Final Reflection

Looking back at the semester’s effort, I believe I have succeeded in achieving a sufficient understanding and competency to face the challenging work place as an effective communicator. In the context of the daily life the importance to express our ideas in accordance to the 7 Cs was demonstrated to us. It is vital to be able to convey a message as it is without distorting the original idea in a clear, concise and courteous manner. The understanding of the 7 Cs is very handy to produce an effective communication not only in the society and work place but also at home.

One interesting aspect I learnt through this course was the different intercultural behaviors we happen to encounter in society and how we can adopt ourselves accordingly, so as to accomplish a pleasant rapport. We happen to associate people with numerous cultural backgrounds everyday; our inter-cultural differences often give rise to conflict situations due to the lack of communication. Therefore it is important to gain a good understanding about the other person’s unique ways related to his culture.

In addition, I immensely appreciate the knowledge and skills I gained on report writing, resume writing, presentations and job interviews. Even though I have been performing these tasks throughout my 4 years in NUS, I have been merely following the conventional styles that appealed to me. This course gave me a constructive knowledge on the different ways of approaching such tasks and means by which we can select the most effective and efficient technique.

All in all, I believe that my initial expectation of the course, namely, to learn how to communicate effectively while identifying and overcoming the potential communication barriers, was fulfilled. Furthermore I ought to add this final note that, I enjoyed a very pleasant, enlightening and interactive experience throughout the semester within “Blackstone’s World without Walls”.

Discovering Self

I have never really wondered how exactly I could describe myself and put it together into words on a piece of paper. I see myself as a person who greatly appreciates compassion, independence and confidence.

I am a lover of nature, and I cherish every moment I spend under the shade of a tree. I believe that every living being loves life and would like to be treated kindly, the same that way I do. Being a faithful Buddhist, I value myself as a person who cultivates compassion, selflessness and moral discipline through meditation. I see these as vital necessities for a simple and contented life style.

I am an independent person but I would never over-estimate my capabilities and hesitate to welcome advice, if ever there is an important decision to be made. I have often been acknowledged as a person who can be relied on and approached in difficult situations, by my friends. I suppose this is because I would always listen to them and look at the situation from their point of view and try to make them comfortable.

I see myself as a person who is keen about experimenting new techniques and learning new ways and means of doing things. I strongly believe that if I have the will I can build my skills, to rightfully perform any task that is allocated to me.

Reflecting on the Research Project Experience

The past couple of weeks, during which I was engaged in the research project for ES2007S, was truly an enriching learning experience. I learnt the many aspects of being a team player by building good interpersonal relationships with my team mates.

We started our project with a clear mind set and from the beginning we made sure that all four of us were on the same platform regarding a particular decision, before proceeding further. Even though we had different opinions on certain issues, the ultimate result was from mutual agreement and understanding. Sometimes there were instances when two of us agreed on one choice while the other two agreed on another. However through discussion we tried to weigh the pros and cons of the two views and come to a conclusion which was agreed by all. This way I learnt to be flexible and open minded in order to accommodate the different views of my team mates.

I believe that the most important aspect of being a team player is being able to help each other. We all tried our best to fulfill the work that was allocated to each of us in time. However, there were times when one of us was tied up with other modules’ work and was struggling hard to cope up with the project’s work load. I am really pleased that in such situations, each of us worked with empathy towards the other, that the project work load never felt a burden. I was able to approach my team mates with my difficulties without hesitation, because I knew that we had built a good mutual understanding. Sometimes we had little communication concerns among us, but we were able to move forward by being considerate and surpassing them through conversation.

All in all I gained an invaluable experience of working in a team, paving our way though different ideas and opinions but ending up at a mutually agreed resolution. Thereby we were ultimately able to produce a fruitful outcome from our project which was truly the team’s achievement.

Evaluating Cultural Behavior

In my secondary school there were girls from different ethnic backgrounds; Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians. We all used to study, play and laugh together in harmony.

Eventually, we passed out from school and I applied to high school with the hope of entering college there after. However it was not the same case for my Muslim friends. I was receiving wedding invitations every month because they were getting married even before I finished high school. Among these young brides, was one of my best friends, Nazween. I could not imagine myself being married as young as 16 but Nazween who grew up with me and shared my books was about to become a wife already.

She was a charming bride and beneath her veil I saw her pretty face, smiling with joy. I must have actually expected her be in tears as I imagined her to be forced into this marriage by her parents. Then I shocked to see her husband, who was at least 30 years of age. How was she managing to show a happy face when she is being tied up to a man twice her age? This was turning my mind and I finally decided to talk to my friend.

I approached her slowly, wished her good luck and before I could ask anything, she understood my look. She smiled and said softly, “I know how strange all this must be to you, but this is how things happen in our families. I knew that marriage was the next step in life for me and I was not afraid to face it. Even though I saw him only a week before our wedding, I am sure that my parents are confident that he will take care of me. Girls must get married early in Muslim families otherwise it would be difficult to find suitors for them. Muslim men don’t really care for educated, matured women. I can’t imagine the tragic fate of an unmarried Muslim girl in our society”. She ended her note with a sigh of relief.

I was glad that I understood her. She had grown up in a family and a culture where values and norms were very different form ours. This whole event was strange to me since they didn’t happen in my culture. Nevertheless I was happy for my friend and hoped her all the best of luck for her new beginning in life.

Potential Research Project

With a vision of making Singapore Greener...



Singapore has a reputation for being a highly urbanized city state. However, from its limited land space, a large proportion is being consumed for the construction of buildings. Consequently, the space left for the growth of trees is quite small. I see Singapore as a concrete city and I believe that we should pay more attention to make it more green.

Do we make maximum use of the limited space that is left for trees in Singapore? How much thought does the younger generation give to the planting of new trees in Singapore? Is the youth aware of the consequences of a landscape which lacks in greenery? These are some of the issues we can address by consulting the opinions of the youth and evaluating their responses. Subsequently, all these questions boil down to one single research problem; Does the Singaporean youth show sufficient enthusiasm for a greener and healthier home?

In the context of this research project, we can learn the opinions from a selected sample of the Singaporean youth, (possibly the NUS Science faculty students) by conducting an attitudinal survey. This survey would give us an idea about the general attitude they have and also would enable us to make an evaluation about their level of understanding regarding the environment they live in.

Hypothetically I assume that the Singaporean youth does not pay much attention or interest to the environment being more or less green or how this situation would affect the air pollution in a highly industrialized country like theirs. The prime objective of this study would be to analyze the awareness of the Singaporean youth in the importance of growing more trees and make the optimum use of the space left for growth of trees. One other objective is to provide the youth with sufficient reasoning so that their awareness on the matter would be improved and they would be more enthusiastic in promoting greenery in Singapore. Thereby we might be able to convince the relevant authorities and join hands to initiate more environmental projects in Singapore.

Edited : 06-09-08

Thank you, dear Friends...

Thank you so much for your comments dear friends..:)
I really appreciate them..:) I'm pleased that you were able to understand the awkward situation I was in.

Now after getting an actual opportunity to relate it to the communication issues on an academic level, I realized the basis of the conflict more clearly.

I don't actually think I acted wisely to overcome my discomfort at that time; instead I let myself feel sad and alone. I totally agree with all of you that I should have spoken with my room mate. She would have listened to me and at least made things less awkward.

Actually Joyce, you were right..:) There were times when I thought I would betray my patience and speak up to her. If I did that, I would have regretted it later because the root of the problem was a communication barrier between us rather than a personal grudge. I would have made someone hate me if I had taken that option. So I am thankful to my tolerance level..:)

Once again thanks loads for taking the time to think of this..:)

Cheers..:)

Resolving an Interpersonal Conflict

I stepped out on exchange to “The Sunshine State” in USA; Florida, with the exciting hope in my mind to experience a total new university life, in a new culture with new friends. I soon realized that I had no problem in making friends there. Everyone was so approachable and they talk with such enthusiasm and friendliness that I was becoming comfortable with my new home in no time.

During the orientation I got to know most of the other exchange students who had come from almost every corner on the globe. My room mate was a girl from China and she was extremely sweet natured and introduced me to the rest of her friends. Somehow I happened to spend more and more time with these new friends and I was filled with excitement when we began to plan tours around the States. First we went to Orlando and eventually I realized that at times I was feeling a little awkward in their company. The reason was, most of the time they spoke in their mother tongue. Even though I was starting to feel left out and alone, I tried to ignore this since I was having the most wonderful adventure, in a land of fairy tales; The Disney World. It was nothing but a dream coming true for me and everything else mattered little.

There was girl in particular who was getting a little irritated when I tried to make conversations with them in English. She would ignore me and pretend not to notice me most of the time. She barely spoke to me casually except if she has to ask something formal. When I was talking to my room mate, this girl would interfere and start a conversation of her own with her. They were best of friends and every time I tried to talk with them I felt like an intruder. When ever I make a comment about something, she would laugh by saying something to the others that I don’t even understand. I tried not to notice her attitude towards me as much as possible but sometimes I had to use a lot of my patience to resist from reacting to her.

At the end of the Orlando trip I was feeling desperately lonely. It was meant to be a joyous adventure, yet it turned out to be quite frustrating. The main cause of this situation I faced was the difficulty in communication. Although this girl was fluent in English she had an accent which gave me trouble and I had to ask her to repeat things she said at times, which seemed to annoy her. On the other hand, she would have had problems in understanding my dialect of English too. She preferred to converse in her mother tongue and since I was the only person who was unable to comprehend it, she would have been irritated. This was my own experience where the language barrier turned out to be the root of a provoking conflict.

Do you think there was any chance for me to make my trip a pleasanter one?

Effective Communication Skills

The first words of a baby would probably be “amma”, “ma”, or “mammy”; he would put together the voices in his tiny head and try to address the one person who brought him to the world; his mother. From this day onwards he will be involved in a continuous learning process of various communication skills through out his life. A major part of his personality would be modeled as a result of his communicating nature with the rest of the world around him.

In my part of the world, where I come from, the initial step in learning to communicate is traditionally celebrated as a dignified ceremony. At around the age of 3, the child is being dictated his first alphabet by a respected and educated elder, on an auspicious time. This is believed to be a blessing for the child and a prerequisite for a successful education. Thus, this ceremony symbolizes the importance given to the process of learning and communication in my culture.

Furthermore, the importance of effective communication is highly evident in the context of social networking. The ability to be understood and not to be misunderstood by your friends and colleagues is as important as surviving in the work place. Ideas which are not conveyed properly or not interpreted properly could even give rise to situations concerning life and death. Effective communication is a skill that needs to be developed over time and different techniques of adaptation should be used at different places.

However, common obstacles for proper comprehension are the language and the cultural background. Being the international language, today English is studied by almost every child around the globe. It is like a bridge which crosses one person from the northern hemisphere to reach another in the southern hemisphere. However the standard of English education is not the same everywhere and it is spoken in different dialects with different accents depending on the geographical location. Therefore two people from China and America could be conversing in the common tongue but both could face the serious problem of understanding each other’s exact ideas and expressions.

Hence, learning effective communication and thereby identifying and overcoming the barriers involved in it is of great importance because we need to interact with all sorts of people from all parts of the world in our life time.