#6: Final reflection on learning

Group work is handed out to reduce the burden on each team member. Ironically, the converse is often true. I am pretty sure all of us here have at some point or another, felt that individual assignment would have worked out better than group work.

To begin, there is usually that annoying problem of team coordination. Through the peer teaching and research project, I experienced an unanticipated level of difficulty trying to get things done. I thought that everyone would have a minimum level of initiative which would help facilitate the progress of the assignment. Nonetheless, my assumption proved invalid as I failed to consider the busy schedules that we are all plagued by. Thankfully, my team members did communicate this across effectively, through the occasional gripes over deadlines. It certainly helped to eliminate the “why haven’t they done this up??” thought which could have led to an interpersonal conflict. Nonetheless, I chose not to over-rely on this…

Before this course, I was someone who was stingy with sharing what I really feel inside. This often has the repercussion of being understood, simply because others do not know what you think and therefore do not understand and cannot empathise.

As ‘duh’ as this might sound, the most significant takeaway from this course is the importance of 2-way communication. I shared my thoughts and tried to communicate back to them the importance of our assignment; that it should not be deemed less/more important than any other projects which they might have. Well sometimes this helped (/:), which further motivates me to be more open with my feelings. (Clearly, in such instances, communication has helped to create interpersonal understanding through a heightened awareness of each other’s feelings.) Fortunately, at times when this is futile, instead of being discouraged, I am only made more determined to work harder on my communication skills.

Communication is a never-ending journey and all the takeaways from this course have formulated the bulk of this journey, which I never once imagined could have such an extensive impact on me.

To Brad and the class: Thank you, you’ve made a difference in me. I love you all!
To ES2007S: Thanks for providing me with the opportunities to realise and work on the interpersonal issues which I have and will face. Thank you also for transforming me into a more confident speaker, and equipping me with the essential skills to better prepare me for work and definitely for life. HEARTS.

#5: Reflection on Oral Presentation

Prior to our oral presentation on Monday, the team dedicated their time on Sunday to rehearse and practise. For myself, I literally ran the presentation through my head every time I took the train. While such effort may appear commendable, it failed to fully prepare myself to speak with equanimity in front of the class, especially with the roles handed out just before our presentation. Unfortunately for myself, I’ve neglected preparation to speak before “stakeholders in CDTL”, and the “vice deans” of a few faculties. While this did not throw me off completely, I was in fact made more nervous (despite countless rehearsals) by having a real audience right before me. Looking back, it would have been more ideal to simulate the presentation scenario during rehearsals with more people (sorry Tanisha and Joel, two people weren’t enough to make up a sizeable audience):!).

Despite the rather positive feedback gathered from the class on delivery, I feel that the lack of preparation (and thus anticipation) led to an initial fumble just after our presentation commenced. I was immensely nervous because the presentation meant a lot to me, more than just in terms of assessment. I viewed it as a chance to surpass previous standards of oral presentation, and I wanted it to be flawless. Perhaps it was this attitude (zero tolerance for mistakes i.e. must say everything I’ve prepared) that contributed to the anxiety experienced, and therefore the initial hiccup; once you have realised you forgot to mention something, you’ll immediately be thrown off guard. Other than this, I think audibility and articulation were not issues for me (since I stood quite near the audience and spoke at a moderate pace).

As for the presentation slides, I think the use of pictures to communicate ideas across worked rather well. We tried to use as few words as possible in our slides so that they would not turn out too wordy. Nonetheless, when words were utilised amongst the several picture-themed slides, the large font size could have been rather overwhelming for some.

Overall, the journey from brainstorming for a proposal idea, to finally presenting it and garnering acceptance and support from stakeholders, was fulfilling (:!

All the best to Ariele, Gladys, Jian Min, Mercia, Pamela, Shi Min & Zi Hao for their presentation on Monday!

Happy Easter Sunday to all yo!