Communication, I believe, is a subject that requires lifelong learning as well as continual practice. It is not something that we can just learn within the four corners of a classroom and expect ourselves to be experts at it after 13 weeks. We need to take what we have learned in class into the outside world and apply it in different situations in our daily lives, so that we can sharpen our communication skills.
While taking this module did not “magically” transform me into an expert in communication, this module has however provided me with a solid foundation to build and develop my communication skills. Before I took this module, I was completely clueless on how to write a proper business letter, an effective job application letter or a well-structured resume. After taking this module, I must admit that I still have not completely mastered the skills needed to write all those documents impressively. However, this module has provided me with insights on how I could improve these skills, which I believe will come in handy when I begin applying for jobs after I graduate.
Apart from that, the interaction that I had with my classmates through in-class discussions and blogging helped me to view many aspects of communication from a different angle besides my own. For instance, the blog post on the usage of capital letters in written communication (by Chau Ting, I believe) made me realized that how I understand a particular writing may be totally different from how another person understands it. I always thought that people would understand the usage of capital letters exactly the same way that I do.
In addition to that, I have also been able to gain knowledge through this module regarding intercultural communication. Honestly, the only culture that I knew about before this was the Chinese culture (and maybe some Western culture also). My ignorance about other culture led me to believe that many of my own personal practices (such as the “OK” hand gesture) are universally accepted by all. This module has taught be that this is not actually so. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to correct my ignorance now, then having to correct it later in my working life at the expense of embarrassing myself or offending someone else.
Suffice to say, after completing this module, effective communication skills has become something that is more valuable to more. Even before taking this module, I have already seen effective communication skills as somewhat important but after completing this module, the deeper understanding that I gained about communication skills has given deeper meaning and certainly more value to it. Learning more about a subject adds value to the subject. This is why I intend to continue learning more about communication, especially after this module served as a good starting point.
Overall, taking this module has been a pleasant experience for me and I would like to seize this opportunity to thank Mrs. Fiona Richardson and my fellow classmates for their constructive feedback. I wish all of you all the best in your future endeavours even as all of you continue pursuing your dreams and ambitions. May God bless all of you!!!
Hey Alvin,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you have learnt such so much from this module. However, I would like to remind you of a certain chinese proverb:
Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back.
There is a need for us to be constantly learning when it comes to communication. Although some aspects of communication have not changed over time, there are others that are evolving everyday (just like how SMS communication may not have been so important about 10 years ago). In addition, there is also a need to practise what we learn and not archive it in some corner and hope that we can can on it in times of need.
Thus I feel that your determination to continue learning more about communication will only benefit you in the long run.
Hi Alvin
ReplyDeleteI agree that blogging in this course has provided us with different points of views on the many aspects of communication. It was interesting to read our classmates' blog posts, as well as the comments for each of our own blog post. Besides the exchange of ideas, blogging is also a good platform for communication between classmates, as most of the time in class was spent in our survey report groups, giving us little time to interact with our other classmates.
Although I had to spend a lot of time in writing my blog posts, I feel that blogging has helped trained me in writing my opinions on certain issues in a non-scientific context. As a Science student, most of the writing tasks that I have to do on a regular basis are in a scientific context. Blogging has helped me to think more deeply about communication and other issues outside the scientific context.
It has been quite an enjoyable experience reading and commenting on blog posts. Thanks for your feedback too and best wishes in your future endeavours! :)