Communication is the one thing that I firmly believe holds the key to success. Unfortunately language has never been my forte through my years of study. It is frustrating to see how others can present the same ideas so much better than I do when doing presentations. It make me wonder why others can pen down the same ideas much more clearly with less words, convey the same message with less effort and I can’t. There was a certain point in my life that I felt that it was because my vocabulary was limited and I lack the words to represent my ideas that made me less comprehensible by others. It was only until a started to read articles and transcripts made by famous people, in fact, leaders like ex CEO of Microsoft (china), Steve Jobs etc that I begin to think- They are not using bombastic words as well! Yet they are able to present ideas to audience in a simple yet understandable fashion. It was then that I realize that there are more to communication than just talking.
Well, I did try to brush up on my communication skills after which, however I still feel that there are a lot of times that better communication can be made between me and the other party. There are still times when there was sudden awkward silences, times when questions was not answered, times when I feel that the other party simply just doesn’t understand what in the world am I trying to tell him/her. This is why I feel that ES2007S in a module that can help me have a better understanding of what really is going on behind the ART of communication.
Looking through the various topics, things that will be covered are extremely useful, especially in the working environment today where there is almost no individual work involve. I’m from engineering faculty and I know very well that when I go out there I will have to work with engineers, marketing, everyone from everywhere, not just Electrical engineers. I feel that this where all this skills which we are about to learn will come in handy. Skills like oral presentation, questioning techniques, listening techniques, all this will come in handy. Not to mention how to perform during interviews and also how to get that interview by writing a convincing cover and resume. These are all important aspects that I will be facing very soon.
I hope that by the end of this module, the class will be more confident in their communication POWER and in the future we can all walk to our superiors saying“ Hey, presentation? No prob I’ll do it.” =)
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteThank you for a prompt and sincere first post. You'd highlighted the importance of effective communication, and how it can be the key to success regardless of the discipline one is in - I can't agree with you more. I particularly like the phrase "there is more to communication than just talking" - how very true! Just as listening is a voluntary act (vs. hearing), so I feel is effective communication.
I especially appreciate your forthright sharing of your personal effort to brush up your language skills. It demonstrates keen self-awareness, and really, that's half the battle won.
I'm already looking forward to reading more of your posts!
Ms. Lim
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Alex!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you that communication is definitely something very important and essential in order for us to be successful in whatever we do!
I appreciate you sharing the obstacles you faced when it came to communicating effectively. Most of us including myself will have faced abrupt moments when we're unable to express our ideas clearly, be it lack of confidence or simply just loss for words.
Looking at great speakers on television, it is amazing how these people are able to really draw the crowds attention effortlessly. Yes, they indeed present their ideas in a very clear and coherent manner, which is the verbal aspect of communication. This also brings to mind the non-verbal aspect that what draws crowds to them. It is also their energy and charisma, traits that are present in many of the leaders that run offices and countries today!
I hope the inspiration gained from these great speakers can drive us to want to be better communicators, both in our speech and our body language. From the course material that is to be covered in ES2007s, I'm sure all of us will be able to achieve this goal at the end of the course! =)
Thanks for sharing once again.
Cheers,
Bryan
Hey alex,
ReplyDeleteI really think too that communication is the key to success. We need to communicate with people all around us all the time and we really want them to understand us and not misunderstand us. This is especially true when we are working with people, if there is miscommunication, we might just messed up a project. I’m sure if we mastered all the good communication skills, we can be successful in all walks of life. After being in the same group as you in the previous class, I think you are a confident person, I think after this module you’ll be an awesome speaker! All the best!
guoren
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your communication problems with us! A lesser man would probably have been too shy to do so (:
I agree that effective communication is the key to success, especially in the working world where you have to convince people of your ideas and make them believe in your ideas the way you believe in your ideas! There is beauty in simplicity and I think that speaking well does not necessarily involve the usage of big words. More often then not, people tend to overuse these big words, and then they just sound somewhat pompous and arrogant. I too think that the willingness to listen to other people instead of just talking all the time is very important (:
I believe that the best of ideas can be put across in the simplest of words! You strike me as a confident yet unassuming person, and I'm sure that your desire to learn the art of effective communication will help to enhance that part of your character!
All the best in your endeavor to improve your public speaking as well as your communication skills! I'm quite sure you'll be able to do it soon!(
Best,
Clarence
Hi Jia En,
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t have agree less to what you have said in your blog post Indeed, the objective of effective communication is to be able to pass on the intended idea across to the listener in the most efficient ways. Using bombastic and sophisticated words might not help one to achieve this objective as the listener might not understand the meaning of it, resulting in communication breakdown. In fact, it might even create a negative impression on the speaker as the listener might think the speaker is flaunting his vocabulary. I too believe in simplicity is beauty.
I believe that effective communication skill is needed everywhere in this competitive world, from oral presentation down to application of jobs in the form of resume. With the help of ES2007S as well as your willingness to learn, I’m sure you will be achieve good communication skills, particularly in the area of presentation, in no time. =)
Hey Alex,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! I hear remarks often that we engineers can't present properly! And how untrue I think it is. With the right training and practice, we can do just as well as the business or arts students. Words are after all only about 10% of communication right? I believe a beautiful language of communication is actually mathematics. For those of us who do it, it's strange sometimes how something that doesn't make any physical sense can be represented in math! Think of a light photon/EM wave =p Haha just randomly thought of that when you mentioned the EE part.
Cheers
Ben
Hey Alex,
ReplyDeleteThanks for you frank sharing about your struggles with effective communication. I think many of us can understand what it feels to be in your position. Why take ES2007S if we're all experts in communication? Wells, perhaps there really are other genuine reasons for taking this module. Anyhow, back to the part you mentioned about envying others and being frustrated with ourselves when others can communicate way better than us.
Personally, someone I really admire is my eldest sister. She's very natural at public speaking, writing well, and even arguing in a manner that will convince people easily. She tends to get all the compliments, whereas I get all the corrections, which I really do not mind. However, part of me always wished I could inherit some of her gift. Today, she's a teacher and is doing rather well, and for me, I'm still struggling to get public speaking right.
I also do agree with you that this course is definitely useful. I basically enrolled for this module because a friend feedback-ed to me that it was fun and very useful. I never really thought much about it till I got to know more about it through our first few lessons. Till date, I'm already beginning to agree with him and I do look forward to attending more lessons and working with everyone in the class to help each other improve on our communication skills :)
-Jia Lin