From a Communicator, to a Professional Communicator
Saturday, 10 November 2012
It is always the saddest moment to end a module in which you have learnt much from the course as well as fostered many friendships with the classmates. 

I started this semester choosing ES2007S as one of my modules because of the following reasons:

  1. ES2007S is different from my Statistics core modules which I thought I hope I can do better as compared to the difficult cores modules. 
  2. ES2007S will be teaching us the essential skills which would be important when we step out to the working world. 
  3. I do not want to graduate from university with only the textbook’s knowledge, but without any improvement in interpersonal skills.
At the start of the module, I constantly reminded myself to open up more and be more active in class discussion (I hope I did). Through various class discussions, it developed our critical thinking as well as to interact more with our classmates. From the blog posts, I have tried to refine my writings and hope that it will improve as the course progresses. Peer teaching and proposal writing have also given me several learning pointers such as the different ways of presenting and also to work well as a team to obtain the aim. Without the communication between the group mates, nothing is achievable. Finally, at the final oral presentation, my group chose took a risk by presenting without any visual aids and we make it appealing to the audiences. Through all these components of the course, as well as all the small activities, it all summed up and made me improve in terms of interpersonal communication as well as professional writing. The professional pointers will also be put to good use in the near future.

I am very thankful to Brad and my fellow classmates for all your advices and pointers throughout the course of this module. I hope I am no longer a socially “awkward turtle”, but now a professional communicator. (:
posted by yongsheng at 02:30 | Permalink |


16 Comments:


  • At 13 November 2012 at 11:31, Blogger Rohit Mukherjee

    Hey Yong Sheng,


    I think that you are definitely not a "socially awkward turtle". Through my interactions with you, you come across as an effective communicator. Moving onto your presentation, all your team members presented well and despite having no visual aids, you were able to convince and engage. This is very important for a presentation. All of you knew your content very well and didn't fumble or hesitate in any part of your presentation. Overall, great job ! Really enjoyed taking this module with you.  

  • At 14 November 2012 at 09:59, Blogger Han

    Hey bro,

    I can safely say that I will be looking at you in a different light from now on, haha. We've improved a lot since our peer teaching days and you've bravely struck out into new territory with your new presentation style. In terms of writing style, don't worry because you have definitely come into your own.

    Many people like to pay lip service to many things, but you've always struck me as a man who puts his money, time and effort where his mouth is. Good job for taking a chance with this module and putting in the continuous effort. Congratulations, because your current skillset definitely puts you head-and-shoulders over the typical Statistics undergraduate. Now, all that's left is to keep up the good work and keep these skills sharp for the inevitable job search.

    You won't miss me because we'll see each other again in Science anyway haha. Still, it was awesome taking this module with you.  

  • At 16 November 2012 at 08:16, Blogger Unknown

    Hello!

    It seems that this module has benefited you greatly in various aspects such as writing and presenting, just like I did as well. In addition, I believe that your final oral presentation had made you an even better presenter as presenting without visual aids is definitely not an easy task. Therefore, like what Rohit and Han had mentioned, you were certainly not a socially “awkward turtle” even before taking this module, but this module has further enhanced your communication skills.
     

  • At 17 November 2012 at 21:14, Blogger Eric Linardy

    Hi Yong Sheng,

    I agree with Rohit that you are not a "socially awkward turtle" at all. I guess it is just our Asian culture that causes us to be more reserved with other people is especially stranger. I hope you have met your learning objective in this module. I especially enjoy your "performance" with Yea Wen; when you two acted in the class about emotional intelligence. I also admire you and your group's performance in oral presentation; it is amazing that you can deliver difficult concept without any visual aid. All the best for your studies and your life and I hope all of us can grow to be a better communicator.  

  • At 18 November 2012 at 05:19, Blogger yongsheng

    (From Sai. I posted on his behalf as he encountered difficulty when posting.)

    Hey Yong Sheng,

    If you remember you were the first non-Indian classmate I introduced myself to at the start of this module and ever since then I have always considered you to be a person who knows what he is talking about.Though the only time we have worked together is when we were in the same HR team, I have noticed that at every stage of this course you have improved something about your communication skills.For example, I noticed that you were a bit nervous during your peer teaching lesson however during your OP you were in total control of yourself and your eye contact had improved to a great extent as well.
    Nevertheless, am happy that through this module I managed to befriend a person like you and I hope we stay in touch in the coming years.  

  • At 18 November 2012 at 05:27, Blogger yongsheng

    Thanks Rohit,

    I am glad that you recognized me as an effective communicator. Thanks for your kind words. It has been a short period of twelve weeks and I am happy that I have learnt so much and improved. Thanks for all the feedbacks! I enjoyed taking this module with you as well! :)

    Cheers,
    Yong Sheng  

  • At 18 November 2012 at 05:34, Blogger yongsheng

    Hi Han,

    Thanks for your kind words!:) I am glad that I have improved too. Thanks for all your constructive feedbacks all these while! Haha, I will miss you still. Remember to join HELLBOY for lunch! With the interpersonal skills you mastered in this course, you will never be alone in QF classes anymore!^^

    Cheers,
    Yong Sheng  

  • At 18 November 2012 at 05:38, Blogger yongsheng

    Thanks Yea Wen,

    I am glad you took this module with me! We have learnt and improved throughout these twelve weeks. Let us put all these we have learnt into good use in our remaining years in NUS as well as in the pursue of careers in future.

    Cheers,
    Yong Sheng  

  • At 18 November 2012 at 05:41, Blogger yongsheng

    Thanks Eric,

    Yes I have met the objectives I set in the beginning of this semester. Thanks for liking my acting skills (LOL) as well as my group final OP! Thanks for always giving constructive feedbacks for all of us to improve! I am glad to have taken this module with you! All the best for you FYP!

    Cheers,
    Yong Sheng  

  • At 18 November 2012 at 05:47, Blogger yongsheng

    Thanks Sai for your kind words! :)

    Yes, I could still remember talking to you first at the ice breaker activity at the start of the module. You, Chandra and Rohit are the first three friends from India whom I have made in my life!:) Thanks for all the positive feedbacks you have given during the debrief sessions and it certainly helped me to improve. We worked together in the HR team as well as all the small group activities and paired discusssion in class. I enjoyed having you as an awesome classmate in ES2007S! Keep in contact!:)

    And thanks for the dance during the last lesson! You guys made my day!:)

    Cheers,
    Yong Sheng  

  • At 18 November 2012 at 11:49, Blogger Unknown

    Hey group mate!

    I just realised this could be the first time I'm commenting on your post! I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations we've had and the time we spent working on the proposal. I'm glad we took the chance on being different despite our insecurities for the presentation!

    Now that Eric mentioned it, I remember the drama session where you acted with Yea Wen and I was extremely impressed by your performance. It seemed so realistic, even the (apparent/genuine) tears too!

    The reasons you have stated for taking this module are somewhat similar to mine, as what you have commented on my blogpost, but you are definitely more specific in listing them. I feel that professional communication is a soft skill that can only be acquired by practice and experience and it can never be learnt from a textbook.

    One important thing I should point out is your anxiety before a presentation, and I noticed it for both the peer teaching and oral presentation. Here's what I do: I take my mind off the presentation topic just before presenting. This helps to relieve some of the stress. I guess the more anxious you are, the tendency to make mistakes would be higher and then it causes you to be even more nervous. Therefore I think you should find a way to relax yourself before a presentation and then you will be more natural when you present.

    Similar to Eric, Han, Rohit and Yea Wen, I don't see you as a 'socially awkward turle' because I can tell that you have tried to open up in class and in our group discussions. As what we discussed in the debrief session of our final lesson on Friday, there are various degrees of shyness in different people and in different cultures, but the underlying reason here is that you have tried. You definitely seem much more comfortable in smaller groups than a large group and that's perfectly fine.

    I am very confident that your communication skills have improved drastically through this course and I hope to see you around. You are indeed an awesome guy to work with!  

  • At 19 November 2012 at 02:12, Blogger yongsheng

    Hi Ronald,

    Thanks for your kind words! It was your idea to present without visual aid at the start. I do have my doubts upon hearing your suggestion. However, as we proceed with discussing on the content to present as well as how to make our recommendations appealing to the audiences, I learnt from the process and understood that different presentation styles suit different agenda of presentations and there should not be a fixed style of presentation. Thanks for your idea! It indeed brought me and the class to this understanding!

    Yes I agree with you that communication is a soft skill that can only be acquired by practice and experience and it can never be learnt from a textbook. This should be part of the reasons why Brad decided to discard all textbooks when he took over this module. Thanks for your advice on keeping my mind off the presentation topic to reduce my anxiety before the presentation. I will work on this in the future!:)

    I enjoyed working with you and our group members for these few weeks and I am glad to have you as a classmate in ES2007S. I am sure what you have learnt will be able to put to good use in your oral presentation for your FYP!

    All the best for your future endeavours and hope to see you around! :)

    Cheers,
    Yong Sheng
     

  • At 19 November 2012 at 08:07, Blogger Unknown

    This is my first comment and sadly the last one. I wish I read you blog before even if we weren't in the same blogging group. You write well, I like the formal write style you have but at the same time its so many emotions.

    I will for sure miss our discussions, and you made me more critical to culture with your contribution to the class discussions. I really wish I could take this class over again, since I enjoyed it so much, both the group we were and the professor we had.

    You were more the cutie guy at the beginning, but by time I saw how much knowledge you have. If you continue this way like you have developed in this class you will reach far.

    Wish you all the best my friend!

    Best regards, Sumea  

  • At 19 November 2012 at 08:32, Blogger Brad Blackstone

    Thank you, Yong Sheng, for this honest final reflection. I can appreciate your reasons for taking the course and your sense of accomplishment. Certainly your research project group achieved much in the way that you each performed and in how your OP was received. I'm also thankful for the commitment you made to the intense level of work. You seemed to greet all the requirements with a very positive attitude and sincere willingness to work hard. Those attitudes will indeed take you far.

    Honest, I still think you need to work on your writing (and language use in particular). I wish that I could offer Prof Comm II, with a focus precisely on that. In the mean time, keep your mind open and your heart filled with passion. Read more than you're accustomed to reading, and don't hesitate to take on writing assignments that force you to take words from mind to paper.

    I also hope the best for you as you continue your life journey!  

  • At 19 November 2012 at 08:33, Blogger yongsheng

    Hi Sumea,

    Thanks for your kind words! It is alright if you did not comment on my previous posts. We can still keep in contact via Facebook! All the discussions and fun we had during the lessons shall remain as a beautiful memory for you during your exchange in NUS! All the best to you too!:)

    Cheers,
    Yong Sheng
     

  • At 19 November 2012 at 08:42, Blogger yongsheng

    Thanks Brad,

    I will constantly work hard to improve on my writing skills as well as to be more proficient in English language. Do let me know if you are giving classes on writing in future, I will not hesitate to sign up for it! Thanks for your guidance all these while!:)

    Best regards,
    Yong Sheng
     

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