Critical Reflection

Module Learning:

The effective communication module led by Professor Blackstone was a great learning experience. His class has helped me develop confidence in public speaking. The group pitches and classroom sharing sessions has helped me learn more about my strengths and weaknesses through peer feedback.

I recall vividly the day the class held a sharing session on effective presentation skills. The class had 15 minutes to read the assigned weblinks and 5 minutes to plan a presentation in our groups. My group listed the sequence on the board in point forms and decided to present our own parts. I took up the conclusion part of Monroe's Motivated Sequence and was the last speaker for that day. As our group was the last to present, I took the opportunity to observe the presentations of other groups and use the time to improve on the delivery of my pitch. 

The message I wanted to convey was kept short and concise. Using Monroe's Motivated Sequence to conclude a presentation was extremely helpful in relating the ideas in my sentences. Involving only five steps, it is useful in amplifying the impact of the delivery. Concluding a presentation with a summary can be used in any setting, particularly in spontaneous presentations. Although I could refer to the points from my phone, I learnt that getting my thoughts organized in point forms was beneficial. I also made sure to put the skills I learned to use, such as the inverted pyramid, paraphrasing, and summarizing. I made a conscious effort to engage the audience through eye contact, hand gestures, and taking longer pauses throughout my speech. I did not expect to perform above my expectations especially in a spontaneous setting. 

However, in my final presentation, I fell short of my goals. I found that despite being a naturally confident speaker, I tend to stutter when I forget the content of my presentation and found it difficult to pick up without referring to the slides. I should have taken a similar approach of keeping the contents brief. I learned that I ought to be more spontaneous in my future presentations to gain confidence and avoid sounding too scripted. Through the new knowledge and  presentation skillsets, I have learnt to apply it to my future presentations with clients for my work.

 

Project Learning:

For the research project, I was asked to choose my team members and assume the role of a leader. Naturally, I felt compelled to take the lead on the report and manage task delegation. When I first started working on the report, I was afraid of coming across as bossy to my peers.

Since we came from different backgrounds, I leverage on the opportunity to form a bond during our meetups. We connected over the first pitch and got to know each other better. While drafting the proposal, I realise that the 7Cs writing skill is critical in achieving a complete, concise and coherent report. Individually, we tend to have different writing styles as we come from different backgrounds. We also perceive the feedbacks differently, so the report's focus shifted in many directions. However, through consistent group discussions, we were able to make a more informed decision on the direction of the report.

This engagement enabled me to recognize my peers' strengths as well as their interest in different elements of the research. While Ivy came up with the pitch idea, I had the impression that the entire team worked hard to contribute to the project. To compensate for our individual shortcomings, I draw on the strengths of other members and provide support where possible. Although we began with different ideas, through patience, empathy, respect, and effective listening, it eased our communication and I found that we grew closer as the research report progressed.

All in all, I appreciate the team’s strong collaboration in the report and research project. In future group projects, I will certainly take the same approach of creating bond amongst colleagues. It is clear that by focusing on our strengths, we can compensate for each other's weaknesses. When delegating tasks, I would undoubtedly use the same strategy of setting milestones for the team and leaning on individual strengths.

 

Commented on: Isqandar and Jeremy.