Reflection on communicative skills
As a student, I used to be very shy and introverted in class and would rarely raise doubts or volunteer to help out. This results in me often getting neglected by teachers because they would feel that I am uninterested. As I grew older, this quietness became more of a personality than a habit, and it started affecting how I interact with new people I met - I would often be lost and unable to continue decent conversations.
After joining the Polytechnic, I discover that we had to do presentations almost every other week. It was fearful for me to speak in a crowd and I would produce unfavourable presentations as a result. However, as time passes, I received tremendous encouragements and feedbacks from lecturers and peers. I gradually open up to speaking more confidently, sharing opinions and discussions in classes. By the end of Polytechnic, I was able to present ideas confidently and fluently. I would say that my strength in communication would be my confidence and the fact that I listen to feedback and criticism with an open mind.
Through this module, interpersonal and work communication, I hope to improve my presentation skills, to be able to present with better clarity and concision. I always have difficulties putting ideas across with as little word as possible while still staying clear. This could be helpful in the future where I had to draft emails or interviews where I need to convey my message clearly and concisely.
I would also like to learn various communicative tools and techniques so that I would be able to use the right method for the right people at the right time. I was taught about the Johari window, where I can understand different perspectives of communication and how much to share or expose to remain a healthy relationship. I also learn about the different types of listening styles. I am a more content-oriented listener but I am learning to be more adaptable to different situations. I am excited to acquire more communicative tools that would be useful for future presentations and interviews.
After joining the Polytechnic, I discover that we had to do presentations almost every other week. It was fearful for me to speak in a crowd and I would produce unfavourable presentations as a result. However, as time passes, I received tremendous encouragements and feedbacks from lecturers and peers. I gradually open up to speaking more confidently, sharing opinions and discussions in classes. By the end of Polytechnic, I was able to present ideas confidently and fluently. I would say that my strength in communication would be my confidence and the fact that I listen to feedback and criticism with an open mind.
Through this module, interpersonal and work communication, I hope to improve my presentation skills, to be able to present with better clarity and concision. I always have difficulties putting ideas across with as little word as possible while still staying clear. This could be helpful in the future where I had to draft emails or interviews where I need to convey my message clearly and concisely.
I would also like to learn various communicative tools and techniques so that I would be able to use the right method for the right people at the right time. I was taught about the Johari window, where I can understand different perspectives of communication and how much to share or expose to remain a healthy relationship. I also learn about the different types of listening styles. I am a more content-oriented listener but I am learning to be more adaptable to different situations. I am excited to acquire more communicative tools that would be useful for future presentations and interviews.
Hey Darrell,
ReplyDeleteYour reflection on your strengths and weaknesses gives me a very genuine feel, as it looks like you seems to understand yourself very well. I agree with your strengths, as I think that you are very fluent speaker also I think you are pretty easy to communicate. Being your project group mate, I remember, you would actively try to share your ideas during project discussions, and this proves that you do have the confidence to communicate well and I think that an outstanding strength of yours. I believe that you being shy before is normal as humans tend to defend themselves towards foreign people, although we may need to be more open-minded at times. I am glad that through your student life in Polytechnic your interpersonal skills can improve so much, I might need some guidance from you as to how you build to be a better communicator.
To end this off, I firmly believe that you can develop your communication skills through this module. Let us work hard together to be an effective communicator!
All the best,
Yee Tong
yeetongcom150.blogpot.com
Hi Darrell,
ReplyDeleteI do personally feel relatable to the quietness that you have faced in the past as I am facing similar challenges now. However, I am glad that you were able to overcome your weaknesses which I do feel is a remarkable achievement which has inspired me to do the same too. As a friend, I do agree that you are a very confident speaker. I will never forget our first ever class presentation which you were able to present your points smoothly and even answering the Q&A session with ease. You are also a wonderful team player where you actively share your thoughts and ideas while listening to any new ones too.
Lastly, I do sincerely hope that you can achieve your objective in improving your communication skills and utilise the skills you have acquired to your advantage in the future. Let us work together to achieve our goals and targets and master the art of communicating and interacting with others.
Best Regards,
Jonas
Hi Darrell,
ReplyDeleteIt is great that despite the difficulties you faced you continued to persevere and thus have now grown as a person. We all have our own comfort zones and growth lies outside of it. All of us must learn to be willing to continuously take steps into areas where are weak so as to improve ourselves. Such a journey will be difficult but thankfully, such as in your case, there are people around us who we can rely on to look out for us along the way. At the same time we all have our strengths and I am sure that there are areas where you have helped them to grow. Friends are indeed important in this journey of growth as they can help you see things from a fresh perspective.
Something else I feel is important to be an effective communicator is to keep refining yourself. When communications break down we should sit down and reflect on what went wrong so as to not repeat the same mistakes again. When we have done so successfully, we should take note of what worked well and apply it again in the future. This way we become even more effective communicators over time.
Overall, my encouragement to you is this - I feel your natural inquisitiveness and willingness to learn in that you are open to learning new methods of communication puts you already halfway through the journey of a thousand miles. A famous quote goes "Knowing is half the battle"; but I feel that it is drive that is half the battle - for who would embark the path of knowing, if they had no drive to win said battle? Remember always: an inquisitive mind will always learn more than a mind that thinks it has everything.
Best of luck, Darrell!