The Last One... ALREADY??

Well, this is the last week of the semester; lo and behold, this is in fact the last week of my NUS academic career. Reviewing the understanding of the value of effective communications which I had before the semester and after the semester, I might say that there is not much change to it. Same as before, I think that effective communication skills are crucial in our daily life. It is not only used in the workplace, but rather, it is also critical in maintaining a good relationship with all those around you: parents, friends, loved ones.

This module has provided a platform for intense practice of this particularly useful skill. Communication skills were practiced in small group discussions during classes, in classroom settings where each individual was encouraged to voice out our opinion. In particular (and it is something very new to me, being the cyber “mountain turtle” which I tend to be), communication skills were practiced through blogging and commenting on each other’s blog. The addition of the new media component certainly has added an interesting touch to this module. Of course, and how can I forget, the group project for this module has not only sharpened our critical thinking and writing, but through working in a group, has certainly also forced all members to utilize the skills taught in class. Firstly we had to try to communicate effectively with each other using the 7Cs via emails and writings. Secondly, it was to learn to compromise and accept that each individual is different, and by working in a team is to try to synergize each individual’s strong points and produce a piece of work which at the end of the day, each member of the team can proudly say that, “This is our joint effort! Well done!” Thirdly, the presentation at the end of the project has also forced us to put on the hat of a “salesman”. Essentially, we had to think of ways to put across our ideas in the paper effectively and concisely, without boring the hell out of the audience.

All the above has honed my communication skills. Although I think the value which I placed on effective communication skills has not altered, I would like to think that after the whole semester’s worth of continuous practice and sharpening, in gaming terms, my communication skills (as well as all fellow ES2007s tutorial mates’ comms skills) have “leveled up”!