The Finale.....

At the end of every past few semesters, I used to feel elated and excited thinking about how I will be enjoying my holidays. However, for this semester which will be my last in NUS, all I feel is a sense of nostalgia and how I am going to miss being a student and its privileges. During this last semester, I particularly feel that I have learned and gained a lot from my non-core modules and I believe most of it came from ES2007S: Professional Communication.

It seemed so long ago when I first wrote a blog post for this module. In my first blog post, I mentioned that communication skills will be important in aiding me when I step into the working world. How true this is and therefore, I am so glad that this course has provided me with many opportunities to not only improve on my communication skills but also develop even more valuable communication skills. I think I have indeed accomplished that. There were also many hands-on tutorials and assignments where I had the valuable experience of going through a job interview, learning how to write an application letter and resume and improving on it through feedback from my peers. The constant blog posts that had to be done also ensured that I have the chance to practice encompassing the 7Cs in my writing.

I will always carry with me the valuable and enriching memories that I gained through my group project. I had the chance to write business correspondences and complete a research study that was started from scratch. It was definitely time-consuming and many hours were spent on it but looking back now, it was all worth it. I had so much fun doing this project with Hui Xia and Grace that I am sure our friendships will last even after we graduate from this class. From Hui Xia, I definitely learned to be more aware of my grammar and how to ‘print screen’! Haha I think Hui Xia knows what I mean. I also learned from Grace how to increase eye contact with the audience and how to add pauses in my speech to make a presentation more effective

I believe one important factor that determines how much you enjoy a module is the teacher. This is why I am really thankful to have been able to join Brad’s class as I was actually from another tutorial class. He has shared so many of his enriching experiences with us in class and always makes an effort to link them back to the topic of discussion. This really made lessons more dynamic and fun and sometimes the descriptions are so vivid that I can even visualize it. No doubt, I can always read about communication skills from the course book but what I will learn can only be that much. I think his unconventional way of teaching is really what helped me improve my communication skills in such a short time frame.

Also, Brad actually makes it a point to ask each of us for our opinions and this makes everyone involved in discussions. This has really helped build up my confidence as he is always very supportive of my comments even if I’m not sure whether it sounds silly.

In addition, another important reason as to why I enjoyed this course so much is the class. Everyone is so different and they have their own individual experiences and thoughts which are very valuable. By sharing what they have through blogging and class discussions, I am in fact learning from each of them. For example, I learned more about how different or similar the culture is in China and Sri Lanka as compared to Singapore.

It will soon be time to say goodbye to everybody and thus I would like to thank Brad, Hui Xia, Grace, Roy, Priya, Nadiah, Pooi San, Jing Yang, Jaenette, Vicky, Sze Hui, Jane, Michelle , Qi ying and Keldren for making ES2007S such an enjoyable experience. :)

My Oral Presentation

My Oral Presentation

I felt that I knew my content thoroughly and thus could convey my points smoothly without having to read from the slides. I think my sentences were generally well formed with appropriate vocabulary and grammar. I had correct pronunciation and projected my voice well so that I could be clearly heard. Thus, overall, I think my points were conveyed effectively.

Eye contact is a very important component in a presentation. Therefore, I tried to maintain eye contact with my audience during my presentation. I made an effort not to focus only on one person but to make eye contact with as many as possible. My confidence was built up when someone I am looking at nods his/her head or give an encouraging smile.

One area I have to improve in is my speed of talking. In my daily conversations with people, I do talk at a very fast pace. It is not that I make an effort to talk very fast but it just comes naturally. This may be acceptable when I am talking normally but during presentations, it is not very good. On the actual presentation itself, I made an effort to talk slower. Getting feedback from people whom have heard me during practices, they commented that I did slow down from my usual pace. However, from others, they commented that it was a bit fast. Therefore, I still have to improve and train myself to talk slower.

It was quite an intimidating experience to be the first group to present and I personally feel that it is harder to present to people whom I know than strangers. Thus, I was really nervous during my presentation and my facial expression was rather serious. My presentation would be better if I smiled more or showed more relaxed expressions.

I will definitely try to improve on my weaknesses so that I can give a better presentation in future. This was really an enriching experience for me where I learned a lot from Brad, my group mates and my classmates. Thank you everyone! :)

My biodata :)

I am Teo Shu Juan, born in Singapore. When I was young, I took up lessons in swimming and the electric organ. These were lessons that I used to hate going to. However, the 21 year old me today is thankful that my parents made me go for these lessons as I think those are important skills to have.

In Zhonghua Primary School, I was a prefect. It was my first time experiencing what it is like having a responsibility to set a good example. I joined the Red Cross as an extra curriculum activity where I picked up some basic first-aid skills.

I then entered into Cedar Girls Secondary School. In class, I took on different roles such as Additional Mathematics representative. I learnt management skills as I had to not only ensure that work is handed up but also that while asking my classmates to hand in work, I do not put any strain to our friendship. I joined the symphonic band where I played the clarinet. I learnt the meaning of teamwork as co-ordination between every instrument was crucial. Many close friendships were gained as everyone went through much hardship and stood by each other while training for the Singapore Youth Festival Competition.

I went into Anderson Junior College where I joined the Outdoor Activities Club. I was the Assistant Quarter Mistress where I had to account for every item and make sure logistics are effectively utilized for every project. Through this role, I gained management skills. We organized many overseas expeditions and activities such as the MOE Scholars’ Orientation Project. During our overseas expeditions where it was very straining physically, everybody was there to support each other and through that we formed a bond that up to today still exists. By organizing various projects, I gained even more experience in teamwork and co-ordination.

During the break before entering into NUS, I had many part-time jobs. One of them was Ben & Jerry’s. When I joined, the outlet at Sentosa was newly opened, thus my friend and I were given the honor of being the pioneers under a supervisor. We could decide on matters pertaining to the shop such as the decoration of the shop. I think it was a really great experience ‘setting’ up your own shop.

I am currently in NUS, majoring in Applied Mathematics. As I was rather strong in Mathematics, I decided to pursue my studies in that area. However, as I took more business modules, I realized Mathematics as a career is not what I want. Thus, when I am applying for jobs now- I will be graduating this semester- the areas I am looking at are finance, human resource and even corporate communications. Without a degree in those areas, it may be rather hard to compete with those who have but I am going to give it a try. I aim to gain some working experience and apply for a Master in Business Administration in 2 years time.

my SMS style

Mobile phones have become a common gadget such that even primary school children have one of their own. I still remember my first primary six tuition kid a few years ago. I was shell-shocked when she requested to exchange mobile numbers! Considering that I was using a pager back in my primary school days and only had a mobile phone of my own at 17, I was surprised when she told me she possessed a mobile phone.

One of the most commonly used functions of a mobile is sending short text message, also known as sending an SMS or SMS-ing. Unlike writing and emailing where proper formal English is required, there are no standard rules or styles in typing an SMS. One may use proper English whilst another may add in a lot of icons together with their message. Basically, there are no hard, fast rules in typing an SMS. I, for one have my own way of writing an SMS. For those who I have SMS-ed before, I’m not sure if you noticed but I have a few habits when SMS-ing. Here it goes:

The use of ‘haha’

Looking through my sent messages in my phone, I realize I tend to use the word haha many times. Even though the message may not be very funny, I will still put in the word. A few such messages are ‘u reach alrd? Haha okie see ya there’ and ‘ haha im in town now so….’ There is no definite rule when I will add in that word but generally when my reply is one of a positive tone I will use a lot of haha. It’s my way of expressing that I am good and happy. However, if I am corresponding with someone formally, I would definitely omit out this word.

Using abbreviations

I tend to use abbreviations when I am SMS-ing. Actually, I guess this generally applies to almost everyone who uses SMS too. To me, a text message is very informal , therefore there is no need to type out in Standard English. In fact, if I SMS-ed my friends using Standard English, they would most probably think that I am angry and ask if I am fine. A list of SMS text abbreviations can be found here http://y2u.co.uk/Knowledge_Information/Technology/RN_Mobile_SMS_Texting_Slang.htm

Encompassing a smile icon in my SMS

There are two main reasons as to why I would put a smile icon in my SMS. Generally, when I am typing a SMS to someone for the first time, I would put a :) in the message as a friendly gesture. I did not used to do this until one day, a friend I had just gotten to know messaged me and she put the icon in her message. When I read her message, I could feel her friendliness and it just made me feel very warm. From then on, I picked up the practice.

The second reason I would put the icon is when I am being cheeky in my message. Some people would put :p as a sign for cheekiness but for my group of friends, we find it very weird to do that and instead we use :)

These are just some of the more common traits found in my SMS to others. How about you? Do you have a certain way of writing a SMS?

Blog post #4: Intercultural situation

Intercultural situation:

A is a teenage boy, who lives in a private housing area where having pets was common. His family has 3 dogs and as far as he could remembered, he had not encountered any conflict with anyone pertaining to his dogs.

One day, A decided to order MacDonald’s delivery in the afternoon. The man (let’s call him B), who delivered the food, happened to be a Malay and an awkward situation soon occurred. When B stopped outside the gate, A’s three dogs immediately ran to the gate and started barking ferociously at B. B maintained a distance away from the gate, not wanting to go near it. Thus, instead of pressing the doorbell, he opted to shout out for A, hoping that he would be heard.

When A came out and saw the situation, he thought it was not necessary to leash the dogs and as he walked towards the gate, he told B, ‘It’s alright! I won’t open the gate! Just pass the food over the gate!’ However,B did not step forward and continued to stare hesitantly at the dogs. By this time, A had already reached the gate and had stretched out his hand over the gate to reach for the food. Still, B did not move forward and instead, tried to stretch the food out from his position, hoping that it would be near enough. However, the distance was still too far apart.

A was started to get irritated with B and did not understand what his problem was. Not wanting to waste any more time, he angrily leashed up the dogs and then opened the gate, snatching the food from B. As he snatched the food from B, he snapped at B ‘Wait till your company hears about this! What kind of service is this?’

Explanation & Interpretation:
Muslims generally regard dogs as impure animals and even to the extent of dogs being devil in animal form. There are many reports, each with their own stand of dogs and how dogs should be treated. One such report states that dogs’ saliva is a contaminant that voids a Muslim’s ritual purity and when a dog licks a container, the container should be washed over a certain number of times, the number differing with different versions of the report. The majority of jurists held that there is no rational basis for this command, and that dogs, like pigs, must be considered impure simply as a matter of deference to the religious text.

Though there are difference viewpoints with regards to dogs, it is a common consensus that dogs is a taboo for Muslims, including Muslims in Singapore. Linking it back to the scenario mentioned above, it is due to this belief that kept B away from the gate. It is his culture not to go near dogs and thus even though a gate serves to separate the dogs and him, he still did not want to be of close proximity to the dogs. His viewpoint of dogs must have been influenced by his family since young and thus this cultural belief is already deep-rooted in him. Wanting him to go against this belief can only lead to a undesirable situation.

On the other hand, A did not know and understand this cultural belief of B. He had never encountered such situation before and thus could not figure out why B was so hesitant in going near the gate. To A, B was rude and had a bad attitude in serving customers. Furthermore, he initially did not want to leash the dogs and having to do so to get his food infuriated him further, leading him to shout at B.

This conflicting situation could have been avoided if there was better communication between A and B. On B’s part, he should have sounded out to A that he could not be near the dogs. As for A, when he saw that B was hesitant about being near the gate, he should have tried to think whether there were any particular reasons for it or asked B in a courteous manner what the problem was. Clarifying and asking can be the key to effective communication.

# Blog post 3: Business Correspondence Critique

Hello! This was an email that was sent to students who are actively involved in the NUS Students Union.



Subject: Union Day

Hi one and all,

As part of this year's FOCC project, there will be a Union Day held in
the first week of the new academic year AY 2008/2009.

Union Day will be a project where NUS Students' Union reach out to the
student population regarding the coming elections and essentially what
the Union does. It would be a one-day (or more, subject to ideas)
event and it can a bazaar, carnival, roadshow, etc. (Entirely up to
your originality and feasible ideas!)

Interest parties, please email to focc@nussu.org.sg and interviews
will be conducted.

Be not afraid to join this FOCC community, where you will learn
valuable experience and a platform for you to leap to greater heights!

Warm regards,
xxxxxxxxxx
FOCC Chairperson 08/09
xxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assessing it with the 7 C’s framework:

1) I think that the writer has displayed courtesy in her language. She started the email by greeting the readers with ‘hi one and all’ and ended it with ‘warm regards’, which I feel is basic courtesy. Also, when requesting for something, she was polite and used ‘please email’.

2) There are language errors in her email. Firstly, instead of ‘interest parties’, I think it should be ‘interested parties’. Secondly, ‘be not afraid to …’ is inaccurate. Perhaps it could be ‘Do not be afraid to…’ or ‘Do not hesitate to join ….’ Though minor, these errors can create confusion for readers and the email is ineffective in passing the intended message.

3) Her email is very concise. After greeting the readers, she jumped straight to the point and introduced the event. She then stated her aim of her email and the actions to be taken. I feel that she did not beat around the bush, which is good as doing so may bore the readers and make them skip the email before finish reading.

4) I think her email lacks clarity. It was written ‘interest parties, pls email….’ My initial thought when I read the email was ‘did she mean interested parties to attend the event or to join the organizing committee for the event?’ It’s rather vague and perhaps she could have said ‘Interested parties who want to join the organizing committee can email …..’ A few additional words can make a difference. Also I think she should have spelled out what does FOCC stands for as not everybody may know what it represents.

5) I think her email is coherent and cohesive. The flow of her content is very smooth and she has used conjunctions such as ‘and’, ‘or’ to link up her ideas.

6) Her description of the event is correct and information such as what to do, who to email is also accurate. Thus, her content is concrete.

7)Looking at it as a whole, I think her email is fairly complete. Though there are a few errors as mentioned above, her email contains sufficient information and by reading it, I get an idea of what the event is about and the things I should do if I am interested in organizing it.

Blog post #2: Interpersonal conflict scenario:

Hi Guys! Here's a scenario depicting interpersonal conflict:


I am currently working in a corporate bank in a team of five, in line with the launch of their latest project. I am generally on good terms with all my colleagues. Though our workload is very heavy, slogging together has created a bond within us and I can say that we make quite a strong team.

However, there is a guy (A) in my team, whom I do not really like. It seems as if he is always slacking in his work, passing his workload to others on the basis that his workload is too heavy compared to the rest of us. I do not know what my other colleagues think of him but whenever he does that, they will help him out without uttering a single complaint. Though unhappy, I have always kept my views and comments about him to myself, as I do not want to strain the cordial relationship that I have with him. Besides, taking any action may result in undesirable consequences for the team.

Recently, an incident occurred that resulted in a conflict between A and me. On one of the afternoons, our team was as per normal, busy dealing with the project till we discovered that A was nowhere to be found. We did not think much of it as we assumed that our supervisor or someone else had given him other tasks to do. Furthermore, with him gone, we were even busier,having to share his workload amongst us. Thus we did not try contacting him. A few hours later, A came back and we casually asked him where he had gone to. He told us that another department head had asked him to help out. With that, I did not think much of the incident and continued doing my work. What happened later was totally unexpected. Two girls from another department, whom I happen to know, came looking for him and when they asked me where he was seated, I asked them if it was an urgent matter and to my utter surprise,they said that they were here to return him money.

Eventually I found that that he had went out with the girls for tea as the girls were given some time off for that afternoon. Upon hearing it, I was infuriated!
Instead of completing what he was tasked upon to do, he had dumped the workload on us and took the girls out for tea. Now, I must admit that I am rather hot-tempered and at times, would let my feelings control my actions. Thus, when our supervisor happened to walk past and asked how we were doing, I spoke up without thinking and said that he had went to tea with 2 others from another department. I could still remember clearly that an awkward silence occurred for several seconds and then our supervisor curtly walked away without mentioning a single word.

I proceeded on with my work but A confronted me and asked me what that was for. I then told him that if he had the guts to do it, why not admit it? We then had a fierce argument and it only stopped when the rest of our colleagues intervened. Ever since then, tension has been very high between us and it has caused our team to be very awkward whether it is doing work or having lunch or doing any common activity.

I admit that I had told the supervisor what he did in a moment of anger. Believe it or not, I do regret doing that as this had caused much undesirable consequences. I should have controlled my temper and thought through carefully how I should handle the matter. However, his actions prior to this incident has already made me disliked him, and this was really the final straw for me. How could he enjoy himself while the rest of us are doing his work on top of ours?

Perhaps on his part, he felt that I was backstabbing him. He could be thinking that working together as a team has made all of us friends and even if he had left his workload for us to do to go off for tea, I should have covered up for him instead of reporting him. His perspective could be that if the situation happened to any one of us, he would have covered up for us and helped us.

Now that the situation is so tense, how should I proceed from here? We still have a few months to go to complete this project. Should I just leave it as is or try to do something to make things better? I look forward to your comments! :)