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.