Sunday 15 April 2012

Post #6: Final Reflection on Learning



In the blink of an eye, another 13 weeks in NUS have just passed again. It seemed like I just had my first ES2007S lesson yesterday and here I am now, writing my last blog post for the module. I recall (though, it's really just a mouse click away) the first post that I made about why effective communication skills are important for me. In that post, I highlighted the importance of active listening in both my personal and professional lives. 

Throughout the course, I had many opportunities to practice my active listening skills; from class discussions to interviews to question and answer sessions (after the peer teaching and oral presentation), virtually everything I did in (and out of) class required me to be an active listener. Now that I have completed the course, I would not say that I am an excellent listener (sorry Brad, I did not catch the deadline for blog post #5), but I definitely feel that I am a better listener (my girlfriend can attest to that). I find myself paying more attention to the speaker and interpreting his/her non-verbal cues, showing that I am listening by nodding my head and making small verbal comments like "uh huh" and  "mm", providing feedback and clarifying by asking questions, and deferring counter-arguments. Of course, this list is not exhaustive.

Apart from active listening, I have also learnt and worked on other communication skills during the course. From the skill review we had last lesson, I was surprised by the myriad of skills we covered in the course (we covered almost every single skill, one way or another). One other communication skill of mine which I feel has vastly improved is my presentation skill. As I mentioned in my previous post, although I still get butterflies in my stomach, I feel more confident during presentations now. 

All in all, the journey through ES2007S was an enriching one. As Robert M. Hutchins once said, "The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives." I believe ES2007S has provided me with the knowledge and skills to embark on a lifelong journey to be a more effective communicator.

8 comments:

  1. Hey Joel, I agree with you because I have learnt almost all the essential communication skills in this class. Also I have honed my skills in writing not only a good but effective resume and cover letter.

    I am glad that you learned to be a good listener. A good listener learns more than someone who can talk more so this skill that you have learned will definitely help you along the way. Besides a good listening ear is something that a future doctor should have so congrats on developing one:)

    Glad to have known you through this class. Take care Joel:)

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    1. Hey Loshini,

      Thanks for the comment. I have learnt how to write an effective resume and cover letter too (actually I only really started writing them during the course). Glad to have known you too, take care!

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  2. Hey Joel

    I'm glad that you feel you've become a better listener! As Loshy mentioned, this skill will definitely serve you well in your future career. There's nothing more painful or frustrating than a doctor who won't listen!

    You've been a great team-mate and a great friend! All the very best for your upcoming exams. I hope you will achieve your dreams of becoming a doctor!

    Tanisha

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    1. Hey Tanisha,

      Thanks for the comment. It's true that a doctor who doesn't listen can be frustrating (experienced one?). You are nothing less than a great team mate and friend too! All the best in chasing your dreams after you graduate!

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  3. Dear Joel, This is a really fine final reflection. The way you harken back to your first post is effective as an opening, and then you elaborate with fine detail and yet conciseness. It's interesting to me too that you focus on listening, for if there was one student whom I had to choose as a great listener, based solely on nonverbals, that would be you. It seems that every time I was speaking and surveying the eyes (and ears) of members of the class, you were closely plugged in to not just what I was saying, but to what I was doing as well. You were not one to be easily distracted, and I appreciate that.

    In any case, I'm also happy that you found other aspects of the course worthwhile, and it was a pleasure to see first-hand how well you work within your various groups and in the class at large.

    I hope you are indeed accepted into a med school program. All the best with that goal and your other future endeavors!

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    1. Dear Brad,

      Thank you for your mini feedback on me as a listener. I guess I was trying to apply what I learnt in the first few lessons.

      Once again, I would like to thank you for your guidance throughout the last 13 weeks. Your feedback has been helpful for me to improve on my communication skills, especially the cover letter and resume. Thank you, Brad!

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  4. Hi Joel,

    I will have to agree with you that this course really drove home the importance of being an active listener and you definitely showed it during our peer teaching discussions. You gave small verbal comments like "uh huh" and "mm", provided feedback and clarified by asking questions.

    It was also great having you on the team as you reminded me of the need to slow things down. Whenever it came to talking to you, the pace of things slowed a little, but in a good way. You reminded me of the importance of being unhurried in my delivery so that what I present is clear and can be easily understood by others.

    All the best for the finals and your future endeavours!!

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  5. Hi Xi Min,

    I think I just wanted to make sure we were heading in the right direction. haha. I'm glad you applied it to your OP. The pace was good and your delivery was exceptionally smooth that day.

    All the best for the finals too!

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