We learnt three main things this week -basic theory of
communication, verbal communication skills and non-verbal communication skills.This course has already changed my understanding of communication, despite
the fact that we still have 10 more weeks to go.I found that the ability to communicate effectively is very important, not
only in the business world, but also in our daily lives.
Why is effective communication important for me?
I took the course cs1231 during my first semester in university. It
required students to form teams of four and handle difficult projects.We did not do very well, mainly because we were busy trying to
persuade other team members to accept our own ideas.Looking back, we could have avoided that if we communicated properly. We
were barely a team at that time, and could have done better with effective
communication, which improves the integrity and solidarity within a team.Hence, our working efficiency can definitely be very much improved. In the
business world, unity is strength. Effective communication skill is a tool that
everyone should acquire.
Another thing I noticed in the ES2007s class was that students were more
willing to express opinions, rather than listen.That made me think about the differences between es2007s and other
classes. Effective team leaders - Mdm Radhika in this case - have immense
influence on their teams. Effective communicating is not only about expressing
ideas clearly, but also creates healthy bonds between team members.I used to think that leadership is a characteristic that certain people
have and others do not. But after examining successful business examples, I
realised that anyone can be a qualified leader through good communication
skills.
As an engineering student, my field of study revolved mostly around
grades, and I used to discount the importance of communication as a result. But
now I realise that good communication skills are very important, much like
creativity or intelligence.
The last thing to take note is that communication skills are important for all team members - not just the
leader, for it streamlines the delivery of messages.As members of a group, we are not all giving orders. Receiving them is
equally important. A team player should learn how to listen before he speaks.
To me ,communication skill is something important but I did not acquire. I believe by finishing this course, my fellow classmates and I will have a different view about communication.
You remind of the CS1231 module and I remember that because my team members at that time were all my Chinese friends, I did have a good chance to work with others in English.Luckily,in the second semester,I got a chance to work with Dinesh and another local student on our project. it turned out to be okay until the deadline came. Because of our communication was not so effective so we really had a rush before the deadline just to correct the typos in our code, which really made me feel that how effective communication skills are important for me especially with people of different cultural backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you on that students were more willing to express opinions, rather than listen. Actually for me, I was spending a lot of time on just listening.However, when it is time to speak out our mind, I was somehow a little bit shy on that. But this reminds me that I should be more confident next time.
Sorry, the second line should be "I did not have a good chance".
Deletehey!
DeleteThank you for your comment!
Wu Zhong for group projects to succeed, there must be a consensus from the outset, among team/ group members to agree to the completion of certain tasks by certain deadlines. The job of the group leader is to monitor this progress and ensure that there if there are problems or delays along the way, these are attended to immediately. Sometimes group members may have their own issues and due to these, may not be able to complete their parts, the group leader should be aware of this so that he / she can then alert the other members to help that particular group member to finish the task. This is how the group can enusre that the project is completed on time successfully. And it's all about communication.
ReplyDeletenoted down!
Deletethank you!
Every idea that you have discussed makes me to relate to my own similar experiences and notions.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the module CS1231, even in my case, I was a part of a team in which all members were Indians and the basic idea while forming the team was that we would be communicate better in our native languages. On the contrary, we had found it so hard to accommodate all the ideas and reach a conclusion. This incident again reemphasizes the fact, which you have pointed out that communication skills are necessary for everyone and in the and not just for the leader alone.
As you have mentioned pointed out, ES2007S was is my first module in NUS where there was is so much interaction between the lecturer and students. I think that by the end of this module I will develop strong bonds with all my peers that will last long even after the completion of the module.
I appreciate your confidence on you and peers for the hope of developing the communication skills.
Thanks for the ideas. These ideas have made me to look at my past and understand the importance of communication from a different perspective altogether.
thanks denish!
DeleteHi Wuzhong, your post is very clear and concise. I can pretty much relate to what you said about not doing well in a project because your team members were trying to get others to accept their own ideas. I too have had similar experiences in my own Science projects. One way that I have learnt to deal with it is to try to get people to vote on a particular topic or idea to be utilized in the project.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree on the point you made that good leaders are made and not born. One key aspect of a good leader is good communication skills. Although not everybody may start off on the same footing, with practice we will be able to become good communicators. Perhaps through this ES2007 module we could all help each other and get the necessary practice.
Cheers,
Arvind
you are right.
Deletethat is a good suggestion though.thanks man.=D