Oral presentations are an important skill for everyone to learn so it is the most fitting that our course has a section on it. My group did our presentation on building bicycling lanes in Singapore. I talked about and gave our background and introduced the problem of unsafe cycling in Singapore. Only nature lovers will care about pangolins becoming roadkill. When cyclists become roadkill, it becomes frontpage news and everyone will go talking about how the deaths can be so easily prevented. Thus, I argued that a safe cycling environment is surely needed for the cycling community in Singapore and the implementation of bicycling lanes in Singapore would help to solve this problem. Li Koon talked about the benefits, options and drawbacks and Seng Leng talked about our sources and survey.
Like everyone else, we designed and wrote up our slides for our parts and Li Koon would organize them and compile all of them together. The dry run was quite uneventful, except that Li Koon and Seng Leng found time to insert an April Fool’s joke into our dry run slides since the dry run was on April 1st. Basically, Seng Leng made the audience think that we found nothing for our proposal. But, sadly due of lack of coordination, the audience didn’t get the joke. The April Fools slide was on the screen before the audience perceived the joke was there. Thankfully, we removed that before the actual presentation or else we will be the FOOLS instead. Besides the dry run, I rehearsed my part with Dr. Jaidev on the day before the actual presentation. She helped me with the correct pronunciation of some of the words I was going to use. Thanks! The animation of my slides were done on quite short notice, thus I ditched my cue cards for my actual oral presentation and looked at the screen instead. Coordinating the animinations with the clicker and talking was a bit difficult as I have not rehearsed that. Hopefully with more preparation I can get used to this.
Everyone improved from their dry run and including me who have grown in confidence and familiarity with every rehearsal. (No, I didn’t crack that sweet to gain attention. How to talk with it in my mouth?) As for my group members, Li Koon did fine with his part whereas Seng Leng appeared to be quite natural and was engaging the audience (he was even more engaging in the dry run). Now, I wish that my lecturers were just as engaging as him I will be less bored during lecturers. (Yes I do expect lectures to be entertaining; otherwise I will be googling on my Iphone.)
Everyone knows the need for preparation like check whether the equipment was working, or rehearses their slides but do they check whether they have a working file which can be read by the computer? You probably do not want to find out that your only copy of your presentation slides is corrupted and can’t be read when you are about to begin your presentation. Unfortunately, that happened to Xiuxian et al as they were unable to load their slides. Luckily, Malcolm was able to fix the perplexing problem and got them back on track for their presentation. Perhaps a career as an IT guru awaits for him? Hmmm.. Way to go, but you won’t always have an IT guru to rescue you from doomsday. Always have a backup plan!
We should always keep in mind that the purpose of an OP 90% of the time is to convince the audience that your viewpoint is the best thing since sliced bread. I felt Charles did it for his group as he tried to prove that nuclear energy is the way to go for sustainable Singapore. (Yes, nuclear power in Singapore, together with the usual jibes that Singapore will be finished like the Roman Empire if something screws up like in Japan). He tried to show that Singapore would be a much more safer place to place the nuclear plant and it would be more safer with improved technology. He showed us that the Japanese disaster wasn’t not inevitable, and what caused the disaster was incompetence, corruption and irresponsibility (Where do I have heard this before?). Hmm, perhaps that sounded like a not so bad idea after all. I would like to see him debating and converting nuclear skeptics though. Of course I hope that you guys were convinced as well by our presentation as well.
Of coruse, for an OP, you need to be calm and get prepared and so that you can relax. The more you get tense, the more mistakes you make. Listening to Ying Hui speech, I noticed that she did fumbled and skipped over some of her points. She need to chill out more so that she gets less nervous and makes less errors. Hey, mate, you are not the lamb waiting to get sacrificed in the altar.
I learnt something very interesting in the course of XiuXian et al's dry run. During her dry run Xiuxian adopted a “Ficus leaf” posture. Something like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Figs are mentioned in the bible and other religions as well. Incidentally, they are one of my favourite extant plant groups as they have an interesting life history and ecology. ). It turns out adopting such a posture basically screams :” I am feeling very insecure and defensive. I am so freaked out” Not such a good signal to send out. Anyway, it is also not a very good posture to adopt outside of the OP as well. You will give people the impression that you are powerless.
Thus, in the course of giving OPs and watching other people do it. We have learnt what to do and not to do in an cause of giving OPs. It will be very useful for us in our future working life.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Fostering Intercultural Communication
With the advent of our global society, it has become more essential to be aware of different cultures. No longer are the days where your workplaces as most companies have more cosmopolitan staff. Look at our local professors for example, they have Singaporean, Chinese, British, American, German and basically colleagues from around the world. If you like soccer , you will also see that the club soccer squads are now more cosmopolitan. Gone are the days where an English football club consisted of mainly UK players. For example, the Manchester United squad consists of international players from France, South Korea, Portugal, Brazil, Bulgaria, Mexico, Serbia and even Ecuador besides UK players.
Yet our professors and our favorite soccer players are able to work together and this is what we have to do as well at our workplaces.
Referring to our first blog, we had a case study on how intercultural communication can fail. We have looked at how the missionaries can create a situation in which the hymns got misunderstood because they were not aware of how tone in language was important in African culture. While the Africans basically just laughed it off, in real life the consequences are not always this innocuous. It would always make the parties concerned uncomfortable and makes them unwilling to work together. It is also important when travelling to learn the culture of the host country which will always make a good impression with the host.
It is also important to remember that culture is more than just language. Culture covers a lot of stiff like food and etiquette. What may be considered polite in one culture maybe considered rude in another. For example using an OK sign might be OK in America and parts of Europe but doing that in Brazil only leads to……well, you better get ready a sword.
One major aspect of difference between cultures us that Asian cultures tend to consider the good of the whole group and indirect whereas Western culture tends to be more individualistic and direct. For example, the emphasis on politeness is very strong in Japanese culture. Even in the Japanese language there are there are countless ways to apologize and elaborate verbal rituals that have been devised to avoid coming off as too direct or rude. There are also plenty of honorifics as well (polite ways of addressing people). Many Japanese begin written correspondence, for example, with the honorific hankei, which literally means "your enlightened worship." Bring nice is rooted in the Japanese tradition. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wrote: "The Japanese people are, by and large, the nicest and most responsible people in the world. Not the friendliest, not the happiest, certainly not the funniest, but the nicest." In the light of the recent debate about how ungracious Singaporeans are, perhaps we could learn something from this? While, this is nice and good, when the Westerners try to work with them, the Japanese will probably find them rude and brash if both of them do not understand each other. And that is so not a good starting point for a business partnership. (Maybe they should read Cultural Etiquette for Dummies?)
Coming closer to home, Singapore is also multi racial and we would hopefully have friends of other races as well. It is very important to understand the cultures of other races lest misunderstanding may result. For example take this following situation:
There are two friends (let's us call them X and Y). Y was observing Ramadan when both of went out together. During the outing , X was feeling hungry. X forgot that it was Ramadan. X keeps moaning that she was hungry and suggested many places for lunch. X was clueless on how upset Y was. Y left after the outing but after mentioning than it was Ramadan month. X than realizes that she screwed up and apologized to Y. Y accepts the apology but it was obvious from his body language that he was still upset.
Has X done anything wrong? I give you 2 minutes to think about it....and stop scrolling down.
I don't know about you, but I will be surprised if both X and Y were still close friends after this! There is no escaping the fact that X was very insensitive and did not respect the feelings and beliefs of her Muslim friend. She failed to put herself in her friend's shoes. The most damning thing about the whole situation is that it can be prevented all together if X were more aware of the practice of fasting and how it signifies to the Muslims.
To conclude, the ability of communicate across cultural lines is essential skill for everyone in today's global village so that friendly relationships can be maintained, whether it is business or personal.
Yet our professors and our favorite soccer players are able to work together and this is what we have to do as well at our workplaces.
Referring to our first blog, we had a case study on how intercultural communication can fail. We have looked at how the missionaries can create a situation in which the hymns got misunderstood because they were not aware of how tone in language was important in African culture. While the Africans basically just laughed it off, in real life the consequences are not always this innocuous. It would always make the parties concerned uncomfortable and makes them unwilling to work together. It is also important when travelling to learn the culture of the host country which will always make a good impression with the host.
It is also important to remember that culture is more than just language. Culture covers a lot of stiff like food and etiquette. What may be considered polite in one culture maybe considered rude in another. For example using an OK sign might be OK in America and parts of Europe but doing that in Brazil only leads to……well, you better get ready a sword.
One major aspect of difference between cultures us that Asian cultures tend to consider the good of the whole group and indirect whereas Western culture tends to be more individualistic and direct. For example, the emphasis on politeness is very strong in Japanese culture. Even in the Japanese language there are there are countless ways to apologize and elaborate verbal rituals that have been devised to avoid coming off as too direct or rude. There are also plenty of honorifics as well (polite ways of addressing people). Many Japanese begin written correspondence, for example, with the honorific hankei, which literally means "your enlightened worship." Bring nice is rooted in the Japanese tradition. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wrote: "The Japanese people are, by and large, the nicest and most responsible people in the world. Not the friendliest, not the happiest, certainly not the funniest, but the nicest." In the light of the recent debate about how ungracious Singaporeans are, perhaps we could learn something from this? While, this is nice and good, when the Westerners try to work with them, the Japanese will probably find them rude and brash if both of them do not understand each other. And that is so not a good starting point for a business partnership. (Maybe they should read Cultural Etiquette for Dummies?)
Coming closer to home, Singapore is also multi racial and we would hopefully have friends of other races as well. It is very important to understand the cultures of other races lest misunderstanding may result. For example take this following situation:
There are two friends (let's us call them X and Y). Y was observing Ramadan when both of went out together. During the outing , X was feeling hungry. X forgot that it was Ramadan. X keeps moaning that she was hungry and suggested many places for lunch. X was clueless on how upset Y was. Y left after the outing but after mentioning than it was Ramadan month. X than realizes that she screwed up and apologized to Y. Y accepts the apology but it was obvious from his body language that he was still upset.
Has X done anything wrong? I give you 2 minutes to think about it....and stop scrolling down.
I don't know about you, but I will be surprised if both X and Y were still close friends after this! There is no escaping the fact that X was very insensitive and did not respect the feelings and beliefs of her Muslim friend. She failed to put herself in her friend's shoes. The most damning thing about the whole situation is that it can be prevented all together if X were more aware of the practice of fasting and how it signifies to the Muslims.
To conclude, the ability of communicate across cultural lines is essential skill for everyone in today's global village so that friendly relationships can be maintained, whether it is business or personal.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Application Letter
Executive (Life Sciences Undergraduate Program)
Duties and Responsibilities
One of the core responsibilities is to manage the department examination matters and processes and the examination task force. This covers the entire examination event, from preparation stage question papers productions to the post-exam marks checking and uploading. Coupled to this is the overseeing of all Life Sciences undergraduate examination related issues (e.g. advance placements and plagerism). Other core responsibilities revolve around administrative issues for the Life Sciences Undergraduate Program which include Centralized Online Registration System (CORS) for module registration, academic warning/probation/withdrawal cases and academic mentorship management.
Besides undergraduate matters, the person will also be required to administer ad-hoc duties relating to the running of the department.
Requirement
The position requires excellent communication skills, apititude for administrative and management jobs, and the ability to work with faculty members, fellow administrators and students, all from diverse backgrounds. Candidate should possess at minimum a Bachelor's degree. Fresh graduates are welcome to apply. Some years of working experience especially in the context of tertiary education, will be an added advantage.
May be good to have some knowledge of the NUS Life Sciences Undergraduate Program. Must possess competency of good spoken and written English, and good knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
Interested applicants should send their CV to:
Mr Lim Miah Kyan
Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117546
Email: dbslmk@nus.edu.sg
The letter itself
Sia Sin Wei
13 Kim Keat Road
Victory Heights
#16-01
Singapore 328842
Phone:93559549
Email: siasinwei1988@hotmail.com
Date: 14 Feburary
Mr Lim Miah Kyan
Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117546
Dear Mr Lim,
I heard of this job vacancy for the post of executive for the Life Sciences Undergraduate program through the website at the DBS recruitment website, which caught my attention.
I think that I would be suitable for this job as having graduated from NUS with a Life Sciences major, I would have gone through the undergraduate Life Sciences system. I have some degree of experience with administrative and management tasks as I have performed them(such as writer recruitment and coordinating to publish a student journal) for my CCA. My qualifications and my experience are detailed in my CV which is enclosed here.
I would like very much to meet with you to discuss my prospective employment. If you wish to arrange an interview, please contact me at the above address or by phone at 93559549 or by email at siasinwei1988@hotmail.com
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely yours,
Sia Sin Wei
Duties and Responsibilities
One of the core responsibilities is to manage the department examination matters and processes and the examination task force. This covers the entire examination event, from preparation stage question papers productions to the post-exam marks checking and uploading. Coupled to this is the overseeing of all Life Sciences undergraduate examination related issues (e.g. advance placements and plagerism). Other core responsibilities revolve around administrative issues for the Life Sciences Undergraduate Program which include Centralized Online Registration System (CORS) for module registration, academic warning/probation/withdrawal cases and academic mentorship management.
Besides undergraduate matters, the person will also be required to administer ad-hoc duties relating to the running of the department.
Requirement
The position requires excellent communication skills, apititude for administrative and management jobs, and the ability to work with faculty members, fellow administrators and students, all from diverse backgrounds. Candidate should possess at minimum a Bachelor's degree. Fresh graduates are welcome to apply. Some years of working experience especially in the context of tertiary education, will be an added advantage.
May be good to have some knowledge of the NUS Life Sciences Undergraduate Program. Must possess competency of good spoken and written English, and good knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
Interested applicants should send their CV to:
Mr Lim Miah Kyan
Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117546
Email: dbslmk@nus.edu.sg
The letter itself
Sia Sin Wei
13 Kim Keat Road
Victory Heights
#16-01
Singapore 328842
Phone:93559549
Email: siasinwei1988@hotmail.com
Date: 14 Feburary
Mr Lim Miah Kyan
Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117546
Dear Mr Lim,
I heard of this job vacancy for the post of executive for the Life Sciences Undergraduate program through the website at the DBS recruitment website, which caught my attention.
I think that I would be suitable for this job as having graduated from NUS with a Life Sciences major, I would have gone through the undergraduate Life Sciences system. I have some degree of experience with administrative and management tasks as I have performed them(such as writer recruitment and coordinating to publish a student journal) for my CCA. My qualifications and my experience are detailed in my CV which is enclosed here.
I would like very much to meet with you to discuss my prospective employment. If you wish to arrange an interview, please contact me at the above address or by phone at 93559549 or by email at siasinwei1988@hotmail.com
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely yours,
Sia Sin Wei
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Resolving Interpersonal Conflict
What is interpersonal conflict? Interpersonal conflict is defined as a disagreement between two parties. It may occur between individuals or groups of individuals. It can occur in a workplace or a social setting. Interpersonal violence is in reality the most outward expression of interpersonal conflict .
While the use of violence, is very tempting, it does has its downside. Let us consider interpersonal violence for a moment using the biblical David vs Goliath example. As we all know David killed Goliath using a stone and slingshot to fight for what seemed right to them. Sure it might have felt good to David and even acceptable in a world where it is OK to crucify people and assassinate emperors once in a few months to years, in the modern world, David will have been arrested , tried and spend many many years having free food and lodging. In other words, jail. In fact, we usually find that violence begets more violence until destruction occurs to all involved. At a social level, conflict can lead into war and can even tear countries apart. For example, a recent theory suggested that the most important cause in the fall of the Roman Empire was its frequent civil wars weakened the Empire and made it more vulnerable to barbarian attack. Coming back to our interpersonal level, violence can lead to societal problems. Just look at the recent news articles of local road rage, sometimes the road rage incident even ends up in punches. Look at this example (http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110202-0000189/Spared-jail-for-road-rage)of this NUS PhD student being charged in court for road rage. Even though, he didn't have to go to jail, not only going to court wasn't fun, but his reputation is certainly ruined (See, we are already talking about his road rage already and not about his research). How can we cut down on such incidents in Singapore? While, I acknowledge that we inherited our capacity for aggression from our animal ancestors, we should look at more civilized ways to resolve issues. After all, is that what our highly developed brains are for?
What i think the most common cause of interpersonal conflict is chemistry. Just that there are chemicals that you should not place at the same shelf, there will be definitely be some people you will never get along due to some personality issues etc. While some people believe that the ability to get along with a great variety of type of people is marker of good interpersonal skills, I don't agree that is the case. Take this analogy for example. Anyone who has played strategy games (like Total War)would probably know that using your calvary against spear infantry is a good way to lose your calvary. But do we think calvary are totally useless? No, we recognize that calvary does more better for attacking certain units and send them what they do best at like attacking archers or something. We do not send calvary to the spear men and hope that they will win sooner or later. Thus, there are some people whom we get along better than others and thus we should not be judged as socially incompetent because of our interpersonal failures. Heck, I have NS colleagues whom I didn't get along well with and they will probably think I can be a bastard to work with. But no one else have questioned my teamwork skills. Thus, to prevent interpersonal conflict we need to choose our closest associates carefully. Like our friends, girlfriend and project mates etc.
How can we resolve interpersonal conflict? People need to deal with the problem directly,especially with empathy, warmth and with a sense of connection. They need integrity to convey that they are sincere in the resolution. They need to create a safe space by avoiding blame and stop assuming what they are thinking is the truth. They need to stop the conflict and reach a win win situation, even if that means compromising. If everyone can remember these principles we will probably have a more peaceful world.
For example, what if you have a girlfriend and her parents really don't like you and they actively try to break you up? Well, asking them to f**k off and stop interfering as love is a matter of 2 people only is a solution, but you will only prolong your war and incur some collateral damage to your girlfriend. The more socially “civilized” way to resolve this situation is to find a suitable time to sit down with them and find out the reasons for their objection and try to win them over with empathy. and some presents. Of course, there is always elopement, but at least you tried the more diplomatic methods first. Just like in Power Rangers, never escalate a battle until you are forced to. (Any better ideas from you readers?)
While the use of violence, is very tempting, it does has its downside. Let us consider interpersonal violence for a moment using the biblical David vs Goliath example. As we all know David killed Goliath using a stone and slingshot to fight for what seemed right to them. Sure it might have felt good to David and even acceptable in a world where it is OK to crucify people and assassinate emperors once in a few months to years, in the modern world, David will have been arrested , tried and spend many many years having free food and lodging. In other words, jail. In fact, we usually find that violence begets more violence until destruction occurs to all involved. At a social level, conflict can lead into war and can even tear countries apart. For example, a recent theory suggested that the most important cause in the fall of the Roman Empire was its frequent civil wars weakened the Empire and made it more vulnerable to barbarian attack. Coming back to our interpersonal level, violence can lead to societal problems. Just look at the recent news articles of local road rage, sometimes the road rage incident even ends up in punches. Look at this example (http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110202-0000189/Spared-jail-for-road-rage)of this NUS PhD student being charged in court for road rage. Even though, he didn't have to go to jail, not only going to court wasn't fun, but his reputation is certainly ruined (See, we are already talking about his road rage already and not about his research). How can we cut down on such incidents in Singapore? While, I acknowledge that we inherited our capacity for aggression from our animal ancestors, we should look at more civilized ways to resolve issues. After all, is that what our highly developed brains are for?
What i think the most common cause of interpersonal conflict is chemistry. Just that there are chemicals that you should not place at the same shelf, there will be definitely be some people you will never get along due to some personality issues etc. While some people believe that the ability to get along with a great variety of type of people is marker of good interpersonal skills, I don't agree that is the case. Take this analogy for example. Anyone who has played strategy games (like Total War)would probably know that using your calvary against spear infantry is a good way to lose your calvary. But do we think calvary are totally useless? No, we recognize that calvary does more better for attacking certain units and send them what they do best at like attacking archers or something. We do not send calvary to the spear men and hope that they will win sooner or later. Thus, there are some people whom we get along better than others and thus we should not be judged as socially incompetent because of our interpersonal failures. Heck, I have NS colleagues whom I didn't get along well with and they will probably think I can be a bastard to work with. But no one else have questioned my teamwork skills. Thus, to prevent interpersonal conflict we need to choose our closest associates carefully. Like our friends, girlfriend and project mates etc.
How can we resolve interpersonal conflict? People need to deal with the problem directly,especially with empathy, warmth and with a sense of connection. They need integrity to convey that they are sincere in the resolution. They need to create a safe space by avoiding blame and stop assuming what they are thinking is the truth. They need to stop the conflict and reach a win win situation, even if that means compromising. If everyone can remember these principles we will probably have a more peaceful world.
For example, what if you have a girlfriend and her parents really don't like you and they actively try to break you up? Well, asking them to f**k off and stop interfering as love is a matter of 2 people only is a solution, but you will only prolong your war and incur some collateral damage to your girlfriend. The more socially “civilized” way to resolve this situation is to find a suitable time to sit down with them and find out the reasons for their objection and try to win them over with empathy. and some presents. Of course, there is always elopement, but at least you tried the more diplomatic methods first. Just like in Power Rangers, never escalate a battle until you are forced to. (Any better ideas from you readers?)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Effective Communication and Me
What is effective communication? Well, I consider communication to be effective when it is a success. When does it is considered a success?, you may ask. Well, when the communication is effective and both receiver and sender both understand the messenge being transferred without any misunderstandings or ambiguties. In otherwords, communication is effective when it has done its job, whether the medium. It is a bit like martial arts in which success is defined as defeating your opponent. No point in trying to do all those flowery moves when you are going down at your opponent's first punch.
Effective communication is certainly important in the workplace. From getting the job to keeping a job, there is a need for good communication skills.Effective communication covers a wide range of skills ranging from writing the application letter, passing the job interview before getting the job to skills ranging from giving presentations and writing work related emailsafter you get the job.
Why is communication skills important? Well, firstly, you won't want to commit any serious errors and gaffaws. This can usually be prevented by knowing about your audience For example, this is one very entertaining error (from http://www.work911.com/communication/oopsnigeria.htm)
Missionaries in Africa used a lot of songs and hymns in their missionary work. Unfortunately, they did not realize that intonation in Nigeria could completely change the meanings of the words and music.
"The words were correctly translated, but the tones and pitches were not. For example, the Igbo people of Nigeria learned to sing the second verse of "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful." They were thought to be singing "Very God, begotten not created, but the actual meaning was "God's pig, which is never shared". Another hymn with the words "There is no sorrow in Heaven" came out "There is no egg on the bicycle"
Laugh!!!! But the sad thing about this is it could be all be prevented with a bit more research and awareness on African cultural context. I can bet that the missionaires probably saw the Africans sniggering at the sermon without understanding why. Thus, having knowledge and communications skills learnt from the course can prevent me from having misunderstandings and communicatiom breakdowns at the workplace.
Secondly, as noted communication skills are essential in the workplace. In the long term, I will lose out if I am lacking in communication in the workplace. I might lose out on a promotion and career progression if i do not perform well due to my lack of communication skills. In the short term, I need communication skills to perform in my CCA as well and to work with my president and my editors and writers.
Lastly, learning communications skills makes my life smoother as I can have less disagreements and interpersonal mishaps. I would be far happier overall.
Effective communication is certainly important in the workplace. From getting the job to keeping a job, there is a need for good communication skills.Effective communication covers a wide range of skills ranging from writing the application letter, passing the job interview before getting the job to skills ranging from giving presentations and writing work related emailsafter you get the job.
Why is communication skills important? Well, firstly, you won't want to commit any serious errors and gaffaws. This can usually be prevented by knowing about your audience For example, this is one very entertaining error (from http://www.work911.com/communication/oopsnigeria.htm)
Missionaries in Africa used a lot of songs and hymns in their missionary work. Unfortunately, they did not realize that intonation in Nigeria could completely change the meanings of the words and music.
"The words were correctly translated, but the tones and pitches were not. For example, the Igbo people of Nigeria learned to sing the second verse of "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful." They were thought to be singing "Very God, begotten not created, but the actual meaning was "God's pig, which is never shared". Another hymn with the words "There is no sorrow in Heaven" came out "There is no egg on the bicycle"
Laugh!!!! But the sad thing about this is it could be all be prevented with a bit more research and awareness on African cultural context. I can bet that the missionaires probably saw the Africans sniggering at the sermon without understanding why. Thus, having knowledge and communications skills learnt from the course can prevent me from having misunderstandings and communicatiom breakdowns at the workplace.
Secondly, as noted communication skills are essential in the workplace. In the long term, I will lose out if I am lacking in communication in the workplace. I might lose out on a promotion and career progression if i do not perform well due to my lack of communication skills. In the short term, I need communication skills to perform in my CCA as well and to work with my president and my editors and writers.
Lastly, learning communications skills makes my life smoother as I can have less disagreements and interpersonal mishaps. I would be far happier overall.
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