Critical Writing

Three months of effective communication classes have improved both my writing skills and communication skills. Through activities and projects done in effective communication classes had opened my social circle. Meeting group members from different background and having different input during project discussion allows me to look at things from a different perspective. Before attending effective communication module, I had the mindset that using extravagant words shows better English language. However, through the course I learnt that having the message of the sentence sent across is more important. Some words might not be appropriate in certain context and thus I came to realize that simple words with proper grammar and sentence structuring is the best. To build on my communication skills, I took up the role of being an organizing committee for the the presentation showcase. This opportunity allows me to meet more people and expose myself to different situations and improve my communication skills. To further improve my communication skills, I intent to avoid looking at slides during presentations to have more eye contact with the audience for better interactive skills.

Team work has always been an important aspect when it involves group projects. Due to difference in background and focus point, clashing ideas arising is unavoidable. During our project meeting, I have learnt the importance of taking a step back and looking at the situation from a different perspective. For instance, during our project researching phase, our team tend to go off topic and our research gets to nowhere. When we refer back to the purpose of our research, we are able to get back on track which increases our work efficiency. From this project experience, I learnt that it is important to look back at our initial goals to ensure that we are on the right track. In addition, I realized communication with members of the team not only allows us to be aware of each other's thoughts and ideas, it also acts as a check for ourselves so that we are on the right page with everyone.