Final Reflection on Learning

I am really glad that this module has not disappointed me a bit. At the start of this semester, one of my friends advised me not to take this module as she found it very time consuming and did not benefit her much. Despite her advice, I went on to bid for this module and I am really glad that I did because I find that this is one of the best modules I have taken in NUS thus far. One of the best elements in this module is its interactive nature, which is also something I have hoped to experience in all my modules but hardly any modules which I have taken so far is anything like this.

Besides the module itself, I wish to give Brad extra credit for doing such a good job in facilitating all the lessons. I believe the experience in this module will not be the same if we have a different tutor and this might be the reason why my friend did not enjoy this module as much as I do. I greatly appreciate the effort that Brad put in to ensure that each of us has a chance to interact with every student in the class.

Some of my best takeaways from this module are better writing and conversational skills, professional resumes and cover letters, proposal writing experience, increased level of confidence in presentations and last but not least, the bonds that I have fostered with my classmates.

One aspect of communication that has benefited me the most is written communication. Writing ,especially formal writing, has always been something I lacked confidence in. Through this course, I have several opportunities to write formally, from cover letters to proposal to regular blog posts (which entails semi-formal writing). These are not only good exposure for me but also useful ones because now, I have my own cover letter which can serve as a reference for me in my future job search. Besides, the research that I went through before writing the proposal also allowed me to gain better understanding of the history and problems on the Academic Mentorship Scheme in NUS, something which I have a personal interest to find out. 

Even though my experience in this module has exceeded my expectation, there are some areas which I feel could be improved upon. The content of this module covers a very wide range of topics and this makes the workload of this module very heavy. Even though we covered many different skills throughout the 13 weeks, many of them are just touch-and-go and we do not have sufficient time to learn and practice them in depth. My suggestion is that the content this module can be divided and be taught in 2 modules, so that one focuses on writing, conversational skills and resume writing while the other one focuses on proposal writing, presentation and interview skills. In this way, students will have more time to develop each type of skill.

Finally, I would like to thank all my classmates for diligently commenting on my blog, giving me useful suggestions to improve on various aspects of my communication and for being through this learning journey with me. All the best for your future endeavors! 

Class of Tutorial Group 4

Reflection on Oral Presentation

Before I begin on my reflection of my oral presentation, I would like to thank the class for being such wonderful audience during our presentation.

I felt that I made quite a fair bit of improvement from my mock presentation. During my mock presentation, I made a number of mistakes. My mind went blank in the middle of the presentation which that got me really anxious. In order to carry on the presentation, I referred to the notes on my hand for the two subsequent slides. It took me some time to calm myself down, regain my composure and finally recall the points that I am presenting on. However even after regaining my composure, I felt that the content in my presentation did not flow very smoothly.

I did some reflection after my mock presentation to figure the factors that could have attributed to the hiccups during my presentation. One of the key reasons was that I memorized my points separately, slide by slide. Even though I was very clear about the content of our proposal, I realized that for me, I needed myself to create some kind of flow from one slide to the other to help me memorize my points better. To achieve this, I prepared a script in which I put in extra effort to come up with sentences that connect the points from one slide to the other. This proved to be very effective for me. In addition, I also worked on improving the persuasiveness of my presentation. As Brad has pointed out, most of our presentations were lacking in this aspect.

The preparation of our slides was another good learning experience for me. To make the format of our slides consistent, we had the option of either getting one person to compile everything or to do the slides together. However,since all of us had busy schedules and some of us do not stay on campus, it was hard for us to meet up several times to prepare the slides together. To resolve this problem, our group used dropbox and facebook to discuss and edit our slides which I felt was really efficient and effective.

The numerous rehearsals that our group went through before the actual presentation and the feedback that we gave each other after each rehearsal were very helpful to further improve on each of our presentations. One very useful tip that was Hakeem shared with me during our rehearsal was that if we happened to stumble during the presentation, we can tell our audience "Let me try that again". I felt that was really a useful tip and hence I hope to share it with my fellow coursemates. 

I was really glad the actual presentation turned out well. I had relatively good content control during the presentation, managed to stay calm throughout the presentation and maintained eye contact with my audience. One thing that could be improved was my standing position during the presentation. I stood at behind the computer screen during my presentation which might be a problem because I am not sure if my audience can see me, especially when the computer screen is quite high. 

Peer Teaching Group 5 - Tips for Job Interviews

Dear coursemates,

Here's the link to our group's presentation slides. Hope that some of the tips in the slides will be beneficial for you.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16vu7eSogS5-J6O_Cb5Iaetv7PQe7o-FN0e2w_2jBbg4/edit

Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

A few years back, my family and I went to Hongkong for a holiday trip. The culture in Hongkong was largely similar to that in Singapore, which was what I expected, as both were Asian countries with a Chinese-majority population. Even with these parallels, however, there were some evident differences in our cultures.

One of these differences that I observed is the dining culture. In Hongkong, coffee shops are rare but tea cafés which sell affordable and well-known local dishes are commonplace. Since my family wanted to experience the local life there, we frequented the tea cafés along the streets during our trip. It was in these tea cafés that we had some interesting experiences.

On a few occasions, the four of us sat around tables that had more than four seats. While we were chatting happily over our meal, one or two strangers unexpectedly came to join our table and take the remaining seats (without even asking if we were willing to share the table with them). We were taken by surprise and besides that, we also felt awkward throughout the rest of the meal. Those strangers, however, looked rather comfortable with the sharing of table without any traces of awkwardness in their body language.

After some interaction with the locals, I realized that sharing tables with others in tea cafés was actually a norm in Hongkong. This was because the tea cafés are individual shops but due to the high rentals prices, most of the tea cafes are relatively small with very limited seats. On the other hand, in Singapore, it is not a norm to share a table with strangers over a meal unless it is absolutely impossible to find a seat. But even so, we will usually ask for permission before taking the seat.

In retrospect, this makes me feel that the concept of having common seating areas in coffee shops and food courts is indeed a brilliant idea!

Application Letter (Revised Version)

8 September 2012

Human Resource Manager

Singapore Workforce Development Agency

1 Marina Boulevard
#16-01 One Marina Boulevard
Singapore 018989

Dear Human Resource Manager,

APPLICATION FOR THE POSITION OF MANAGER (BUDGET MANAGEMENT)

I am interested to take up the position of Manager (Budget Management) in the Funds Policy and Management Division of WDA in your esteemed organisation. I believe that my extensive work experiences in the public service, together with my educational background and a genuine passion for the public service will make me a unique candidate who is well-suited for this position.

As a Statistics and Economics undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS), I am comfortable with handling numbers and analytical work. Furthermore, the fast-paced study life in NUS has enhanced my ability to handle stress brought about by tight deadlines. To ensure that I have a good balance on both academics and soft skills, I also have taken up communication and career preparation modules to hone my writing and interpersonal skills. Hence, my well-rounded education equips me with the necessary skills to perform well in this position which thereby allows me to contribute effectively to your organisation.

In terms of non-academic areas, my extensive vacation work experiences and CCA commitments have given me several opportunities to work with various types of people and developed my interpersonal skills. In particular, during my internship at the Public Service Division (PSD), the project which I handled allowed me to work with colleagues beyond my own department. Besides, I even get to liaise with more than five external training agencies to gather the course details required for a staff briefing which I was entrusted to prepare and organize.

In addition, I have always had a keen interest to serve the Singapore public service after my graduation. I am grateful to have the opportunities to take up temporary positions in some public agencies during my school vacations. These work experiences have given me some exposure to the operations in the public service which makes me better prepared for a career in this sector. Therefore, I believe that my genuine passion, coupled with relevant working experiences, will put me in a favourable position to contribute to your organization.

Thank you very much for taking your time to consider my application. The enclosed file is my resume for your reference. Please feel free to contact me and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Jestina Tan (Ms)

Application Letter (Job Description)

Position	Manager, Budget Mgmt (Funds Policy & Management Division) (201271)
Organisation	Singapore Workforce Development Agency

Responsibilities You will join the Funds Policy and Management Division (FPMD) which oversees the Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund and Skills Development Fund in supporting workforce upgrading and skills development through the various WDA funding schemes. As part of the Budget Management team, you will evaluate project and budget proposals in accordance with the funding policies and frameworks. You will be required to foster good relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. You will also analyse, develop and review funding policies and schemes, as well as interact with diverse companies and training providers to explain WDA funding policies and schemes as well as grant processes. You will further be required to identify process gaps and implement initiatives to improve efficiency. In addition, you may be required to take on specific projects in areas supporting workforce development. Requirements Candidates should have strong moral integrity, objective assessment and good educational track record with at least a degree from an established university. You should be a motivated individual with good analytical, writing and communication skills. Attributes include: Self-motivated, proactive, energetic Ability to work under tight deadlines Ability to work independently and in a team Keen eye for details and have an affinity for figures Strong interpersonal and organisational skills

An Interpersonal Conflict

This is an interpersonal conflict which involves a friend of mine. Just in case my friend tries to google her name and finds her problem being written on my blog, I shall maintain anonymity in this blog post and name her as “A”.

At the end of A’s first year in polytechnic, there was a reshuffling of the classes for the students in her course. Among her group of close friends, she was the only one who went to her new class while the rest of them were allocated to other classes. In her new class, A found a girl who participated in the same OCIP programme with her during their vacation. We shall call this girl “B”. Coincidentally, B also faced a similar situation as A because B’s closest friend in her previous class was allocated to a different class. Due to this similarity, as well as B’s bubbly and outgoing nature, the two of them soon became close friends.

B is a very active student who takes up a lot of activities including CCAs, school competitions and CIP programmes. Her bubbly and outgoing personality contributed further in making her very popular in school. Under the influence of her newfound close friend, A joined several activities and her poly life became more eventful and fulfilling than before. Moreover, her friendship with B grew much closer, so much so that people in their school see them as “twins” who always hang out together.

Nonetheless, some issues soon arise. Unlike B who was able to excel academically despite her busy schedule, A found herself struggling to cope with her studies. A’s parents has also lamented that she was spending too little time with the family. Besides, being together with such an outstanding and popular friend would sometimes make A feel overshadowed by B.

Increasingly, A was stuck in a dilemma whenever B asked her if she wish to join in new activities.

How will you advise A to resolve this problem?