel that the course is that "wonderful" really drove me to write something negative. It's more of the structuring of the course that I am disappointed in. Ms Goh has been excellent, I concur. But I don't believe that the course has really improved my skills.

Regards,
Timothy

Hi Alicia

It is great that you have managed to identify and link the different communication skills learnt, to the different tasks we had to do in the module. Indeed, the skill of contructing an effective resume and application letter has been very beneficial. I believe that your improved resume may also help you in the near future when you apply for a job. Meanwhile, all the best in looking for an internship. :)

Hi Alicia,

Indeed, this module has served its purpose! Most of us are now trained with the basic competencies needed in term of writing skills, communicating skills, giving oral presentation and preparing us for job searches and interviews.

And, I think you had done a good job for your project and oral presentation. Being the very first person to speak for the whole presentation is really very stressed but you did a very good job. Remember Miss Goh mentioned before that the first speaker must be able to grab the audience's attention to listen to the rest of the presentation and i feel that you definitely did that. *Thumbs Up*

Hope that with an effective resume and cover letter, and the skills we acquired for interview, will be beneficial when we applying for jobs in the near future.

Take care! All the best for exams!

9 Comments:

Hi Alicia,

I think your biodata is well written stating your career interest and your academic achievements. Maybe you can also include some of your non-academic interest as well?

hi monkey,

Throughout the weeks of working with you, i find that you are a very energetic person and that energy is capable of reaching out and influencing people. I think this is one of your biggest strengths you can bring out in your biodata. May be good if you do a bit of paragraphing as well?

But overall, still a very nice description of yourself!

See you around in school!

Dear Alicia,

Your biodata statement has clearly allowed readers to know of your career aspirations as well as how unforeseen circumstances has shaped the path that you think you will eventually take.

I feel that you could write more about your life achievements as well as your favourite past times, ignoring the 100-word limit, to do justice to your easy-going and effervescent nature.

May the roads you choose to walk down reward you with more surprises and gratifying experience!

Your biodata allows the reader to know you more regarding your major and you interest academically. However it would be nice if you can add in more of your other parts of your life, such as hobbies, CCA and working experience.

It always needs passion to continue in the science path. Hence as long as you love microbiology, I believe you will thrive in this field.

Hi Alicia,

I believe you would have so much more to write if was not a word limit. I guess you should write more about yourself rather than just academically. Like maybe you like to spend time helping out NVAC during you free time.

Darren
PS: you lied to me.. you said you're not attached but you are hugging that guy.. lol..

Dear Alicia,

Your biodata has concisely brought out the passion you have for research and also your personality. You had clearly portrayed your interest in that career path you intend to pursue in future by supporting with your laboratory experiences. I would like to know more about other characteristics you may posses in the road to becoming a successful researcher. All the best!

Madeline

Hi Alicia,

Your biodata covers your academic situation well, but like the many others who commented, a little nugget into the real Alicia would have been nicer. It would have been like the strawberry on top of a perfect slice of chocolate cake or the mustard on a hotdog. You get my drift.

Hope your wishes come true!

Derek

Hey Alicia,

From your biodata, I could see that you enjoy what you are doing academically. That is really good for you. While, I am the opposite. I do not enjoy what I am studying and can't wait to get out of NUS.

I believe you have other passions too. However, you are too overwhelmed by biology that your biodata is filled with it.

Hi fellow ES2007Sians,

Guess I am back by POPULAR DEMAND! :) While penning for this particular blog post I was really troubled as to what aspect I should include in this short entry of 100 words. In view of the word limit imposed, I have decided to share my interest in microbiology in my biodata.

Besides exhibiting a strong passion in microbiology, I also have an immense interest for sports. I have been a netballer since primary and secondary school and have taken up hockey during my JC days. Though I have sustained a few injuries while participating in these sports, I have truly enjoyed myself and have fostered close ties with my teammates. The tears and laughter that I have shared with my teammates would always be part of the fond-memories-collection I have created in my memory and I would NEVER trade them for anything.

To add on, I also have a knack for creating words that could not be found in any dictionary. I would say this “special gift” of mine could be due to the inability to spell simple words. To make up for this shortcoming, I hope to publish the Alicia’s dictionary in the near future so as to assist those who have difficulties understanding my train of thought. :)

P.S. I am still wondering how I had an ear infection which left me partially deaf for 1 month while wind surfing. Apparently, I am the only one with this condition. Any takers?

As a science student, laboratory reports is the most frequent form of writing I am exposed to. However, a survey report is different from a laboratory as it demands much more. Besides the need to collect and analyse data, a survey report also requires the drafting of a survey and liaison with relevant parties. Since our survey report required us to seek the opinions of both the students and industrial companies, two different set of questionnaires were disseminated. Despite the heavy workload, we managed to pull through as a team and learned many valuable lessons from the experience.

Through the weeks of consolidating the report, I have learnt the importance of communication. It enables the clear expression of intentions and at the same time, facilitates the interpretation of varying expectations for the report. Moreover, communicating clearly could prevent any last minute changes and ensure that deadlines are met. In the event of any miscommunication, conflicts which are detrimental to the working environment could result.

Besides having clear communication, the building of interpersonal relationships among teammates could also prevent miscommunication. Frequent meetings online and beyond the classroom have allowed us to foster ties and understand each other’s different working styles. As friends we tend to open up to one another. This helped us iron out differing viewpoints and prevented differences from snowballing into disputes. In addition, the jokes shared and friendly bantering made the working environment less stressful and the process of report writing more enjoyable.

The next team project, the oral presentation, involves a different set of rules. There is a need to engage and impress the audience while being mindful of our non-verbal communication cues such as body language and tone. As a person with a rather frank disposition, it is essential for me to be especially cautious in choosing my words and to be more aware of the audience’s reaction by observing their body language during the presentation. Furthermore, while preparing for the oral presentation, it is important that our group continued to practise active listening to ensure continued effective communication among teammates.

6 Comments:

Dear Alicia,

The establishment of good interpersonal relationships definitely helps in preventing misunderstandings from arising within a team. I can vividly remember an incident in which a team mate of mine thought I was angry with her as I spoke loudly and brashly to her during a group discussion. However, I was merely agitated at that point of time while trying to bring my point across to the group. A few of my team mates who are also friends of mine had to spend a few days reassuring her that it was not personal and it was just the way I spoke. Fortunately, it all ended well when I approached her to clear the air and ultimately, we managed to complete the project together effectively. This just displays how the understanding of our teammates would lead to cohesiveness within the group. This is important as it would greatly contribute to the efficiency and success of the team.

Hi Alicia,

This written report indeed is very different from our weekly laboratory reports, in terms of contents and the way of writing.

Personally, i feel that building of interpersonal relationships among teammates is very important in order to prevent any kind of misunderstandings, especially when working with other people whom you hardly know.

Furthermore, understanding among group members is also very important for a group. As a group, we should talk things out and not self-assume of others, or else it will cause a lot of misunderstandings. Hence, understanding and compromising among teammates can be part of achieving better teamwork and success to the project. :)

All the best!

Hey Alicia,

Like you and vivien had mentioned, establishment of good interpersonal relationships with your group members definitely help in production of more efficient and effective work. It is also important to prevent snowballing of opinions and unhappiness as that can eventually lead to major unhappiness when the anger threshold is reached.

Finally as the module ends, good luck for your exams. See you in UNSW. =)

Dear Alicia

Being a Life Sciences student, I do feel the same way as you that laboratory report is very different from the survey report we had done in this module. After reading your report, I was really impressed and I could see the effort your group had put in because the report was really detailed and well written.

I agree with you that building interpersonal relationships among teammates are extremely important as good teamwork is really needed for this project. Being open to ideas and ironing out different viewpoints can bring prevent miscommunications and misunderstandings from happening and thus leading to a better working environment. Also, with so many deadlines to meet for this module, like you said, we really need to communicate well with our team members to get things done effectively. Glad to know that you have learnt so much from doing this project!

Mongshi

Hey Alicia,

I had exactly the same thought as you. As a Chemistry student, we are required to do endless of lab reports. But all these lab report that I had done are demanding as compared to the survey report we had to do for our ES2007s Research Project. The need to ensure that the questionnaire of the survey and the results are well distributed to reduce any biasness made the report even more tedious. Even though it was a difficult process, I had gain a lot from the process.

As mentioned by you in the entry, it is important to have effective communication skills as this reduce any misunderstanding or communication in the group. Miscommunication is often the cause of conflict in the group, which results in unhappiness and frustration when working together. Therefore, it is essential that everyone puts in more effort in term of communicating with one another to ensure a smooth working experience.

Due to our busy schedule, similar to your group, my group also adopted different mode of meeting discussion via online and phone conferencing, which allowed us to foster ties and understand of each other’s different working styles better.

Hmm.. I think we should thank these technologies for facilitating the process of our project. hahahaha..

Cheers,
Xinyi

Hi Alicia,

I share the same view as you on the vast difference of writing a laboratory report and the research project report. Although both entails writing a concise and comprehensive report, the targeted audience of the reports are different and hence while writing we need to note the difference in the tone of writing. Many of us have underestimated the use of crafting a suitable survey form for our project and subsequently this poses problems in our final interpretation of the survey results in our project report.

The above mentioned problem is only one of the several that we might have encountered but those problems have been smoothened out because our teams have grown closer to our own team mates as the week progresses. Quite similar to your case, the project has enabled my team, consisting of Ruisheng, Stephany and I, to work better because friendship have been developed amongst us. And I also agree that the project have definitely tested us on the uses of communication skills and the final oral presentation will be a major test on us as to how we can apply what we have learnt in this module.

While waiting for a bus which seemed to take eternity to arrive, I was drawn to a loud conversation among three middle-aged women. Not long after the conversation began, a woman in her early fifties came along. Judging from the woman’s accent, it was likely that she was a China national. While the four women were conversing in Mandarin, the China national enquired about the route to a particular furniture store. The three middle-aged women began speaking in Cantonese, each trying to convince the other the fastest route to the furniture store. In the midst of their conversation, the China national’s facial expression changed, and she seemed disturbed and frustrated.

From this short encounter, I have learnt the significance of language. As much as I understand the comforts of speaking in a language with which they are most familiar, it was uncalled for to do so in front of someone who did not understand it. Although this gesture seemed unintentional, the group of women who spoke in Cantonese could have been more sensitive and opted to converse in a common language, that being Mandarin. Hence negative thoughts of them badmouthing her could have been avoided. The frustration shown on her face clearly indicated that she was bothered by her inability to comprehend what was being discussed.

Language is a tool used to express thoughts and ideas and it can either make or break a relationship. The three women’s common fluency in Cantonese served as an aid in building rapport in their friendship. Conversely, language differences, as in the case of the China national and the three Cantonese-speaking women, could result in friction between people and thus have a distancing effect.

To reduce misunderstandings, one possible approach could be interpreting nonverbal communication cues accurately and appropriately. If the “Cantonese-speaking-Clan” senses discomfort from the China national while they were conversing, timely “rescue plans” such as trying to engage her in the conversation and apologizing for getting carried away in their conversation could be carried out. On the other hand, to communicate effectively, the

China

national could practice active listening. Strategies such as focusing on goals and purpose, and doing support listening via paraphrasing the speaker’s thoughts could be adopted.

P.S. I do not usually eavesdrop on other people’s conversations but they were simply too loud to be ignored.

5 Comments:

Hi Alicia aka Monkey Ally,

I believe that such situations takes efforts from both parties so as to prevent any misunderstandings from happening in the first place.

Firstly, I think that the chinese national could be more tolerant because Singapore consist of a diversity of racial groups with an even wide diversity of language spoken in the country. So they should try to respect such diversity and be more understanding if other languages were used in their presence.

Secondly, like what you have mentioned, it is really uncalled for to speak a language that is not familiar to other party involved in the conversation. As singapore goes global in its effort to attract more foreigners into the country, I believe people should be more conscious of the way they try to communicate with other party of a different background. It makes use of the same concept while speaking to our friends of a different racial background. We would not try to converse in chinese in front of our malay friends or vice versa. Adding on to that, we would also not want ourselves to be involved in such situation as the minority party. Therefore, we should always keep one thing in our mind: Do not do things to others that you do not want the others to do to you.

Hi Alicia,

I feel that both parties were at fault to arise this misunderstanding. It can be prevented if both parties were to be more tolerant and understanding.

I totally agree on what Sze min had stated. "Do not do things to others that you do not want the others to do it to u!" I think that people should be more aware of how they communicate to others, especially those with a different race or come from different country. Imagine that you attend a gathering and the people there are communicating in other language that you are not familiar with, you will feel bored and awkward. Hence, it is not so nice to speak in your own language with a guest beside you of different background.

Hi Alicia,

I can fully understand the frustration that the China lady went through at that moment because I shared a similar experience.

During the school vocation, I worked in a particular shop as a sale girl. Most of my colleagues were non Chinese. During the time when there were no customers, we would stay around and chit-chat. However, I often felt neglected in the conversation. My colleagues would always end up conversing in their own Mother Tongue, which I completely unable to comprehend. At times, they would start giggling away during the chat, which I felt very disturbed. Sometimes I would just wonder if their giggle were for me.

No doubt, all of us are more comfortable conversing in our language. I agree with you that speaking using a common language served as an aid in building rapport with people around. However, at times, especially in a multi-racial country like Singapore, we have to be more sensitive to our other racial groups. That is precisely the reason why English is used as our first and common language. As what Sze min had mentioned, people should be more conscious of the way they try to communicate with other party of a different background. This will greatly reduce any conflict from arising.

Hi Alicia,

I agree with you that language can be seen as a wall or a bridge, depending on how they are utilized. This is especially true when different languages and cultures are concerned. It is true that the “Cantonese-speaking clan” should be more sensitive when dealing with the Chinese national. But I somehow feel that the relational breakdown in this case could be contributed partly by the Chinese national herself. While it is weird to think that the problem lies with both parties, as it is so obvious to most that it is the Cantonese-speaking clan’s fault in being insensitive to the Chinese national’s cultural behaviour, actually it could be due to that cultural behaviour that makes her very impatient. She should be thankful that the three ladies took time out to help her and it is their very intention to discuss to find the shortest possible route for her convenience. While not appreciating that fact, she shows displeasure and frustration. Although you did not specify what happen in the end, I guess that the Chinese national still accepted their advice and thanked them. If that’s the case, then the situation is resolved amicably.

Communication is a two-way process, language acts as the mediating factor in this process. When different cultural behaviours and proficiency in different languages exist, they posed serious challenges to the process and thus could possibly cause relational breakdown. Of course, like what you mentioned, the two parties could have taken more notice on non-verbal cues as unlike languages, they transcends borders and are universal, unless of course, the party your communicating is not from our universe

Hi Alicia,

I guess that it is unavoidable for friends to speak in a more comfortable language when the need arises. However, you are right that we should not do that in front of strangers who may not understand us, unless we cannot speak in his tongue. With globalization such a common phenomenon, it is good to be wary of the miscommunications that can arise from such a situation.

I recall a personal experience when I had to bring some British soldiers around Singapore but I ended up speaking Chinese with my own army mates. It was not until that he asked me what I was talking about did I realize I could have sounded very rude to him that time. From then, I made it a conscious effort to converse only in English in front of them.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

With many CAs just around the corner, I hope this poem which sees me through tough times is able to inspire you like it did for me. :)

A STATE OF MIND

If you think you are beaten, you are;

If you think you dare not, you don't;

If you'd like to win but think you can't,

It's almost a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you've lost;

For out in the world you'll find

Success begins with a person's will;

It's all in the state of mind.

Life's battles don't always seem to go

To the strongest or fastest man,

But sooner or later the man who wins

Is the one who thinks he can.

0 Comments:

Methodology
An either-or and scaling online questionnaire using Surveymonkey was used to seek students’ opinion regarding the VIP and IA programme. One hundred finalized forms were each distributed to 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th year Life Science students randomly during the recess week. We provided different links for year 2, 3 and 4 students so as to aid us in our tabulation process. Results automatically tabulated by Surveymonkey were used in our report analysis.

In addition, a different set of questionnaires were handed out to Life Sciences related companies to seek their opinions on the feasibility of a possible collaboration with NUS Life Science department.

0 Comments:

This conflict is really fresh as it just happened this morning. I hope workable solutions do come by to solve this issue. :)

Having burnt the midnight oil last night, I have planned to sleep through the entire morning in the hope of replenishing my sleep. However, with windows closed and curtains drawn, I could vividly hear shouting between both parties. As much as I would like to ignore the dispute and carry on with my very much needed rest, the quarrel got even louder and more intimidating. Fearing that it might escalate into a fist-fight, I woke up and head down to find the source of the argument.

Surprisingly, by the time I got down, there was an awkward silence. I found out from my auntie that my grandmother who would occasionally visit us during the weekends has quarreled with my neighbour’s grandmother and the cause of this squabble; bamboo trees. Apparently the bamboo shoots from the neighbour’s has overgrown and “crossed the boundary”. This made my grandmother wield her garden tools and snip those overgrown shoots away. Upon seeing this, my neighbour’s grandmother got really furious and started shouting across the fence in Hokkien. The row probably ended because of my grandmother’s ignorance to my neighbour’s endless shouting.

Though the quarrel has ended, unfortunately, on an unhappy note, I could sense tension building both households. It is as if a Berlin Wall has been built between the fences. Is there anything I could do to ease the tension? What can be done to dissolve the “Berlin Wall”?

3 Comments:

Hi Alicia

Issues dealing with neighbourliness are never easily resolved.

I guess both parties could avoid making any further contact for the time being to let the ‘fire’ shimmer off.

When this conflict has fully dissolved, you could try making friendly gestures like exchanging a morning greeting or welcoming your neighbour with a smile if you see them along the corridor.

I believe these are the most practical ways of rebuilding a neutral relationship with your neighbour, without making the situation look contrived and insincere.

Hopefully, your neighbour would realize the bamboo leaves would grow back in time to come and that it not something worth maintaining animosity over.

Guang Yi

Hi Alicia,

I guess issues with the older generation will always require a bit more tact. In my opinion, you should not be the one doing anything. If any, it should be your parents. I feel that whoever said children should stay out of adult matters is a genius. Although you hope to resolve the matter, it is not really a matter you can decide. For one, we do not know what our grandparents feel, and for them to be so senior, I feel they may not be appreciative of advice from the younger generation.

However, you could choose to explain to your neighbors your grandmother's actions. Offer a new bamboo shoot for them to grow more bamboo trees. Offer to keep any stray pandas which may be eyeing the bamboo out. I guess it would not hurt to throw in a sorry for your grandmother as well.

Hope this matter will be resolved soon!

Hi Alicia

Indeed sometimes an argument can occur over what seems to be a really small issue. I agree with Derek that more tact is required in resolving conflicts among the older generation. One reason may be that they believe they have 'seen much more of the world' than us, that they would know better and it is not for us the younger generation to be involved.

Nevertheless, on your part, you could try explaning to your grandmother as to why the neighbour had such strong reactions, probably emotional attachment to the bamboo :p Also, the neighbour may not have noticed that her plants had crossed barriers, so it was an oversight on her part. You could also suggest to your grandmother to remind the neighbour to trim the overbearing shoots because it makes your garden less tidy.

Regarding the 'Berlin Wall', I guess time plays a part in dissolving tension as well. Hopefully your neighbour do not hold the incident to heart for too long.