Final reflection

Among all the different skills learnt, my favourite skill would be on oral presenting. I was fascinated by speakers who appeared confident, spoke convincingly and gave memorable speeches. I always wondered how they crafted their speeches and added different elements, such as humour, to spice everything up. Such speeches often stay with me for a period of time. All these questions would perhaps be unanswered if I had not taken ES2007S.

During peer teaching, I had problems engaging with the audience. Even the class activity felt quite awkward in fulfilling the purpose. This might perhaps be due to the nature of my teaching content. However to think of it now, I think regardless of the nature of the speech content, various effort has to be put in to engage the audience. This is one of the many components to making an effective presentation. Even on the day before the final presentation, I still had problems in engaging the audience with my speech. Fortunately, the story which I included was rather effective in engaging the audience.

Apart from this, I thought having a speech text was useful even though it does not apply to all. As an amateur in giving speeches, the speech text allowed me to make my speech more conversational. It was useful in improving my speech every time I revise it together with my teammates. Also, I could make sure that I would not miss out on any crucial points during the presentation. As I did not craft a speech text for my peer teaching, I was able to see the contrast between the qualities of the two presentations.

Of course, other skills learnt during the module are equally useful such as interview and communication skills. Once again, I never regretted to have taken ES2007S because apart from the life skills learnt, I met a dedicated lecturer and many wonderful classmates. This has really been a memorable experience for me. I hope we can all move on with the skills taught in life and never forget to use and sharpen them along the way.

Reflections on oral presentation

I cannot believe it, oral presentation is finally over! Even though it was only a mere 7 minutes, I would say the effort invested to put it together was tremendous. I started preparing a week before the presentation and it took me a few days to finalize my speech text and slides. Attempting to make my speech more conversational was a challenge encountered. Initially my speech sounded completely like the proposal because it seemed to me like every detail was important in making a persuasive speech. Another challenge was the rearrangement of details to craft a convincing speech. This is because I realised that the sequence, the choice of details and transition between points greatly determine how convincing a speech is. Having spoken to a friend who had taken ES2007S last semester, I was ‘enlightened’ on how to make a conversational speech. I hope I achieved that during my presentation! Haha!

Personally, my favourite part of my presentation was the true story I shared because I thought it illustrated my point suitably and it engaged the audience. However, I could have delivered it better if not for the time constraint by adding longer pauses for more impact. Also, I felt that the quote used (“Even if it’s just 1%, it is still important to raise awareness”) rounded up the presentation really well as it sounded impactful and I could bring the audience’s attention back to the message our team hopes to convey.

On the other hand, I thought I did not gesture enough. I suddenly became very nervous and felt my hands and body shaking as I presented. I was afraid others might notice me trembling if I gestured too much. My nervousness also made it difficult to smile and might affect how enthusiastic I looked. Enthusiasm was something I wanted to improve after reading my peer teaching reviews.

Nevertheless, I am still glad that I survived the session and I am quite satisfied with my performance. I will keep my strengths and weaknesses in mind to improve my performance the next time I give a presentation.

Evaluating Intercultural Behaviors

I remembered and encounter in which I displayed cultural insensitivity. It happened when I was in primary 5. My Muslim teacher, Ms Helimmi, treated my friend and me to nasi lemak. However, she had forgotten to take cutleries for us. Ms Helimmi apologized for her carelessness and taught us to use our hands to eat like how Muslims do. As that was my first time eating with my hands, I felt rather uncomfortable but did so anyway since there was no choice. I ate with my left hand thinking that it was alright. When Ms Helimmi noticed and corrected me to eat with my right hand instead, I brushed it off saying that it was alright since I was already halfway through with my food.

In retrospect, I think my action was unintentional because I was really ignorant about the Muslim culture as well as the cultural differences between them and the Chinese. It was kind of Ms Helimmi to not reprimand me then. Now that I’m older, I realized that Muslims do not eat with their left hand because they use that hand to cleanse their private body parts. I learnt from my Muslim friends that their right hands are also used for ‘cleaner activities’ like hand-shaking and accepting gifts. Another interesting fact I learnt is that on the Day of Judgment (which leads to annihilation of all living species), Muslims will bear their righteous deeds with their right hands and receive their sins with their left.

From such experiences, I realized that it is important that we know and are sensitive to the different cultural behaviors of other races and religions in this multi-racial country. Racial harmony is the key to peace and stability, thus we have to be careful not to be offensive but instead practice cultural tolerance to sustain this harmony that we have now.

Application Letter

Application Letter

60 Dakota Crescent, #12-243

Singapore 390060

7 September 2011

Health Sciences Authority

11 Outram Road

Singapore 169078

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in in response to the job advertisement, found on your official website www.hsa.gov.sg, for the position of Scientist, Illicit Drugs Laboratory. The division’s excellent, internationally recognized forensic science services and its vital contribution to our country's security have motivated me to pursue a career in this area.

I will be graduating with a Chemistry degree from the National University of Singapore. During my undergraduate years, I developed strong interests in analytical chemistry and forensic science. I may not have possessed any working experiences but I am consistently exposed to relevant analytical techniques during laboratory sessions, such as GC/MS and HPLC. I have also performed well for related modules, such as analytical chemistry. I believe my specialized analytical skills would be useful to the team in research and drug analysis.

I have cultivated a meticulous character from working as a customer service associate as I handled cash payments and organized service details. Being proficient in English and possessing strong interpersonal skills have allowed me to communicate well with customers. Furthermore, I have attended a module on effective communication which has equipped me with good oral presentation skills.

In addition to academic credentials, I am self-motivated, disciplined and I am able to work independently. Team sports such as touch rugby and tennis (doubles) have imbued me with invaluable teamwork experiences. As a member in the publicity team of Project Orion 2011, an outreach community involvement program, I was able to hone my innovativeness during events planning with the aim of increasing the awareness of Project Orion in NUS.

My peers see me as approachable and enthusiastic as I actively participate in Freshmen Orientation Camps in university and in junior college. I was efficient, organized and self-motivated when executing my job as a customer service associate. Therefore, I am well liked by both peers and colleagues.

After reading about the R&D projects conducted by HSA, I am deeply inspired to work in a brilliant research team like yours. I believe that with my technical knowledge, good interpersonal skills and passion in science I will make a suitable candidate for the position.

I will appreciate an interview at your convenience if you require any additional information. I will be contactable anytime at 91700776 or samanthaleejiamin@hotmail.com. Thank you for your consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Lee Jia Min Samantha

Interpersonal Conflicts - What could I have done?

Sometimes, I think that my horoscope played a part in defining my personality. As a Libra, I am peace-loving and would avoid conflicts at all costs. Therefore when a conflict arises, these traits lead me to make peace with someone but sometimes, I get upset as a result.

Recently, my friends and I organised a surprise party for friend X’s 21^st birthday. We did so because X cancelled her own party a week before her birthday due to the unavailability of her desired party venue. Not wanting to see her disappointed, we secretly planned a party and tried our best to make things as similar as possible to her initial planned party. However, financial and time constraints prevented us from perfecting every detail to meet her expectations.

On the day of the party, my friends and I arrived early to set up the place. Feeling exhausted after that, we sat by ourselves and had little interaction with her other friends. At the end of the party, X called us to a corner and cried. She confronted us, saying that she did not request for this surprise party and we were poor hosts. X explained that since we were the organisers, we should play host throughout the party and not be anti-social. This unexpected confrontation came as a tremendous blow for everyone. I was shocked beyond words. To prevent any conflicts, I initiated an apology awkwardly and left together with my friends. I did not want any rash actions to ruin the friendship. However, the more I think about it, the more upset I was. I do agree that perhaps we could have done better but why did she not appreciate our efforts? This episode did not affect our friendship eventually but I thought I could have clarified the misunderstanding at that point.

Dear classmates, what could I have done during the confrontation and save myself from resenting later on?

Effective communication skills - a step towards greater self confidence.

The phrase “ability to convey information from one person to another” would commonly surface in people’s minds when they define communication. Indeed, many can define communication correctly and communicate with one another easily but how many are able to communicate effectively or appreciate the benefits of it? Probably not many. Those who can convey their message well and listen actively are usually more confident than those who do not master these skills. Therefore, being equipped with effective communication skills, one will enjoy confidence boosts and strengthened relationships.

When I was younger, a misconception I had was that the speaker plays a more crucial role than the listener in determining how successful communication was. It was an incident which made me realize that the role of the listener is equally as important as the speaker during the communication process. I was reprimanded by a friend for being a bad listener. Every time she speaks, I seldom give her the attentive silence a good listener should provide and I would interrupt her speech. The barriers I created hindered effective communication between us. Through Thursday’s class, I realized the difference between hearing and active listening. Back then, I have been hearing my friend’s problems but not processing them.

In today’s sophisticated society, being able to communicate effectively both orally and in written forms is the key to success. Having started to appreciate that, I know I have to begin overcoming my fears. I get very shy and jittery when it comes to presenting to an unfamiliar audience so sometimes I cannot express my thoughts clearly and concisely. Hence, I tend to avoid presentations actively. Finally in this semester, I plucked up my utmost courage to register for ES2007S in the attempt to overcome these fears. I hope that with the skills benefitted from ES2007S, I will grow to become a confident woman and foster strong relationships in both my workplace and my personal life.