Presention Reflection.

First of all, I would like to confess that I was feeling quite sleepy during my presentation. Thanks to my dog barking in the middle of the night which had severely disrupted my sleep. As a result, I think I appeared quite blur during the presentation.

I felt that my delivery of contents did not flow that well as compared to my other two presenters. It was more apparent when it comes to the explanation of the charts and graphs as I feel that my ideas did not link very well.

During my presentation, I also appeared to be relying on my notes sometimes as it was hard for me to think of the appropriate sentences on the spot. This also shows that I did not know my content well enough during the presentation.

I have the tendency to increase my volume during the presentation when someone is not paying attention to me as I feel that it is rude to talk when someone is presenting. Therefore, I was glad that everyone was listening attentively and not talking during the presentation. In addition, I will also stare straight at the person who is talking so I can appear to be quite scary during presentation when I am offended.

I might have exhibited some non-verbal cues unconsciously. I was told some time ago by my peers that I have the tendency to sway during my presentation. Hence, I was wondering if I did that for my presentation this time round.

Overall, I am relieved that I have completed my presentation!

Final Reflection! Huat lah!

After reading my first post, I still believe that effective communication is very useful and important. Being able to communicate effectively allows me to put across my ideas clearly, reduces misunderstanding and any possible interpersonal conflicts that might arise. However, though personal experiences, I find that this skill is inapplicable to some people who are numbskull and simply will not listen to any word from you. This situation happens when the other party is not engaged in active listening. Are there any good solutions that you can think of to handle this kind of people?

There are other new things that I have learned in this course too. For instance, writing is also a form of effective communication. This skill is especially important when it comes to resume and cover letter writing. As these two materials will be read by the potential employers, the first impression that they have is important.

Having gone through a horrifying interview experience with two interviewers from “Hell”, I realized I am still having many shortcomings in many areas. At this point, I feel very thankful that I am still a Year 2 student and I still have the time to add on to whatever I am lacking.

Presentation is also another important communication skill that can be enhanced with the help of beautifully designed slides. I do not know how I will fare in my presentation but I believe that practice helps to perfect it. More importantly, I hope that I will show a funky spirit for the presentation tomorrow and send the message to the others ( like Annie) that I am not to be trifled with too.

Biodata.

Gillian is a second year student in the National University of Singapore, majoring in Life Science. She wishes to specialise in biomedical science where she can study and research more in virology. Her dream is to work in a research laboratory where she is able to study diseases and viruses that are detrimental to human health. Another alternative for her is to study marine biology, specialising in pure biology.

She is also an active volunteer for she joined the Buddhist Society and makes regular weekly visits to XX Community Hospital to chat with the elderly patients there. She discovered that many of the old patients there are rather lonely as their family members seldom visit them.

Besides that, Gillian is also a member of Radiopulze, the campus radio station. Through one of the activities organised by Radiopulze, she has experienced being a live DJ once and understands the hard work put in by the DJs behind each live show.

Being an environmentally conscious person, she takes particular notice of news that focuses on new “green” technology and the after-effects people in developing countries have suffered due to improper dumping of industrial waste. Having read these news, Gillian believes that everyone has a part in making the world a better place. Therefore, she is active in practising the three Rs herself.

Prejudice gets into the way of communication!

For this week’s post, I shall write about a video that I watched for one of my modules which showed how communication is hindered when the parties involved are blinded by prejudices.

Here is a little background information before I go on.

There is cult named Aum Shrinrikyo in Japan that many might have heard of. It is infamous for the sarin nerve gas attack that was released by some of the cult members in the subway in 1995. As sarin is a deadly nerve gas poison, many people were killed and thousands were injured.

The video I watched was a true record of the conflict between the police and some of the cult members after the 1995 incident. The whole thing started when the group of police officers stopped a group of Aum members in the middle of the street, demanding to know the names of those members as well as the purpose of their gathering. The police were probably afraid of another attack similar to what had happened in 1995. They were not letting these members go unless they revealed the necessary information.

However, the members were not cooperative as they felt they were doing no wrong. Things got worse when one of the members dodged the police and attempted to escape. His plan failed when one of the policemen held on to him. In a split second, both were toppled and had fallen to the ground.

The cult member hurt his head as he hit the ground. The police also injured his leg and started accusing the member for dragging him down.

That was where the video stopped and the professor continued what the video had left on. It seemed that this very same video was used as evidence to show that the police pushed the member down during the process of trying to stop the escape. Without the presence of this video, that member might have been sentenced to jail for assaulting the police.

Things would not get so ugly if the police had practised active listening and listened to the explanation brought forth by the members. In addition, their tones could have been better because they sounded as though they were interrogating criminals. Besides that, they should have adjusted their non verbal cues as they cornered the members which proved that they were hostile. All in all, the impression that the police made was antagonistic and that might have been one of the reasons why the Aum Members were not cooperating. It is understandable that they practised caution because it is their job to keep society safe and protect the public. However, they should have handled this matter more professionally instead of letting personal prejudices affect the way they behave.

The Aum members were also partly responsible for this misunderstanding. They might be different from the culprit responsible for the 1995 incident but no one could tell unless they prove or convince others. Truly, proving that would be difficult initially as many people have the stereotype that all cult members were as evil as the culprit. Due to this reason, they should have been patient and answered the questions from the police to ease their insecurity. When that member attempted to run away, his action only convinced the police that their suspicious were right.

In conclusion, this is a typical example of how a misunderstanding is formed because of the prejudices that prevent effective communication. If both parties can show more understanding for each other then such an incident may not happen.

Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

In my opinion, a possible intercultural scenario is when people from different countries meet at a common place. I define it as such because many people from different countries have various cultural norms and practices that may differ from the other. When there is a lack of understanding of different cultures, conflicts can easily happen.

Here is one intercultural scenario that I have experienced during my first year of study in NUS.

I was attending a tutorial for my first arts module and was really surprised at the variety of students there. There were those who came from Hawaii, Japan, America and many more. This was not something I would commonly encounter in a Science tutorial.

For this module, we were required to break into groups to do a project. One of my group members was an American Exchange student. She was a really nice and outspoken person. However, my displeasure with her started when she told the group she would be touring the different countries in South-East Asia during her time of study here. All her lessons were arranged on Monday and Tuesday so that she could visit other countries for the rest of the week.

When I heard this, I wondered how she could contribute to the project when she was not in Singapore most of the time. However, my opinion changed when I got to understand her more. She would still do the work assigned to her but chose to do it on the sunny beach in Bali using her laptop. In addition, she planned her schedule in such a way that we were able to have group project meetings together. Through her, I realized that American students know how to learn and play hard. They enjoyed their lives without disrupting the progress of their work with proper time management.

With a different culture, many Singaporeans tend to think work is only done when they can actually see the person working there physically. In addition, if I had clarified with her more regarding her style of working, that would have spared the unpleasant feelings on my part.

Business correspondence.

Firstly, this letter is not complete for the actual one is 3 pages long.

18 November 2008

All Subsidiary Proprietors/First Mortgagees
Management Corporation Strata Title Plan No. 444
Rose Park

Dear Sir and Madam

ROSE PARK-SUMMARY OF RESOLUTIONS PASSED AT THE 29TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

We wish to inform you that the following resolutions have been adopted at the 29th Annual General Meeting held on 1 November 2008 :-

1. Management Fund
It was resolved and approved that the maintenance fund contribution payable by each subsidiary proprietor with effect from 1 January 2009 is maintained at S$950.00 per share value per quarter and it is paid quarterly in advance on the first days of January 2009, April 2009, July 2009 and October 2009.

2. Sinking funds

It was resolved and approved that the sinking fund contribution payable by each subsidiary proprietor with effect from 1 January 2009 is maintained at S$950.00 per share value per quarter and it is paid quarterly in advance on the first days of January 2009, April 2009, July 2009 and October 2009.

3. Interest for Late Payment and the Recovery of legal Fees

It was also resolved and approved that an interest rate of 10% per annum calculated on a daily basis be levied if payment for the Management Fund contributions, Sinking Funds contributions and, any other amounts owning to the Management Corporation are received after 30 days from the due date.

It was resolved and approved that all costs, including legal fees on an indemnity basis, disbursements and incidental costs incurred by the Management Corporation in the recovery of arrears of Management Funds contribution, Sinking Funds contributions, Special Levy contributions and in compelling the subsidiary proprietor(s) to comply with the requirements of the Building Maintenance & Strata Management Act, Supplementary By-Laws and Houses Rules shall be recoverable from them.

Should you require further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact the Management Office at Tel: 6488 0000

Thank you




Yours faithfully,
WEWE MANAGEMENT PTE LTD
Managing Agent
Nosy Longwinded
Nosy Longwinded
Condominium Manager
For and on behalf of
THE MCST PLAN NO. 444



This business correspondence is addressed to residents of Rose Park (with details changed) about the decisions made by the Management Council during the general meeting that was held recently.

Overall, it is recognised that the Management is trying to make it as clear as possible for the residents by dividing the decisions into distinct sub-categories. However, the contents mentioned in some of the sub-categories are similar. Hence, it would be advisable to merge similar decisions such as the Management and Sinking Funds together to be more concise.

The phrasing can also be improved to convey the right information using the minimum amount of words. Moreover, an appropriate length for a sentence is encouraged such that clarity can be improved. For instance, the first two sub-categories could be more clearly expressed as, “It was resolved and approved that the Maintenance and Sinking fund contribution payable by each subsidiary proprietor is maintained at S$ 950.00 per share value per quarter. Kindly make payment on the first days of January, April, July and October of this year.”

In the 2nd paragraph under the last section, many terms are written together and it can be confusing to residents. However, such legal terms are necessary for residents to know what regulations and rules are the basis for indemnity. One way to improve this lengthy sentence is to present it in point form such that it is easier to read.

Interpersonal Conflicts

In my opinion, interpersonal conflicts can happen in any place and with any person. I can be having an argument with my family members, colleagues and even the closest friends I have. Here is one scenario that I would like to share with you all.

I worked in a convenience store while waiting for my entry to the university. Besides facing many obnoxious customers that have the most incredible demands, I have to endure a senior staff that seems to have been diagnosed with the inability to do certain kinds of work.

As a senior staff, her experience is definitely more than a newbie like me. However, she pushes all the administrative matters for me to settle and continues to man the counter. One day she really made my blood boil when she assumed it was my rightful duty to do the administrative duties no matter how busy I was with my other work. I mean there was no customer at that time and she was just staring at the space, why can’t she help?

To prevent my blood pressure from escalating into an overwhelming level, I confront (Have a talk) her to find out what is her problem. Her response is "I don't know how to do."
I try to find out more about the character of this senior staff from other colleagues that have work longer than me. It seems that this senior colleague loves to use this tactic to avoid duties she is not keen to do.

So I like to ask those reading my post, how would you solve this situation?

Edited x2

Why effective communication is important?

In Singapore, it is hard not to see people around us as we are a growing population in a tiny piece of land. Thus it is important for people to develop effective communication skills so as to be able to converse with these people make a relationship out of it.

Effective communication allows me to put across my ideas clearly so that people listening to me will understand. This skill would be especially crucial when I enter the workforce. For instance, if I want the customers to buy my products, the advantages of the products must be accurately and effectively be received by the customers. On the other hand, when I fail to communicate effectively, misunderstanding can happen easily as others might misunderstand the actual meaning of what I am trying to convey.

Besides that, able to communicate well can be to my advantages too. For instance, I will be able to convince the others that my view is right. For example in tertiary education, there are various versions of answers for questions. These answers are mostly findings and speculations from the authors. However, students only accept answers that are able to convince them and accept it as the true answer. Thus the truth is defined by how much we can convince the person. If we are able to convince the others, our ideas and beliefs will be acceptable to them.

Lastly, I believe that effective communication skills need to be honed at all time. Just like other skills, it requires constant practice and self improvement. However, with the rise of the use of the Internet, more people are spending their time with their computers rather than communicating with their families and friends. This is a worrying situation as confining yourself to your own world or home for too long will dull a person’s ability to hold an effective communication with the others. So it is time to move your bottoms if you are one.

Why effective communication is important?