Hello all and welcome to my humble new blog! I'm Jay and I'm a
Year 3 Chemistry Major studying in National University of Singapore (NUS) and
this is my blog for my module ES2007S - Professional Communication.
Some people have the impression that Science students are poor
souls who are holed up in their laboratories the whole time and spend little
time outside of their thick textbooks and notes. However, I was lucky to have
taken several interesting modules in NUS, such as Interpersonal Effectiveness
and Communicating with the Academy and have greatly enjoyed those modules. That’s
why I have signed up for ES2007S this semester to meet new people, as well as
learn and practice the skills of effective communication.
Personally, I believe that effective communication is an essential
“soft-skill” that one must consistently practice to connect better to other
people. Unlike subjects such as Chemistry, Mathematics or even History (which often
consists of “hard facts”), communication skills are transferrable to many situations
– be it in the workplace with one’s supervisors and colleagues or in our daily
lives with our family and friends. Great communication skills not only help us
to better deliver our messages and achieve common goals, but also help to
minimise misunderstandings and conflict, leading to better interpersonal
relationships.
This skill-set is not only important to me now, but also essential
when I begin work in the Ministry of Education in the future when I graduate. I
have to be able to communicate with my supervisors, fellow teachers, parents
and most importantly my students to be a capable teacher. I hope that this
module will be an enjoyable and meaningful way to learn the principles of Effective
Communcation together with my new classmates.
Yes, I fully agree what you said, especially on the part of having to communicate effectively to become a capable educator. I heard from one junior that attending classes will have a negative effect in learning, in the sense that the students become more confused than before. (I have this kind of feeling sometime ago) Hence a good educator must be able to communicate and deliver his/her content effectively so that minimal time is wasted and the students can appreciate what they have learned.
ReplyDeleteWow, you analyze the skill-set in a "Science student style"! I cannot agree more on your opinion that we have to be able to communicate with so many people in our future career, which is also mentioned in my blog.(Welcome to visit my blog!) I really like the term "soft skill". Just like a country should strengthen its soft power, we are also supposed to sharpen our soft skill. It may help us to stand out! -From Ge Linna
ReplyDeleteHi Jay (:
ReplyDeleteYea, communicating effectively is really applicable in all aspects of our work and inter-personal dynamics. It's great that you see the relevance of this trait in your own life, and are pursuing options (not S/U i mean, haha..) to further your exposure to it.
I think it is interesting how we learn from each other and the people around us about communication, rather than it being a one-way channel. Everyone has qualities that the other has not fully developed, and I hope to be open minded about this module to learn from you all. hope you will enjoy the module, and also benefit from the soft skills that are shared with us in class.
Yes, I agree with your view that effective communication will lead to better interpersonal relationship. No one lives alone in this world, and thus communication will then be the most crucial means to build up one's network and interpersonal relationships. Thus, it is really a necessary thing for us to learn how to handle communication under different circumstances. However, I think we need to apply different communicational skills in different situations, e.g. the choice of words, the tones, the body language and so on.
ReplyDelete