The Finale.

This is it.

We've reached the end of a semester, and with it, the end of an interesting and most valuable course, ES2007S. I know that NO ONE would disagree with what was just said, because form my observation, everyone had something to learn form it, and everyone DID learn - as seen through the application during presentations and mock interviews. There was so much improvement from everyone from the mock to real presentations.

I believe this course has made more of an impact that we could fathom. We might not think it has, but it can only be seen when we begin to apply what we've learnt out, out there in the working world. These skills that we've picked up and learnt over and over again during the course, has been inculcated (to some, without themselves knowing) deeply in us. Why I say this is because, I realise that now, I am more conscious of how I speak to others. I assess myself bit by bit as I progress in a conversastion. As for the presentation skills - those are yet to be seen. Gotta wait till my next presentation.

The group project we tackled was a valuable experience for me. I mean, we've done so many projects, but why this was different was because first of all, I'm working with people I've never worked in teams with before (except Johnny). Second, the context of the project was something mostly unrelated to engineering, Recycling In Singapore. It was a fresh experience, and my teammates were so easy to work with. I guess this was a blessing, as compared to other teams which seemed to have problems communicating.

The entire conduct and process of the project was lively (thanks to Jacinth), knowledge-filled (Johnny) and well-organised (Bernadette). I've learnt the best and worst methods of communicating and information-sharing. Most of all, I've learnt that team dynamics is key to ensuring effectiveness. So many things can be done in the shortest time if the team dynamics are well taken care of. No question about it. (Still, If you do have a question, you can ask me!)

This whole course has taught me well, and I'm extremely grateful to Dr. Radhika for such insight and her love to impart onto us. She has truly contributed to making this course valuable to us. (Thank You Dr. RJ! )
Thank you to all my classmates as well; I honestly do not wish I had been enrolled in another class. This class was well balanced with interesting characters haha. Thank you for the fun and laughter, cristicism and most importantly, for always smiling.

This is it. The Finale. Godspeed guys. :) God Bless.

Project Oral Presentation

One of the greatest challenges to me, is presenting to people in such a way that would make them remember the presentation for more than a day. Throughout my years of education and 2 years in the Army, I have learnt techniques and skills to conduct an effective presentation. That is the easy part. What separates the good from the average presenter is the ability to learn these techniques and skills, and apply them to their presentation, constantly assessing themselves to further improve on presentation.

During the mock presentation, I realised after watching the video of myself presenting, that there are many areas in which I can improve. Eye contact, smiling a little more, moving away from the podium, slowing down my speech a little. Yes, these are tiny bits and pieces, but these tiny bits and pieces are vital pieces that could make a huge difference if dealt with.

I have never done a comparison to myself before. The video recording helped to assess myself, and actually target the points to be improved. It is an essential tool when aiming to improve oneself - self reflection. I am glad I took this module, and that there was a session devoted to mock presentations and recording.

Overall, I feel that I did better and felt more confident during the actual presentation. Given it was a second time doing the same presentation, but this time, I had taken the critique from Dr RJ and my peers and thought about how I could change my presentation based on them. One of the biggest barriers to learning is the inability to take criticism, and I'm glad I am open to it.

I feel a lot more prepared to face the real world. Although I know not what lies out there, I know for sure that what I've learnt so far will always be embedded in me; and it will not be a lesson I would take for granted. Ever.

Intercultural Behaviour

It is often said that in a multi-cultural society like Singapore, that tolerance for another race’s practices and approach towards life in general is positively medium to high. This could be explained by the fact that most Singaporeans in the current generation of youth and the generation before, were born into a multi-racial, inter-cultural environment, thus making it a norm to live amongst a diverse range of cultural scenes.

It is interesting to note that even though there are many languages spoken in this society, there is a “non-verbal local language” that bridges the communication gap between local cultures. Somehow, conversations and situations at a coffee shop, community centre, office and even playgrounds rarely end up in a misunderstanding, because of a common understanding of the way things are done as a Singaporean.

However, change is inevitable. The past decade has seen a high influx of immigrants into Singapore, many of which have taken up citizenship as well. The societal environment has changed. What doesn’t come with citizenship or permanent residency, however, is that “non-verbal local language” or common understanding that can only be learnt by living in any particular society. This is where intercultural conflict creeps in.

Recently, I was on a trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and there was a stop-over at a rest point. I wanted to purchase a meal at a certain stall, with certain customizations, so I tried to explain to the staff what I wanted, but she could not understand what I was saying. I tried to look for diagrams to point but unfortunately there wasn’t any. I was trying for at least two minutes, and eventually, she just shook her head in frustration, waved her hand in a manner gesturing me to leave the counter, and went back into the kitchen – I figured she had no time to waste and had to prepare meals for other customers. Not a very good experience, but I was simply too tired to even get angry, and so I just went to another stall to get myself a hot cup of Milo.

So let’s assess the situation. From her accent, I knew she was not from the South-East Asian Region (an immigrant). I knew also that she was not frustrated initially because she greeted me with a smile. A difference in spoken language would have definitely had a part to play in the conflict, but I would like to go further and say that, even if there was a language barrier, there could have still been communication of my wants using gesturing and other non-verbal methods.

What was missing was that “non-verbal local language”, because I have had similar situations in Singapore with Singaporean stall owners, and they could understand what I had wanted when certain requests were made. She was frustrated at failed attempts in understanding, and decided that it just wasn’t worth her time or money.

One way to resolve a situation like that would be to get help from a third party who could understand both languages or at least know how to communicate the information better. Of course, I was too tired to even think of that at the time, and besides, she had already given up in frustration. Milo seemed like the better option anyway.

Application Letter

Caleb Raj Mahendran

BLK 405 Pasir Ris Drive 6

#05-481 Singapore 510405

Contact: 9321 3217

calebraj11@gmail.com

8 February 2011

Mr. K.K. Poon

Sato Kogyo (S) Pte. Ltd.

149 Rochor Road

#04-14/15, Fu Lu Shou Complex

Singapore 188425

Dear Mr. Poon,

Engineer, Job Reference No. JSG400003000333840

            I am enclosing my resume in response to the job advertisement for the above post that appeared in JobsDB.com.sg on 8^th February 2011. As mentioned in my resume, I have recently graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering, and wish to begin my Engineering career at your esteemed organisation.

            I have experience in leadership and have worked with many different kinds of teams; two skills which I think will definitely help me excel at this job. My leadership roles in National Service as an Officer have helped me hone my leadership skills, particularly my roles as Platoon Commander and Company 2^nd-In-Charge at Basic Military Training School (BMTC). A key event that tested my leadership was my task to be Event Organiser for the Unit Level Games Day. I am certain that my leadership experiences in National Service and elsewhere will enhance my experiences at Sato Kogyo.

Another key set of skills that I think is vital is team-work. Having the privilege to attend courses such as Outward Bound School (OBS - Singapore) and being in the Executive Committee in the Hockey Club have helped hone these team-work skills. Furthermore, having worked on projects at NUS with a variety of student characters have helped me understand and blend with most kinds of people well, and I believe these team-work skills can and will help me blend in with the working culture at Sato Kogyo without hassle.

            I have no doubt that my interest and passion in Civil and Structural Engineering will enhance my working experience at Sato Kogyo. I am looking forward to putting my knowledge and best ideas forward in ensuring Sato Kogyo upholds its reputation as being the foremost in technological expertise and innovative construction techniques.

Yours Sincerely,

Caleb Raj

How would YOU settle this Interpersonal Conflict?

Conflicts are bound to happen in any relationship and team setting. They arise due to differences in opinions, and the inability to settle the matter in a positive manner. Resolving these conflicts takes experience, time, and some Emotional Intelligence (EQ).

 The important thing to note is that in different scenarios, there are different ways to solve conflicts – there is no ‘sure-win’ way. Even the most obvious of solutions can backfire and worsen the conflict situation.

So here’s a hypothetical conflict scenario:

The scene takes place in an office. Mike the manager needs to form a team, including himself, for a certain project his department is tasked with. Mike looks through the list of employees he has in his department, and concludes that the best two people for the job are John and Nancy.

John has been in the company for 10 years, and has formed a close rapport with Mike; they are close friends, and he has the most experience on the job. Nancy has only been in the company for almost a year, but she has brought contemporary and challenging ideas to the department. Mike also has a fancy for Nancy (he likes her, and she seems to be reciprocating too).

After a few months into the project, John and Nancy begin to clash in terms of ideas and opinions. Over a few weeks, the disagreements get worse and turn into massive arguments. All this while at the meetings, Mike always sits back and just let’s things play out; he doesn’t want to take sides. However, the deadline for the project is looming, and not much has been done because of the conflict.

One day, the argument gets so bad, that John and Nancy both tell Mike that they will walk out if they have to continue working together, and force Mike to make a decision to get one of them off the team.

Question: With the relationship that Mike has with John and Nancy, he is having difficulty deciding on whom to boot off the team. He decides that it is too close to the deadline to boot someone off. He decides instead to attempt to resolve the conflict. If you were Mike, how would you do so?

Why is effective communication important for me?

Communication, on its own, can be defined as the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. There is always a desired outcome to communication; and reaching that outcome in the simplest way possible, is in my definition, effective communication.

Effective communication is important to me because first of all, I do not like being misunderstood. When misunderstandings occur, a lot of energy, time and emotions have to be invested to make matters clear. Often times, they even result in the end of a relationship, thus cutting of all further communication efforts to make the wrong a right.

Secondly, being able to effectively communicate to/with someone boosts my self-confidence. When people understand me easily, it doesn’t have to result in finding other avenues of bringing a point across.

Lastly, effective communication is vital because it makes me understand people and the point they are trying to bring across more easily. When I communicate with people who are not as effective in communication a point, being able to listen and understand well helps to ease the tension and make the conversation or exchange more fruitful and worthwhile.

Effective communication is therefore not just how well one brings a point across to the other party/parties, but also, how well the exchange of ideas and thoughts is carried out. It definitely does NOT boil down to one party, but to all parties in that exchange.