Full disclosure: This is one of the most taxing modules I have ever taken in NUS, in terms of the workload. However, it is not without reasons. Every exercise that we did in class or otherwise seems to be carefully crafted to teach me something. I can see that much effort was put into planning this module and the syllabus, which I am very grateful for.
If you are familiar with ES2007S, you would already know that ES2007S teaches many skills – blogging, cover letter/resume writing, oral presentation, report writing, etc.
However, if I really sit down to think about it, my key takeaways from this module are not the graded assignments but the different values I learnt throughout the module.
The value of feedback
I learnt the value of feedback. I am not sure if it is an engineering thing, but the only feedback I got in my four years in NUS is usually by the way of grades. So, it is a brand new experience getting so much feedback for everything I do in the course – cover letter, proposal, oral presentation, and peer teaching. This is something I am not used to but I have learnt to appreciate the value of receiving feedback and also giving it to others. This will be an important skill, no matter where I am in life.
The value of acting listening
I learnt what is active listening. I was already aware of the term, but what really helped me was the exercise conducted in class – to listen, without (1) thinking about other things, (2) thinking about what the speaker is going to say next, or (3) thinking about how I am going to refute the speaker. I used to pride myself on being a good listener but I did not realise that I was doing all those 3 things, until I had to make a conscious effort not to. So much for being a good listener... This is still something that I have to consciously remind myself to do, but I hope to keep at it. Besides, being able to understand where the other party is coming from by active listening is always advantageous. :-)
The value of telling stories
I have always wondered how influential leaders/speakers manage to inspire the people they are speaking to and how they connect to them emotionally. It was not until I read an article in the skill building exercise that I fully understand the effectiveness of telling stories and the kind of impact it can have on people. I also learnt that there are many types of stories I can tell, depending on the situation. It was quite an eye-opener for me. I admit, I have yet to master the skill of telling stories (at least verbally), but this is a skill that I really hope to develop in the future.
Finally, the value of the “you” attitude
The "you" attitude can/should be applied to everything that we do. The big question now is, how can I adopt this for my FYP (final year project)? ;-)
In conclusion, I learnt many things from ES2007S, but if I had to pick only four to take home with me, the four mentioned above will definitely make the list. (Those and the lovely people in class I hope to keep in contact with.)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Reflections (not Christina Aguilera style)
I changed my template because I had trouble loading the pink one. :)
Yesterday (8th November 2010) was a day of presentations for me. I had three presentations in total, with two of them back to back.
So, in total, I had:
Preparation:
I felt that I did it well. I knew my material inside and out. I designed my slides to aid me in recalling the necessary contents of my presentation. However, I felt that what I lacked was not the content preparation but the mental preparation, which leads me to my next point...
Delivery:
I felt that I did the best I could at that moment in time. However, there were a few things that I am unsatisfied with, that are definite areas to improve on. Firstly, (and it might sound silly) I was a bit thrown off by the view of the class. In the Project Management presentation prior to this, I presented in a bigger tutorial room. The lights in that room was also dimmer and just the general feel of it was different. So, when I was suddenly standing in front of a completely different looking classroom, with a completely different vibe, I have to admit it made me a bit flustered. Because of that, I may have rushed through my material a bit. My apologies for that.
This actually reminded me of what Brad told us earlier (if I recalled correctly): that it is much harder to "perform" in front of a smaller, more intimate group than a bigger group of people. Therefore, this is definitely something that I need to prepare myself mentally in the future. The lack of adequate sleep also factored into the performance of my presentation. If I had enough rest, I would have been able to think on my feet better and make the presentation more natural and fluid. Four hours of sleep before a day of presentations is NOT the way to go.
In terms of eye contact, I think I did maintain eye contact with a few people. And hopefully it is enough to create an impression. As for non-verbals, I would have to depend on all of you to give me feedback or watch the recording.
Visual aids/slides:
I tried my best to make them easy to read and easy to understand. I figured that simple and informative was the key to go, as that is what I look for personally in PowerPoint slides. As a whole, I felt that my group's PowerPoint slides are aesthetically pleasing and served its purpose well.
My takeaway from this experience is to not let myself be flustered by my surroundings. It is much easier said than done, but hopefully I would be able to do it with enough mental preparation and practice.
My group (7 Eleven) is sincere in our proposal in establishing a 24 hour study area in school, and hopefully we have all of you convinced with our presentation. :)
EDITED to add this picture of us working hard.
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Special shout-outs to my teammates:
Yong Chean - for your focus and spirit of excellence
Weiping - for always making me laugh with your easy-going nature
Stanley - for putting up with me in every assignment & being so good-natured
Yesterday (8th November 2010) was a day of presentations for me. I had three presentations in total, with two of them back to back.
So, in total, I had:
- 9.00 - 11.00 am: Project Management presentation
- 12:00 - 1.00 pm: ES2007S presentation
- 6.00 - 7.00 pm: Human Factors Engineering presentation
Preparation:
I felt that I did it well. I knew my material inside and out. I designed my slides to aid me in recalling the necessary contents of my presentation. However, I felt that what I lacked was not the content preparation but the mental preparation, which leads me to my next point...
Delivery:
I felt that I did the best I could at that moment in time. However, there were a few things that I am unsatisfied with, that are definite areas to improve on. Firstly, (and it might sound silly) I was a bit thrown off by the view of the class. In the Project Management presentation prior to this, I presented in a bigger tutorial room. The lights in that room was also dimmer and just the general feel of it was different. So, when I was suddenly standing in front of a completely different looking classroom, with a completely different vibe, I have to admit it made me a bit flustered. Because of that, I may have rushed through my material a bit. My apologies for that.
This actually reminded me of what Brad told us earlier (if I recalled correctly): that it is much harder to "perform" in front of a smaller, more intimate group than a bigger group of people. Therefore, this is definitely something that I need to prepare myself mentally in the future. The lack of adequate sleep also factored into the performance of my presentation. If I had enough rest, I would have been able to think on my feet better and make the presentation more natural and fluid. Four hours of sleep before a day of presentations is NOT the way to go.
In terms of eye contact, I think I did maintain eye contact with a few people. And hopefully it is enough to create an impression. As for non-verbals, I would have to depend on all of you to give me feedback or watch the recording.
Visual aids/slides:
I tried my best to make them easy to read and easy to understand. I figured that simple and informative was the key to go, as that is what I look for personally in PowerPoint slides. As a whole, I felt that my group's PowerPoint slides are aesthetically pleasing and served its purpose well.
My takeaway from this experience is to not let myself be flustered by my surroundings. It is much easier said than done, but hopefully I would be able to do it with enough mental preparation and practice.
My group (7 Eleven) is sincere in our proposal in establishing a 24 hour study area in school, and hopefully we have all of you convinced with our presentation. :)
EDITED to add this picture of us working hard.
Yong Chean - for your focus and spirit of excellence
Weiping - for always making me laugh with your easy-going nature
Stanley - for putting up with me in every assignment & being so good-natured
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