Critical reflection on developing communication skill

Communication is a two-way track that involves verbal, non-verbal and written skills. It is the act of getting clear message across in our daily lives. Therefore, the art of effective communication skills are imperative to success. It is one of the most critical and essential skills that can be learned and put into practice.

This trimester has provided me a good learning platform. Through the reader response assignment, I’ve learnt to be a critical reader. A lot of times, journals and articles can be biased and/or myopic. Writers tend to focus too much on their stand that they may miss out on other points that might be important for making effective decisions. Thus, I have learnt to find relevant quotes which strongly support my opposing stand or find quotes which may even challenge the author’s standpoint. On the other hand, while working on the technical report assignment, I brushed up on my technical knowledge while learning the structure of writing reports. Feedbacks from the instructor have also taught me to watch my tone and not to input absolute words which give no room for errors.

Lastly, the oral presentation round gave me the opportunity to work on my confidence level when presenting to a group of audience. It can be nerve-racking knowing that you have to pace your speech, take care of your tone and body language, stay focus on your topic while delivering them with confidence. After the first trial, I was disappointed with my performance. I took the feedback home and rehearsed in front of my family. Along with the encouragement of my peers, I performed better during the final presentation. However there can always be room for improvements. As such, I would like to constantly look out for opportunities where I can practice addressing to a mass audience confidently.

Reflection on oral presentation

·         review what you did for the presentation
·         how you felt about your planning, your slide design and your delivery
·         explain what you have to do to improve your presentation skills

A few days before my presentation, I had the opportunity to rehearse it infront of my group mates. I remember as I stumbled upon my words and felt nervous presenting my slides to my teammates. I felt that I had delivered badly because I had forgotten what to say; however, my teammates were always patient to let me rehearse a few times and give me feedbacks that could help me perform better. After collective responses on my slides and presentation delivery, I went home to improve on the slides and reduce the number of words for my slides so that it would attract the audience attention. Since then, I practiced by facing the mirror in my home and stopped when I felt confident in the flow of my presentation.

On the day of my presentation, I still stumbled on my words and as I spoke infront of my classmates, I became aware that I was not following accordingly to my script. Feeling panicky and short breath, I took a step back and slowed down on my deliverance. I felt that by slowing down on my speed, I was able to convey my message across clearly.

After my presentation, I felt a sense of satisfaction because I had practiced to perform on that day and it had went quite smoothly. I believe that there are always rooms for improvement such as I could display more body language and cut down on repetitive fillers. This can be improved by feeling comfortable in the environment and speaking to a group of audience with confidence. As the day goes by, I remind myself to look for opportunities where I can volunteer to speak publicly and treat each rehearsal seriously. This is so that I can train to have a better organisation in my thoughts and thus speaking more fluently.

The importance of English for me

The Singaporean education system empathises on a strong foundation of English language and it is crucial because it is the world’s third most spoken language in the world. It is also the main language which I was exposed to as a toddler at home and at school.

Thus, it is to my advantage to be well literate in the English language. Being an enthusiastic and adventurous person, I enjoy planning and travelling to different parts of the world with family members and friends. I was able to do my research in the internet, find the information which I needed and communicate with the hotel personnel in a common language.

From my past travelling experiences, I was able to communicate with the native people in countries like Germany, Korea and China. We were able to converse in simple English language that had made my travelling easier. Imagine travelling to a foreign country with little or no knowledge of English. I will certainly feel upset when faced with language barrier because a simple question is not easily understood by another person and in worst case, it may lead to a misunderstanding. For example, asking for directions to my hotel but was directed elsewhere faraway!

In conclusion, English language is of vital importance in today’s world because we are more mobile and connected. With this powerful command of language we can convey our purposes and messages across clearly in situations like travelling, getting to know others and conducting businesses.