Reflections

Ok so afterall...it wasn't over when I said it was, but this time it's for real. This is supposed to be a reflection of the course that has just passed. Something like a eulogy? Perhaps. As a means to help recall where we first started, I looked back to my first post as suggested my Ms Lim, and indeed I have to say, this course has offered for me much more than what I had hoped for.

Apart from being non-examinable (which was the very obvious reason why I chose it), it definitely helped honed and polish skills that I had, but more importantly, it equipped me with a lot more (considering how little I knew about this)new knowledge and skills in communications as we embark on a new chapter of our lives, be it now or in the near future.

If there was one point I had to choose to take home, it would definitely be the job application skills and practices. I felt that especially at this point in our lives, that would be the most relevant and essential skill to possess, as it can help make a difference in whether we get our dream jobs.

Of course, who can forget the interview practices we had, the fun and laughter we all shared. Myself aside, I also think it is quite amazing to see how the course has benefited some of my classmates too! From the beginning when I remember them like a little kitten standing in front of the class, to eventually at the end, a confident and articulate presenter!

Mission accomplished.

It's OVER!!

Looking back, it's amazing how time really flies! Looking at my first post in this blog, it seems just like yesterday. Now, we have completed our presentation on Thursday, ie the module is sort of done and over for me and the other groups too who presented that day.

So the module culminated in the presentation. I guess it was a way of seeing how we put everything we've learnt in the module to practice, and what a journey it was. From the survey to the interview to the proposal to the presentation. And at this point I also must add, I've been blessed with really great group mates.

About the presentation, this was a new experience for me in some ways. Firstly, it was the first time I presented with a pre-written script. Usually, I would not see the need to, because I always thought ok as long as my ideas flow out without much pause and hesitation it should be fine. With the speech text however, I found it easier to put across my points because it could be rehearsed, and I knew when and where to put the emphasis, and what comes after etc. Also, I think it is important not to have breaks or awkward pauses in the presentation, because as an audience, I think it can be quite tiring at times to listen to a presentation that doesn't flow.

Also, it was my first time I rehearsed for it. And all I have to say, is I'm starting to believe in rehearsals. It certainly helps in sequencing the flow of your ideas during the presentation,and also trememndously improves the presentation as a whole. For those who get severe nervous breakdowns during presentations, rehearsals definitely help in calming the situation!

To sum it all up (both the presentation and the module), I personally believe that presentation, as with communication, is a skill that can be honed only with actual practice. You can have a checklist of 100 pointers and dos and don'ts, but it won't help, unless you put yourself in situations that allow you to practice. I believe that with practice, after each encounter you can reflect on how was it good and what could have been done better. This I think is somehow more useful than a checklist because experiences always sink deeper into your brain, than the pointers some might try to memorize before the presentation.

Intercultural differences

Globalization has allowed for the dissemination of foreign cultures into Singapore. And advancements in technology have made travel easy, comfortable and quite possibly a norm. These factors combined create an environment where cultures inevitably clash and people who are not as well versed in foreign cultures are left clueless as to where they went wrong.

It is not uncommon to hear people compare Singapore to a zoo. In fact,several people that I know who pass through Singapore comment on how lovely and clean she is, as well as the fact that she is akin to a human zoo; where the animals are contented and safe but are so cloistered that they have no idea what "the wild" is like. While Singaporeans may protest that we have had our share of exposure, it can safely be sad that this is more true for the older generation than the present one. In fact, (in my honest opinion) most people from the current generation are too wrapped up in themselves to bother about other cultures and hence carry themselves badly when they are overseas (a fact that the newspapers in Singapore have lamented countless times). Ignorance in this case, is not bliss.

As a national athlete, I have been blessed with many opportunities to travel overseas for competitions and more recently, training camps. Our most recent training camp was to Hungary. We called it our "winter training camp" as it was winter there. The main purpose was to experience a different climate, as well as a totally different culture. The Hungarians produce the best kayakers in the world every year, shoo-ins for the World Championship and Olympic finals and our coach wanted us to learn their pride, hoping that their thirst for victory would rub off on us. But that's not the point of this post. This post wants to highlight the differences in culture that resulted in the Hungarians from that particular paddling club thinking that we were unfriendly and standoffish and us thinking almost the exact same thing about them.

Our first proper introduction to the Hungarians would have to be at a special ceremony in the clubhouse, where the Hungarians who had done well would be commended with presents from the club. Being Singaporeans, we walked into the room and sat ourselves down on the benches they had arranged, too shy to speak to anyone while the Hungarians arranged themselves around us, equally awkward. Accompanied to the fact that most of them only understood Hungarian and we only understood English, one can just imagine how awkwardly silent it was. We automatically assumed that the Hungarians did not really like us (since we heard from our friends back in Singapore that most Europeans do not really like Asians), and assumed the defensive position of "not liking them back".

It was only when one of the Hungarians came to Singapore for training camp that we realized what we did wrong. He could speak fluent English, and related the Hungarian interpretation of the situation then. He said that the Hungarians assumed that we did not want to talk to them because we did not go up to them and shake their hands (for the guys) and kiss their cheeks (for the girls). He said it was customary in Hungary for guys and girls to greet each other that way, unlike the non committal nod and "Hi" that we favor in Singapore. He told us that Hungarians were naturally hospitable people and more than willing to make friends with us, not the unfriendly ones we thought they were. It was somewhat sad to know that we could have been great friends with the Hungarians, instead of them thinking that we were standoffish and rude.

Another difference would have to be the dining etiquette. Most Singaporean parents fail to educate their children in dining etiquette; something widely accepted in Singapore but unbearably disgusting in Hungary. Most of us chew with our mouths closed by default or because we learnt it in school or from stricter parents, but some of us chew our food with our mouths wide open and speak with food in our mouths, showing the contents of our mouths to the people around us and making loud smacking noises. The Hungarians found this disgusting, but were too polite to say anything, only throwing uncomfortable glances our way every once in awhile.

It was our coach who explained the situation to us this time. He told us that eating with our mouths open was completely unacceptable as they were taught as children never to chew with their mouths open, and they could not understand how we could sit there chewing with our mouths blatantly open making noises that one would associate with a pig. While such behavior is common and mostly accepted in Singapore, it is one of the most disgusting things a person could do in Europe.

Perhaps the best idea would be to gather some information about the culture of other countries before going there. It would save one quite a fair bit of confusion and maybe even result in unexpected friendships (:

This is thelink to the job ad.

Application Letter

Clarence Chua
35 Science Drive
Singapore 263035

04 February 2010

Mr. John Denver
Human Resource Manager
Alpha Airlines
359 Avation Drive
Singapore 059538

Dear John Denver,

I am writing to express interest to join your esteemed airline as a Cadet Pilot.

My friend, Mr Peter M****, a senior pilot instructor with your subsidiary S**KAir, is extremely happy with his employment and suggested I contact you about joining your World Class Airline. Although I do not possess any prior flying experience, I nevertheless fervently believe that I possess the right attributes and qualities to become a prospective pilot.

As a current athlete in the National Kayak racing team, I strongly feel that the past years of representing Singapore in various races overseas has inculcated in me qualities relevant to the job of a Pilot. Racing has shaped up in me the uncanny ability to perform under immensely stressful circumstances, and yet under such situations maintain my emotional stability so as not to affect my team mates. Also, the discipline, motivation and determination throughout the long seasons of training are in my opinion essential qualities too. Apart from my educational and sporting endeavours, I also am an avid musician, holding a Grade 8 in piano from the Associated Boards of Royal School of Music (ABRSM).

Most importantly, I pride myself in carrying myself with professionalism in whatever I do. I am meticulous, service oriented and know the imporance of being responsible for my decision and actions.

With Alpha Airlines' constant growth and expansion, I believe that my qualities and attributes are inline with what you're seeking. I cannot think of a better organisation to join, as your fleet, route and business niche make a winning combination for a world class airline. I hope to have an opportunity to meet with you to discuss my background and skills, and how they would contribute to your company's vision of providing air transportation of the highest quality.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Yours Sincerely,


Clarence Chua

Interpersonal Conflict

Personally, I have never enjoyed conflict. Unlike people who enjoy spats and the adrenaline rush from winning verbal challenges, I prefer to avoid such scenes as I find them unnecessarily draining. It never ceases to amaze me how people can turn non-issues into life threatening ones simply by misunderstanding others or simply not listening. Fights often turn ugly as people get irrational and throw emotions into the already jumbled up picture.

As much as I dislike conflict, it is inevitable and I have had my fair share. An incident somewhat closer to heart would be when my sister had to decide where she wanted to go to continue her studies after her Alevels.

My sister has always been the apple of my father’s eye. As a kid, she was smart. She aced her examinations, topped her classes and was the role model child. It was no surprise that my father had great plans for her. He envisioned her as a doctor, a lawyer, a ball busting auditor (essentially someone who would do great things with her life). The turning point came when she got involved in canoeing and her priorities changed. She was no longer satisfied with studying and good grades; she told my father she wanted more out of life. My father was confused, but he loved her and let her have her way. However, he put his foot down when she told him about taking up Sports Science as a career.

He misunderstood, thinking that she wanted to give up her studies to paddle. It wasn’t his fault for thinking that. She told him, “I want to study sports science because it’d free up a lot of time for me to paddle. I won’t have time to paddle if I study anything else”. Not knowing much about the sports scene in Singapore he thought it was suicide. He couldn’t understand why the daughter he thought was so smart wanted to throw it all away for something that would not be able to sustain her for her whole life. He told her that she was being selfish, and that she was throwing away all his effort in grooming her to become who she was. Shocked, she retaliated thinking that he wanted her to live her life for him, so he could live through her. She didn’t understand that he was confused and only wanted what was best for her.

He said she would have to pay her own way through university if she wanted to throw away all that talent. He told her she was stupid, and sheltered for not understanding that the world was a hard place, and people actually needed to work for their money. Furious, she told him to take his money and go to hell. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that her usually doting and understanding father had somehow morphed into an unreasonable tyrant. It didn't occur to her that it was his way of trying to sway her decision.

The fight ended then, and they refused to speak to each other after that. His pride prevented him from making the first move and her ego refused to let her apologize. She found work and made her money, it was not easy for her but she did it anyway.

The misunderstanding still stands and although my father is concerned about her, he refuses to explain himself and let her knows that he still cares about her well being. She in turn (thinking that he no longer cares about what she does) does anything she wants.

Unsure of what to do, my mother and I have simply been sitting and waiting for them to work things out. It is a spat between the two of them, and we feel like no one can do anything about it. My mother frets over the fact that father and daughter are no different from strangers, and I have no idea what to do about it. Could we have done anything? Would my father have understood better if my sister had taken the time to explain the reasons behind her choice instead of getting angry and defensive? How can they get past their barriers of pride and talk to each other? Can my mother and I do anything to alleviate the situation?

Effective Communication

As a child, I found effective communication; the ability to put one's ideas through to another person to be simplest solution to most of life's problems. Growing up and experiencing life only served to strengthen this belief.

In all honesty, I never considered myself lacking in this department. Being fluent in both the English language and Mandarin gave me the confidence I needed to interact with various groups of people (lecturers, classmates, friends, family, etc) easily. I always thought myself to be a relatively sociable person. In my opinion, communication skills were instinctual rather than learnt. Presentations and interviews did not prove to be problems as well, as they mostly involved being engaging and spontaneous, both of which I was confident of doing well.

Attending this particular class enlightened me on the fact that there is so much more to effective communication than just speaking. It never occurred to me that the choice of words as well as the various body postures and gestures played such an important role in a conversation. Lessons taught me that proper articulation, the ability to listen carefully to ideas before speaking as well as the proper body language was the key to preventing miscommunication.

Knowing what a dog eat dog world it is out there in the working environment, it is vital that we master the art of effective communication both informally and formally. In formal cases (as when speaking to a colleague or superior), tone, conduct as well as the choice of words could make a significant difference to your position on the business hierarchy. Effective communication summed up, is the answer to forging strong bonds with people regardless of whether they exist in your business circle or your social one.

I am thankful for this class as it promises to equip us with the skills that we need for life after university. Although most of us may supposedly be good speakers, this will help to complete our range of communication abilities, making this one of the more relevant and useful classes. (: