Friday, April 10, 2009

13 Weeks' Reflection

Goodbye...
Three months passed so quickly without me noticing and this signals the last week for ES2007S. I remember from my first post that effective communication takes into account verbal and non-verbal gestures, as well as the emotional state of the listener and the environment. This, certainly, has not changed. The course has given meaning to what I defined as effective communication by deepening my understanding in a systematic manner through instructor’s guidance and discussions with course mates.

Being the leader of the group project, it is always a challenge between being assertive and listening to group members’ opinions by being a team player. Our group tried to minimise that by inculcating an open and clear communication policy where we speak freely about each others’ work and revise accordingly. Nobody is better than the other in our case. This helped us to meet the many pressing deadlines and our interpersonal relationships certainly improved since all of us take turns to speak and listen to each other. It was a positive experience on the whole. This two-way communication approach is what I wish to introduce in all my future group projects.

Besides group project, I have also learnt much about effective communication through the many interaction sessions in class as well as the online blogs of course mates on sharing their insightful thoughts. It was through all these that I developed better written and oral communications in terms of structuring my ideas in a concise and coherent flow.
The skills gained from this course are definitely beyond my expectations as mentioned in my first blog post and I feel I am a more effective communicator now. All these are not possible with anyone less. As such, I wish to extend my appreciation to “Chop Chop” Christine (Course Instructor) and also to my twelve wonderful course mates!

8 comments:

  1. Hi Johny,

    The two girls looked so cute!

    It is great to see that your group has an open and clear communication policy. It helps to encourage participations and be patient with each other.

    I like the free and easy interactions in class and blog posts too. Thanks for your contributions make in the class! :)

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  2. Hi Johny,

    Consistently, from your speech and your writing, I can see that you are a person with a strong logical mind.

    Although taking the leadership role may resulted in heavier workload and more stress, but it is quite evident that it help shaped your character. One thing I notice is that, you have gain more confidence in your speech since the beginning of our course. Perhaps it is due to the better rapport established between classmates which minimizes the stress to speak up in class. Nevertheless, I believe you have learnt extra skills which you otherwise would not.

    Thank you for your many constructive feedbacks and comments on our group project. It shows that you were genuine and sincere with your dealings with people and in helping others. And lastly, I believe you will be successful in your future endeavours.

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  3. Hieyo Johny!

    I love the kids in the picture!!

    I'm happy to hear that you handled the tricky balance of being assertive and listening to your members' feedback so well that all of you have met this module's deadlines productively without stepping on one another's tail.

    I agree with Wai Pheng that you have become more confident in communicating. On a personal level, you have certainly improved alot in your communication skills. =)

    It is good to know that you have assimilated the concepts taught in class and this has made a positive impact in your life. Hope you will be able to get into OBS!!

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  4. Hi Johny

    I guess this is not the first module that we took together! It is always enjoyable and exciting to have the opportunity to do group project with you because you are a good motivator in the group and with your wits, the group never runs out of good idea!

    Lastly, I wish you all the best and we must keep in contact because I still have a lot of interesting things to share with you!

    Ji Fang

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  5. Hey Johny!

    Glad that you have enojoyed this module. I really had a good time working with you guys during the first 2 weeks of the lesson. Sadly, there will be no other opportunities to work together. Nonetheless would like to wish you all the best in your future endeavours. I think the stuff learnt in this module will only be useful only when we continue to use them in our future communications scenarios. I'm sure you will. Ciao! Keep in touch!

    Kenny

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  6. Hey johnny:
    hey the picture of the two girls look very cute and dreamy. It gives a nostalgic feeling that this module is coming to an end. Is this what u try to communicate non verbally?

    It was nice working with you and JF for this project. i had fun in this group project. The most memoorable incident should be the day of our practice before presentation. The morale of our team was very high and it was certainly translated into our presentation.

    Hope to have a chance to work with you guys again next time. :)

    Keep in touch

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  7. Hi Johny,

    Its been a pleasure reading your blog and working with you in class. Today's post covers all the points. I like your description of your role in your group and that interaction. Your writing always has a very positive tone which makes it nice to read; the 'joyful' theme at work.

    Good luck with exams.

    Best,
    Matt

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  8. Hey Johny,

    It is nice to have you as our coursemate who sometime randomly came out with some lame jokes=) By the way, you must be more sensitive to your name cause I called your name at library several times and you did not response.

    Anyway I definitely agree with you that two-way communication is important in all group project so that we are able to get job done efficiently.

    All the best in exams and see you in school=)

    MuiPeng

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