Critical Reflection

At the start of this module, I set two goals for myself in my introduction letter. The first one was for me to learn how to link my chain of thoughts and use the right words to convey my message. Secondly, I wanted to increase my confidence level when giving presentations to large groups of people. After attending the effective communication module for the past thirteen weeks, I can now say that I have learned to speak without stuttering too much and get my points across to the audience confidently. Previously, there have been times when I went completely blank during presentations due to nervousness. However, in this module, the peer evaluations after every presentation enabled me to see myself from others' points of view and work on my flaws. I am aware that building confidence is not a short process and it cannot be quantified. However, the past thirteen weeks have allowed me to grow as a speaker. I have learned the importance of linking up my chain of thoughts and not panicking when facing a large group of people. I have learned to slow down and think through before rushing to give any answers or opinions. Another aspect I am working on is being more engaging when giving speeches or presentations. I could do better in engaging the audience in terms of maintaining eye contact and using more physical space when talking. In the future, I could consciously make efforts to remind myself to have eye contact with my audience and be more interactive while presenting.

Over the course of the module, Professor Brad has tasked us to write reports and summaries. These tasks have helped me to improve my writing skills. I have learned that I do not need to use complex words or sentence structures to explain my points or express my views. With the help of the instructional units, I can provide more clear and concise writing for my assignments. It also helps to reduce the number of mistakes I would potentially make. Professor Brad has also emphasized the importance of knowing our audience when writing a piece article. It helps to determine the formality of the extract that I would be writing. Writing the technical report has aided me in improving my writing skills. Writing also includes other elements of researching a specific topic and combining the ideas gained into proper sentences. The technical report allowed me to know more in-depth about my chosen topic, which is related to Singapore's waste management system. One thing I would like to improve on when it comes to my writing, is the correctness of my article. An extract should generally have smooth flow with relatively zero error. This is something I am still working towards and hopefully with enough practice over time, I would be able to achieve that.

Overall, this module has helped me to develop soft skills. At the same time, Professor Brad's guidance and resources hav ensured that I have a smooth journey in this module.