My Final Reflection

Upon reflecting on what I have done for the past twelve weeks, I realise that ‘communications’ is not what I had actually thought it would be. Communication can be non-verbal cues and written texts, not just conversations; the interaction can be between two or more individuals or between two cells!

And I thought modern technology can facilitate communication. Little do I know it has caused many more problems such as miscommunication (see cartoon below). As such, I have to agree with John Powell when he said:

“Communication works for those who work at it.”

Truthfully, I have never put in much thought and effort when communicating. I now realise that ‘communications’ is just like any other skills which can be acquired and needs to be practised regularly. ES2007S has allowed me to develop linguistically and has emphasised the importance of communications at the workplace.

I have already shared with my committee members what I’ve learnt because I treasure team bonding a lot. And I hope to impart this acquired knowledge to my students too.

I believe I am prepared for the working world with the elevated self-confidence that I now possess. My friends have noticed this change in me too. I realise that I am less emotive when I respond to my friends' actions or words and I analyse possible consequences of my actions before rebutting. Simply, I have learnt to 'respond' and not 'react'. I wouldn’t want to end up like these people (below) would I?

My Biodata

I am Siti Sarah and I have always aspired to become a teacher. Currently in my 2nd year of study at the National University of Singapore and majoring in Life Sciences, I hope to impart the knowledge and skills I have acquired over the years to my students. With my MOE Teaching Award, I hope to ‘mould the future of the nation’ holistically and serve as a role model for my students. My motivation to become a teacher comes from the Prophet (Muhammad), who is the Mu’allim- al-mu’allim (Arabic for ‘teacher of all teachers’). I optimise the opportunity to teach and communicate from voluntarily mentoring madrasah students weekly at Madrasah Al-Irsyad.

NUS has given me the opportunities to enrich my undergraduate days. This September, I will be participating in a Student Exchange Program (SEP) at the University of British Columbia. I hope to gain not only experience and a wider social network but also learn more about the Canadian education system and pedagogy.

Thus far, my leadership qualities can be exemplified through my involvement with the National Police Cadet Corps (up till the rank of a Cadet Inspector) and NUS Muslim Society. I am currently the Honorary Secretary of the Society and I already have led a mountain expedition to Kelantan and participated in a Youth Expedition Project to Cambodia last summer.

My wealth of experience has made me grown into a mature and responsible adult I am, ready to face the world and all of its challenges.

Why Is It Just So Hard To Talk To Her?

Have you ever been in a situation where you try to speak to your grandmother and realise that you hesitate to think of what and how to say it to her? I know I have. Mind you, it’s not just about the age gap or the suitability of the conversation topic. The hesitance is actually due to the fear of offending them.

The older you are, the more emotional you’ll get. On television, seniors are often portrayed as cranky and grumpy (next to spoilt kids). They can be labelled ‘high-context’ because they are simply, unpredictable. Communicating with them requires patience and the need to speak their lingo. We also need to understand the root to their behaviour so as to comprehend them better.
One cause is the pain that they suffer from their medical conditions such as arthritis and other age-related illnesses, which can result in depression. Seniors also feel that their presence is a burden to their children because they can’t contribute financially. This further accentuates the disappointment they have on themselves.

Thus, it is important that we make them feel appreciated and welcomed. Apart from strengthening relationships with our elders, other reasons on why we need to communicate well with them is because they can be our future in-laws, potential stakeholders, or even our employers. It is important that we understand them before we make any important decisions hastily. Also since Singapore has a large ageing population.

How else do you think we can communicate effectively with them?

Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour: Cambodia

Last July, I was in Cambodia for a two-weeks long humanitarian trip along with 20 others. I’ve always had this fear that people of the third world countries resent those who are from the developed countries like us. Before I left, this fear of xenophobia in the locals intensified.

Surprisingly, the moment we stepped into the slum, I was overwhelmed by how these kids were (literally) all over us. They hugged and tugged me by the hand and dragged us to play games with them. I was perplexed. How could we play games without understanding how to play it? After a while, I noticed most games were similar to what we Singaporeans play. This includes five stones (only they use real stones!), ‘mother hen’ and ‘Vampire’ (only it’s in Khmer and has nothing to do with vampires). Almost all the residents smiled and greeted us with what little English they know. I felt welcomed and relieved.

However, there was one girl, Kimlan, who refused to participate in our activities. She even took some of her friends away from us just to play with her. I got worried. I attempted to invite her hoping she would change her mind, but she rolled her eyes and ignored me. Eventually Kimlan was left all alone when her friends began to join us and that was when she gave in. Kimlan is actually a pleasant child but can be an attention-seeker at times. By the end of our stay, she is one of my favourite kids there.

Business Correspondence Critique: The Critique

I like this letter because it is concise and states how the spa company is related to my insurance company. The true message of the letter, which is to entitle me to a 40% discount was also clearly conveyed. The contents are coherent: they flow from one sentence to the next although I feel that some of the paragraphs should have been combined.

Just as much as I would like to compliment, I dislike how the letter was crafted.

Firstly, my father’s name was not spelt in full and I find this disrespectful. Considering this spa company works in tandem with another prominent company, details should have been meticulously thought of especially for formal letters (the spa company does not know me personally). The same goes for my address: ‘JLN’ and ‘SPORE’ should have been spelt out in full.

Secondly, the wordart and banner graphic should have been excluded. These make the letter look informal. Also, formal letters should never have exclamation marks as it symbolises disrespect, even if their true intention is otherwise.

Lastly, this letter has no proper closing i.e. no ‘Yours sincerely’, etc. and signature of the person who sent or typed this letter, which should be included to make the letter more professional, personalised and make the company appear more approachable. Often we see ‘... no signature is required’ on letters sent by the government which has a commanding tone. This is inappropriate for companies that offer services to customers.

What do you feel?

Business Correspondence Critique: The Letter

Ever since I've attended ES2007S, I have become more weary of the way I communicate. What is worse, I'm beginning to scrutinise letters, emails and other media used for correspondence to the extent of being a critique. But I guess that will help me with this blog post.

Recently, I received a letter from a local spa company (as a form of complimentary birthday gift) enclosed to a birthday card I sent by my insurance company, which is a well-known, international company. After reading the content of the enclosed letter, I began to question why my insurance company would work with a company which sends such a letter. I have already covered some of the contents of this letter to protect the name of both companies and also my personal particulars.

My critique on this letter will be in my next post.

An Interpersonal Conflict: James and His Sticky Family Problems

Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict -- alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence. - Dorothy Thompson

I have always believed that peace is always attainable and conflicts are merely obstacles that can be overcome, including the following:

Madam Chan, has four children: Mark, Ian, Rita and James. James and Rita are single and stay with Madam Chan. Their older brothers would visit them every weekend for dinner.
Recently, Madam Chan was diagnosed with stroke. Rita stopped working to look after her ever since. Before this, Mark’s wife, Mary, was the one looking after her. Rita begins to give Mary the cold shoulder, convinced that Mary is shoving all the responsibilities to her.

Rita is also unhappy that James pays for Madam Chan’s medical expenses alone. Ian and Mark intend to contribute but couldn’t afford to. Ian has retired with two unemployed children. Mark is a civil servant with three children who are still schooling. Their wives, Zoe and Mary, are housewives.

Ian and Rita accused Mark and Mary of being stingy and irresponsible. Mark has not been on talking terms with her ever since. Now, the family fails to gather like they used to.

James is worried that the conflict might affect and worsen Madam Chan’s conditions. What should James do?

The closer one is to someone, the more severe their conflict can be. Therefore, it is important to avoid getting ourselves near to such situations.