My name is Glenna and I graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic this year with a diploma in hotel and leisure facilities management. During my course of studies and internship, I realised the importance of facilities management to the built environment, which sparked my interest in this area. Hence, I decided to further my studies in the Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services) programme offered by Singapore Institute of Technology.
My strength in communication is listening, be it verbally or non-verbally through body languages. As an introvert, I find it easier to listen to people’s opinions than to share my own. By listening, I am able to focus on what people are trying to say, allowing me to understand their situation or behaviour, and sometimes gain new perspectives. This is especially so in an argument when the other party just wants to get their point across and does not care about what I have to say. Besides that, listening is also a good way to build rapport with my friends or colleagues as it helps to establish good interpersonal relationships.
On the other hand, my weakness which I am working on is that I am weak at holding conversations with new people. I am generally a very quiet person when I first meet someone. In my past experiences, being a quiet person, especially in a workplace, is not a good thing as I do not dare to ask questions and my presence is sometimes not known. Hence, during my last job, I took the opportunity to improve by initiating conversations with my colleagues and asking questions, which minimised my mistakes and also improved my efficiency. Even though I have improved from the past, I am still quite shy around new people. However, I try my best to start initiating conversations instead of hiding. In addition to being weak at holding conversations, I also have difficulties trying to convey my thoughts into words as I am not strong in my English language.
Effective communication is a beneficial skill which can always be improved. In this module, I hope to become a more confident speaker and possess the ability to communicate effectively with people. I look forward to learning more in the coming classes.
Thank you.
Best Regards
Glenna Woo
SIE2016 Group 5
Edited:
17 September 2017
18 September 2017
25 September 2017
Blogs read & commented:
Hong Yu
Zhou Zhi
Claudia
Hi Glenna! Nice blog you have here ^^
ReplyDeleteJust some opinions :
"My strength in communication is learning to listen, be it verbally or non-verbally through body languages." - can be "My strength in communication is listening..."
I find this very interesting about you in fact (:
"I am awful at talking to new people" - this sentence sounds weird especially when you use the word 'awful'. Perhaps you can say "I am weak in holding a conversation with someone new to me?" Haha just a suggestion XD
Overall, a good read!
Hi Glenna,
DeleteYour blog is perfect and I enjoyed reading it! I hope that through Prof Brad's enriching Effective Communication class can change you to become a confident communicator.
Regards
Hong Yu
Hi Claudia!
DeleteThanks for the feedback as I was trying to find the correct sentence/words to describe it. I have made the necessary changes to my post.
Hi Hong Yu!
DeleteThanks for taking the time to read my blog. I believe that my post can be improved much more. If you ever notice any mistakes in the future, do feel free to comment on this post again!
Dear Glenna,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this detailed reflective letter. You do a good job describing your communication skills, goals for the module and background.
In regard to one 'weakness,' I can sense that you are a bit shy and introverted. That is not necessarily a bad thing. However, if you want to overcome such shyness and project more confidence, I wonder if you might adopt certain strategies similar to those you did in your last job, say, speaking before you are spoken to in class, or volunteering to answer questions before anyone else does.
My challenge to you is this. The next time I ask a question in class, even if you are not 100% certain of the answer, give it a shot. Raise your hand. I’ll be waiting for that!
Generally, your language use in this post is quite good. However, there are a few minor issues:
1) As an introvert, it is easier to listen to people’s opinions than to share my own. >>> (dangling modifier) Who is the introvert? It?
2) when the other party just want to get their point >>> (subject-verb disagreement)
All in all, this is an enjoyable letter to read. I look forward to reading more from you this term.
Cheers,
Brad
Dear Brad,
DeleteThank you for taking the time to read my blog. I have made the necessary changes to my post.
With regards to your challenge, I will do my best to participate and answer questions in class.
I look forward to attending your classes.
Regards,
Glenna
Hi Glenna,
ReplyDeleteYour fellow groupmate here and it's a pleasure knowing you. After reading our group blogs, i think most of us has an introverted personality including myself. So maybe it's a good thing we have to take this module. I've read through your blog and below is my personal opinion.
"My strength in communication is learning to listen" i think that it should be my strength in communication is listening.
Above is just my two cents, i might be the one who's wrong.
Cheers,
Zhouzhi
Hi Zhou Zhi,
DeleteI have read your feedback and made the necessary changes to my post as I feel that 'learning to' should not be included too. Let's try to overcome our introverted personalities through effective communication class!
Hello Glenna,
ReplyDeleteI believe all the mistakes have already been pointed out. However, i find this sentence particularly odd. "My strength in communication is learning to listen, be it verbally or non-verbally through body languages." I am not sure if it is right to use "listen" on a non-verbally body languages, it is more suitable on verbal languages. This is what i thought, i may be wrong.
Besides that i think it is crucial to have a good communication skills. However, majority of us tend to overlook the importance of listening. Which often shows how inattentive and unprofessional the person is. Hence, i think having a strength of being a good listener is definitely an important skill in enhancing our communication skills. So keep it up! Hoping to work with you in the near future!
Cheers,
Junhe