ES2007S - Professional Communication
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Blog Post#5: Communicating a new me
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Blog Post#4: Evaluating Intercultural Communication
A Tale of Two Pizzas
Looking at the potentially deadly impact intercultural conflicts have had through history, such as the 18 deaths related to the Maria Hertough riots in the 1950, or more recently, the July 2009 massacre of more than 150 Han Chinese by the ethnic Uighurs in Urumqi, the capital of XinJiang province, the importance of having good intercultural communication cannot be stressed enough even on the personal level.
Although I was fortunate to not have witnessed any serious intercultural conflicts, an incident I encountered, which will be described in greater detail in the following paragraphs, while I was at Universal Studios Singapore left me wondering whether it could have been better handled by the people involved.
I was at Universal studios yesterday, and to escape the crowds and satisfy an empty stomach, I wandered into Loui’s NY Pizza Parlour, which claims to sell authentic American Pizzas. While I was queuing up to order, I noticed a group of four women in front of me placing their orders for pizzas. Judging from their appearances, I guessed they were Indonesian Muslim women.
One woman pointed at 2 of the 5 pizzas on display and the store assistant quickly took 2 slices of pizza and placed them on plates. The women then took the plates off the counter, but just as they were about to leave for the cashier, another store assistant who happened to pass by took one look at the pizzas and warned them that all the pizzas they had ordered had ham in them. Shocked, the women almost dropped the plates, and upon learning that almost all the items sold contained pork, left the restaurant visibly upset.
My first reaction was one of incredulity, since he should have known that the pizzas contained pork, and could have at the very least informed them. But on hindsight, he was after all a Filipino, from a predominantly Christian community, and might not be aware of such religious practices. Furthermore, the women were not wearing the traditional tudungs, making it even more difficult for him to have identified them. As for the women, they could have on their part, assumed that the counter staff would inform them of the pizzas’ ingredients.
Personally, I think this issue highlights the importance of not pre-judging a person based on one’s own cultural norms. For both the Filipino and Indonesians, they could have clarified with one another on the issue. Even if it turned out that they were non-Muslims, taking the initiative to ask would be a most sensitive and appropriate move. Navigating through cultural differences can often be a tricky but inexorable task, but if one could adopt an open mind and avoid pre-judgments, cultural conflicts could be minimised while maximising trusting relationships.
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Blog Post#3: Application Letter
| Company | Woh Hup (Private) Limited |
| Job Title | Internship with Woh Hup (Private) Limited- Engineer / Quantity Surveyor |
| Location | Singapore |
| Date Posted | Tuesday, February 01, 2011 |
| Closing Date | Monday, February 28, 2011 |
| Company URL: www.wohhup.com | |
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| Requirements | |
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Application Letter: |
Chan Ho Zong
37A Paya Lebar Crescent S(536078)
81251123
E-Mail: hozong.chan@nus.edu.sg
6 February 2011
Woh Hup (Private) Limited
1 Fifth Avenue, S(268802)
Application for the post of Engineer/ Quantity surveyor
Dear Human Resources officer,
I am currently a Year 3 Mechanical Engineering undergraduate from the National University of Singapore(NUS), and I am expected to graduate in May 2012. I got to know about this position through the NUS career centre’s online job application site, and I am particularly interested in the potentially challenging job nature of a quantity surveyor.
I thrive on engineering projects requiring teamwork, and had ample opportunity to do so through several design centric projects in the university. My well-rounded education and rigorous curriculum in mechanical engineering has equipped me with the relevant skills to source and analyze information, and subsequently present them in a clear and concise manner through presentations or reports. I have prior knowledge in Microsoft Excel, Words, Powerpoint, C programming language, as well as 3D modeling in SolidWorks. These academic preparations and experiences working in a team will put me in good stead in facing the challenges and demands of this field.
I enjoy working with people, which I do so through the various activities both on and off campus. I volunteer regularly at a home for underprivileged children, where in addition to my role as publicity director, I aided the Treasurer in managing the finances of the club. In doing so, I derive satisfaction from balancing the accounts through sheer diligence. Similarly, I am sure I will be able to extend this diligence I take with my work to tasks assigned by your company. Having taken up various leadership roles such as representing the university as a student ambassador, being on the central planning committee for special projects benefitting the elderly, and in my part time job as a senior project instructor, I have learnt how to effectively assert my opinions or influence where it matters. Comfortable working independently as well as in a team, and lead should that need arise, I believe that my attitude, experience and skills will be pertinent to this position. I have a strong interest in this position and I wish to have the opportunity to learn and contribute to your company as an effective engineer/quantity surveyor.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to an interview with you.
Yours sincerely,
Chan Ho Zong
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Blog Post#2: Resolving Interpersonal Conflict
Bashing through a brick wall
As part of our department’s effort to implement a “design centric curriculum”, I had to take a module which required us to work in groups to design a solar panel prototype for industrial use.
My course mate, Zack, whom I have been on good terms with, asked me to join him and a few other friends on the project. I agreed, and after the first meeting, I was voted the group leader. I quickly split the task of researching the project topic amongst us, and arranged to meet up the following week.
The following week, at the meeting, Zack surprised all of us when he started showing us graphs. It turned out that he had, on his own, carried out a day long experiment. He had even prepared power point slides to explain the experiment. At the conclusion of his slides, I realized the experiment was totally irrelevant to our project, and that he had jumped straight into the experiment without setting out any experiment objectives. I had then ventured to ask him politely about his intentions of the experiment.
He quickly turned defensive and insisted it was crucial information. Fortunately, I was backed up by another member, who pointed out some of the major flaws of the experiment. At this point, Zack clearly looked infuriated, and accused us of ignoring his valuable contributions, and claimed we didn’t respect him by questioning him. He refused to listen to any explanations and left the room in a huff.
Given that my group is still at the vital brainstorming stage, what should I do as a group leader to get him involved?
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Blog Post#1: Importance of effective communication to me.
As I approach the conclusion of my third year in the university, all of a sudden, the thought of looking for a job in a year’s time never felt so real and intimidating. For me, my journey through university had been one of discovery and exploration. I took arts modules as well as Business modules to gain a better understanding of the world we live in. To my surprise, I realised that there was a basic similarity to all these subjects, and that is: human interaction. I came across a quote by Albert Einstein, whom once said:
“When we survey our lives and endeavours, we soon observe that almost the whole of our actions and desires is bound up with the existence of other human beings. We notice that our whole nature resembles that of the social animals.” (Albert Einstein, 1934)
Even engineers, who rarely work with large groups of people, are still required to work in smaller teams, as well as with other teams to solve engineering problems. As an aspiring engineer, I think should I possess the skills for effective communication, it would be a cinch to overcome any challenging tasks assigned to my team.
On a more personal note, as a secondary and junior college student, I used to fear presentations and any form of public speaking so much that I would be practically be shaking and perspiring even before the presentation. During the presentation itself, I will probably be caught stumbling over my words and stammering into incoherency. These reasons were what gradually led me to believe learning to communicate effectively via written as well as verbal means, is an quintessential life skill that should prove useful whether I am looking for my first job, or am well into my job as an engineer or otherwise.An introduction
I chose to take this module as a means to learn more about how to present myself in an appropriate way whether it is to an audience or in crafting an email to an individual. What drew me to this module was the numerous mini projects that students are required to do. I feel theories are quite easy to understand, but having to put them into practise is quite a different matter. Though the module requirements can sound intimidating, I think I can learn useful and effective communication skills through this module.
I named this blog “one last thing” as a reminder for myself to avoid a bad habit of jumping into the content of a verbal/written message without ensuring the message is concise and complete. Often, I realised I frequently ended up saying “oh yes, and one last thing”, and then proceed to attempt to explain in greater detail. As a result, the person I am communicating with can end up lost and disorientated.
I do realise I still have alot to learn, even from you, my classmate. Please do feel free to comment on my posts as and when it strikes you to. Thank you.