ES2007S Professional Communication

I’m sad to declare that the module is coming to an end.

Truthfully, I’ve to always mentally prepare myself  when I go for class because I’ll be thinking, “What scary and nerve-wrecking) thing will Ms Lim be asking us to do today?”…”Am I going to have to go in front of the class to speak again today?”… I think this thoughts started since we had our first lesson. I vividly remember the feelings I had during the activity- something about if there was some pandemic on an island and we had to quickly leave it, and there was something like only one means to take us out, then who’s the most deserving to go? Okay…as you can see, my memory’s not entirely good! But anyway, that was to me, a really uncomfortable lesson =S During my whole life in NUS, I rarely had to go up in front of the class to present. The most I had to present was to a few examiners but then again, there was usually less than 5. Speaking in front of the class, to me, was something very secondary school and JC. Not that we should be good enough by now, or that it’s a childish thing, but simply because in NUS, in Engine  at least, lessons are usually conducted lecture-tutorial style. And so, I have not done such type of “public speaking” in what seemed like eons. Back to the first day of Prof Comm class… I wasn’t prepared to do so much “public speaking” and so when we were asked to make our first “speech”, I literally went “gosh” in my head. And as expected, I didn’t perform that well. I think another deterring factor was that I essentially did not know anyone in the class, so it was even more nerve-wrecking.

Wells, looking back at that experience, I think our class has definitely come a long way! I see many of us improving tremendously given how much opportunities we had to practise our “public speaking”. For me, I definitely had a very enriching experience. I cannot remember if I mentioned previously, but this module is definitely one of the most useful modules I’ve taken throughout my NUS education, even better than some of my Engine modules! =p

I personally can’t pick the component that I benefited most from because I think everything we’ve learnt, from the beginning of the module to the end, was beneficial in many ways and definitely applicable to life in general.

And of course, we have Ms Lim to thank for making this module such an enjoyable one! She was surely inspiring and never failed to entertain us and make each lesson interesting. So thank you, Ms Lim!

It’s such a great relief to know that I’ve finally gotten over the oral presentation! Having two presentations (the other for an interview…I can imagine some of you already thinking “Interview?! Presentation?! But yes..unfortunately…not?) in one day is definitely some thing I didn’t and will not look forward to anytime soon!But yes, I’m so glad today’s over.

I must say that today’s presentation went better than expected! This is especially so given the very little time we had on our busy schedules to prepare for it. And what could go wrong did go wrong- the wireless mouse that we intended to use had a weak battery so it didn’t work beyond a certain radius from the USB port. Therefore, we could not coordinate the slides as well as we would have wanted it to be. We also forgot to print out a copy of the slides so that the person who was controlling the powerpoint knew what to expect with each click. So lesson learnt: Never, ever, rely on technology! Always prepare a backup (that does not involve technology, of course (: )I guess that was the greatest difficulty we had- technical wise.

Personally, I was surprised at how I felt much calmer than I had expected to be the moment the presentation started. My legs did not start shaking uncontrollably like how it does sometimes even though my mind can be perfectly calm. However, that being said, I am sure there were still areas for improvement. Though I tried to make a conscious effort to speak slower, I’m not sure how much of it translated out that way. I guess people in the audience will be better judges of that (:

I guess another thing I always struggled with and struggled with again is learning to put thoughts together quickly in my mind so that it’ll be translated into coherent speech. As much as I can prepare a speech, write points down on a cue card and rehearse it, I still face the difficulty of forming coherent sentences with those points on the presentation slides and cue cards. And hence the “erm..yes..”, “errr”,  “yups”, etc. I hope this is something that can come with practice. And this is the one reason why, as sadistic as it may sound, I look forward to more opportunities to give presentations and talk in front of an audience. I guess the hard way is often also the best way to learn (:

While on a short vacation in Brussels with a group of friends from Singapore, we chanced upon a street with several restaurants or cafes selling seafood. Remembering that that place is quite famous for its mussels, we decided to find the restaurant with the best deal to try the delicacy.

As we walked down the street, we were constantly interrupted by waiters from different restaurants. With bright smiling faces, they shoved menus into our hands and guaranteed us the best offer in town. We eventually decided on one and happily went in to find a seat. Being on a budget trip and just wanting to sample the food, we intended to order one set meal for every two people. However, when we read our orders to the waiter, he sternly said, “That’s all?! How about you…you..you?” When we told him we were going to share, he loudly exclaimed, “NO NO no…no such thing!..” and he subsequently chased us out of the restaurant, creating quite a din since we were quite a large group.

After what seemed like an attempt to humiliate us, we proceeded to find another restaurant and made sure to specify that we were going to share food. We did find one eventually and enjoyed our time still.

The reason I said “what seemed like an attempt to humiliate us” is because my group of friends and I found the situation rather amusing instead. Of course, we couldn’t help but feel indignant initially but it quickly wore off.

I think one major source of conflict was the language barrier. While the waiter could speak English, his understanding was minimal so it was difficult for us to communicate with him from the beginning. The waiter probably became irritated when we had to ask several questions about the menu because it was in French. Another source was probably the wrong assumption we had that Cafes in Paris and Brussels operated in a similar manner (wouldn’t mind us sharing food). Perhaps what we thought looked like a cafe was in fact a more formal restaurant (where it would be poor etiquette to share food). Or was it the restaurant’s attempt to get more money out of us?

Wells, at least now we know what to do should we enter another restaurant in Brussels 🙂

Job advertisement!

LOCAL ON-THE-JOB TRAINING (LOT) PROGRAMME IN

Aerospace Industry

The Local On-the-Job Training (LOT) Programme, is one of the programmes under Preparing for the Upturn (PREP-UP), an initiative by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) during the downturn to help build up science, engineering and technical capabilities in areas critical for Singapore’s manufacturing and international services sectors.

The EDB, in conjunction with Singapore Aero Engine Services Pte Ltd (SAESL), is offering training places for aspiring professionals in the aerospace MRO industry. SAESL is the Trent Centre of Excellence dedicated to the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the successful family of Rolls-Royce Trent aero engines.

We are looking for dynamic individuals, who want a challenging career in the Aerospace industry in the following positions:

Continuous Improvement Engineer

Ø Lead and assist in continuous improvement projects to drive cost savings, productivity and quality improvements

Ø Facilitate improvement teams in the journey to process excellence

Ø Conduct training in continuous improvement methodologies

·       Degree in any Engineering discipline

·       Good written and oral communication

·       Strong interpersonal and analytical skills

__________________________________________

Job application letter

1 Sunshine Ave

Singapore 976432

5^nd February 2010

Mr Sia Kheng Yok

Singapore Economic Development Board

250 North Bridge Road

#28-00 Raffles City Tower

Singapore 179101

Dear Mr Sia,

Application for Local On-the-job Training (LOT) Programme as Continuous Improvement Engineer at Singapore Aero Engine Services Ltd

I would like to apply for the position as a Continuous Improvement Engineer at Singapore Aero Engine Services Ltd as posted on the EDB website on the 5^th February 2010.

I specialized in Electrical Engineering in the National University of Singapore (NUS) and will be graduating in June 2010. I am confident that with my outstanding results, accompanied by the LOT programme, I will be able to make significant contributions to the Aerospace industry in Singapore.

I have taken relevant courses in university which will equip me for the offered position. One of them is Critical Thinking and Writing. This course has trained me to analyze and speak clearly, as well as to write professionally in academic and professional settings. I was given the opportunity to write a position paper and participate in an oral defence. Throughout my Engineering education, I had to investigate and solve problems and devise methods to improve current situations.  This has helped me to excel in my ability to analyze.

I am currently taking a course in Professional Communication. Under this course, I am exploring how I can be a more effective communicator especially in workplace settings. I am also learning how to write proposals and give oral presentations as a group. Therefore, I believe I am well-equipped with strong written, interpersonal and communication skills.

I was the Drum Major in my Secondary school’s Symphonic Band and am currently holding leadership positions such as a worship leader and committee member in the youth group in my church. This shows that I am a leader that embraces new challenges. Being in the band and subsequently the orchestra in NUS, I am well-acquainted with the need to work together as a group. These make me both a leader and a strong team player.

Singapore Aero Engine Services Ltd started as a joint venture between world-renowned companies such as SIA Engineering and Rolls-Royce. It has proven itself to be reliable and efficient among many airworthiness authorities around the world. It also consistently excels and pursues further improvements in the quality of services provided such as maintenance, repair and overhaul support. This presents excellent opportunities for its staff and future employees to grow and explore with technology in the aerospace industry. Therefore, I would sincerely like to be part of this programme.

I will be contacting your office next week. In the meantime, I may be contacted at the following e-mail address: tay_jialin@hotmail.com or mobile phone number: 96565057. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Ms Tay Jia Lin

I do not like to quarrel (who likes to? Maybe there are people who do…?), fight my way to get what I want or basically be at loggerheads with anyone. In fact, conflict makes me extremely uncomfortable and if I could, I would do whatever I can to appease the other person. For a long time, I’ve not engaged in a conflict that went unsolved for more than a week or month. Unfortunately, there’s one argument that I’ll never be able to solve.

While on an Exchange Program to The Netherlands last year, I stayed with a Dutch girl and 2 others in an apartment. She smoked and often make the whole apartment rigged of cigarette smoke, turned the volume of her music on to the maximum and cooks rather often but cleans up ONCE every 1 or 2 months. And I suspect that she has SPLIT PERSONALITY! She could be smiling and laughing one moment but shouting, screaming, crying on the phone and throwing things (sometimes GLASS!) the next moment. Since we were on good terms, we would talk about her issues sometimes. These, however, were the LEAST of my worries.

Three months later, she brought home a stray cat worrying that it would get starve to death if it was left alone on the streets. She asked for permission from the rest of us to keep the cat (since this too was against the rules). I was never a fan of cats but to appease her, I agreed to let her keep it. However, trouble started brewing…

I was discussing a project with a friend in my room one day and left both my bedroom door and my window opened for ventilation. Before I could realize, the cat entered my room (not allowed to), jumped onto my bed and out of my window! Wells, it didn’t die but it ran out and had fun for a day with another cat (according to my housemate). As it was my first time and an innocent mistake, she didn’t say much. After all, the cat did return the next night

On another occasion, I received a parcel from a postman on behalf of my Dutch housemate. After signing for it, I carried it in my hand, closed the door using my back and went to her room to pass it to her. The next moment was one of the most tense moments I experienced in my life! She barged into my room and glared at me and said “YOU left the door opened AGAIN!”. I thought that it was extremely rude of her given that a stranger shouldn’t enter another person’s room without knocking. I was surprised because I wasn’t aware that I left the door opened so I just pardoned her rudeness and went on with my things. Suddenly I heard extremely loud and urgent bang-ings on my door. When I opened the door, it was her again. Her face was distraught- covered with tears, yet her eyes were full of RAGE. She started shouting and swearing at me- asking me to “go to hell” several times- for what seemed like ages while I stood stunned. Apparently the wind blew open the door because I didn’t lock it and the cat ran out. However, I still felt that this wasn’t entirely me to blame. She often shouted at the cat, chased it out of her room and left it hungry when she’s out. In addition, she failed to keep the cat in her room (though she’s supposed to) and often leaves the main door opened too (she never locks the front door to the apartment). To avoid making things worse, I just apologized and shut and locked the door to my room. From that day, she was extremely cold to me and though I tried to make things right with her, she wasn’t ready and was in fact very cold.

It was quite a traumatic experience for me and though I did very much like to resolve it before leaving, it was impossible for me. How would you react to her if you were in my position that day- being swore at and accused? What would you do to resolve the conflict? Or would you even attempt to?

Having good communication skills is imperative in many aspects of one’s life, ranging from one’s home, to school, to talking to friends, to the workplace. It is essentially a survival skill. If tactless people are often shunted from and people who can’t speak coherently are given little attention, who’s to deny that one is often inevitably judged based on one’s communication skills. Unfortunately, even in learning environments like schools, some teachers show biasness against students who cannot express themselves well, do not speak out (due to a quiet or shy personality), who stammer, etc.

Among family members and even friends, people whom we are supposed to be most comfortable with, poor communication skills may cause a complete breakdown in communication. This can be seen in the many family spats that we have experienced, read about or heard about. My family is definitely not excluded.

Needless to say, effective communication skills at the workplace is essential. It is not rare to hear of people talking about “politics” in their workplace. Tact has to be employed as one speaks not only to his superior but to his own colleagues. Unlike family members or friends who are generally more forgiving, this is often less so in the workplace. In addition, effective communication skills are needed for writing resumes, giving presentations, writing reports, and many other tasks.

While effective communication skills coupled with confidence may come naturally for some, I guess for many of us, it has to be trained, practiced and corrected. And that’s why ES2007S IS useful 🙂