Final Reflection on Learning

            I decided to take this module after reading the module description online because it seemed like it would be useful for when I graduate, seeing how it was my final semester in NUS. True enough, I think that ES2007S has equipped me with relevant skills to assist me in job hunting: resume and cover letter writing, interview skills and communication across different groups of people. Not only that, but Professional Communication has taught me various other things - from things I had always taken for granted like non-verbal communication skills to shedding light on more sensitive issues like intercultural communication. This module has definitely made me more aware of my actions, such that I would hopefully never come across wrongly, or unintentionally offend or even contradict the things I say.

            I could go on listing the numerous technical skills that this module has taught me, but that would make for a fairly dry and boring post. Instead, I want to mention how this module has given me other experiences beneath the surface. ES2007S has given me opportunities to work with different people and I think that whatever experience I had would help with working life in the future. The module has also introduced me to 8 amazing friends who have expanded the way I view the world and have each taught me a little bit of something, be it in class discussions, peer teachings and even the occasional talks at bus stops and on elevators. It also introduced me to an amazing teacher, a mentor, who has taught me more than I could have anticipated, readying me for my next jump to the working world.

            All in all, these last 12 weeks have been as enjoyable as it has been enriching. I have definitely grown attached to the class and I am glad that I decided to take this module as it has given me plenty of pleasant memories, a great way to wrap up my education in NUS. I feel that after this entire course was over, I can safely say that I got everything I expected plus so much more.

Reflection on Project Proposal

            As a life science student, the writing I was used to was scientific writing for lab reports. In such cases, I wrote from a purely qualitative point of view, on a subject I am familiar with or have had at least a minimal amount of education in (in terms of lectures). In the case of this ES2007S proposal however, my group chose a topic we thought was interesting, but where none of us had any formal education in. Also, the writing style was different in that this proposal was a persuasive piece. This experience has definitely prepared me for the working world if I am ever needed to write persuasively.

            With respect to working in groups, I feel that I learnt a few valuable lessons from writing this proposal with my group mates. I have learnt that time management is extremely crucial when working on such a proposal. My group had a late start on our proposal and this had disadvantaged us in numerous ways. We pulled through in the end, but the journey might have been more enjoyable and less stressful if we had started earlier. I have learnt that effective timelines need to be established at the start of any project.

            I thought that as a group, we worked quite well together - playing to each person’s strengths and that all our strengths complemented one another. This meant that as a team, I felt that we were quite strong. There were definitely areas that could have been improved on however, such as improved communication between members especially during the first phase of the proposal.

            All in all, it was an enjoyable experience, and I am extremely grateful to have two very cooperative team members who have taught me little things in one way or another.

Intercultural Communication

            Culture is something that each individual would have been exposed to from birth. It is shaped from the environment we surround ourselves with – our country, our society, our family; even the friends we associate with influence one’s culture. It is not surprising therefore, to have conflict between individuals from the same country, let alone the same age group.

            Back in my gymnastics days, a potluck gathering was held at a teammate’s house. There were a total of two Muslims in the team, and we reminded everyone to ensure that the food they brought was halal. Assuming the team understood what that meant, we came to the gathering with confidence that we could enjoy the food available. Midway through the gathering, my Muslim friend approached me asking “Nazyra, did you eat the nuggets?”. Naturally, finger food would be one of the first things to consume in a gathering like this. I nodded, and she remarked, “Don’t eat it! It’s not halal!”. Confused, I asked her what she meant. Apparently, she came to the gathering earlier to help the hostess to prepare, and she saw that the hostess’ helper had fried those said nuggets. The packaging however, did not have a halal certification on it. I wanted to confirm this and I approached the hostess. She replied saying, “Don’t worry. It’s chicken, not pork. It’s halal”.

            This conflict occurred due to the misconception that people have of halal food. Many people are of the opinion that halal just refers to “no pork, no lard, no alcohol”. However, there is a deeper meaning to halal food in which the animal has to be slaughtered in a way that causes the animal minimal amount of pain, in a swift manner, under God’s name. Only then would food be considered halal. This is a classic example of intercultural conflicts that arise due to the lack of knowledge regarding one’s culture, in this case, religion. Below, is a video by HSBC that shows other examples of differences in culture that could lead to intercultural conflicts or misunderstandings.

            The bottom line is: the best way to avoid intercultural conflicts is to be armed with knowledge.

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

Human beings, Homo sapiens, are the only species known to science that is able to think and reason. That being said, not all individuals from the human population think or reason in the same way. This leads to personal differences such as differences in personality, beliefs and ethics. Sometimes, these differences can be ignored but in other cases, such differences get in the way of relationships. This is known as interpersonal conflict. In this blog post, my personal experience will be mentioned and critically analyzed to gain a better understanding on resolving interpersonal conflict.

Being an executive committee member in my club a year ago, I was part of a group that had to make decisions for the entire team. Such decisions were made after careful considerations and were made for the benefit of the “greater good” of the team in mind. There was a senior member of the team who disagreed with many of the choices made. This led to many internal disputes within the team and things started to get out of hand, with the senior member personally attacking committee members countless of times. The issue was finally resolved after calling for an entire club meeting where members could voice their opinions openly, in the presence of mediators.

This experience showed that differences in opinions and beliefs could lead to detrimental results on the wellbeing of a larger group of people due to a snowballing or cascading effect. It teaches the importance of exercising emotional intelligence in decision-making. In the case above, further damage was prevented via the club meeting as a “damage control”. Another way that damage could have been minimized was if personal attacks were avoided. In conclusion, Emotional Intelligence is key in resolving interpersonal conflict.