You must
be wondering why I put my title as 791 points instead of my final reflection. I
shall clarify myself now. I spent 791
points bidding for this module while others got it for 1 point (source: Priscilla). Initially, my perception of ES2007S then was that
it was a course mainly for resume and cover letter writing. I thought to myself
that the main take-away from this course should be how to write a good resume
and cover letter.
However,
over the course of 13 weeks, this course made me learnt more important and
useful lessons apart from writing good cover letter and resume. Personally,
there are 3 things that I learnt from ES2007S.
Firstly,
it is being sensitive to your audience. I think we need to know clearly who our
audiences are and what cultural or social background they come from before we
can communicate with them effectively. There is no one perfect solution to
communicate effectively. Communication is not like a math problem, one plus one
may not necessarily be equal to two. This is where being aware of how intercultural
and interpersonal conflict occurs can help to minimize miscommunication.
Secondly,
it is about being aware of what is our weakness and try to improve on it. The first
time I learnt about this was from the resume writing. This is because the first
resume I did (which I was sending for internship for the past 2 years) was
actually full of flaws. Thanks to Bokai and the others who were assigned to
assess my resume, you guys really gave me a very critical and constructive
feedback. I really appreciate it. Also, I learnt more weakness from my
presentations in class (peer teaching as well as the proposal presentation). My
weakness of filler words, ‘looking upwards’ and poor eye contact are made clear
to me. Although I am still not completely free of these weaknesses, I am still
glad because at least I am aware of it now. I will slowly work on it and I
believe I will succeed one day J
Last and the most important take-away from this course is all of YOU. I really
enjoyed the setting of our class very much. This is the only course I took in
NUS that I can be glad to be part of it. This is the most worthwhile course I ever took (which definitely justify my 791 bid points). I like it that everyone is not extremely
competitive (but surely as efficient and professional) like I seen in my past
years in NUS. Ultimately, it’s not the grade that is going to matter the most at
the end of the day. I really thank all of you for being sincere and genuine in
our weekly interaction. Specially, I want to thank Brad for facilitating in our
class discussion and providing us with very useful advice and tips. It’s really
heartwarming to be part of this class. Of course, I will miss working with my wonderful group mates, Priya and Bokai (Jimmy aka Bob aka Raymond), I really liked working with you all. I wish everyone the best in your future.
Stay happy and positive. Cheers!
Hi Yiqun,
ReplyDeleteIt's really encouraging that we've all learnt so much throughout the semester. I can relate to your points about awareness not only of the audience but also of ourselves. This was possible because of the constant feedback we received from Brad and everyone else. I suppose this interaction was what made the class so enjoyable.
I also like that there isn't a strong sense of competition in class unlike so many other classes I've taken. It's part of what makes class fun to attend because it's rather relaxed and there's a free flow of ideas between all of us.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Hi Jie Ying, I am glad that you could relate to some of my points. I also agree that free flow of ideas can be driven by the non highly competitive setting.
DeleteThank you for your feedback :) I wish you all the best!
Hi Yiqun,
ReplyDeleteGlad that your 791 points has been well 'spent'! Haha. I am glad that you have learnt and gained much through the module. Personally, I'm glad that we had many opportunities to give and receive feedback. Without feedback, we would not know of our flaws such as insufficient eye contact, filler words, weird gestures that we make when we are anxious and so on. As Zhi Qin has mentioned in his post, this course should serve only has a platform for greater improvement and learning (:
I'm glad to have known you through this class. You carry a positive vibe with you as you are always smiley (: I wish you all the best in whatever you do! See you around school next sem!
Priscilla
Hi Priscilla, It's good to hear from you :)
DeleteI agree that receiving feedback is very important for our improvement and learning. On the other hand, giving critical feedback is very much valued as well. I think I had received and benefited from many critical feedbacks.
Lastly, thanks for your comments. I'm glad to have known you as well. See you around in school next sem :D
Dear Yiqun,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you had a lot of takeaways from this module! I also appreciate all the feedback given by everyone, for example, I would not have known I peppered my speech with so many "ums"! As a groupmate, I admire you for your enthusiasum and creativity you bring to the project, like suggesting the Jimmy storyline and all the funny jokes you made. From my chats with you, I can tell you are an optimistic, sincere and easy-going person, and may those traits serve you well in your future endeavours! It is great knowing you, hope that I can chat with you again!
Bokai
Dear Bokai,
DeleteThanks for your feedback. I'm glad you had enjoyed my company. I definitely enjoyed yours as well. I wish you all the best in your future. Given your qualities, I believe you have a very bright future ahead of you :) Take good care! I hope we will chat again soon too :D
Thanks, YiQun, for this heart-felt final post. I like the way you initiate this with a reference to the number of bidding points you spent to join ES2007S. You also make mention of your initial perspective of the content focus, and then through a presentation of three take away points, show how that initial view was limited, how there is so much more to communication beyond preparing students for application processes.
ReplyDeleteIt warms my heart that the module satisfied you and the others to such a great extent. You are correct in stating that the main take away is that you students create a setting in which the interaction becomes paramount, even as we explore multiple topics.
I really have appreciated your many contributions YiQun, from your comments in discussions and debriefing sessions to the hard work in each assignment. Your enthusiasm was always infectious, and your smile a reflection of a strong commitment to learning.
All the best as you continue your learning journey!
Dear Brad, thanks for your kind words. I also appreciate your efforts in making ES2007S so meaningful to all of us. I am really glad to be part of your class :) You are a great tutor, Brad.
ReplyDeleteI really admire your passion. Like what you said to us in the last class that is to live for our passion. I agree with it entirely. You have been an exemplary role-model to me. Thank you once again. I wish you good health and all the best in your future. I hope our paths will cross again! Cheers!
Hi Yiqun,
ReplyDeleteIt's been wonderful knowing you in this module. You are a very sincere and optimistic person, not to mention full of creative ideas! I am sure that you will continue improving your communication skills past this semester. Other than your eye contact and filler words, you are definitely a confident speaker. I agree with you; I think all of us really appreciated the constructive feeback that we got during the lessons. It was what that made this module special, apart from Brad of course! =)
Wish you all the best in your future endeavours! =)
Thank you for your kind words, Priya.
DeleteIt's been my pleasure knowing you as well. You might not be one who impress others at the start. However, you are like a rare gem with hidden strengths. I wish you all the best in your job search. I think you are ready to shine like a diamond already (been through 4 years of stress as a carbon). Take good care my friend!
Hi Yiqun,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed being in the same class as you. You are so cheerful and have such a positive attitude. I dont know about the rest, but I think you make people around you feel great. I remember your interview in front of EB and I; there was just no way EB could wipe that smile of your face! Haha =) =)
As for your post, I find you did an excellent job, truly, of coming up with the title. It invoked mystery, and if you watched the talk by J. J. Abrams Bokai posted, discovering the secret to the mystery is something humans cannot resist. For your information, I wanted to take a break from my work before I saw your post, but the mystery behind the '791 points' drew me to start reading your post! Grrr!! My toilet break, grrr.. Your title was also creative. It stood out because it was unconventional. When compared to an ordinary title like 'Final Reflections on ES2007S', it is like going for a Worker's Party rally instead of the PAP one. Who wouldn't want to go to the Worker's Party rally?
Alright, I shall now go for my break! Thanks for everything, it was great having you in class =) All the best in future!
Jerick
Hi Jerick,
DeleteI feel the same towards you. You are a great person to know. I won't forget that interview with you and EB. In fact, I drew as much positivity from you as my interviewer.
Well, I really liked your analogy of the Worker's Party rally vs the PAP one. I had a good laugh at your comments. Thank you and I am glad you enjoyed my final post.
Remember you told me to write a 'up there' post since it's the last one already, this is it :)
All the best in your future! May God bless you richly. Take good care!