( Post #06 ) Final Reflections

          Here, at last, at journey’s end, I now look back with the benefit of hindsight upon this module and what it has meant for me. It has certainly been an eventful and productive semester, the many colourful characters I’ve been acquainted with contributing to the fact in no small part.

          ES2007S has taught me a multitude of practical skills. I knew not how to write resumes and application letters before, not to mention a proper business proposal. My abilities in face-to-face communication have also been honed through our lessons in active listening and the ample practice we have had in making and sustaining good eye contact. Breaking bad news to people has also become easier since I was introduced to the strategy of using buffers. With regard to the “7Cs”, six of which I was already proficient in prior to taking this module, I have finally learnt the value of conciseness, the last “C” that had previously still eluded me.

          Class interactions have been a blast. I have never witnessed a noisier tutorial, nor one that, without form or structure, facilitated such a level of creative discussion and spontaneity. In our online interactions, my comrades have also displayed the utmost courtesy in their comments on my blog, for which I thank them profusely. I am, in particular, pleasantly flattered by some of their compliments and reciprocate with goodwill of my own.

          Overall, it has been an enlightening three months. My literacy with blogs and facebook has increased and while I have always been an apt writer, I am now a better speaker.

( Post #05 ) Reflections on Oral Presentation

          On Monday the 11^th of April 2011 at 1.07 pm, Yu Tian, Adeline, Paula and myself delivered an oral presentation on our proposal for the enhancement of present social cohesion programmes. It is on this presentation that I now reflect and for which I solicit commentary.

          I am particularly satisfied with the delivery of our presentation, as I am of the opinion that the team, myself included, exuded calm, confidence and professionalism in executing our pièce de résistance. It was also most gratifying to hear from our audience that our performance was adequately persuasive as it was the progeny of much preparation and rehearsal.

          Our slides’ best feature was perhaps the “less is more” philosophy that went into their crafting. Bearing in mind that a picture speaks a thousand words, our slides were filled with impactful and relevant pictures but few words. The intended and accomplished result being to focus the audience’s attention on the presenter instead of the screen.

          The arguments put forth were also simultaneously presented with supporting statistics and evidence from our primary and secondary research, which accorded them added credibility and contributed to our level of convincingness.

          My only lament was that the possibly too minimalist nature of the slides, while easy to digest, left something to be desired in the way of completeness of content. The presence of a text-heavy slide covered in diagrams ever so occasionally, while slightly intimidating to behold, can be a necessary evil in attempting to fully educate one’s audience.