The Closure - Final Comments

Dear Friends,

It had been an incredible journey for me, and I’m sure it was the same for all of you too. This would be my final blog post, and I thank every single one of you for visiting and commenting on my blog. I appreciate it =)

Before I reluctantly bring this blog to an end, here is what I have to say to your comments on my last post:



 
Kevin: I am very fortunate to be able to work with you for the past semester, with you as the team leader; I knew that our team was always on the right track. You were focus, responsible and goal-oriented – Certainly a one of the best team leaders I have met!

You were right to point out that being a leader in the CELC project group, and a member in CG1102 group had exposed me to both sides of the story. As a result, I am aware of the concerns of both the leader and the member. It made me realise the difficulties of managing a group, whilst ensuring that all tasks were executed successfully. This was the impetus for me to be more proactive in the CG1102 group. Thus, I feel that you should try to go through the role of a member in a team, and understand the mentality of being one. I have learnt much from these experiences, and felt that I have became more responsible and more ‘useful’ as a team member.

It’s been a fruitful and enriching semester. Without a doubt, it would be a privilege to work with you in the future again! =)


 
Junius: Yes indeed, the 7Cs are indeed useful in our everyday lives. However, I feel that the 7Cs are not something that should be memorized like scientific theories and concepts. Rather, it is more akin to a framework that we can work in. Have them ingrained in our minds, which is similar to using the right vocabulary or sentence structure in our writings/speech, and we will definitely improve in the long run. Do continue to practise writing (in your case, formal letters). A module on effective team communication can only teach us that much, but it is up to you to build up on this foundation.

All the best for your exams!

 
Lakshmi: Thanks for your compliments, I am flattered by them!

Well, I always believe that there are always room for improvements, which is why I am never satisfied. Isn’t this human nature to think of it this way? This could also be a greater motivation for us to outdo ourselves. Thus, I should be ashamed of myself by believing that I have done well, when I had actually not. Ms Goh commented that I had poor time management, and I was a tad impolite/ sensitive at certain points of the presentation. I was appalled, but was determined to do better. Unfortunately, I had no other opportunities to do so.

Perhaps, in the next semester, I will.

It has been wonderful knowing you, and all the best!


Jing Mei: Thank you for your comments! I love little animals, and it’s great that you like the pictures too. (Wished I have a few as pets!)

Frankly, stuttering had been a longstanding problem of mine. However, getting many opportunities to stand in front of a crowd to present made me more aware of this problem. I have reminded myself time and time again to be more confident. I believe that compared to the past, I have bettered myself. Therefore, in terms of the greatest takeaway I have gotten from this module, was that I have become a better speaker. I felt more comfortable voicing out my opinions in class, and speaking more coherently.

Heading out to work in the future entails not only the technical skills, but also the soft skills we learn (like the 7Cs in CG1413). How else do we differentiate ourselves from the others? By working on these soft skills, and outshine the others as better team communicators!

I do hope that we will get to work as a team next time too! In any case, only time will tell :P


Khoa: Thanks for your comments! CG1413 has really taught us many useful skills. Having so many projects, reflections, blog entries to do was taxing on us. But more often than not, we learn more effectively in a stressful environment. After going through these 12 weeks, I really felt that I have achieved a lot, much more than I can ever imagined. And it is this sense of satisfaction and achievement that will propel me forward, and put all the things I’ve learnt into practice.

I realized the importance of effective team communication, and am resolved to make the most out of this module.

I would like to thank everyone once again for the support and guidance you have rendered. Without your feedback and comments, I would not have been able to achieve these much.

This what I call, effective communication, and effective team work.

Till we meet again! =)

The Never Ending Journey - Effective Communication

Intensive and enriching.

This was how CG1413 had panned out to be. A module so unlike the others, we were given ample opportunities to develop our communication skills.

The pinnacle of this module would have to be working as a team.

Prior to this module, I have always been reserved and to a certain extent, aloof. Working as a team was always marked by disdain. Yet, recognizing the importance of teamwork not only in CEG, but also in the corporate world, I did my best to keep an open mind and learn.

What I've Learnt

On a personal level, bearing in mind the 7Cs, coupled with writing techniques picked up, I had cultivated the habit of writing formal letters/emails more concisely. Utilizing the principles of effective communication, I had not only become a better writer, but also one who could express my ideas and convey my messages succinctly.

Teamwork

Teamwork is unquantifiable. Through this semester, I have learnt to respect others better. I used to be blunt, direct and to a certain extent, self-centred.  With team collaboration becoming increasingly important, I was compelled to be more level-headed and tactful.

Additionally, I was given an opportunity to lead my team. Being a leader is a different ball game altogether. Carrying the responsibilities of knowing the team’s objectives, progress etc, it was a somewhat arduous task for someone who has been so reliant on others. Ultimately, it was fulfilling and rewarding to see my team through the stages of the project (CELC Project).

CG1102+CG1413 Project

With teams that consisted of people of diverse backgrounds and cultures, it was imperative for us to  communicate effectively with the others. As a student who hardly interacted with foreigners previously, I found the lessons invaluable and informative. This had allowed me to communicate with my teammates more effectively whilst avoiding conflicts.

Shortcomings

Despite improvements, I have to admit that I still fell short of expectations. Evidently, I had difficulty organizing my thoughts during presentations. I could not reach the level of eloquence and fluency expected of an effective communicator. During oral defence, I exposed my flaws in critical thinking and substantiation of arguments. However, these are things which I am determined to work on beyond this module.

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Rome was not built in a day. Similarly, you would not expect a person to transform into an effective communicator in a semester. It takes consistent practices and discipline to achieve that. Nonetheless, CG1413 has been the perfect platform for us to hone our leadership skills, speak confidently, think critically, and present constructive comments through the many presentations, blog posts and reflections.

It had been a reinvigorating and refreshing change to the humdrum drudgery of school.

Finally, I would like to thank Ms Goh, for all her teachings and guidance throughout this semester!



On to something light and cute!

 Why? Even animals work as a team!


Cheers! =)
-Justin

My Replies to your Comments on Oral Presentation 2!

Inspired by Kevin’s method of response for the comments, I have decided to post a new entry to sum up all your invaluable comments!

Kevin: Thanks for your compliments! As our group had chosen to do a less technical topic, we had the luxury of presenting our problem and solution in a more casual way (without compromising our content of course). We had a minimalist approach, yet seek to be impactful. Hopefully we had succeeded in doing so. I feel however, that I may have let my group down with my slightly nervy display. As the first speaker, I had the responsibility of bringing the presentation to a certain standard. Having a greater expectation of myself, that perhaps gave me unnecessary pressures to do well. For the final oral defense, I would want to learn from this experience, and more importantly, keep my composure when presenting.

Khoa: You were right to point out my team’s time management problems. We were already concerned right from the beginning, the possibility of exceeding the time limit allocated for the presentation. We took great pains to sieve out important points required/what we feel is necessary. Eventually, my portion of the presentation was still a tad too long; however, I feel that it was already a good improvement from the initial plan. No presentation is perfect, therefore, time management definitely feature high in my priority list for the oral defense!


Jing Mei: I apologize if my criteria seemed redundant in my reflection. It is of no intent of mine to post criteria solely for the sake of doing so. Perhaps, it is due to my indirect references to the criteria that caused the confusion. But to clear the air regarding the criteria I have set out to complete, I believe I have succeeded in accomplishing 4 out 6 of them. The only two which requires more improvements are: time management and maintaining a professional demeanour. I admit these were lacking in the presentation, and I would strive to improve them for the oral defense. Thank you for pointing that out to me!


Ganesh: You and Xiangyu were great teammates; I really enjoyed working with you guys! Without good team mates for support, no team would be able to survive. So to be able to produce a respectable presentation that was able to capture the audience attention, and convince them of the severity of the problem, I think it was simply amazing. Kudos to both of you for all the hard work put in.
As for my individual shortcomings, I did realize my stuttering in the middle of the presentation. Fortunately, I did not allow that nervousness to overwhelm myself. Nervousness does not necessarily stem from a lack rehearsals; sometimes it is just a psychological barrier in our minds. I guess, being psyched up and generally, having the positive attitude before the presentation should do the trick.

Junius: Somehow, I had overlooked the fact that certain things I mentioned during the presentation could invoke negative feelings in the audience. On hindsight, I should have been more sensitive over my choice of words. I really have to thank you for that, as I sometimes appear rather tactless and over-the-top. I would certainly bear that in mind in the future =)

Lakshmi: Thank you for your compliments. I often have high expectations of myself and would find it hard to accept trivial mistakes, to the extent of exaggerating them. Therefore, I get a better gauge of my performance from your comments. Words from a different perspective are often better indicators of one’s performance. I appreciate that!

Jun Hao: Thanks for your comments! (First comment from you!) I tried my best to vary the tone of my voice, and also to employ the use of emphasis at important segments of my presentation. It was probably insufficient or perhaps exaggerated at times. Without the emphasis, some points could simply be neglected by the audiences, therefore leading to a presentation that fails to deliver. Actually, being impactful in a presentation is not easy, especially for a reserved person like me. Nevertheless, I would strive to improve on this aspect and present the best that I could for the upcoming oral defense (that’s the point of this module anyway =p)


Thank you everyone for your comments. These comments have really helped in my self-evaluation and reflection. Keep them coming!

Oral Presentation 2 - Privacy Woes In Social Networking Sites - Reflections

Criteria:

 •    Impactful
 •    Engaging (includes eye contact and stage presence)
 •    Informative
 •    Professional demeanour
 •    Exhibit confidence
 •    Good time-management

Suffice to say, OP2 was a much better experience compared to OP1. Being genuinely passionate about the project gave us the impetus to excel. Lest the minor flaws and hiccups, I am pleased with our team’s overall performance during the presentation.

Reflection:

Team:

Sufficient preparation was the key to a good performance, which was why my team had a total of three rehearsals. Through the months, our team had built up good rapport, which explained the excellent camaraderie we had while presenting. Consequently, our delivery came forth as smooth and clear. Being well prepared and confident, we had little difficulty tackling questions raised during the Q&A, which were answered systematically and comprehensively.

Individual:

Bearing in mind the flaws from OP1, I reminded myself to actively engage the audience. Having known the flow of the PowerPoint-slides, it helped in anticipating the subsequent points during the presentation. As a result, I could speak more fluently and devote more emotions into my speech. One objective I laid down was to create a light-hearted presentation that serves to educate and inject fun with humour. I believe I had succeeded in doing so.

Despite efforts in sprucing up my speech, I was still bogged down by nervousness. I was susceptible to mental blocks; this led to instances of awkward silences and stuttering. I could have dealt with those situations better by keeping myself more composed. Also, I found myself speaking too quickly towards the end, especially when I had already exceeded the stipulated time. I hereby apologize to all if my speech resulted in some confusion.

Additionally, something unusual I noticed was my tendency to exhibit abrupt actions (e.g. turning my head too quickly), that could have made my presentation seem less professional. For future presentations, I shall be more conscious of my body language; No matter how good my speech is, poor body language can undo all the hard work.

For your convenience, I have embedded my team's presentation slides for your reference and enjoyment =P

Social Networking Presentation

Criteria of an Effective Meeting

I apologize if my previous post (reflection on the video recording of Meeting 1) was lacking in a clear criterion for my definition of an effective meeting.

What constitutes a good meeting? The following are the factors I would keep in mind when evaluating my performance as a team member:

1. Fully understand the agenda of the meeting, and prepare well before attending
2. Be an active participant of the meeting. That is, offer constructive feedback frequently, and perform active listening
          a. Two-way communications between members of the team
3. Staying on topic, and not deviate from the agenda
4. Exhibit positive body language and non-verbal cues
5. As the minutes taker of the meeting, I should be effectual in taking down important points mentioned by the speakers. After the meeting, disseminate the minutes to the team as soon as possible.

With respect to the above criteria, I have not fully met the expectations set by myself.

First and foremost, I have failed in making an impact during the meeting. I was largely quiet during major part of the meeting. My ‘excuse’ of being an active listener cannot be fully accepted simply because I have not translated my analysis to the actual group discussion. This was a pity because I have thought of numerous ideas which I thought could have benefited my team. I was held back my fear for being a deviant and being criticised.

Nevertheless, I have made a mental note of my criteria listed above. I would remind myself that being criticized is part of the learning process, and also that the team goals outweighs my own personal apprehension for being put down.

Being a good listener is my strength. Thus, I hope to maintain this positive trait of mine, and put in conscientious effort in being a better team member.