Reflection on Learning

This module has been informative and enjoyable. It has taught me to be more outspoken and interactive, as well as how to present myself to others in a more professional manner.

Throughout the tasks and activities of this module, I learned how to analyse and reflect on the nature of effective communication. This has led to the development of several practical skills that can be applied to everyday life, especially the reading and interpretation of body language, that will definitely improve my interpersonal relationships. Components such as the writing of formal letters/applications and the 7 C's will invariably prove useful in delivering impactful presentations and reports, key components of a successful career.

The project proposal component has also taught me how to better work with others, listening to new ideas, as well as giving opinions of my own. Of particular importance was the willingness to have an open mind, to try to see the viewpoint of my team members before making any decisions about their ideas. In addition, the taking of turns to play the role of team leader taught me that being a leader is not just about telling others what to do; it is the ability to guide team members towards accomplishing unified goal.

Last of all, this blogging component has been very useful in forcing me to think back and reflect on the skills taught each week. This analysis and re-evaluation has brought about a deeper understanding and appreciation of the subtleties of effective interpersonal communication.

Oral Presentation Reflection

Team TREE decided to come up with a proposal for the improvement of the planning and management of upgrading works in Singapore. With all members having experienced real life scenarios where daily routines have been sundered by the interjection of construction works (sometimes even 2am in the morning!), we were able to empathize strongly with residents we interviewed, to come up with a proposal we really believed in.

The first draft of our presentation was a little wordy, containing many examples and elaboration. Slides we prepared were cluttered with text; throughout rehearsals, we frequently exceeded the allocated 20 minutes by small margins. Bringing to mind the 7 C's, we decided to completely revamp the presentation slides, minimizing almost everything to point form with the elaboration committed to memory. Further rehearsals then ensued, but while we now met the time frame of 20 minutes, each delivery was spontaneous and unique, the phrasing and content differing slightly with each presentation. Alvin also pointed that my presentation was a little monotonous. Hence, I tried to put myself in the shoes of irate residents, and interjected their emotion into the delivery with mixed success.

I also decided to make use of visual cues such as pictures and graphs to trigger key ideas that I wanted to discuss and elaborate in my oral presentation. All information on the slides would be the bare minimum, in point form, diverting the audience's attention to myself and the ideas I wanted to put across (rather than reading them off the slides). While this made each delivery slightly different each time, all the crucial ideas and concepts to be presented to the audience would be maintained. This method also brought about the additional benefit of looking more professional, with less referencing to notes and cue cards.

All in all, I felt that it was a pretty good delivery of our proposal.