Blog Post # 7: Final Reflection

In the course of three months, this module has not only strengthened my belief regarding the importance of effective communication but has also taught me various things. My goals of effective communication for the purposes mentioned in my first blog still stand strong with additional support.

I have been able to acquire many tips on writing and speaking skills. During the job search lessons, I was able to learn to focus on my strengths and “my selling points” while drafting out a resume and a cover letter for a certain job. My writing skills had been rusty at the beginning, taking part in this module has not only helped revive it but has also enriched. Watching our presentation on a video, was more effective in letting me understand the places I needed to improve and I intend to work on these areas.

But in addition to the the technical skills I’ve learned in class, I am more thankful about the new bonds I have fostered within the class. First, I want to thank Ms. Kim, for your patience and for providing us with an interesting learning experience. You have taught me many useful things.

I want to thank the entire class for a great semester, the arguments and the discussions are what made the class interesting and worthwhile. I especially want to thank Pei Pei, for being there through all the troubles we had with our project - Girl, you rock! Kiet, who always knew how to lighten up the atmosphere when we were stressed. Wilson and Wendy, whose support and encouragement throughout the module has always been great. Let’s make sure we still keep in touch. Yihao, thanks not only for taking time to edit and provide feedback for my blog post but also for your encouragements.

Thus, the module finally comes to a close but I believe that my learning of effective communication does not end here.

Good luck for the exams everyone! I hope to see you around campus.

Blog Post #6: Biodata of Divya Rajendran

I am a 4th year Bioengineering student in National University of Singapore specializing in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering. On the basis of my academic and co-curricular activities in my pre-university days I was awarded SIA-NOL Scholarship to pursue my undergraduate degree in NUS. I can converse in English, Japanese and Tamil fluently.

I am an active volunteer in community service having been a member of Satiya Sai NUH befriending Program for two years .I am also an active mentor in Rotaract NUS-BP Mentoring program and was appointed the co-ordinator for Bukit Merah Secondary School in 2007. I am a self-motivated person who pursues my goals with determination.

Blog Post #5 : Reflecting on the Research Project

When people with different backgrounds and personalities work together, it gives rise to new and creative ideas. When working with different people, problems of communicating with each other is a norm. Both of my team mates are very different from me and from each other, however, we were able to effectively communicate our ideas, praise or any type of dissatisfaction. All of us, were able to take on constructive criticisms and also were able to give back positive feedback. I believe that I have gained two new friends through this project.

Major hurdle for our group, was probably the time constraint. Having to submit at least one part of the report every class did take a toll on us. Especially since, it coincided with some of other project reports, tests, presentations and also certain health problems. We did lose our path and found ourselves lost at some point, however, we did pull ourselves together once the storm had passed and are back on track.

For our oral presentation, I think we should focus on how to effectively communicate with the audience. We should focus on our organization regarding the framework of our presentation. In addition, we should also work on being more persuasive and convincing in our way of speech

Blog Post # 4 : Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

Soon after I had returned to India, my entire family celebrated my coming of age by hosting a ceremony. I was blown away by the whirlwind of unknown customs.
One ritual that was brought to my attention was the idea of prostrating at my cousin’s feet, who is 9 years elder to me, to obtain his blessings.

In India, especially in my religion Hindhuism, there is a custom in which the youngsters show respect to elders by prostrating before the elders of the family. They kneel down and touch the feet of their elders as a sign of respect and to receive their blessing and good wishes. The elders bless by touching the head of the child.

When I was first told (before the ceremony) that I would have to kneel down in front of my cousin, Ajai, I was shocked. Being just a few years older than me and us being very close, my intial reaction to my grandmother’s instructions was “ You’re kidding! No way, am I falling at his feet! It’s demeaning!” But my mother, took me aside and told me that it was NOT an ungracious act according to Indian customs, that my cousin being older than me meant that he had all the right to give his blessings. That in there is a difference between Japan and India. Things are done differently here. I can still remember one of my aunts asking “Don’t you want Ajai’s blessings?” What could I say to that? Of course I did.

From this experience and many others, I have come to realize that cultural clashes can be dealt with by proper understanding of each other. An acceptance and tolerance of each one’s uniqueness. A person must be sensitive to other customs. Only with mutual respect can there be effective communication in intercultural situations. As Confucius once said "What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others"

Blog post # 3 Potential Research Project Topic

I would like to propose the research question - “Is the Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) point system effective in the allocation of on campus accommodation?”

At the home stretch of last academic year, NUS witnessed a massive “kick-out” of students from the on campus accommodation, creating mayhem and chaos. More than 1000 NUS students were stunned by the unexpected increase in the CCA cut off point requirements for accommodation. Suddenly on the eve of preparations for the semester finals, many students got to know that they didn’t have a place to stay. This was a matter of panic for many international students who were inexperienced in the business of obtaining off-campus accommodation, being babysat by the university in this regard since their arrival to Singapore.

Students speculated various reasons for the unusually high requirement of CCA points. The official explanation offered by the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) was that increased intakes of the previous and current academic years had created a huge rise in demand, since all 1st and 2nd year international students are guaranteed on-campus accommodation. Many in the student community also claimed that the irresponsible and liberal system of CCA point allocation by some committees contributed in creating an unusually CCA point rich pool of students.

Attitudinal survey is required in order to understand how broadly the student body was affected by this upset and to find out whether they consider the CCA point system to have failed. The survey should target 3rd and 4th year international students as well as local students, both living on-campus and off-campus in order to get a detailed picture from people who have been through the system. The survey would also give the students a chance to voice out their opinions regarding possible improvements to the system.

Blog Post # 2 : Resolving Interpersonal Conflicts

In a program, there are two university students Anna and May. Anna has been the co-ordinator for a year. She was well praised and congratulated on an excellent job done. Anna due to commitments could not continue with the post and hence, a willing candidate May was selected for the post for the current year.

A month into the program, Anna has been getting complaints about May. Complaints include lack of response when necessary, pushing the work onto co-workers and a sense of non-interest. Anna being the ex-coordinator and a senior member of the program talked to May about her responsibilities and asked her whether she was really interested in handling the post again. May replied that she was, however, the sloppy attitude still persisted. This time, Anna gets angry which led to a very stern conversation with May and told her that if she continues in this way, she would be taken out of the program. May gets upset and starts to cry.

A possible causes for such conflict could have been:
Self-Denial: May was not able to balance her work as a coordinator and her school work but refused to acknowledge the fact.
New Comer: Being new to the post, she was still getting used to it.
Peer Pressure: Anna was being pressurized from the committee, to have a proper successor.
Conflict of Personality: Anna being a perfectionist herself got irritated with May’s carefree attitude.

During the conversation at the end, May might have felt a sense of failure which led to her break down. She might have been depressed and pressurized. Anna on the other hand, must have felt like she was being pushed around to get results by the committee. She probably felt disappointed that her successor was not efficient. She must have also felt frustrated from all the peer pressure and her personal commitments.

What could Anna have done to avoid such a scene? Was there a better way for her to approach May? And what could May have done? Could she have handled the situation better?

Blog Post #1 Effective Communication

Communication is a process that we are all born with but is taken for granted by many. Communicating with family, friends, peers, superiors or even strangers is something that happens in our day to day life. Something that comes naturally to everyone, isn't it? But, how many of us communicate effectively? There must be at least one case of misunderstanding in all our lives because of our inability to communicate effectively.

I was taught the importance of effective communication pretty early in my life, when I had to travel back and forth between two countries. I spent my childhood and teenage life in two very different countries – Japan and India. In Japan, I also attended an international school for a couple of years – the majority of the students and even teachers were American. Thus, even at a young age, I was exposed to various cultural differences. Being able to speak three languages fluently, I have come to realize that I unconsciously tend to change my approach, tone and even mannerism when I switch between them or when I am talking to someone from that specific country. Growing up in different environments and amongst different people has taught me that effective communication plays a key role in bringing everyone together. Understanding the culture, customs, values, non-verbal cues, various ways of speaking (formal, informal) and such are very important in order to communicate effectively with a person from a different cultural background whether in a social setting or in a workplace.

I have always had problems in organizing my thoughts and expressing them clearly. I believe that in learning to communicate effectively I will be able to overcome these barriers and be able to step into the working world more confidently. Job search, conveying the proper ideas, understanding instructions appropriately form my superiors, business correspondence, report documentation and attending meetings, will soon be something my working world will revolve around and I hope to be armed with the necessary weapons. While browsing the textbook, I realized there is more to communicate effectively than in just listening, talking and understanding a person's cultural background - to 'actively' listen, to overcome various barriers (emotional, psychological, environmental), to give the right non-verbal cues and so on. Learning all these various ways of developing effective communication will provide me with the opportunity to improve myself as an individual and also as important member of the society.