ES2007S Blog Post #6

Reflection on the module

As a non-native English speaker, I have to say that English module is always such a pain to me. In the first place the reason why I took this module is because it can map one of my core module. At the beginning of this semester I take the unhappiness and struggles taking this module for granted.

However, surprisingly, it turns out to be totally the other way around. The whole journey of learning this module is an enriching, exciting, entertaining and fun-filled experience to me. This module to some degree has transformed me to be an effective communicator in various social settings. At the end of the course, I am able to know and apply the principles of communication to develop strategies for a successful exchange of ideas with others. I am also able to plan, construct and express spoken and written messages clearly, convincingly and professionally that are fitting to audience, context, and purpose.

Working with both the peer teaching team and the project team is such a wonderful experience. I made new friends along the way. Our team is formed with five people from different cultures. Yes the culture differences exist; however, it is not a stumbling block to us as we embrace a humble, understandable and tolerant atmosphere. Each of us is committed to this team so that we always had effective and pleasant discussions. We were able to apply the principles that we learned in the class during the discussions. Of course the sometimes the disagreements appeared, but we could always bring out all the ideas and weighed the benefits upon each other to choose the best one. I really appreciate that my teammates’ efforts that they put in this module and also they somehow influenced on me to be a better communicator with thoughtful ideas and express them well.

I am grateful for what the rest of my fellow classmates’ contributions to this class. Although I did not get a chance to talk with them much, they all are so nice and supportive. When we were giving our presentations, they are such good listeners and most of the time paid attention to our presentations. Also, after the mock interview, some of them give a very useful feedback to me so that I can improve on when I went for a real one. More importantly, I enjoyed the moment that people started to share their own opinions. I am a little bit regret that I did not take the initiatives to know about them more. But who knows, maybe one day we may become real friends since we already know each other and we are all in this campus.

Lastly, I would like to give my great thanks to Madam Fazilah. Your lessons were very relaxing and useful and you provided us with a open platform that welcomes any idea input. Thanks to your contributions to this class, I raised the awareness of soft skills and already started to improve my communication skills. I know there is a long way for me to go; however, bearing all the principles and strategies I gained from this module, it will always be a good reference for me to communicate with people. 

ES2007S Blog Post #5

Reflection on oral presentation

Growing up in a conservative Chinese culture, I become an individual who will easily get nervous when speaking in front of a group of people. Also, I have a trouble in bringing out the sentences or words in my mind out of my mouth.  That is why I rely a lot on the cue cards. Then after Madam Fazilah pointed out this point to me. I realized it also reflects my lack of confidence, results in not a relatively persuasive presentation. If I am not confident about myself, how the audience makes the efforts to believe in me. However, I am so thankful that my fellow teammates set a example to me that speak with confidence; practically, without cue cards, the whole presentation turns more natural, smoother and somehow better-delivered. After this oral presentation, I would like to take the initiatives to improve my presentation skills in terms of delivery, language and even confidence.

One more thing I gained from this oral presentation is that presentation skills do count. Well, I used to hold a view that presentation skill is just one kind of soft skills that I was taught not to put much emphasis on. After several rehearsals with my teammate, I felt that somehow their presentations make a difference to the audience. I can say that I will pay attention to the message they deliver should I were the audience. And if the audience shows interest, there bears a chance for them to take some measures as a response for the message received. Take the business investment as an example; if the representatives of target company show interest during the presentation, it is more likely for them to sign the contract.

As a non-native English speaker, I consider my oral presentations today as a reasonably good one. There is a large room for me to improve my presentation skills. I believe that as long as I put focus on this soft skill, I will become better. Hopefully, one day, I will be able to deliver a presentation confidently, fluently and persuasively to a large group of people.