Final reflection on learning!!! :)

The following is a list of skills I have learnt from this module.

1. Time management

I had several assignments due concurrently for this module. I had to learn to manage my time effectively to meet these deadlines in addition to the projects I was working on for other modules. Most importantly, I had to turn up on time for meetings, and complete my part on time. This is important as it shows respect to my team members.

2. Working as a team

I learnt to listen more to the ideas my team members brought up instead of directly refuting them. Here learning to be patient was important.

3. Presentation skills cum persuading skills

Learning to present effectively is not easy and this module has given me ample opportunities to brush up on these skills. I learnt about gestures and rules for creating good presentation slides. It is almost always good to deliver all messages to the audience with a attention getter.

However, I feel I did not learn the art of persuasion well. I feel my presentation was mainly informative. I feel I need a more booming voice, and my points to stand out loud letters on the slides. Bringing in props to illustrate our points further could have helped. For instance we could have set up the Facebook page we suggested in our solutions.

4.Writing skills

I felt my teammate are excellent writers in that they could express their ideas well. Though, I suggested ways to improve the writing, I did not write as much. However, I became more familiar with how a proposal should be written.


Overall, I feel I have put in my best for all assignments. I tried to change my shortcomings by taking the feedback I recieved into account. I thank my classmates and teacher Mrs. Gan for being supportive! :)

Writing the proposal on dialects has been an interesting experience. I was new to the topic on dialects. I was startled by the situation on dialects as it was interesting how social and economic goals can conflict. 

Perhaps one of the most significant difficulties we faced as team was when we were planning the solutions. We found it hard to come up with a solution that would be cost-effective, and effective in promoting the use of dialects at the same time. We had several ideas in mind such as getting Chinese Clan associations to collaborate with each other for a nationwide event exhibition to showcase different Chinese heritage. 

However, this method required a lot of resources and planning. Moreover, the clan we contacted declined to comment. Unsure that our proposed solution would be feasible, we had to change the whole scheme of solution to something simpler and feasible at the school level. Although, we were disappointed at first that our major plan failed to take off, we felt that it was better that we did not pursue this idea. It was a good change in direction for our project.

I felt that our proposed solutions were unique, as dialects have largely been forgotten by our youths. It is a good time to revive interest among our youths in their roots and heritage, as in future we run the risk of having youths who may not be aware what their mother tongue is.

Working as a team was a good experience. I learn not to be strong-headed and independent. It was a better idea to come together to work on the proposal and slides rather than individually working on it and putting everything together later. I was mindful not to hurt anyone along the process. I felt my team members were a great group of people who worked diligently on the project.  Kudos to my team!

Blog post 2- Intercultural communication conflict

I will discuss the general differences in communication patterns between Singaporeans and Indians. I will be using personal anecdotes to illustrate my arguments.

I visited India for a medical check up last year and had the chance to interact with Indian doctors and nurses. I have several observations about differences in communication styles between Indians and Singaporeans.

Firstly, I felt that men and women were not treated equally in India. I am used to greeting people of higher authority, or social status with a handshake. When I extended my arms for the first time in India, the male doctor was not very comfortable with this practice and he looked away. He returned my handshake with a flimsy handshake. I felt very awkward at that time. I should have stuck to folding my arms, a more common practice in India. I was chided for traveling alone.

Second, I feel that the people there are more expressive and emotional. I am used to communicating without expressive words or by stating my emotions.  Indians also tended to experience emotions to a larger degree.

Having been raised in Singapore, some of these communication differences in communication came across to me as cultural differences. In general I feel the corporate culture is stronger here and that it calls for a more neutral statements. However, I feel family ties are strongly emphasized in India and the emotional attachment often surfaces in conversations.

I have spoken to several of my family members in India about this and many of them tend to have similar opinions. I was advised to dress more traditionally, be more expressive, and to work at slower pace.

Perhaps changing expectations about Indians can help to correct these misunderstandings. I can try to change my expectations and dress appropriately depending on the country’s culture. I can also try to fit in by learning more of the local culture without assuming that cultural practices are standard everywhere.

How else do you think I should have better prepared for my trip to India?

Interpersonal conflict is an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from others in achieving their goals.1 An example of interpersonal conflict is one between introverts and extroverts.

In school, students usually have to face the same peers on a daily basis. For some introverts this is a very demanding situation as they may struggle to establish conversation on a daily basis with their peers. Eventually, quiet students may be left out, gossiped about, or even bullied by their peers with a larger circle of friends, usually the extroverts.

There could be several misunderstandings between the 2 parties before a major conflict such as bullying occurs. For example, the body language of the introvert may not be very open.  He may not establish eye contact with classmates whom he meets in school. This withdrawn behaviour could be traced back to the inner thoughts on the mind of the student. They may not feel comfortable talking to their peers for fear of being rejected. They may feel their interests are different and hence appear as not interested in their peers. Their peers in turn may perceive these quiet students as weak and shy. They may feel superior to the quiet students.

There are several solutions to this problem. If talking to a large of group people seems threatening to the introverted student, he can talk to his classmates in small groups. The introverted student must strive to maintain rapport with his classmates. The entire class can be coached on introversion and extraversion. Being aware of the various different personalities could help the students better understand the behaviour of their classmates.

What do you think the quiet student can do to fit in better? 

1.http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199827428/student/chapt11/outline/