Final Blog Post

Dear friends, we’ve finally come to the last and final event for ES2007S. It’s been a long and arduous journey, not without its difficulties. However, there has been so much that I’ve learnt that will bring me through in future.

One of the most important things I’ve learnt through project work is the value of unity. Unity is an essential aspect of cooperation and success. I like to imagine it as 4 people carrying a heavy object. The moment one person lifts his hand off, the weight is now evenly distributed among 3 people. On the other hand, if one person puts in more effort than the others, then some weight is lifted off the other 3 and makes it lighter for them to carry. The dynamics of unity involves finding a good balance between taking rest, bearing each other’s burdens and pulling more weight when necessary. If everyone is committed to a certain cause, then synergistic effort will get us there.

Leadership is also one area I’ve made some observations in. The fact is this: there can only be one leader. Just as the voice of one can provide strong vision, the voice of many will confuse and destroy unity. In a team where there is an abundance of leadership, perhaps, there needs to be a clear understanding of who is taking the lead in the project and to have everyone understand that pursuing the purpose of the project is far more important than elevating one’s pride. In other words, a strong team led by a confident leader is greater than the sum of its parts. If we gain this understanding, then we will be able to work together and not fall behind. Of course, the leader should be careful not to   assume that he is at liberty to make decisions on his own or dictate what is to be done. After all, honor is accorded, but true respect is earned.

In this modern word, technology is an ever present and I’ve learnt that the right use of technology can really accelerate the process of the project work. Applications like google docs, skype and oovoo all help to make virtual meetings a breeze. WikiNUS eliminates the need for hardcopy submissions, although there needs to be alot more work on it in terms of formatting and ease of use.

Apart from all these soft skills, what I find most valuable about this course is the hard skills I’ve picked up along the way. Writing a proposal, for one, is one of the most amazing feats I would never have imagined myself doing. Crafting my resume, application letter and doing blog posts and reflections, all teach me the skill of writing and pitching. The clever use of language is something I will always remember. And if there’s one thing this course taught me, its is ATTENTION TO DETAIL. Details, details, details. Not to make me an anal person, but I’ve learnt to be more sharp and tight in the output of work. These are valuable things I will never forget from this course.

And of course, how could I forget great friends. The friendships forged over the months remain precious and treasured. If you have nothing left in this world, at least you have friends. Thanks for the time of learning, laughing, crying(?), and complaining. You make this class just that much more interesting.

Thank you all! (:

Oral Presentation Reflections

On the whole, this project has taught me many things, especially about presentation skills. Oscar Wilde once said “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes”. As we learn to recognize our mistakes and take home learning points from them, I am convinced that we will be better off than not having made that mistake at all.

In this presentation, my chief disappointment was my lack of time management – not surprisingly the biggest culprit. In my rehearsal at home and with the team, I had timed myself to be around 4min30secs to about 5min on the dot. However, on presentation day itself, I overshot the time limit by almost a minute. Perhaps it was presentation day jitters, or maybe too much banter but the lesson learnt here is, never leave too short a buffer in presentation time during rehearsals. Excess time can be easily filled up constructively, but a lack of time cannot be dealt with. In addition to that, apportioning of presentation content is of utmost importance. In my case, the amount I had to cover was too much for 5min and it forced me to squeeze the content, which brings me to my next point.

Another area which could be improved would be the pace of my presentation. Due to the amount of content I had to cover, time became a limiting factor and I had to rush the delivery of the presentation, which was not idea. Perhaps the content could have been covered slightly more comprehensively had I redistribute the presentation content more appropriately.

Finally, as a group, I think we could have prepared better for the question and answer segment. As questions were being thrown out, we were uncertain of who would be answering the question. Because of this, there was either an awkward silence after the question or we were perceived to be fighting to answer the question. To avoid the awkward silence and not look unprepared, we had to ensure we ‘snap up’ the question quickly. One way to deal with this situation is to clearly assign subject matter experts (SME). The SMEs would answer questions pertaining to their area of specialization. One person can also be assigned to answer questions that straddle different specializations.

On a positive note, I felt that my presentation was clear and confident – although the butterflies were raging in my stomach, the trick is always not to show it. Pronunciation was clear and audible. I think the use of visuals like the floor plan of the LERM system more probably helped the audience to understand the solution better.

The summary slide was also useful in helping to wrap up the presentation. It was short, sharp and captured the essence of the entire presentation in three points. Overall, my answering of the questions posted was to the point and satisfied the questioner. My ending of the Q&A session was, in other’s opinion, witty although I felt it could be slightly less abrupt.

This presentation experience was like none I’ve ever had and the take home points will definitely help me do better for subsequent presentations. All the best to T-ACES! (:

I visited the United States during the summer of 2010 and enjoyed the vibrancy of the American life. Los Angeles, in particular, is a kaleidoscpe of different culture. Traveling with my Asian-American cousin opened my eyes to the vast differences between Asian and American culture.

One evening, we went to a restaurant to eat. Upon being seated, I raised my hand to get the waitress’ attention. My cousin quickly grabbed my arm and told me to stop. In Asian restaurant etiquette, waiters or waitresses will wait around while waiting to be called. In American culture, however, they actively wait on tables and it is rude to call them to your table.
And other culture is tipping. In Singapore, a mandatory service charge is included in the bill and tipping is optional. Not tipping in the US will invite angry stares and snide remarks.

Through this dining experience alone, i have learnt the vast differences in culture of our 2 countries.

Application Letter

Hey classmates! Here’s my application letter. The position I’m applying for is Senior Officer (A_STAR Joint Council).

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February 6, 2012

Mr Timothy Sebastian

Group Direction

A*STAR Human Resource

1 Fusionopolis Way

#20-10 Connexis

Singapore 138632

Dear Mr. Sebastian,

A-STAR prides herself as a world class research organization at the forefront of cutting edge research and development. As she ventures further into pharmaceutical research, I strongly believe that my in-depth knowledge of medicinal chemistry research processes, coupled with my experience in policy formulation and multi-agency coordination, makes me a strong candidate for the position of Senior Officer (A*STAR Joint Council).

A*STAR Joint Council involves the integration of capabilities from Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) and the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) to leverage on frontier technology at the inter-council interface. The management and communication skills I have acquire through my time serving as Training and Facilities Officer in the Singapore Armed Forces will enable me to add value to the organization. Through my time in the army, I have gained experience in project management and inter-agency collaboration on a $12 million Armour Simulation Framework.

I also bring to the table a wealth of research experience and a critical understanding of the scientific community, having been involved in undergraduate research opportunities. In addition to my academic qualifications, I am also interested in travel. This will give me the edge as Joint Council is involved in international relations and partnerships. Combining my acute knowledge of the workings of the scientific community, as well as my strong leadership, management and communication abilities, I am certain I can contribute to the success of A*STAR Joint Council.

Attached is a resume outlining my qualifications and achievements. I look forward to meeting you in order to further discuss the position and my qualifications. I may be reached at +65 9123 4567. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours Sincerely,

Leon Tan

Interpersonal Conflict

John and Peter have been assigned to the same project group and were told to work on a presentation together. John, being the project leader, instructs Peter to submit a first draft of the project video by the following week. Peter raises a concern that the one week deadline is too tight for him as he has two tests that same week and that he would not be able to do a good job of the video. John, however, insists that Peter sticks to the deadline. Peter is infuriated and storms off. John, offended by Peter’s actions, posts a nasty message on Peter’s social networking page. Peter feels that John is being inflexible and did not show concern for his team mates. Peter expects John, as the team leader, to understand his predicament and show some compassion. John, on the other hand, expects more commitment from Peter and feels that he is not prepared to make sacrifices for the team. Both parties reach a stalemate as neither of them wants to talk to the other and the conflict remains unresolved.

Conflicts occur between people because both parties believe they are right. Very often, emotions are involved in a conflict as people defend their rights and opinion. When emotions are involved, the situation often intensifies very quickly. In an argument, the priority is to deescalate and allow both parties to cool off before a proper discussion can be held. An appropriate settlement can be reached when both parties examine the situation logically. This settlement often involves a compromise from both parties.

In this situation involving John and Peter, what are the emotions involved and the corresponding actions related to those emotions?

Communication Without the Use of Words

BMW has cleverly used a picture to depict its superiority over a rival brand, all without the use of words. Communication, in many instances, is like this. Sometimes words accompanying pictures produce the maximum effect. Yet other times, just words or pictures alone bring out the message in the clearest way possible. What’s important is to identify the most appropriate channel for each situation, just as BMW has done to such a good effect.

Week 2 – Why are effective communication skills important to you?

History tells us of a time when men wanted to build a tower that reached to the heavens. Seeing their arrogance, God decided to confuse their language. From that point forth, the construction of the Tower of Babel ceased. The spoken and written word has, for centuries, been the cornerstone of human civilization. As the story illustrates, virtually no human endeavor has ever been possible without the use of language in communication. Evidence for this is the projected rise in demand for language translators by as much as 22% from 2008-2013, mirroring the increasing interconnectedness of the world we live in.

As much as language greatly affects communication, there exists other factors that inadvertently influence the effectiveness of communication. Non-verbal cues such as tone, pitch, body language, hand gestures, active listening and even silence all aid in fine tuning the process of communication. If what I believe is true, then it is no wonder that some of the most hurtful lies are told through silence; and the most meaningful of friendships are forged through attention and presence, rather than advice and incessant talking.

The ability to master a good combination of language and non-verbal communication is key to convey messages precisely and efficiently. This requires the application of technical as well as soft skills involved in crafting a transmittance and leads me to believe that it is as much a science as it is an art. A world without such skills would be chaotic due to the misinterpretation of countless messages. The case of the imperial-metric mix-up that led to the loss of the Challenger space shuttle reinforces the importance of effective communications. It is perhaps due to incidences such as this over the ages that fuel our drive toward more effective communication.