I remember attending a dinner fellowship and representatives from various organizations were given time at the mic to be sharing. We were running overtime but the representatives kept on talking and talking. I was asking an older friend, "Is it common for people to talk so long?" She simply commented, "As you grow older, you tend to carry more baggage and take longer to make your point."
This module helped me to see that keeping communication concise and effective is not something that is unattainable. In fact it should be our goal since we communicate not for the sake of showing off our knowledge but to pass on information to our audience. After reviewing my first post, my understanding of the value effective communication skills did not change but only deepened.
Whether it is learning minimally from a poorly delivered lecture, failing to coordinate an event properly due to miscommunication, or suffering from a strained relationship due to misunderstandings, it is not difficult to identify with these problems and the stress that came along with it!
The occurrence of these problems would be greatly reduced if only effective communication is emphasized.Throughout the process of preparing the research report and the oral presentation, there were many opportunities where practicing proper communication within the group members prevented many possible problems and conflicts. Practicing good listening habits have helped me to better understand people I frequently engage with. These include my parents, my peers in Christian Fellowship and my church youths. A few months ago, there was a friend who wrote a letter to me instead of approaching to talk because he felt I was too assertive of my views and not listening to him. Things have changed now that I have learned to be sensitive and he is now willing to be sharing his life and problems with me again.
Besides communication skills, I am thankful for having the opportunity of writing my resume and application letter. Before this, I was still considering if teaching would be my future career. The process of writing out my experiences helped me to see how I have enjoyed mixing with students and how my skills are suited for the job. Hence, it became a confirmation for me.
To end off this post and this blog, I would like to emphasize my views from my first post. Now that we know the tips and theories, the road to an effective communicator is spelled out by two words - consistent effort. For myself, I foresee many opportunities to be putting in practice what I had learned. I hope my fellow classmates from group 7 benefited from this course as much as I did. It is a great bonus that this module does not have a final exam. All the best for your other modules!
