Reflecting on the experiences of this semester, I feel that I have vastly improved my communication skills as well as being a better team player; the Problem-solving Project and the CG1102 Programming assignment had provided us with a suitable and effective environment for us to grow and learn. Most importantly, I can now fully understand the possible implications ineffective communication skills can create in a team, and what we as the team members can do to avoid awkward situations. In addition, we also learnt to exercise conflict management in teams, in which we should priortise the goal of the team over personal issues.
In my opinion, I am already applying the principles of effective communication concurrently while learning about it in CG1413.
Taken from http://www.facebook.com/?croperror#!/photo.php?pid=6279&op=3&o=global&view=global&subj=422818325524&id=100000728764367
Being the only Chinese in my group, intercultural differences were already an issue when the team was formed for the Electrical Engineering module, CG1108. I can honestly say that by keeping in mind how dangerous miscommunication can be, I have successfully worked around with my team despite our different cultural backgrounds. Conflicts were reduced to the minimum, and all of us had a great time together working as a team, as we understood fully the consequences of cultural conflicts and the damaging effects on the goal of the team.
Meetings and Presentations
In this module, I have also extensively learnt crucial presentation skills as well as conducting an effective meetings. Thanks to the helpful guidelines given, being a team leader I was able to conduct discussions that achieved desirable results within a reasonable period of time
Our first meeting
Giving a presentation became less of a chore now, as I am better equipped with important skills that I did not realise prior to this module, such as visual aids and body languages.
The first Oral Presentation
I am now more confident than when I first started this module, in terms of speaking well and also taking the initiative to start a conversation. Needless to say, I am now more aware of the important skills that I should acquire prior to a presentation, that is, preparation and plenty of practices.
Writing Skills
Last but not least, writings are also part of communication, as we learnt the usage of wiki in our Problem-solving Project to communicate with team-mates without meeting physically. Also, by adhering to the 7Cs writing guidelines, namely Courtesy, Correctness, Conciseness, Clarity Coherence/Cohesion, Concreteness and Completeness, we are able to interact and understand each other better through reading scripts like meeting minutes and proposals.
Hi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt, this module has definitely allowed us to fully understand the possible implications of ineffective communication skills. Not only that, it exposes people’s true self, and also their tolerance and willingness to work. It also gives us a preview of what to expect in future team projects that we will be doing in the near future.
Next, I feel that it is very commendable of you to successfully work around with your CG1108 team despite being the odd one out of the team in terms of cultural backgrounds. It requires a high level of patience and professionalism to constantly remind yourself to stay focus on the main task ahead.
Through this module, it has definitely helped us improve on our presentation skills. Thanks to Mr James’ feedback as well as guidance, we know what to look out for during presentations and correct our mistakes, thus in a way this contributed to our confidence as well.
Lastly, I hope that you will continue to put those skills that were learnt in this module in use for the remaining years in university and also in the world outside. I wish you all the best for your final exams!
Regards,
Hao Tan
Hi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you have applied what you learned in CG1413 in your CG1108 project. Indeed, there is a need to be sensitive towards other cultures when working with teammates from different cultures. Due to the cultural differences, it may be easier for some to interpret the message sent incorrectly, causing miscommunication in a team. Fortunately, your team is able to reduce the level of conflicts to the minimum.
You have used more photos in your blog post and it is a notable improvement, compared to your previous blog posts. Using visual aids in your blog posts can help to attract more visitors to read your blog. After all, you will actually hope that someone will read your blog posts when you post it up, won’t you?
Lastly, good luck in your future endeavors and be happy!
Li Hua
Hi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteIt is really commendable that you are able to apply the skills garnered in CG1413 in other areas of your life. This proves that the course has been quite successful in imbuing its ideals and making us better people (at least in communication).
I agree that our skills in communication are tested most when we interact with people from a very different culture, as there is a higher chance of miscommunication. Still, by working with people of diverse backgrounds in NUS, we build experiences that are a prelude to working life.
For this post, I liked how you split up the segments to separate different ideas, which makes it easier to understand. However, there is a slight disconnectedness between them and an outsider might consider each part individually rather than sums of a whole. Still, it was a great read, and I really can empathize with the points you have brought up.
I am certain that your communication skills have improved over the course and that you will continue to use them even after this module ends.
I wish you all the best for final exams.
Regards,
Kimberly
Hi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI believe this is the first and the last time I am commenting in your blog and I must say it was an insightful and honest reflection.
It is heartening to see that you have put what you learnt into practice, taking note of cultural differences in your team and making the effort to be sensitive to your team mates. I would also like to add that having good teamwork and bonding is more efficient then having talented individuals with no teamwork. I am sure we have all experienced it firsthand that having good teamwork yield exponential results.
I would also like to add on regarding your point about writing skills. I believe having this academic blog has also given us the platform to hone our writing skills. Furthermore, it gives us the opportunity to train our critical thinking and analytical skills when doing reflections like this.
In conclusion, I feel that you did a great job reflecting on the principles of communication as you managed to identify your own strengths and weaknesses by evaluating your own performance throughout the course. I do hope you will carry on practicing effective communication as we progress on our NUS journey together.
Regards,
Jay
Hi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteThis module is indeed enriching and we have certainly gained valuable skills that will be useful to us in the years to come, in our studies, work, and also our life.
Firstly, I am glad to see that you are able to apply what you learnt in the team projects that you have done. I agree with you that the skills that we learnt in this module, has made us better team players, knowing when and how to react at different situations so as to prevent misunderstandings or conflicts.
In the past, when we conduct meetings, we did not follow any guidelines and or even have an agenda for the meeting and thus most of the time the meeting does not bring desirable results to the project that we have in hand. From this module, as you have said, being a leader, you are able to conduct effective meetings because there were many helpful guidelines to follow.
Your presentation skills have indeed improved from first Oral presentation 1 as in OP 2, you are able to express yourself more freely and relying less on scripts. However, you would have noticed for yourselves there are still rooms for improvements in your presentation skills.
Lastly, being able to write effectively is a useful skill and learning the principles of 7Cs indeed allow us to improve in our writing tremendously. I hope that you will continue to improve on your communication skills and I wish you all the best.
Regards,
Jason
Hi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI like the way you split your post into smaller segments with the use of appropriate headers. This made your post clearer and easier to read. I can also see from your post that you are actively using and improving on the skills taught in this module, especially in your CG1108 project where you have to deal with intercultural communication.
I agree with you that we had improved greatly in our presentation skills through this module. After each presentation, we were given critical feedback that greatly aided us in improving our presentation skills. We were also given another chance to test what we have learnt and improved on in our oral presentation 2 and most of us showed significant improvements. This clearly shows how important the feedbacks given by our tutor are in helping us to improve.
You also mentioned writing as another form of communication in your last paragraph. I agree that it is an important medium of communication, and we would be using it more as we progress in our university life, and even more when we enter the working force in the future. Therefore, I agree fully with you that one of the more important take-aways from this module is the 7Cs which you mentioned.
To conclude, I feel that we all have learnt a lot from this module. I hoped that you find my comments useful and that you will continue to improve on the skills learnt here.
Leonard (C06)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteJust came across your blog, and I had to say that it is really nicely done!
Since you mentioned, cheers to our CG1108 team, where we overcame our cultural differences and worked together to create an awesome car! :) (J.M.T, remember?)
It was great and awesome fun working with you, and sometimes we felt that we would be barely able to comeplete the task without you!
You're seriously an awesome groupmate! Good luck for the upcoming exams!
Cheers,
Aankita
Hi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it was an enriching 12 weeks, packed to the brim, but sufficient enough for us to learn and apply the skills during the course of the module.
You mentioned that you learned how to prioritize
the goal of the team over personal issues. I personally feel its a great insight. No matter how diverse and different our group mates may be, or diverse opinions and views, we all want the best for the group. And having personal disagreements over small issues will be the downfall of the whole team. It is important to put aside the disagreements, work out a win-win solution that pleases everyone.
No doubt, it is easier said than done, and most of the time, this is a perfect situation, that might not be so realistic in reality. But even so, it is a goal we should all strive towards, to avoid conflict within the team, and work together to make the best out of it.
I applaud you for making an effort to manage your CG1108 team. Being in a group with so many people of diverse backgrounds and cultures, it could not have been easy. However, you achieved it, and it is an extra skill that will definitely come to be useful in the future.
Hope all these lessons and skills will follow through with you, and be beneficial to your future endeavors.
Cheers,
Cher Lia