The scientific name for human is Homo sapiens, or “wise man” in Latin (Latin homo, man; Latin sapiens, wise). Humans have a highly developed brain capable of reasoning, language, introspection, problem solving and emotion. Being social by nature, humans are able to make use of their mental capability to utilize systems of communication for self-expression and the exchange of ideas. Thus, being social animals, humans cannot escape communicating with others and it is extremely important to be able to communicate effectively. It definitely makes our life easier and more enjoyable.
In the workplace, effective communication allows me to express my ideas accurately and convincingly to my superior, but this has been a problem for me since young. I feel that face-to-face communication provides the most accurate feedback. However, speaking face-to-face to my superior makes me nervous which will tend to “impair” my ability to commute my ideas to him/her. This may interfere with the exchange of ideas between us, resulting in my superior’s doubt in my capabilities.
Recently, I was supposed to speak to my superior on a project. My mentor was not around to guide me and despite being new and lost, I tried my best in preparing the proposal to show my worth. However, due to a breakdown in communication, he did not understand my proposal and thought I was incompetent. My effort was downplayed and it affected my job morale and confidence. Being new, I was in no position to complain and could only swallow the grievances. It is thus crucial to know how to voice one’s discontent and yet protecting one’s interest (Perhaps in a politically correct manner?).
Being born in a conservative family, I have acquired the bad habit of keeping things to myself and not voicing my opinions. I am usually the listener and observer in life. In the workplace, emphasis has been placed on being a good speaker and much less on a good listener. However, I feel that being a good listener is equally essential. A nonverbal cue as insignificant as a nod given to a friend in times of need is an act of great encouragement. Through this course, I hope to learn to become a better listener and speaker. I hope to walk out of my comfort zone and gain confidence in communicating with others.
In the workplace, effective communication allows me to express my ideas accurately and convincingly to my superior, but this has been a problem for me since young. I feel that face-to-face communication provides the most accurate feedback. However, speaking face-to-face to my superior makes me nervous which will tend to “impair” my ability to commute my ideas to him/her. This may interfere with the exchange of ideas between us, resulting in my superior’s doubt in my capabilities.
Recently, I was supposed to speak to my superior on a project. My mentor was not around to guide me and despite being new and lost, I tried my best in preparing the proposal to show my worth. However, due to a breakdown in communication, he did not understand my proposal and thought I was incompetent. My effort was downplayed and it affected my job morale and confidence. Being new, I was in no position to complain and could only swallow the grievances. It is thus crucial to know how to voice one’s discontent and yet protecting one’s interest (Perhaps in a politically correct manner?).
Being born in a conservative family, I have acquired the bad habit of keeping things to myself and not voicing my opinions. I am usually the listener and observer in life. In the workplace, emphasis has been placed on being a good speaker and much less on a good listener. However, I feel that being a good listener is equally essential. A nonverbal cue as insignificant as a nod given to a friend in times of need is an act of great encouragement. Through this course, I hope to learn to become a better listener and speaker. I hope to walk out of my comfort zone and gain confidence in communicating with others.
The following diagram sums up the concepts in communication skills:
3 comments:
A very interesting introduction that captivated me. This post is well written with personal experiences relating to life as a student in NUS, while incorporating conciseness, clarity, correctness, completeness and cohesion. I am sure that you will be better with communicating with others after this course! Fret not!
Hello Jiayi,
I agree with your point, that listening is equally essential as compared to speaking when communicating. After all, there has to be a listener if someone is speaking, else there will be no communication going through.
I feel that it is good that you have recognised your personal trait of being a good listener. Do not worry about not knowing how to voice your opinions in the workplace. I strongly believe that you are not the only one who faced problems in your workplace. I have personally, also experienced many challenges when attempting to communicate with my superior. Therefore, hang in there as we pick up the skills of effective communicating. I believe we will be able to walk out of the class at the end of the semester, full of confidence.
I look forward to hearing your views in class!
Hi Pei Yu!
I used to have the "talking is more powerful than listening" attitude, which I believe many people have this attitude too.
However, in this module, I have learnt that effective communication is actually a two-way process, in which the listener plays an important role. Although I am quite confident of being a good listener, the strategies learnt on active listening have taught me much more than I have imagined. It was interesting to see how listening, a skill that was deemed "useless", actually played such an important role.
Jia Yi =)
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