Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Hello, Goodbye (The value of...)

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.)

10 comments:

  1. This is a very good post, May, clear and concise in presentation and fairly complete in the way you discuss the key values you have learned. You certainly have boiled down your learning to noteworthy areas, but if you had more space and time it would be interesting for me to see "why" these areas strike you as being so vital.

    I thank you for all the efforts this term, and wish you the best for your future!

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  2. Hi may!!!

    Wow... four big take-away points. Very nice. Easy to read and very easy to see what you have learnt. Yes I do agree that this module has taught us a lot more than just mere academia but has been an excellent source for other skills as well.

    I think the thing about feedback at engine is that there is really not much to feedback on (verbally at least). Most of our work is on paper and the few presentations we have, all they’re looking for is the ‘technology’ or engineering part of it. Do they take into account speak volume? Pace? Eye contact? Is reading from a script acceptable in an engineering presentation? All this will affect how they receive the presentation and digest the information but they also think reading from a script is good!!! I just finished a project presentation and all of my group mates were holding/using scripts! Some even read wholesale from it, and the Professors liked it!! (Brad however would have thought otherwise)I think we learn different skills from different faculties/departments so getting verbal feedback was a good change. Engineers are, I feel in general, more straight-to-the-facts-how-it-works-not-interested-in-packaging type.

    Usually we just keep talking and forget to listen right? I think what you have written can be all boiled down to expectations. With preconceived expectations we tend to be more judgmental and critical. With a reasonable amount of unbiasedness we would be more open minded to what others might have to say.

    In all, it was wonderful to have been able to work with you in the peer teaching session; the late night meeting at McDonald’s. (I realize you like to meet at Mc’s yah.) See you around in school yah. :) What’s your FYP about?

    All the Best! Cheers…

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  3. hello, goodbye is also a title of a nice song.. :) ahaha.. i noticed you like to use song titles for your post headings.. haha.. :) nice..

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  4. Hi Brad,

    These areas strike me as vital because these areas are where I think I am lacking or areas where I have yet to put much thought into until I took this module. I've always heard that getting and giving feedback is good and active listening is good, but I haven't had the chance to really do it in practice before. So, after going through it PRACTICALLY, then I really start to see the real value in them. Like, how useful they can be in real life situations.

    Another reason why I gravitated towards these areas is also because I feel that these will be applicable at any time and any where in my life. For example, cover letter and resume writing is very important is job search but unlikely to use it elsewhere but the values above, I feel that I can use it anywhere, anytime and on anyone.

    I hope that answers your question. Thanks for giving us really good feedback throughout the whole semester, Brad. I learnt a lot from it. :)

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  5. Hi Daniel,

    I couldn't agree more regarding engineering presentations. Most of the time, the lecturer is not even looking at you when you are presenting, right? They are looking at the slides. WHAT EYE CONTACT? So, it is very different from the presentations done in ES2007S. The lecturers in Engin likes slides that are not too wordy, yet have enough information for them to focus on. They are more concerned about the content than the presentation skills.

    Heh, you really want to know what my FYP is about? It is about citations in Journals. Basically I am studying who and how journal authors cite their references. See if there's a pattern there. LOL. I am still not sure how I can make that kind of project persuasive.

    Yay, somebody noticed! Yeah, I started naming my posts with songs, but I should have done it from the start.

    Keep in contact, yeah? You are a very entertaining fellow. ;-D I'm serious.

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  6. wow... wow oh wow.. haha.. ehh... let's just say i'm glad i'm not doing my fyp anytime soon.. haha!! well of course i noticed!! haha! well thanks. I'll take that as a complement yah... well you have my email and hp number yah.. the best way to keep in touch with me. heh =D

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  7. Hi dear May~
    I like the background of your blog~~~you changed it to books rather than the pink one.
    "the only feedback I got in my four years in NUS is usually by the way of grades." I could not agree more!!!Sometimes even though we would like to improve before the grade has been done, we do not know what to do....
    I think you are a very patient listener~~~~much more patient than me....hehe, when you quietly smile, I just cannot stop talking...hehe
    I do feel exactly the same like your feeling, I think this module is very essential especially for engineering student....better than EG1413, another CELC module, but this one is more interactive.
    Good luck for your FYP. don be nervous, you could be the best~~~~
    Haha, don know when we could meet again, but let's keep in touch~~pretty May:)

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  8. Hey May,

    I agree on the presentation part. For my class, there's one time when on of the group trying to sell their research proposal, it failed rather badly =( The style of presentation really depends on the audience and the purpose of the ppt itself.

    Just some tips: Try to say (emphasise on) something that your prof does not know in your presentation. Then, he will think that it's good. They are all academically inclined and will be attracted to NEW knowledge..so...can try that for FYP! That's what one of my prof told me =D

    YC

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  9. Hey May,

    hello hello!! Your post is very clear, concise, concrete and I enjoyed reading it :). I hope you still manage to read this! Hee, love your smile May. Keep smiling! You look like really really patient person to me...yup, don't ask me why. It's the vibes. And yet, you took away something about listening actively, which goes to show that we can never learn enough!

    See you around soon! All the best with your FYP preparation. Keep smiling!! :)

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  10. Yong Chean: Ooh, that is a very good tip. I will try to see if I can come up with something they don't know. Haha. Thanks.

    Steph: Aw, thanks! :) I guess it's good that I exude patience. If only you guys can see what's in my head. Hee. I feel the same way about you, actually. You have a very welcoming vibe. *smiles for Stephie*

    Yitong: Hey hey! :) I agree that this module is more useful, even though I enjoyed EG1413 to some degree as well. I liked learning about fallacies, etc. I notice that I really enjoy CELC modules in general.

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