Friday, November 7, 2008

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”.



9 comments:

Gwen said...

Hello Vijani, I agree the 7Cs are useful in communicating effectively.

I agree with you, I also have a pleasant and enlightening experience under Brad.

Cheers!

Chun Siang said...

I agree with that ES2007S is not taught in a conventional manner and this makes it stands up among the others.

I appreciate as what you have mentioned in the blog, Brad does give us a memorable, interacting, enlightening learning experience from this module.

Thank you, Vijani.

Benjamin Ng said...

Hey Vijani, I really enjoyed reading this post, though the task would’ve been made much easier with some clear paragraphing. I totally agree that most of us progress through uni life without really learning new presentation or writing skills, preferring to trust in tried-and-tested methods. This module has definitely been an eye-opener in that aspect. Your active presence in class has given many of us a good opportunity to practise what we learnt about being receptive and sensitive to other cultures. I have personally benefited from your sharing and experiences. Thank you so much for being so forthcoming!

Kheng Aik said...

Yeap, I agree with your sentiments about the course and the skills gained there.

Looking at you, I was struck again at how the first time I met you was during an Engineering level 1000 English course. And now, 2 years down the road, the both of us are taking yet another English course for the sake of improving ourselves.

Who knows, maybe this won't be the last time we cross path either. I wish you the best in your life. :)

vijani said...

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for the comments...:) Its really encouraging..

I was very happy to share my personal experiences and moreover I was excited when they fitted into the issues that we analyzed and studied during the course.

As Kheng Aik said, although it was out of mere coincidence that we happened to take two CBLC modules together, one at the start of our NUS life and the other at the end..it shows that we all believe within ourselves, that there s so much more to learn in preparing ourselves to step into the world beyond NUS.

Desmond said...

hello Vijani,

Like what the rest have mentioned, thanks for a sincere reflection. Although we have just interacted a few times in class, I am really inspired by your sincerity and warmth.

Lets hope this isn't the last time for all of us to get together. Keep in touch!

Last but not least, thank you Brad for the wonderful experience.

cheers,

Desmond

Brad Blackstone said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brad Blackstone said...

Thank you, Vijani, for this final blog contribution. I'm glad that your expectations for the course have been fulfilled. It has been my great pleasure to listen to your perspectives, assist you with your work and to get to know more about you through our many discussions.

I do hope I have a chance to visit Sri Lanka in the next year or so, and it would be wonderful if I could contact you before I go. (Let's stay in touch.)

For now, all the best with your future!

vijani said...

Thank you very much...Prof...

I would love to meet you if i happen to be back at home wen you visit Sri Lanka..im sure you'd love it there...:)