Final Reflections on Learning: A road that never ends.

Good communications is not common sense. Through this very module, I’ve learnt that having effective communication skills require practice (a lot of practice), patience, confidence and an appropriate dose of self-righteousness.

What I really appreciate about this module was that the preparations for peer teaching and the group proposal serve as excellent platforms for us to constantly apply what we’d learnt. Every discussion or meeting was an opportunity for us to practice good communications.

The idea of working with complete strangers was definitely intimidating. While the good thing was that we could assess each other’s opinions without biasness or prior judgment, I guess we all had to be more patient so as to break the barrier and get used to our individual working styles. Each presentation has a different challenge but one thing consistent was that, good communications form the basis of good group dynamics.

While people tend to forget that listening is also another important aspect of effective communications, I felt that listening to my group members’ thoughts and opinions was the reason why we managed to complete the given tasks within a short period of time. This is especially true for my group project. We had to come up with plausible solutions on the issue of low fertility in Singapore and thus, there was a need for us to listen to each other’s view carefully so as to ensure that we are not heading towards too many different directions. 

Through the active process of listening and speaking, my group members (both groups) became more supportive of each other and I felt more confident of myself. These good group dynamics would not have been possible without effective communication.

I have always been a firm believer that what you say and how you speak reflect on who you are as a person. However, as I watch my classmates gave their presentations, I realized that it works both ways. Our personalities and the experiences we accumulated do affect how we communicate as well.

Like many of my classmates, I signed up for this module alone. I was apprehensive at first, especially when the assessment for this module is project-based. But, clearly, my fear was unfounded. I’ve made new friends who gave me new perspectives. I am glad that I took this module and I really appreciate the constructive comments that my classmates gave on my performances. 

As the saying goes, “Nothing is ever forgotten even if you don’t remember them,” what I’ve learnt through this module will remind me, consciously or subconsciously, the importance of effective communication. 

Much thanks and lots of LOVE!