Close The Story Book

“To communicate is to speak”. “Team work is about working together as a team”. These were my shallow concepts of communication and teamwork. After going through twelve weeks of this module, my perceptions were utterly changed. I learned how much more there was to communication and teamwork.

CG1413 Project

This was my favourite project of the semester. However, the entire process from day one was not smooth sailing. We had problems coming up and agreeing on a topic. Each one of us was in favour of a different topic. So this instance made me realize the difficulty in working in teams. A team has to have a common goal and has to work for consensus. We finally did agree on a topic.
Furthermore, over the course of the project, I had the tendency (sub-conscious) to not pay full attention to my members’ ideas or opinions when I felt strongly about mine. I was in fact violating one of the principles of communications and teamwork- Paying attention to the message people have for us and being receptive to new ideas and opinions.

CG1102 Project

Although, this was not a favourite, I learned quite a lot about myself through this project. I understood my roles as a team member. There was initially a communication barrier between me and Tuan Vu but I remained tolerant and respected the individual differences. During meetings, I realized my weakness was my contribution, in terms of content. As a member, I had to provide inputs. Also, there were disagreements on certain tasks and ideas. So this is where constructive criticism and use of EQ came into play. I had to explain to my members (occasionally) why their approach may not be viable and at the same time refrain from disrespecting or dismissing their ideas.


What I have learned

(1) Non-verbal communication is as important. This was amplified during the two Oral presentations (OP). Eye-contact, gestures and body language have a considerable impact on our messages for others.

(2) OP :
Strengths: Eye contact, good pronunciation & time management
Weaknesses: Confidence and energy

(3) As a team member :
Strengths: Encourage and prod fellow members, sensitive and tactful, Respectful of opinions
Weaknesses: Lack of inputs, not placing trust on members

(4) The 7Cs - My first two posts were not concise but I gradually improved.

(5) Dishing out criticism(constructive) is tough but neccessary. Without criticism, it is hard to make progress.

To conclude, I hope to hone my strengths and minimize my flaws that I identified during the course of the module and apply it during my stay in NUS and if possible in the working world.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to Thank Ms Goh and and all my fellow classmates for a pleasurable and fruitful 13 weeks. I wish all of you the very best in the semesters ahead.

Time to close the CG1413 story book..