Speaking in class

Opening your mouth and let out whatever view you have in a topic might not seem like a very challenging thing. Speaking, is it not one of the most fundamental and simplest parts of our everyday life? Honestly, no. Speaking in public, such as in a classroom, is for many people more complicated than that. I am one of those persons. Usually, I feel like others can explain what I am thinking in a clearer and therefore better way. When I speak in class, my mind goes blank and I always have to improvise what I am saying. Going for exchange studies in Singapore, I feared having to go through this in an unfamiliar cultural environment, in a language in which my vocabulary is limited. This is also the reason why I chose ES2007S, because I knew that the module would offer plenty of possibilities to practise speaking English in front of many listeners.

Also, the module has been challenging for me. But I have learnt a lot. The friendly and personal environment in the classroom has encouraged me to share my view with you guys, even though my vocabulary and grammar have been lacking at some times, and even though my view could have been explained by someone else in fluent English (or Singlish). Daring to speak has not been something we have practised directly, but in one way it has been the main thread in everything we have done this semester. Knowing how to behave at a job interview, or how to use non-verbal communication, how to deliver good and bad messages, or even how to write effectively, makes you more secure when being in a situation where you use what you have learnt in a real life situation. The more confident about your ability to communicate professionally you are, the less you fear speaking up.

I am so grateful that I got into our beautiful class. Each and every one of you has contributed to what I have learnt and how I have developed during this semester. Thank you so much for that. I wish you all the best in the future.

Reflection on OP

For the proposal assignment, my team dealed with what I regard as an interesting topic, environmental impact and sustainability Also, to be honest, I think our proposed solution was accurate and smart. I guess that what I want to say is that it was FUN presenting it. Being interested in what is being said makes it easier to get engaged, which of course affects the performance. If comparing with the peer teaching, the OP was more enjoyable, and also, I think I performed better in the latter.

So, for preparation, we worked quite individually. We were all quite busy, and simply didn’t have time to get together too much. Dropbox really is a great thing in situations like this; it makes group projects so much more convenient and easier. We somehow worked with the same outline that we used in the written proposal, and by doing so we didn’t have to put a too big effort in to preparing.

Presenting on Thursday instead of Monday was beneficial, as we could learn from the ones performing before us. One thing that we especially brought with us was to focus on the deliverance rather than the content. The proposal itself had already been graded, right, and the OP should just be about delivering it in the best possible way.

As for my own performance, I think I did well. I tried to think about talking slowly, lowering my voice to sound more convincing, keeping eye contact, and using some body expressions. I got lost at some points, and maybe glanced to the screen one time to many, but on the whole, I feel okay about it. At least I think I did better than at peer teaching!

I have had fun during the proposal and OP session. I have really enjoyed working with Team BAR, Bernard and Ram are two great guys. And they are smart and ambitious too! I think we’re all proud about the outcome of our project, and hopefully that does indicate that we did a good job.

The Indian head bobble

Picture Rajasthan, a state in north western India which to a large extend consists of desert. It’s in the middle of the day and it’s hot, very hot. My throat is as dry as the desert itself and I really need something to drink. I spot a tiny store, nothing but a hole in the wall really, and approach it. Among sweets and fruit, the store offers bottles with the word Bisleri on it. “Heaven sent” I think. “It’s water!”.

A woman sits outside the store. I turn my dry mouth into a smile, and greet her with a “namaste”, the local way of saying hello. She shakes her head, and I think for myself that refusing to say hello to me is not very polite. “Could I please have bottle of water?” I ask.

She shakes her head.

Maybe she doesn’t understand English? I try to simplify my question. “Water? Bisleri? Please?”, I say, pointing at the bottles.

The woman continues to shake her head.

I suddenly remember the word for water in Hindi, and cry out “PANI PLEASE”. I am very thirsty now and is becoming desperate. Why does she refuse to sell water to me? I can see numbers of bottles behind her.

The woman shakes her head.

Then, I realise it. She is not shaking her head. She is BOBBLING it. The peculiar way of swinging the head to from side to side, sort of in the shape of a tilted 8, that people do all over India. The multi functional way of communicating. A bobble could mean anything and nothing, and is used all the time. “Pani”, I say, and carefully try to perform a bobble.

The woman’s face cracks into a big smile and she starts to bobble her head so forcefully I’m afraid it will fall off. “WATER!!!” she yells, and a small boy appears from nowhere and hands her a bottle. We exchange the drink and some money, and I finally get to cure my thirst.

By adjusting my way of communicating to the local culture, I made the seller more eager on communicating with me. My message was clear: I was in a store that sold water, I pointed at the item I wanted to buy, and I asked for it in the local language. I guess that what was missing for my communication to be effective was some devotion and politeness.

This is what I look like when I'm not thirsty

And this is what the Indian head bobble looks like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4AM8d90Lus&feature=related

Speculative application letter for an internship at a law firm

Address

E-mail

3 September 2011

Person Person

Position

Law Firm

Address

Dear Person,

I am writing to enquire whether you offer any internship at your legal office during the summer of 2012.

I study law at Uppsala University and have finished my third year. I have spent the last two semesters as an exchange student in Singapore though, where I am attending National University of Singapore. I will be back in Sweden by the end of May, and am looking for a qualified internship within the legal area.

As you can see in my enclosed resume, I have experience from legal advising and as well as hands on legal work, such as writing contracts, from helping a smaller company to start off their business. I wish to use the experiences and skills, such as accuracy and responsibility, as I developed there, at your company. Other skills of mine that would become helpful if working for you are my capability of taking initiative as well as my determination of always completing tasks in the best possible way. My ambition has resulted in an engagement as a chairman of the student’s council as well as the gender and equality board at my faculty. Finally, by working as a customer servant and a cashier at a grocery store, I am used to work under stressful circumstances, and I have also developed an ability to work effectively and being flexible. All of these features could be applied when working for you.

As I have studied law for 3.5 years, I am looking forward to transfer my legal skills in reality. On the same time, I still have a lot to learn. An internship at your legal office would make it possible for me to combine working and learning. Law Firm is also a tempting workplace, as I can see myself working with corporate law at a company like yours in the future.

I would be able to take up a post from June until the end of August. As I currently live in Singapore, the easiest way to contact me is via e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours

Anna Englund

Domestic issues

The problem I am going to write is not real, neither is it hypothetical. Instead, I’d say it’s approaching. The bubble will burst any day now.

I stay at Graduate Residence in University Town, and share an apartment with three girls. We have our own rooms and the common areas consist of a bathroom, a living room and a kitchen. The apartment is furnished quite… minimalistic, so there’s really not a lot that we actually share. Even so, conflicts tend to appear when people interact with each other, especially when forced to living so close to each other as we do.

One of my roomies has developed a habit to leave dishes in the sink. Of course, one doesn’t always have the time to do the dishes right away, but sometimes they are left for a week, waiting for being washed. By who? By me at several times, as late as this morning actually. This afternoon new dishes had appeared, and I’m not sure for how long they will be laying around this time.

So what’s the problem? First thing, it’s unhygienic and it makes the sink getting filthy. Secondly, it makes us running out of clean kitchen equipment, so we end up with nothing to eat and drink from. Last thing, it’s disrespectful.

The cause of the problem from my point of view is simple. It’s the person who leaves the dishes. I’ve been trying to understand how this person is thinking, and have come to the solution that the person probably isn’t thinking at all. She’s probably not used to wash up, or to share a household with others. Or she might be extremely absent-minded, forgetting that it’s her dishes.

The cause of the problem from an objective perspective is differences. It takes two to tango, and it’s obvious that me and one of my roomies have different habits and opinions about how domestic work should be done.

I’ve analyzed the situation and come up with four solutions that I will present in the following.

Solution 1: Verbal communication

Isn’t that what ES2007S is all about, to teach us that communication is the key to everything? Shouldn’t I just tell my roomies to %&€?# do their dishes? Don’t you think I’ve tried that? I’ve been writing notes and I’ve nagged, but nothing seems to work. No one wants to recognize the dishes. Trying to solve the problem by communicating causes a bad atmosphere at home as my roomies feel accused and I feel like being their mom.

Solution 2: Embrace it

Who am I to decide when someone should do their dishes, shouldn’t I just be flexible and embrace our differences when it comes to domestic work? Could be a bad solution, as the situation would remain the same and the pile of dishes would just continue growing.

Solution 3: Do it myself

If they bother me so much, why don’t I just wash them up myself? This is actually not a interpersonal solution, and it would probably only make me more frustrated.

Solution 4: Install CCTV

…and catch that little bastard in the act. No I am not being very serious here.

So the problem is about respect for others. Who is to be respected in a situation like this, my flat mate or me? Is there an objective cause to the problem?

Why effective communication is important to me

No man is an island. Cooperation is one of the main requirements for the society to work properly. In order to cooperate with other individuals, we must communicate. Communicating could be anything though, even something as subtle as crossing one’s arms over the chest, as a sign of defence. Arms wrapped around oneself are also a way of getting warm, so it could simply mean “I’m feeling cold”. In order to make the society and every day life pass by in a smooth way, we must avoid sending out unclear messages. We must communicate effectively.

In your private life, effective communication is a prerequisite to make you relationships work properly. Instead of giving you a hug to give your warmth when you’re cold, your partner might think you’re angry with him or her because your sending out a message saying “I’m defending myself against you” when your crossing your arms over your chest. Unnecessary conflicts can be avoided if you in a clear and lucid way explain what’s on your mind. Also, by using the right words and the way of presenting them, it could be easier to have your will through and get where you want. Put in another way, it’s possible to manipulate people by your way of communicating.

Effective communication is also necessary in public or at work. When negotiating or in other ways interacting with people in a more formal way, your message must be clear, or a lot of money and time could be lost. Think of what a society would be like if the prime minister communicated “I need defence” (like arms crossing), when he or she really meant “I need help” (like a warming hug). All the power in the world is useless, if you don’t know how to communicate it.

Effective communication with others simply makes the island we share with them a better place.