I feel that the practical skills taught in the module, such as learning how to write a decent resume, is more relevent to me than the interpersonal skills introduced to me. I feel that these interpersonal skills should be developed as we interact with and try to understand people. However, many science students, though very good in academia, tend to lack soft skills like these and need to be taught to them. These skills could be better improved through cultural exchanges during internships and exchanges among colleages.
The presentation skills taught were also quite effective. By making us give a presentation and allowing us to each watch a video of how we look like when we're presenting, gives us a good idea on how our audiences perceive us and what we lack in this area. It is very difficult to tell what we lack during a presentation unless we can actually see it for ourselves.
Overall, i think that the module is useful, especially for final year students. Job application, presentation and people skills are necessary when we head out to work in the future. These are skills which would set us apart from the hundreds of other applicants applying for the same job with almost the same qualifications. Besides textbook skills, i think this module has given me greater confidence in my interpersonal skills, among my group mates, to an audience or to a superior i.e. tutor. I believe that this would serve me well, even long after i have forgotten all that i have learnt during my course.
Thanks to all who have made this experience an enjoyable one! Cheers!
11/16/08
10/19/08
Biodata
Currenly, I am a NUS science undergraduate doing my Honours year in Biology, a degree most people would avoid. I am driven by an insatiable curiousity about life and marvelled by how Mother Nature has created an answer for most of our questions.
I am an avid explorer, always looking for new places to visit, be it deep underwater or high up in the mountains, which is not only refreshing but also allows me to learn more about myself. Personally, I feel that life is too short to do all that i want to experience, which makes me a go getter and someone who values time alot.
I am an avid explorer, always looking for new places to visit, be it deep underwater or high up in the mountains, which is not only refreshing but also allows me to learn more about myself. Personally, I feel that life is too short to do all that i want to experience, which makes me a go getter and someone who values time alot.
10/9/08
Communication in teamwork
The university system should incorporate team work as a component when grading a student, which is a major hurdle for many graduates when they come out into the working world. All of a sudden, life does not just evolve around academic grades but also having to deal with people of all sorts of characters. And because different people contribute differently to a team, everytime i take on a new project, it brings on a whol new different experience altogether.
Working with Elaine and Nic has not only been enjoyable but also easy. I have worked in teams when team mates refuse to cooperate and not contribute to the team, resulting in the rest of the team having to bear the extra work load; not the most pleasant experience. However, during the course of this project work, Elaine and Nic have been the most cooperative group mates i can ever ask for, for which i am thankful. Not only were they punctual when having to complete their tasks, it was also pretty well done. This made the whole process very easy and smooth. Calling for group meetings were also simple.
I think what made this group so successful was the fact that all of us shared the same goal: To finish the project ASAP and to do it well. Personally, a group is not successful because it has very intelligent or capable group mates. Rather, i feel that the most important thing about working as a group is that the people in it must have the same goal. It is only when they have the same goal that they are able to all contribute positively to the experience of working in that group and drive the group in the correct direction.
Working with Elaine and Nic has not only been enjoyable but also easy. I have worked in teams when team mates refuse to cooperate and not contribute to the team, resulting in the rest of the team having to bear the extra work load; not the most pleasant experience. However, during the course of this project work, Elaine and Nic have been the most cooperative group mates i can ever ask for, for which i am thankful. Not only were they punctual when having to complete their tasks, it was also pretty well done. This made the whole process very easy and smooth. Calling for group meetings were also simple.
I think what made this group so successful was the fact that all of us shared the same goal: To finish the project ASAP and to do it well. Personally, a group is not successful because it has very intelligent or capable group mates. Rather, i feel that the most important thing about working as a group is that the people in it must have the same goal. It is only when they have the same goal that they are able to all contribute positively to the experience of working in that group and drive the group in the correct direction.
9/28/08
Intercultural Communication
Culture is the out come of humans needing to form something bigger and beyond themselves; something for them to create exclusive and inclusive groups and to feel safe within. In the past, culture was rigid. A code of conduct passed down through the sands of time, governed by the masses on how individuals should and should not lived their lives. However, in recent years due to globalisation and the increasing power attained by government bodies, culture has become more and more fluid, as people all over the world start to move out of their limited circles and interact with the world. To some, this meant the 'tainting' of their culture; the contamination of their sacred beliefs. This has lead to the birth of extremists, willing to stop at none to propagate their ideals.
Through i have yet to meet an Kalashnikov totting, stocking clad, C4 strapped 'hero', cultural idealism came across to me in another way: Worshipping the white gods. As most of South East Asean countries were once under to rule of different colonial masters, many of us tend to view white people (most of us can't tell the difference between Europeans and Americans) to being superior to us. This is especially seen in the service line, when waiters, salegirls, bartenders, etc, tend to ignore the puny Asian and provide almost impeccable serivce to the whites. Barring the fact that white people tend to be more pleasant and chatty, and have a higher tendency to pay more for the same good, why is it that the white couple always get their rongole first, even though the order was obviously first made by the Asian couple sitting two rows down?
This is not simply just the result of being bias but a cultural mindset, passed down from our ancestors through their body language and tone when in the presence of and when describing white people respectively. Hence, even though much of our cultural roots have been lost over time, when various cultural boundries have turned into grey areas, many of us are still trapped in this colonial mindset that white people have an edge over us Asians, just because they were born white. So much for globalization and the era of cultural flexibility.
How does effective communication come into play here? Culture is passed down not only in writing but more so through our behaviours and lifestyles. For example, a Muslim kid would not understand the meaning behind fasting but does so because he or her parents do so. As such, they are trained from young to accept the fact that fasting is part of their culture; a side of their lives they cannot do without. Same goes for upholding white people. If we are able to effectively show, in body langauge (i.e. not standing in a subservient posture when interacting with a white person) and in our tone (i.e. not speaking patronisingly), this cultural inferiority could be erased over time.
Let's join our hands comrades and show that we're not below the whites!
Through i have yet to meet an Kalashnikov totting, stocking clad, C4 strapped 'hero', cultural idealism came across to me in another way: Worshipping the white gods. As most of South East Asean countries were once under to rule of different colonial masters, many of us tend to view white people (most of us can't tell the difference between Europeans and Americans) to being superior to us. This is especially seen in the service line, when waiters, salegirls, bartenders, etc, tend to ignore the puny Asian and provide almost impeccable serivce to the whites. Barring the fact that white people tend to be more pleasant and chatty, and have a higher tendency to pay more for the same good, why is it that the white couple always get their rongole first, even though the order was obviously first made by the Asian couple sitting two rows down?
This is not simply just the result of being bias but a cultural mindset, passed down from our ancestors through their body language and tone when in the presence of and when describing white people respectively. Hence, even though much of our cultural roots have been lost over time, when various cultural boundries have turned into grey areas, many of us are still trapped in this colonial mindset that white people have an edge over us Asians, just because they were born white. So much for globalization and the era of cultural flexibility.
How does effective communication come into play here? Culture is passed down not only in writing but more so through our behaviours and lifestyles. For example, a Muslim kid would not understand the meaning behind fasting but does so because he or her parents do so. As such, they are trained from young to accept the fact that fasting is part of their culture; a side of their lives they cannot do without. Same goes for upholding white people. If we are able to effectively show, in body langauge (i.e. not standing in a subservient posture when interacting with a white person) and in our tone (i.e. not speaking patronisingly), this cultural inferiority could be erased over time.
Let's join our hands comrades and show that we're not below the whites!
9/5/08
Canteen crowd
It is almost impossible to obtain lunch from the science canteen from 1130 to 1330 hrs, on a normal school day as it is packed with students and hungry workers of nearby facilities, so much so that getting food and a table to sit at, becomes a long ardous wait. Queues from food stores snake around the tables and seats, creating a disorderly mass of people. The two hundred seater canteen has eleven stores and a cafe serving it. Yet, the exodus of lunchtime people stretches the capacity of the science canteen so often that students are known to skip lunch just so as not to have to put up with the torture of having to purchase food from the science canteen. This could be one of the reasons why students are not able to function well in lessons during the course of the day, due to the lack of nutrition. As the main goal of the university is to a provide 'world class' education to their students, it should look into trying to enhance, not just its research facilities, but also help in the facilitation of their students' lifestyles. It is of utmost importance that this problem be resolved as soon as possible.
There are two main reasons behind this problem:
1) The canteen is not big enough to accomodate the increasing intake of students.
2) There are just too many people using the canteen
Thes two reasons see the problem from two different view points. The first sees the problem as being a structural issue and that the canteen should be open to any and everyone. Hence, the solution would be to petition to the science dean, as propose to expand the current size of the science canteen, such that it would be able to accommodate the huge lunchtime crowd. The second point, however, sees it as a social problem. The science canteen, is a facility of the university, provided by the instituition for the students, and making it more convenient for their students to obtain food within the compounds of the university. So much so that the prices of food sold by the stores are subsidised, making it easier on the pockets of students. However, people working in nearby facilities, such as NUH for example, often flood the canteen to purchase the cheap food during lunch hour, resulting in the crowded conditions observed. The proposed solution to the problem would then be to come up with a policing system, such that ONLY students of NUS are allowed to make use of the canteen during lunch hour.
I propose to conduct a simple survey over a period of 5 days, during the weekday lunch hour, in order to obtain a consensus behind the root cause of the problem listed above. By solving this problem, NUS would then be able to make learning a more enriching and comfortable experience.
There are two main reasons behind this problem:
1) The canteen is not big enough to accomodate the increasing intake of students.
2) There are just too many people using the canteen
Thes two reasons see the problem from two different view points. The first sees the problem as being a structural issue and that the canteen should be open to any and everyone. Hence, the solution would be to petition to the science dean, as propose to expand the current size of the science canteen, such that it would be able to accommodate the huge lunchtime crowd. The second point, however, sees it as a social problem. The science canteen, is a facility of the university, provided by the instituition for the students, and making it more convenient for their students to obtain food within the compounds of the university. So much so that the prices of food sold by the stores are subsidised, making it easier on the pockets of students. However, people working in nearby facilities, such as NUH for example, often flood the canteen to purchase the cheap food during lunch hour, resulting in the crowded conditions observed. The proposed solution to the problem would then be to come up with a policing system, such that ONLY students of NUS are allowed to make use of the canteen during lunch hour.
I propose to conduct a simple survey over a period of 5 days, during the weekday lunch hour, in order to obtain a consensus behind the root cause of the problem listed above. By solving this problem, NUS would then be able to make learning a more enriching and comfortable experience.
8/29/08
Conflict between friends
Bob and James are working on a Chemistry project that involves writing a research paper due in 3 weeks. They decided to split the workload, with Bob taking on the task of writing the research paper, while James bearing the responsibility of gathering relevant data. Both of them agreed that James would hand Bob the data at the end of the first week for him to write out the full paper by the end of the second week. Both also agreed to edit the paper together in the last week before turning the paper in.
James scoured intensively for the relevant data and diligently submitted it to Bob by the end of the first week. The problem aroused when Bob did not follow the agreed timeline. Instead, he brushed away James’ constant reminders in the third week that they should be into the editing phase of the project with the reply that he needed more time to think about the structure of the paper instead of writing it out. Tensions grew between the two friends as a result.
The main cause of this conflict can be owed to trust and different working styles of the two friends. James’ orderly and timeliness nature clash with Bob’s eleventh-hour working style. On one hand, James feels worried about Bob not being able to finish the project on time, but reminds himself that Bob has a track record of straight ‘A’s. Bob, on his part, feels that James does not trust him enough to produce quality work by the deadline and is rather irritated with James.
How can the two good friends come to an agreement in this situation?
James scoured intensively for the relevant data and diligently submitted it to Bob by the end of the first week. The problem aroused when Bob did not follow the agreed timeline. Instead, he brushed away James’ constant reminders in the third week that they should be into the editing phase of the project with the reply that he needed more time to think about the structure of the paper instead of writing it out. Tensions grew between the two friends as a result.
The main cause of this conflict can be owed to trust and different working styles of the two friends. James’ orderly and timeliness nature clash with Bob’s eleventh-hour working style. On one hand, James feels worried about Bob not being able to finish the project on time, but reminds himself that Bob has a track record of straight ‘A’s. Bob, on his part, feels that James does not trust him enough to produce quality work by the deadline and is rather irritated with James.
How can the two good friends come to an agreement in this situation?
8/24/08
The importance of effective communication
Society functions just like the human body: Many organs and tissues performing different roles, working together as one in a symbiotic relation with each other. As the functions provided by each and every organ is unique, contributing to the ultimate survival of the organism, failure of any one organ or tissue, results in the collapse of the whole system. However, in order for this symbiotic relationship among the organs and tissue of the human body, an effective communication system among them, must be established. Without this communication system, the organs and tissues would not only be able to function effectively as an organism but worst still, the cells that comprises these body parts would start to develop as an egoistic individual, resulting in cancer. Problems, such as diseases and cancer, could also arise as the result when they do not communicate effectively i.e. when the wrong protein molecules used for signalling are secreted or when the wrong receptors, used to interpret the signalling proteins, are produced. This analogy could be similiarly applied to society at hand, where many individuals perform various functions to support it and when communication breaks down, or when it is not effective, it becomes 'diseased'.
From the example above, communication can be seen to be comprised to two components: the signal as well as the receptor. When either one fails to work properly, communication breaks down. Thus, it is necessary to not only be able to communication ideas efficiently across but also be able to be persuasive enough, such that the 'receptor' is able to respond correctly. This can be attained by applying skills such as looking out for non verbal cues, being assertive and acquiring sensitivity when dealing with cultural issues. Such skills, on the microscopic level, would also serve to allow work teams to function smoothly and for key ideas to be effectively dispensed and executed. It can be even applied to relationships among friends, family and even between spouses, such that consensus on values, beliefs and expectations could be reached, reducing the possibility of friction and tension.
Hence, I believe, that besides developing the skills required of us, as university students, culturing effective communicative habits is just as important, for the simple fact: that we are able to live and function together peacefully and effectively, as a single body.
From the example above, communication can be seen to be comprised to two components: the signal as well as the receptor. When either one fails to work properly, communication breaks down. Thus, it is necessary to not only be able to communication ideas efficiently across but also be able to be persuasive enough, such that the 'receptor' is able to respond correctly. This can be attained by applying skills such as looking out for non verbal cues, being assertive and acquiring sensitivity when dealing with cultural issues. Such skills, on the microscopic level, would also serve to allow work teams to function smoothly and for key ideas to be effectively dispensed and executed. It can be even applied to relationships among friends, family and even between spouses, such that consensus on values, beliefs and expectations could be reached, reducing the possibility of friction and tension.
Hence, I believe, that besides developing the skills required of us, as university students, culturing effective communicative habits is just as important, for the simple fact: that we are able to live and function together peacefully and effectively, as a single body.
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