I could barely remember the last time I did any kind of oral presentations, but of the little that I do, they were memories of nerve-wracking experiences. All I could remember is the fear of forgetting my lines and of saying something stupid; or the bravado that I felt just about right before I actually presented. Somehow courage seems to seep out with every word that I spoke.
I do know, however, that I would have to do oral presentations and a great deal more (and in a less friendly environment too) if I hope to be successful in whatever career I would choose.
I regard inter-personal communication skills as highly important to me because I realised that communication starts even before a job interview. Job application letters and resumes are the first forms of communication to our prospective employees, and for many of us, it could be our only chance at convincing them to consider hiring us. In order to impress them, I would have to learn to write effective letters and resumes. Unfortunately, I have close to no knowledge in the art of writing a standard resume, let alone an impressive one.
Besides that, I often found myself tongue-tied when meeting strangers in formal corporate events. I feel lost, not knowing the right things to say without sounding too friendly, too awkward, or too boring. Putting formal settings aside, I have also encountered conflicts with friends and co-workers. Being able to communicate effectively would enable me to be more confident and wise in handling such situations.
Hence, when I learned about ES2007S, I jumped at the chance to improve myself. That is why, although I hate lessons at 8a.m., I’m totally looking forward to learning as much as I can =)
I totally agree with you that its difficult to strike a conversation with a total stranger and to make it worse, we often have to do so in the corporate world. Besides having to be wary of what we say, we have to spot the hidden meaning in the words of the other party.
ReplyDeleteToo not worry too much about the oral presentation. My friends, who frequently sail smoothly through their oral presentation, told me that the key to having good oral presentation skill is confident and it often comes from practicing. I am also hoping that having more practices in the ES2007S module would help me in preparing for my FYP presentation.
Hope you enjoy yourself in this module...=)
It seems that we both chose this course because of the same reason. I do believe public speaking is a skill which can learn through frequent practice but the problem is we are lacking suitable platform to practice.
ReplyDeleteI made my mind to take this module after I screwed up in a graded presentation last semester and a report I made to my supervisor during internship.
Let's see how much we can achieve through this course. I believe Brad Blackstone and Christine won't let us down.
Hey seems like we are facing the same problem of being nervous when giving public speeches. Nontheless, after the good communication skills that this course can equip us, I believe it would no longer be a major issue for both of us :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you the importance of interpersonal skills, especially for a job interview. Good to know that you're looking forward to learning it!
Hi groupmate :)
ReplyDeleteAfter working with you I find that you have the potential to do well in presentations, from the way you seemed really enthusiastic about how we are going to do our peer teaching (I shall not reveal it here else it'd spoil the fun). So do not fret alright :)
You actually brought up many situations in which effective communication is important. As would the rest, I agree that communication is everywhere. In fact, (like I mentioned in my blog) if we look at the bigger picture, it affects the quality of our life, whether we feel that our lives are fulfilling.
Last but not least, like you, I am excited about this module and I hope to learn as much as I can. ;)