Reflection Post #4 : The End

It has come to the end of the module and I am pleased to have been able to achieve my objectives that I have set during the first week of the module which was to improve my interpersonal communication skills and my presentation skills.

Firstly, I have learnt some tools, namely the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) for conflict management and the 7Cs of communication for clearer communication. These tools have aided me well in this module. For example, we were told to make a group for the final presentation. The group was made up of different people with different communicating styles and the tools mentioned above allowed me to apply what I have learnt during group meetings. I used to be afraid of speaking out to group members and now I am quite comfortable to share ideas around because I applied a few Cs from the 7Cs of communication which was to be Clear, Concrete, Coherent and Courteous. Along the way, there were some conflicts and I was glad to be able to use the TKI to solve the conflict and I used the compromising method so as to be assertive and cooperative.

Secondly, the issue that was worrying me was the final presentation. In class, I paid attention to the tool, namely Garr Reynold’s Presentation Tips. This tool helped me a lot as it made me understand the key ingredients to make a very good presentation. I applied some of the steps mainly, “Keep it simple”, “Spend time in the slide sorter” and “Show your passion”. These steps that I applied during the final presentation allowed me to present my points well and I felt more confident because I knew what I was going to present and not by reading off the slides. On top of that, when Dr Lee was giving the performance review for my presentation, I was quite pleased that she mentioned that I have improved a lot since the last presentation during last semester.

Overall, the lessons learnt in this module are good takeaways for me to apply to myself in the future. This is because emotional intelligence is a factor in many aspects of communication and this will lead to how I approach a certain issue or person. By having this module, it has allowed me to be a better person in terms of personality and mindset. 

Reflection Post #3

I would like to share a situation that happened to me a few months back. The situation is about a misunderstanding between two group members during a project work. I’ll address the two people as “H” and “M”. The conflict started when “H” was giving a frank suggestion that our group should have done certain parts of the project earlier so we do not have to rush at the last minute. “M’ was angered by what was being said earlier as our hours in school were quite hectic and there was not much time for discussion. Furthermore, “M” claimed that he had already assigned some portion of work to be done to different members of the group. “M” also added that he already gave “H” a lighter load of the work due to him not coping well in class.

As I was the leader of the group, I tried to reduce the misunderstanding between both by trying to state that “H” could contribute in other aspects of the projects that “M” was weak in. I had to intervene the matter quickly as we were losing productivity and precious time to complete the project within the given time. I suggested that “H” and “M” to be understanding for a short moment while the project is ongoing and I was thinking for the best of the group because it would not be fair for the other group member who is not involved. The cause for concern is also due to the high percentage of marks being allocated just for the project. This, in turn, would ultimately affect our overall grades and this was something that I wouldn’t want the group to be affected by, even though it was a petty incident.

What would you do when you are facing a similar situation and you hold a high position, would you rescue the team neutrally or would you side with a person to remedy the situation?

Reflection Post #2 [Revised]

An interaction that I wish to share is a scene that took place during the recent holidays in a computer cybercafé. I was playing a computer game with my four other friends. As the objective of the game was to work together to destroy an enemy base, cooperation between my friends was quite important.

The use of active listening was when before the level started, my friend who was a much more experienced player, was giving out instructions on how to eliminate the enemy forces. I usually address him as the leader due to being highly skilled. My other 2 friends were listening and acknowledging him. The tone of the voices also showed interest when they provided feedback after he completed his briefing. This indicates that the whole group was quite actively engaged. However, I also noticed that one of my friends who was a female, was sitting awkwardly at times and was looking slightly confused.  She was not speaking out much and prefer to just nod whenever instructions were given out. I feel that she might have been nervous and she could also feel left out due to different skill levels. I conclude that this might be due to the expectations that girls are usually told not to play computer games.

Some forms of non-verbal skills were used, like turning their chairs towards the leader and their facial reaction being quite serious while giving constructive feedback. After having the briefing, we started the game and there were quite a few moments where some of us were shouting in a heated exchange and there were a lot of gestures to portray different action for example when a game character dies, a friend would shrug loudly and cover his face. One of my friends who was a female didn’t show much hand gestures as much the other guys did. She would also congratulate the other guys by patting on their backs when the game is completed. I conclude that this might be due to gender difference and that she uses touch gestures to express her emotions.

In conclusion, all five of us have shown different ways of using active listening skills and non-verbal behavior to express ourselves. I believe that with the consistent display of such observation skills would help me reflect on how to overcome certain weaknesses so that I can excel in a schooling or working environment.

Reflection Post #1 [Revised]

Communication is when a person sends a message to a recipient and the recipient understands the message being put through and would be able to give feedback on the message. I feel that my strength in communication is having the ability to communicate to strangers and send a message to my recipient without them being confused. I usually give some simple explanation regarding the topic and maybe some gestures that allows them to clear any doubts. Additionally, I would also prefer having a verbal communication as it is much more intimate with the other party. In contrast to using written communication, I seldom feel that the way I pen out my thoughts would not be similar to what I have in mind.

The challenges faced when communicating others is when other people do not fully understand what I am trying to say. Some of them have different ways of interpreting my message. A way to reduce this confusion is to address the issue individually to the people who would still be unsure of the point I am trying to get through. For example, in a project that I recently had completed, I would brief my group mates of my idea of making a tank. Some of my group mates may have different ideas of how the tank is being made. This is where I would clarify with each of my group mates on how my vision of the process will be so everyone is on the same page. I feel that this step is important to prevent a misunderstanding during further stages of the process as some parts of the tank can only be constructed once.

For the 2 objectives, firstly, I hope that the class materials will help me to further improve my interpersonal communication skills. During the recent lesson, I learnt that different people have different personalities and each one of them have different ways to approach. I could try to apply different types of approaches for people based on the advice given by the website to do the personality test. Lastly, I also hope that I can be a better presenter as I would tend to mess up some ideas that I would have rehearsed before the presentation. With the upcoming presentation as the assignment, I would have an opportunity improve myself to be a more confident speaker.

Reflection Post #1

Communication is when a person sends a message to a recipient and the recipient understands the message being put through and would be able to give feedback on the message. I feel that my strength in communication is having the ability to communicate to strangers and send a message to my recipient without them being confused. I usually give some simple explanation regarding the topic and maybe some gestures that allows them to clear any doubts. Additionally, I would also prefer having a verbal communication as it is much more intimate with the other party. In contrast to using written communication, I seldom feel that the way I pen out my thoughts would not be similar to what I have in mind.

The challenges faced when communicating others is when they do not fully understand what you are trying to say. Some of them have different ways of interpreting your message. A way to reduce this confusion is to address the issue individually to the people who would still be unsure of the point you are trying to get through. An example would be when meeting new people and you would need to conduct a meeting or do a project together, sometimes you have ideas that you think would be easy to understand however it could end up confusing a person or even worse, causing misunderstanding in the group.

Firstly, I hope that the class materials will help me to further improve my interpersonal communication skills. During the recent lesson, I learnt that different people have different personalities and each one of them have different ways to approach. I could try to apply different types of approaches for people based on the advice given by the website to do the personality test. Secondly, I also hope that I can be a better presenter as I would tend to mess up some ideas that I would have rehearsed before the presentation. With the upcoming presentation as the assignment, I would have an opportunity improve myself to be a more confident speaker.

Introduction in Interpersonal Communication

Communication is important because it allows you to get your message across. The way of communication is also important as different scenarios make use of different types of communications. It is much more needed in this generation as there are a lot of mediums to share your message and as such, you should be more effective and professional. To develop these set of skills is a good opportunity for me to connect with others better. In this course, I hope to learn ways to improve myself with the materials provided by the course and using the blog and video project to allow myself to develop my critical thinking. Group and class discussions also would benefit me as I can get various ideas and tips of improving myself from the opinions of my fellow classmates.