Final Reflection

2hours. 30 MCQs. Countless photos taken. Priceless laughter. (egg tarts and banana cakes included).
That was how we concluded this ES2007s Professional Communication course this morning.

In my very first post, I ended off with this particular paragraph.

"Everyone can communicate, but not everyone is an effective communicator. Realising that effective communication skills are important in our lives brings us one step closer to being one."

Upon revisiting my first post, I post myself a question...

"Has this 12-weeks course brought me any closer in becoming an effective communicator?"

No doubt about it. A definite yes. Not a 100% effective communicator, but definitely one step closer.

This 12weeks course had remodelled my previous perspective of communication. I began the course as an individual who took everyday's communication for granted. To put it bluntly, communication then was just plain talking. Listening was just "words into the left ear, words out from the right."
However, the understanding of effective communication after taking this course, made me more conscious of my actions and behaviour during a conversation. I am now more careful with my choice of words, taking into consideration how the other party may feel. And also, I learn to pay closer attention to whatever the other party is saying. In short, this course made me realise the importance of active listening. I had learnt to take a step back and be more observant of other people's behavioural characteristcs during communication situations. Empathy and mutual respect were two key values that I had brought home from this course.

TWO THUMBS UP!
The skills taught to us in this course are life long skills which will not only benefit us now, but also in the future working environment. The component of this course that I found most useful has to be the few sessions related to job searching. The mock interview forced us to think on the spot and it was a very enriching experience as we got to play duo roles during that particular tutorial session. In addition, the skills taught with regards to the proper construction of our own resume and job application letter will definitely come in handy in the near future! With this relevant experience and the skills, job application in the future will be less daunting.

THUMBS DOWN? (noticed how I cushioned the negative impact of this section using positive topics in the previous section? Uh huh! This is another skill we have learnt from this course.)

Endless datelines and heavy workload. Alot had been said on this. So I shall not harp on it. Well.. at least at the end of the day, we grew stronger mentally.

Finally, I know it's abit clich'e. But seriously, I enjoyed making new friends from this course. It had been great getting to know 16 individuals, each with their own unique character.

To everyone, Good luck for your examinations.

To Ms Kim: Thank you for your guidance throughout this 12weeks. It has been a pleasure working with you!



Timbre anyone?