Reflections on Learning

This module has adopted a peer teaching approach on various topics involving communications. At the start of the module, I felf uncomfortable as there seems to lack direction in such a settings. However, such fear was proven to be invalid as Ms Fazilah and the other students in the class has put in a lot of effort in facilitating discussions. The roles that a facilitator plays is therefore the key to success in such this module. As such, I have learnt about the various skills invoved in being a facilitator. First of all, a facilitator has to be able to take a step back when necessary in order to allow the group to run their discussions. This is very challenging since a facilitator has to know when to take a step back and when to take a step forward in directing people. I have however observed how Ms Fazilah and the class facilitate discussions and learnt from it. Often in a group discussion, members may have differing opinions and may be eager to voice out their own views without listening to what others have to say first. This is detrimental to the generation of new and better ideas. At times, group members who are aware of such situations will take on the role as facilitators and ease the process of discussions. This often requires practices. However, I am glad that my team and I has understood the various topics of this module and put these communication skills to practice in our daily life.

In addition, I have also learnt about various skills that will enhance my employability in the future, such as writing a resume and cover letter, interviewing skills etc. The main reason for me to take on this module is to learn the various skills involved in seeking employment. I have seen news reports on how military personnel have trouble in their career transition and is indeed a case of concern for me. Not to say that I am transiting to another career, but I see these communication skills as important skills that each and every adults should possess in this society.

With that I would like to thank our class, in particular Ms Fazilah and my group for making my learning process a wonderful and enriching one. Good Day.

Reflections on Oral Presentation

Overall, the oral presention went well and my team was able to convey our message well to the panel. However, all was not smooth sailing as we worked towards the day of oral presentation.

Firstly, we were unable to secure and interview with a credible authority until a week before the presentation. The lack of preparation time reduces our confidence significantly. However, the team was able to prioritise and plan the appropriate steps so as to deliver a good presentation within a week's time. When we finally secured an interview with Singapore Sports Council CEO, Mr Lim Teck Yin, we thought everything will be fine and we can proceed to prepare for our presentation after we have got the relevant information. However, we were told to present the case to him when we thought that it was just a Q&A session. The team was not prepared both in content delivery and presentation. Yes, and we did a lousy job I have to admit. However, I firmly believe that the interview session with him was a great opportunity to evaluate on our proposal, instead of a "grilling" session. Moral of the story: See value in whatever you do.

The rehearsals for the presentation proves to be more difficult than I thought it was, especially when many of us seldom have the chance to do class presentation back in our home faculty. This difficulty was compounded by the differences in presentation style for different team members. There was no "one size fits all" presentation style. One will therefore have to know his/her own style and make discretional changes to the presentation without compromising one's style. This is crucial in developing confidence for the presentation.

Finally, I have learnt that it is essential to know our own proposal thoroughly and predict any form of objections before the presentation. This again, builds confidence, which enable one to address the objections raised in a systematic and coherent manner. This also reduces the tendency to sound defensive when there were objections raised. Knowledge is power. However, not only do we have to know our project in detail, we need to harness these knowledge when challenged. I feel that this is in fact the most difficult to achieve. In my opinion, none of us were able to harness these knowledge fully and address the objections raised in the perfect manner. However, as a group, we were able to complement each other and harness these knowledge collectively to paint a complete picture to the panel.

I have seen a number of videos with regards to good presentation skills. Out of the many, I felt that this is the best that I can relate to. Enjoy the video =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOwQUd8qkMM

My Encounter of Intercultural Behaviour

Last year, I had a hall mate from Germany whom I always hang out with. Initially, we had difficulty communicating with each other due to culture differences. There was once when he offered me some snacks where he brought from Vivocity. As I was about to go for a run, I rejected his offer. Subsequently, he told me that it is rude to reject someone for the food that they offered in his home country. My first reaction was "Oops.Sorry man". In this case, it was apparent that he understood our culture in Singapore.




Also, he will always say "How you doing man?!" everytime he see me in my room. For the first few weeks, I really could not find a more suitable answer than "I'm fine!". However, only after a certain period of time that I realised that it is his way of saying "Hi" in our context.




Through these interactions with him, I have learnt about the culture in his country. At the same time, I have managed to impart some of the cultures about Singapore to him. In this process, we too had conflicts due to culture differences. However, we have learnt to be frank to one another and compromised in a conflict if there is a need to. That had allowed both of us to communicate effectively without the fear of being judged. At the same time, we had created an environment that is conducive for learning about one another.

Very soon I will be going to Canada for an exchange programme. While the culture may differ from that of Germany, I believe that my previous encounter with my German hall mate will give me the self-efficacy to deal with similar situations in Canada.

Post 3: Cover Letter

Hi all, the link below is the requirement of the job that I am applying.


http://www.gskcareers.com.sg/jobs/jobdesc.asp?eid=3795246&did=1800&jid=2885303


Feel free to comment on my cover letter below. Thanks.

Lim Jun Han

XXXXXXXXX

XXXXX
XXXXX

lim_jun_han@nus.edu.sg

February 6, 2012

Anne Teo
Senior Human Resources Manager
GlaxoSmithKline Pte Ltd
150 Beach Road
#22-00 Gateway West
Singapore 189720

Dear Ms. Teo:

After the 1 year stint of Final Year Project (FYP) which involved topics on medicinal chemistry, I have gained an in-depth understanding of this topic and grew an interest towards chemistry for healthcare. Hence, I am writing to apply for the Science Graduate Programme. This programme will give me the privilege to align my personal and professional aspirations to that of GSK’s mission- Enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

Throughout the course of my studies, I have attended medicinal chemistry seminars in University of Ottawa and National University of Singapore, which involved scientists worldwide. By engaging in the discussions, I have gained global perspectives on issues with regards to chemistry and healthcare. Furthermore, I have acquired insights on the social implications involving newly developed drugs. These exposures enable me to appreciate the trends in the scientific community and provide me with the professional knowledge that is essential in GSK.

My work experience in Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) as a Project Officer has enabled me to develop my leadership and analytical skills. Throughout the tour there, my primary role was to conduct research and subsequently propose the development for the current capabilities within MINDEF. One of the significant projects which I had spearheaded includes the upgrading of mass notification system for mass recall of personnel during an emergency. The initial phase of the research required me to manage the vast amount of information, which challenged my ability to adapt to the dynamic environment in which we live in today. In addition, I was given the opportunity to lead a team of staff from diverse backgrounds. Though challenging, it has enabled me to hone my communication skills. The various skills that I have attained can be translated into increased self-efficacy and ability to drive projects forward in GSK.

I am eager to apply my knowledge and experiences to GSK upon graduation in August. I would love to engage in further discussion with you on relevant topics. You may call me at 92398905 or email me at lim_jun_han@nus.edu.sg should you have further enquiries. Thank you for your consideration.

Yours Sincerely

Lim Jun Han

Enclosure. (1): Resume

Blog 2: Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

2 years ago, I was transferred to this particular workplace and took on a leadership/managerial role.

One of the first few tasks that was given to me involves working with a co-worker who had 3 years working experience ahead of me, yet held an appointment lower than me. Within the 1-2 days of working experience with him, I perceived him as sloppy and unmotivated, frequently taking short cuts. In addition, he tried means and ways to persuade me to adopt such incorrect methods. Having been through the necessary training prior to the transfer, I was aware of what is the right way of doing things as opposed to the incorrect/short-cut method. Therefore, I have insisted in adopting the correct yet tedious way of completing the task despite the constant persuasion from him.

After a day of working with him, I decided to send an email to his superior (since he was from another department) and highlight the many tasks which(which is time critical) he failed to achieve. Subsequently, I have talked to him about this issue and told him that I respected him due to his wealth of experience, yet I am unwilling to turn a blind eye on his failure to accomplish the critical tasks.

However, he started to make negative comments about me in the coming months. Such act was put to a halt only after a meeting involving both of our superiors and me. Subsequently, we did not interact with each other apart from work-related purposes.

Possible solutions: I could have spoken to him and understand the difficulties that he faced before sending an email to his superior. This allows me to portray myself as an empathetic figure who is willing to hear him out, thereby increasing his motivation to work.

Questions to reader: Given the time critical nature of the task, what will you do to get an unmotivated co-worker to complete that task?

Why Effective Communications are Important for me

Effective communication means that we are able to express ourselves, both verbally and non-verbally, in ways that are appropriate to our cultures and situations. This means not only being able to express our opinions and desires, but also our needs and fears and to ask for advice and help.

Effective communications are important skills that I will have to grasp as I am holding a leadership appointment in my workplace. Effective communication helps to foster a greater sense of mutual understanding among team members and allows the leader to influence the people around to achieve organizational goals.

When team members are able to communicate effectively, it creates a synergy within the team. This is essential for a team’s efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, effective teams often undergo the 5 stages of Tuckman’s Theory. The stages are namely: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. Team leaders are often required to play the role as facilitators in these stages of team building and effective communications is particularly important in this aspect.

Another aspect of team building is the establishment of vulnerability-based trust. Referring to the above definition, effective communications, which involve the need to express our fears and needs, are often neglected. This could be a barrier in the process of team building and hence team synergy.

On the other hand, the influences of a leader are largely dependent on his ability to communicate effectively to the people so that the latter are motivated to achieve organizational goals. For example, a head of the department in a hospital will have to effectively communicate these ideas not only to the medical staff (such as doctors and nurses), but also to the technicians and cleaners in the hospital. Effective communication in this case therefore involves being able to communicate the mission of saving lives in the perspective of the support staff (which could often be different from that of the medical staff).

http://www.sherpahigherperformance.com/blog/the-five-fundamentals-of-teamwork-based-on-the-five-dysfunctions-of-a-team-by-patrick-lencioni/

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_86.htm

http://www.vtaide.com/png/ERIC/Communication-Skills.htm