Final Reflections, but Communications for Life!

In just a blink of an eye, yet another semester has just flown by. Although the ES2007S lasted a mere 13 weeks, however, the skills learnt from this module will indeed last a lifetime! Indeed the skills learnt in this module are transferable, and will be very beneficial regardless of the field that I intend to work in after graduation. Although the workload for this module was indeed very heavy, I have no regrets taking this module.

Reflecting back, this module has given me the opportunity to teach a class on an allocated topic, write effective application letters and resumes, prepare for interviews, craft a proposal, as well as to give persuasive oral presentations. Indeed, this module has made me realize that possessing effective communication skills are necessary! The module has also made me realize that it is not just achieving good grades that will allow us to attain our dream job, but also how well we sell ourselves. It was also through ES2007S that I was exposed to various online communication platforms. The platforms include that of blogs, google docs, google wave other wikis like NUS wiki.

Although I have heard of these online communication tools before, it was only when I learnt of how to use these platforms for communication, did I realize the actual usefulness of such platforms. Using google wave in combination with google docs and skype not only made group project meetings unique, but also allowed our group to get the task done in the fastest and most effective way possible. This was especially convenient, given our tight schedules. As such, the module not only exposed and equipped me with the necessary communication skills, but also to fully utilize online communication platforms to the fullest, and this I feel will carry me a long way, especially in the workplace in the future!

What I particularly enjoyed in this module was the interactive nature in which lessons were conducted. Unlike most of the other modules offered in NUS where the class size is usually big (big to the extent where you will never get to know all your classmates), the small class size has allowed for more interaction in class. It was also one of the rare moments where I got to know everyone personally in class, which made attending lessons more fun and meaningful.

Lastly, I will also like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Lim for being such a wonderful and dedicated tutor, and everyone in class for making this module such a wonderful experience! I hope that all of us will be able to keep in touch long after this module has ended. All the best in your future endeavours! =)

Oral Presentation Reflection

Finally the oral presentation is over! There were two major presentations this semester, one being peer teaching, and followed by this oral presentation. However, I feel that the oral presentation was a lot more challenging. Unlike the peer teaching experience where we were supposed to a research on a given topic and present it to the class, the oral presentation involved persuading the audience which made it all the more nerve-wrecking! Well this may be subjective, but I’m glad it’s over nonetheless!

I must say that the oral presentation went better than expected. Although we had only a week to prepare for the presentation, not including the numerous other test and assignments that we had to do for our other modules, I felt our group performed very well, given the circumstances. We still managed to dedicate 2 to 3 practice sessions to refine both the slides and the presentation. Putting ourselves in the shoes of the audience also helped us better prepare for the Question & Answer session, which in my opinion is the most difficult part of every presentation. However, I thought that our group did reasonably well in churning out appropriate answers for most of the questions asked.

Personally, I was surprised that I how much calmer I was compared to when we had our first peer teaching presentation. At least I was not as overwhelmed from having to give yet another big presentation on the big stage. This time I made a much more concerted effort to speak slower, so I hope that translated well. This time, more focus was placed on time management, so I did not try to squeeze in that much information within a short period of time, which I hope, allowed the audience to follow the presentation better. Much more time was also put in for slide designing, like for instance, adding appropriate pictures that suit the theme of the presentation. This, I thought was much better than the last peer teaching experience, where I had chosen to use plain slides, which may not be a source of distraction for the audience, but on the other hand, may have made the presentation a little boring.

What surprised me most during this presentation was that I was able to present without looking at my cue cards! (Or once rather, to state the definition of what I meant by “conservation biology”) This, I felt, was the main aspect of my presentation that I have improved tremendously. However, I still feel that in everything there’s always room for improvement. For instance, I feel that I can further improve on my use of gestures, which I thought was lacking during the presentation. As such I may have come across as a little stiff during the presentation. I guess this will come with practice, so I hope that I will have more opportunities to work on giving public presentations. =)

I hope that you enjoyed the presentation as much I did presenting it to all of you. Looking forward to reading all of your comments! Thank you! =)